The Life of Forms in Art : Modernism, Organism, Vitality

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? “Brandon Taylor's remarkable study of the pervasive impact of vitalist concepts of “aesthetic monism” on the interwar avant-garde is an important and timely contribution that greatly enriches our understanding of the art and culture of this complex era.” - Mark Antliff, Anne Murnick Cogan Distinguished Professor of Art and Art History, Duke University, USAIn 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. "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 art: the organic , the biomorphic , the ambiguous , the monstrous , the dialectical , and the liquid."-- Provided by publisher

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 art: the organic, the biomorphic, the ambiguous, the monstrous, the dialectical, and the liquid.

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, Miro, Kandinsky, Strzeminski, Dali, 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 art: the organic, the biomorphic, the ambiguous, the monstrous, the dialectical, and the liquid What is form in modern art? How could a work of art attain organic life in a world dominated by new technology? In this important new book, Brandon Taylor proposes that biology and the life sciences themselves supplied the analogies and metaphors by which the modern artist was guided. For the artistic giants of the period -- Picasso, Miro, Kandinsky, Strzeminski, Dali, Arp, Motherwell, and Pollock, as well as less-known figures such as Taeuber, Erni, and Kobro -- such questions loomed large in the studio, in 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 great experiments of modern art: the organic, the biomorphic, the ambiguous, the monstrous, the dialectical, and the liquid.-- Provided by publisher Cover Contents List of Illustrations Prelude: On Life and Form 1 Organicity 2 Biomorphism 3 Ambiguity 4 Monstrosity 5 Dialectics 6 Liquefaction Coda Afterword and acknowledgements Index