Acts of Engagement
Writings on Art, Criticism, and Institutions, 1993–2002
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- USD 59.99
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- USD 59.99
Descripción editorial
Acts of Engagement brings together writings spanning the extraordinarily eventful ten-year after the author left The New York Times, where he had been an art critic from 1982 to 1991. The writings fall into three broad areas: art, art criticism, and arts and cultural institutions. In each area, Brenson finds it imperative to consider issues such as responsibility, creativity, process, and voice—issues that have taken on increasing urgency as corporate culture has overcome almost every aspect of American life. If we are to understand and come to terms with the violent shift from multiculturalism to privatization and the difficult if not precarious situation American art and culture are now in, we must engage the key words that define the book's four sections: language, identity, audience, and power. In Brenson's catalogue and book essays, and in his short addresses and comprehensive lectures lie a wealth of historical knowledge, connoisseurship, political and social commentary, philosophical speculation, and an impassioned dedication to the value of artists and the visual arts. The book ranges from a detailed examination of a single popular masterpiece, to an appreciation of the potential everyday impact of artists as people, to analyses of the art world system and of sweeping social and institutional changes. Acts of Engagement addresses the fundamental humanity and necessity of the visual arts: what they are about, why they matter, and the challenges and dangers they face.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
What is the function of art in our culture? What roles do museums play in the aesthetic education of our society? What is the task of the artist in a culture that increasingly shuns the power of art to form ideas? Former New York Times art critic Brenson examines these and other timely questions in this stimulating volume of essays. Collected over a 10-year period, these writings explore broad issues ranging from power and language to audience and identity. Brenson devotes loving attention to the socially transformative works of artists and sculptors as diverse as Maya Lin, Alberto Giacometti and Magdalena Abakanowicz, and challenges art critics to play responsible roles in the aesthetic education of society: "Critics... have a special and unique opportunity to respond to the immediacy of art and communicate the power that objects and images have." As with many collections of essays, Brenson's is sometimes repetitive and uneven, but on balance his lively writings provide a powerful and inspiring reminder of the central role that art can play in defining and changing society.