Pictures of Nothing: Abstract Art Since Pollock

by Kirk Varnedoe and Earl A. Powell

Book Overview

An illuminating exploration of the meaning of abstract art by acclaimed art historian Kirk Varnedoe

"What is abstract art good for? What's the use--for us as individuals, or for any society--of pictures of nothing, of paintings and sculptures or prints or drawings that do not seem to show anything except themselves?" In this invigorating account of abstract art since Jackson Pollock, eminent art historian Kirk Varnedoe, the former...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 069112678X
• ISBN13: 9780691126784
• Release Date: October 2006
• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 3.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 9.3" x 9.8"

Customer Reviews

Abstract, not blurred.

This is unquestionably a brilliant book. In six consecutive lectures given at the National Gallery in 2003, the last one three months before his untimely death, Kirk Varnedoe manages to give a clear, erudite and broad view of abstract art over the last 50 years. Rather than dwelling exhaustively on one artist or on one work, he covers the whole range, from Pollock to Taafe, from Stella to Ryman, From Judd to Morris, from Johns to Marden, from Andre to Serra etc...True, as one other reviewer already pointed out, he tends to limit himself to American abstract art, or abstract art insofar as it is linked in some way or other to American art (as when he explains Richter's abstractions in relation to Stella and Pollock), but the text is so lively and insightful, that the reader readily forgives this slightly nationalistic bias. Varnedoe's core idea is that abstraction , far from being the end of art, actually represents the constant renewal of it, offering endless possibilities of rebirth. It is the permanent creation of something new, that only exists on its own and does not stem from or bases itself upon anything that existed prior to its creation (a good example is a huge untitled 1970 Cy Twombly painting owned by MOMA). Varnedoe's gift as a wonderful orator and storyteller, never pedantic, always to the point, transpires in every line of this book and shows us how great a loss to American culture his death was. Highly recommended, also for the quality of the many illustrations of almost every single work alluded to in the text.

Highly Recommended

Pictures of Nothing is an important addition to my library. Currently completing my MFA, the lectures in this book have been both challenging and enlightening, broadening my understanding of contemporary abstract art. It is both a "cover to cover" read and a reference dipper. Written in an informed, passionate and sometimes humurous style Varnedoe's lectures are a joy to read. Well illustrated with wide-ranging coverage of art and artists within the field I can give this book 4 1/2 stars and a high recommendation.

Abstraction clarified

A brilliant and thorough explication of contemporary abstract art. The lectures were not intended for arts professionals but are a literate and enjoyable guide to the visual arts since Jackson Pollock.

If You Could Have Only One Art Book...

I'm married to a librarian and between the two of us, we have at least 8,000 books (we both love books just about more than anything), but if I could only have one book - this would definitely be it. The late Kirk Varnedoe, former Chief Curator of MoMA, has so clearly, easily and deliciously put into one gorgeous volume the whole picture of what I've been studying my you-know-what off to understand over the past 7 years. I've been The Menil Collection's Twombly Guard during those 7 years, so you can believe that I am especially enthusiastic with Varnedoe's illuminating explanations on Cy Twombly's art! Buy this book and I guarantee you will not be disappointed. The reproductions are also first-class. Varnedoe gave these lectures knowing that he was dying of cancer; his last sentence is "And now I am done." Three months later he did die and was never able to see them published. This book may be the best book that has ever been written about abstract art.

Spirited defense of abstract art

The book is an excellent introduction to contemporary art for non-specialists. It's the best, least doctrinaire, most convincing case for abstract art that I've ever encountered. Varnedoe supports his case superbly with close readings of dozens of works illustrated throughout the book. He's a fine, sensitive, appreciative critic and just to read his appreciations and analyses of these works an education in contemporary art. Most authors who write about abstract art (or modern art, interchangeable terms for present purposes) direct their books either to its champions or its critics. Varnedoe has written a book about abstract art for the rest of us, who mostly are not sure what to think of it. Varnedoe thinks it's good and important for several reasons. First, because it suits our restless, ever-changing reality, crossing every boundary seeking something new and better. Second, it offers individuals freedom not just to express themselves but to create new visual languages that expand expressive possibilities for everybody. Third, because it explores the "borderland around the opening into nothingness" by casting out already formulated images in favor of pure shape, color, texture reduced to their essence and presented for our unmediated perception. Last, and most fundamentally, because it persists: "It has been done. It is being done...and... it will be done." There must be something worthwhile here if so many talented people over so long a time spend their lives in the enterprise of abstract art. If only he had had enough time to engage in a dialogue with skeptics. Varnedoe addresses realism briefly when he rejects the thesis that the conventions of realism developed in the West since the Renaissance (perspective, light and shade defining form,...) are somehow natural or hardwired in humans. What is hardwired, Varnedoe claims, is communication, negotiation, invention, but not any one visual code. Fair enough. But this one counter argument to but one rationale for realism hardly justifies dismissing a tradition that has spanned 500 years, dozens of cultures, and countless masterpieces. Despite Varnedoe's spirited defence, I'm left still wondering. Are the new resources of visual expression created by, for instance, embalmed sheep and steel cubes, really that rich? Richer than art created by contemporary realists who depict people, scenes, and situations in highly meaningful ways, far beyond the veiled and arguable meanings of most abstract works, and are also beautiful as two-dimensional surfaces? But I fear that the merits of the case do not matter. Realism is old fashioned, a fatal flaw in our novelty-seeking culture that Varnedoe rightly recognizes as the audience and market for abstract art. The rest of us will have to learn to like it. And there's much to like, as Varnedoe shows us in this book.