Brandon Taylor Libri

One of the most energetic artistic debates of the 20th century took place in the Soviet Union in the years between 1917 and 1939, as different movements in the art world vied with each other in claiming to represent the true art of the people in the period of the dictatorship of the proletariat. The Party followed the debate closely, seeking to guide its progress and strengthen central control over the formulation of artistic policy, as advocates of social realism and symbolism took issue with exponents of modernism. Until now, Western interest in these debates has focused exclusively on the activities and theories of the modernists. Brandon Taylor aims to provide a full picture of Soviet culture in its early period - one that is fundamental to an understanding of the arts in the Soviet Union today.

What is form in modern art? How could a work of art achieve its organic life in a world increasingly dominated by mechanism, by new technology? In this new book, Brandon Taylor proposes that biology and the life sciences themselves supplied many of the analogies and metaphors by which modern artists were guided. For the creative giants of the period - Picasso, Miró, Kandinsky, Strzeminski, Dalí, Arp, Motherwell and Pollock, as well as less-known figures such as Taeuber, Erni and Kobro - questions of 'living' form loomed large in studio conversation, in the press, and in the writings of the artists themselves.In a book rich in new research and fresh thinking, a well-known art historian proposes six modalities of organic and vital life that pervade the radical experiments of modern the organic , the biomorphic , the ambiguous , the monstrous , the dialectical , and the liquid .

A fascinating journey through Western art from the 1910s to the 1960s, charting how artists wrestled with the headlong changes of a turbulent and conflict-ridden world

A comprehensive history of collage theory and practice describes Picasso's formation of the modern art form in 1908, its applications by progressive artists, its variations, and numerous significant pieces that marked the genre's evolution throughout the twentieth century.

This study is devoted to the visual arts, architecture, design and film of Nazi Germany. Studiously avoided by most art historians, the culture of the National Socialist period is presented as complex and contradictory, the result of forces within German history which were unique and perhaps unrepeatable.

This is an international survey of contemporary art, taking a critical look at the work of established artists and exploring broad international trends and movements. The book takes the impact of feminist, structuralist and postmodern theories on the visual arts as a central theme. The dominance of New York as a centre of the art market is discussed and the work of lesser-known artists from around the world is acknowledged. In addition, there are features on contemporary art in France, Britain and Russia.

Exploring the intersection of psychoanalysis and modern sculpture, this collection of essays delves into how Freudian and Kleinian concepts, such as splitting and sublimation, alongside Lacanian ideas like the stade du miroir, illuminate the understanding of three-dimensional art. Covering movements from Surrealism to contemporary works, the essays reveal the profound connections between psychological theories and artistic expression, offering fresh insights into the interpretation of modern sculptures.

Almost everything about Wallace is at odds with the Midwestern university town where he is working uneasily toward a biochem degree. An introverted young man from Alabama, black and queer, he has left behind his family without escaping the long shadows of his childhood. For reasons of self-preservation, Wallace has enforced a wary distance even within his own circle of friends--some dating each other, some dating women, some feigning straightness. But over the course of a late summer weekend, a series of confrontations with colleagues and an unexpected encounter with an ostensibly straight, white classmate conspire to fracture his defenses while exposing long-hidden currents of hostility and desire within their community. Real Life is a novel of profound and lacerating power, a story that asks if it's every really possible to overcome our private wounds, and at what cost. -- From dust jacket

A hotly charged new work of fiction from the Booker Prize shortlisted author of Real Life.