The (Moving) Pictures Generation : The Cinematic Impulse in Downtown New York Art and Film

Beginning in the late 1970s, a number of visual artists in downtown New York City returned to an exploration of the cinematic across mediums. Vera Dika considers their work within a greater cultural context and probes for a deeper understanding of the practice. "Downtown New York in the late 1970s was filled with a vibrant energy, and with young artists making groundbreaking work. Many, like Cindy Sherman, Robert Longo, and Kathryn Bigelow, have become legendary. The (Moving) Pictures Generation is a book about artists who were trained in art schools rather than film schools, but whose fascination was with the "movies." Their art was rife with cinematic reference, not only through "appropriation," as often noted, but by something deeper. Cinematic time, as duration and history, was engaged, as well as body movement, as gesture and pose, and narrative as cultural meaning. Andy Warhol in the 1960s had addressed similar issues."--Provided by publisher. "Beginning in the late 1970s, a number of visual artists in downtown New York City returned to an exploration of the cinematic. They engaged cinematic movement, time, and the body in their work, and did so across mediums, utilizing not only film, but sculpture, drawing, photography, and performance. The cinematic impulse was evidenced in the high art of Jack Goldstein, Robert Longo, and Cindy Sherman, and in the film practices of "No Wave" filmmakers Amos Poe and Vivienne Dick, and the feature films of Kathryn Bigelow. Vera Dika considers the work within a greater cultural context and probes for a deeper understanding of the practice"--Provided by publisher Cover 1 Contents 8 List of Illustrations 10 Acknowledgments 12 Prologue: Downtown New York in the Late 1970s and Beyond 14 (Moving) Pictures 22 1 (Moving) Pictures: Introduction 24 2 Stillness/Movement: Joseph Cornell, Edison Company, Andy Warhol, Jack Goldstein 44 3 The Female Body and the Film Frame: Andy Warhol, Cindy Sherman 54 4 Vivienne Dick’s Film Portraits 74 Community 90 5 Amos Poe and the New York New Wave 92 6 Downtown and Community: Eric Mitchell, James Nares, Nan Goldin 108 Narrative Expectations 138 7 Strategies of Transformation: Jack Goldstein, Robert Longo, Cindy Sherman 140 8 Strategies of Opposition: Eric Mitchell, Kathryn Bigelow, Lizzie Borden 162 The Cinematic Body 174 9 Performance and the Cinematic: Paul Swan, Eric Bogosian 176 10 The Ephemeral Body/The Female Voice: Louise Lawler, Ericka Beckman 188 Downtown and the Mainstream 200 11 Incursions into Popular Culture: Robert Longo, Cindy Sherman, Kathryn Bigelow 202 Conclusion and Continuation 226 Notes 232 Bibliography 248 Index 254 Machine generated contents note: Introduction * (MOVING) PICTURES * The (Moving) Picture: Joseph Cornell, Edison Company, Andy Warhol, Jack Goldstein * The Female Body and the Frameline: Andy Warhol and Cindy Sherman * Vivienne Dick's Film Portraits * COMMUNITY * Amos Poe and the New York New Wave * Downtown and Community: Eric Mitchell, James Nares, Nan Goldin * NARRATIVE EXPECTATIONS * The Art of Transformation: Jack Goldstein, Robert Longo, and Cindy Sherman * Edging toward the Mainstream: Eric Mitchell, Jim Jarmusch, Amos Poe, Kathryn Bigelow * THE CINEMATIC BODY * Themes of Aggression: Lizzie Borden, Bette Gordon, Vivienne Dick, Beth and Scott B., James Nares, John Lurie * The Male Body in Cinematic Performance: David Byrne, Spalding Gray, Paul Swan, Eric Bogosian * The Ephemeral Body, the Female Voice: Louise Lawler, Ericka Beckman * THE MAINSTREAM * Incursions into Popular Culture: Robert Longo, Cindy Sherman, Kathryn Bigelow, Julian Schnabel * Conclusion and Continuation.

Beginning in the late 1970s, a number of visual artists in downtown New York City returned to an exploration of the cinematic. They engaged cinematic movement, time, and the body in their work, and they did so across mediums, utilizing not only film, but sculpture, drawing, photography, and performance. This cinematic impulse was evident in the high art of Jack Goldstein, Robert Longo, and Cindy Sherman, in the film practices of 'No Wave' filmmakers Amos Poe and Vivienne Dick, and in the feature films of Kathryn Bigelow. Vera Dika considers the work within a greater cultural context and probes for a deeper understanding of the practice.