Citadel Culture

By Otto Karl Werckmeister

Book Overview

"Citadel" evokes a rich mixture of associations--from images of urban centers of commerce and culture to war and the need to defend what is fortified within. Preserving its layered meanings, O. K. Werckmeister plucks the word from its usual moorings and employs it as a compelling metaphor in a brilliant retrospective of contemporary Western culture.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0226893618
• ISBN13: 9780226893617
• Release Date: June 1991
• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Length: 216 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.5" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

"High" and "Low" Art in the 1980's

This is an interesting criticism of art and culture in the 1980's. O.K. Werckmeister explores how such things as Reagan's presidency, the Strategic Defense Initiative, and increased reliance on computer affect popular culture and high art. Werckmeister interestingly compares artists such as the painter Robert Morris with the Star Wars movies or the composer Pierre Boulez with the music group Kraftwerk. At times, his arguements are very ambiguous and the subjects may be a bit dated by now, but in all, it is a worthwhile read.