Grasping Shadows : The Dark Side of Literature, Painting, Photography, and Film

"With the shadow's seductive associations to sexuality, mystery, danger, intangible power, and death, the use of shadows as artistic technique saturates both classic and modern art forms, and yet the practice remains almost invisible. As the first full-length study of art shadows in over a decade, Grasping Shadows ranges from classic works by Rembrandt, Dickens, Picasso, Disney, and Warhol to contemporary street art, popular songs, billboards, and architecture to propose a general theory of how all shadows function in texts and visual media, ultimately offering four main categories. Sharpe explores the diverse ways shadows appear in literature, painting, photography, and film, insisting that literary and visual meanings of shadows cannot be separated, and that art-shadows must be analyzed as part of a cultural field in which words and images continually overlap and reinforce each other's meanings. Beginning with a summary of scholarship to date, the introduction addresses how real-world shadows function, and gives an overview of the strategies involved in representing shadows from the Renaissance onward. The first chapter sets out a theory of how the meanings of shadows are generated. Subsequent chapters, each centered on an influential literary text, explore in detail the four kinds of shadows that visual artists and writers use. The last chapter presents a case study of how shadows have impacted the art of the modern city, from Renoir and Zola to film noir to advanced projection systems capturing the shadows of passers-by on streets around the globe. The book concludes with a philosophical meditation on how living with shadows enriches everyday life. "--;"Grasping Shadows is the most comprehensive book to date on the artistic use of cast shadows, the first to offer a general theory of how all shadows function in texts and visual images. Accessibly written, it gives new insight into classic works while also exploring contemporary street art, popular songs, and advertising"-- "With the shadow's seductive associations to sexuality, mystery, danger, intangible power, and death, the use of shadows as artistic technique saturates both classic and modern art forms, and yet the practice remains almost invisible. As the first full-length study of art shadows in over a decade, Grasping Shadows ranges from classic works by Rembrandt, Dickens, Picasso, Disney, and Warhol to contemporary street art, popular songs, billboards, and architecture to propose a general theory of how all shadows function in texts and visual media, ultimately offering four main categories. Sharpe explores the diverse ways shadows appear in literature, painting, photography, and film, insisting that literary and visual meanings of shadows cannot be separated, and that art-shadows must be analyzed as part of a cultural field in which words and images continually overlap and reinforce each other's meanings. Beginning with a summary of scholarship to date, the introduction addresses how real-world shadows function, and gives an overview of the strategies involved in representing shadows from the Renaissance onward. The first chapter sets out a theory of how the meanings of shadows are generated. Subsequent chapters, each centered on an influential literary text, explore in detail the four kinds of shadows that visual artists and writers use. The last chapter presents a case study of how shadows have impacted the art of the modern city, from Renoir and Zola to film noir to advanced projection systems capturing the shadows of passers-by on streets around the globe. The book concludes with a philosophical meditation on how living with shadows enriches everyday life. "-- Provided by publisher What's in a shadow? Menace, seduction, or salvation? Immaterial but profound, shadows lurk everywhere in literature and the visual arts, signifying everything from the treachery of appearances to the unfathomable power of God. From Plato to Picasso, from Rembrandt to Welles and Warhol, from Lord of the Rings to the latest video game, shadows act as central players in the drama of Western culture.Yet because they work silently, artistic shadows often slip unnoticed past audiences and critics. Conceived as an accessible introduction to this elusive phenomenon, Grasping Shadows is the first book that offers a general theory of how all shadows function in texts and visual media. Arguing that shadow images take shape within a common cultural field where visual and verbal meanings overlap, William Sharpe ranges widely among classic and modern works, revealing the key motifs that link apparently disparate works such as those by Fra Angelico and James Joyce, Clementina Hawarden and Kara Walker, Charles Dickens and Kumi Yamashita.Showing how real-world shadows have shaped the meanings of shadow imagery, Grasping Shadows guides the reader through the techniques used by writers and artists to represent shadows from the Renaissance onward. The last chapter traces how shadows impact the art of the modern city, from Renoir and Zola to film noir and projection systems that capture the shadows of passers-by on streets around the globe. Extending his analysis to contemporary street art, popular songs, billboards, and shadow-theatre, Sharpe demonstrates a practical way to grasp the "dark side" that looms all around us. What's in a shadow? Menace, seduction, or salvation? Immaterial but profound, shadows lurk everywhere in literature and the visual arts, signifying everything from the treachery of appearances to the unfathomable power of God. From Plato to Picasso, from Rembrandt to Welles and Warhol, from Lord of the Rings to the latest video game, shadows act as central players in the drama of Western culture. Yet because they work silently, artistic shadows often slip unnoticed past audiences and critics. Conceived as an accessible introduction to this elusive phenomenon, Grasping Shadows is the first book that offers a general theory of how all shadows function in texts and visual media. Arguing that shadow images take shape within a common cultural field where visual and verbal meanings overlap, William Sharpe ranges widely among classic and modern works, revealing the key motifs that link apparently disparate works such as those by Fra Angelico and James Joyce, Clementina Hawarden and Kara Walker, Charles Dickens and Kumi Yamashita. Showing how real-world shadows have shaped the meanings of shadow imagery, Grasping Shadows guides the reader through the techniques used by writers and artists to represent shadows from the Renaissance onward. The last chapter traces how shadows impact the art of the modern city, from Renoir and Zola to film noir and projection systems that capture the shadows of passers-by on streets around the globe. Extending his analysis to contemporary street art, popular songs, billboards, and shadow-theatre, Sharpe demonstrates a practical way to grasp the "dark side" that looms all around us.