Sprezzatura: Concealing the Effort of Art from Aristotle to Duchamp

by Paolo D'Angelo

The essence of art is to conceal art. A dancer or musician does not only need to perform with ability. There should also be a lack of visible effort that gives an impression of naturalness. To disguise technique and feign ease is to heighten beauty. To express this notion, Italian has a word with no exact equivalent in other languages, sprezzatura: a kind of unaffectedness or nonchalance.

In this book, the first to consider sprezzatura...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0231175825
• ISBN13: 9780231175821
• Release Date: March 2018
• Publisher: Columbia University Press
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.5" x 8.6"