The Simple Truth: The Monochrome in Modern Art

The Simple Truth: The Monochrome in Modern Art
ISBN-10
1789142687
ISBN-13
9781789142686
Series
The Simple Truth
Category
Art
Pages
394
Language
English
Published
2020-12-15
Publisher
Reaktion Books
Author
Simon Morley

Description

The monochrome—a single-color work of art—is highly ambiguous. For some it epitomizes purity and is art reduced to its essence. For others it is just a stunt, the proverbial emperor’s new clothes. Why are monochrome works both so admired and such an easy target of scorn? Why does a monochrome look so simple and yet is so challenging to comprehend? And what is it that drives artists to create such works? In this illuminating book, Simon Morley unpacks the meanings of the monochrome as it has developed internationally over the twentieth century to today. In doing so, he also explores how artists have understood what they make, how critics variously interpret it, and how art is encountered by viewers.

Other editions

Similar books