Art History Textbooks ReviewsArt History Textbooks Reviews

 

 

The earth as canvas In the mid-60s, artists in the USA and Europe began planning works for sites outside the narrow boundaries of galleries and museums. It began with ephemeral enhancements or traces left in deserted landscapes, in the deserts of America, or in the moors of Scotland. Following this were spectacular earthen sculptures of gigantic proportions, some of which are still in the process of completion today. One distinguishing feature of Land Art is its critical preoccupation with the tradition of sculpture. Sculpture can now be an earthwork excavation, a field of metal poles, a buried hut, a trace in the grass, or even a book. Another of the movement's special characteristics is its emphasis on site-specific, outdoor works intended to lastingly alter our perception of places, and to set new parameters in art production and reception. Artists included: Carl Andre, Alice Aycock, Herbert Bayer, Christo & Jeanne Claude, Walter De Maria, Agnes Denes, Jan Dibbets, Hamish Fulton, Andy Goldsworthy, Michael Heizer, Nancy Holt, Peter Hutchinson, Patricia Johanson, Dani Karavan, Richard Long, Mary Miss, Robert Morris, Dennis Oppenheim, Charles Ross, Robert Smithson, Alan Sonfist, James Turrell Each book in TASCHEN's Basic Genre series features: a detailed introduction with approximately 35 photographs, plus a timeline of the most important events (political, cultural, scientific, etc.) that took place during the time period a selection of the most important works of the epoch; each is presented on a 2-page spread with a full-page image and, on the facing page, a description/interpretation of the work and brief biography of the artist as well as additional information such as a referencework, portrait of the artist, and/or citations