Uncontrollable Beauty: Toward a New Aesthetics (Aesthetics Today)

In this acclaimed art anthology, a prestigious group of artists, critics, and literati offer their incisive reflections on the questions of beauty, past, present, and future, and how it has become a domain of multiple perspectives. Here is Meyer Schapiro's skeptical argument on perfection . . . contributions from artists as profound as Louise Bourgeois and Agnes Martin . . . and reflections of critics, curators, and philosophers on the problems of beauty and relativism. Readers will find fascinating insights from such art theorists and critics as Dave Hickey, Jeremy Gilbert-Rolfe, Donald Kuspit, Carter Ratcliff, and dozens more. Generosity And The Black Swan / Bill Beckley -- Preface / David Shapiro -- Le Livre Est Sur La Table / John Ashbery --i. Theory -- On Perfection, Coherence, And Unity Of Form And Content / Meyer Schapiro -- Enter The Dragon: On The Vernacular Of Beauty / Dave Hickey -- Beauty And Morality / Arthur C. Danto -- Beauty And The Contemporary Sublime / Jeremy Gilbert-rolfe -- Notes On Beauty / Peter Schjeldahl -- Contratemplates / Marjorie Welish -- A Sign Of Beauty / Robert C. Morgan -- On Platonic Cosmetics / Jacqueline Lichtenstein -- Freud With Kant? The Enigma Of Pleasure / Hubert Damisch -- Arousal By Image / David Freedberg -- Ii. Ownership -- Doctor Lawyer Indian Chief: Primitivism In Twentieth-century Art At The Museum Of Modern Art In 1984 / Thomas Mcevilley -- On Doctor Lawyer Indian Chief ... / A Letter By William Rubin And Kirk Vaqrnedoe With A With A Reply By Thomas Mcevilley -- On Doctor Lawyer Indian Chief: Part Ii / A Letter By William Rubin With A Reply By Thomas Mcevilley -- On The Claims And Critics Of The Primitivism Show / Kirk Varnedoe -- Iii. The Practice Of Beauty / James Hillman -- Ode To Willem De Kooning / Frank O'hara -- Venus Unveiled: De Kooning's Melodrama Of Vulgarity / Donald Kuspit -- The Mind And Body Of The Dreamer / John Yau -- Mondrian's Secret / David Shapiro -- A Conversation Between Julia Kristeva And Ariane Lopez-huici / Julia Kristeva And Ariane Lopez-huici -- Sunday Afternoons: A Conversation And A Remark On Beauty / Louise Bourgeois -- Sentences On The House And Other Sentences / John Hejduk -- Aunts / Max Fierst -- On Beauty / Kenneth Koch -- An Aesthetic Of The Cool / Robert Farris Thompson -- The Violet Hour: An Essay On Beauty / Carter Ratcliff -- Beauty Is The Mystery Of Life / Agnes Martin. Edited By Bill Beckley With David Shapiro. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. The notion of beauty and its relationship to contemporary art is once again arousing passionate discussion and wide-spread debate among artists, writers, critics, and curators. Uncontrollable Beauty is the first anthology to capture this new wave of critical discourse, examining the role of beauty in twentieth-century art and culture in order to redefine it for a new generation of artists and writers. Encompassing three central themes: Theory, Ownership, and Practice, the thirty essays, writings, and poems explore how we define beauty, where we locate it in art, and its complex links to issues of gender, morality, and universalism. Included are works by John Ashbery, Agnes Martin, and Carter Ratcliff, as well as a conversation with Julia Kristeva and an exclusive interview with Louise Bourgeois. Anyone wanting to stay current with contemporary art criticism will find this book a stimulating selection of dialogue, debate, and philosophical insight This distinguished series presents selections from the greatest national collection of American art, offering popularly priced, high-quality reproductions coupled with lively, informative text.This anthology offers incisive reflections on beauty by eminent artists, critics, and literati who help redefine it for a new generation of creative thinkers.