A landmark examination of the art and artists inspired by American dance from 1830 to 1960 As an enduring wellspring of creativity for many artists throughout history, dance has provided a visual language to express such themes as the bonds of community, the allure of the exotic, and the pleasures of the body. This book is the first major investigation of the visual arts related to American dance, offering an unprecedented, interdisciplinary overview of dance-inspired works from 1830 to 1960. Fourteen essays by renowned historians of art and dance analyze the ways dance influenced many of America’s most prominent artists, including George Caleb Bingham, William Sidney Mount, Winslow Homer, John Singer Sargent, Cecilia Beaux, Isamu Noguchi, Aaron Douglas, Malvina Hoffman, Edward Steichen, Arthur Davies, William Johnson, and Joseph Cornell. The artists did not merely represent dance, they were inspired to think about how Americans move, present themselves to one another, and experience time. Their artwork, in turn, affords insights into the cultural, social, and political moments in which it was created. For some artists, dance informed even the way they applied paint to canvas, carved a sculpture, or framed a photograph. Richly illustrated, the book includes depictions of Irish-American jigs, African-American cakewalkers, and Spanish-American fandangos, among others, and demonstrates how dance offers a means for communicating through an aesthetic, static form.

Dance: American Art, 1830-1960

Arts & Photography

Udall, Sharyn Rohlfsen

Hart, Dakin

Hill, Constance Valis

DeFrantz, Thomas F.

Garafola, Lynn

Myers, Kenneth John

Leppanen-Guerra, Analisa

Mercer, Valerie J.

Murphy, Jacqueline Shea

Robertson, E. Bruce

History & Criticism

Detroit Institute of Arts

The first, and only, book dedicated to Mark Grotjahn’s rarely seen colorful cast bronze sculptures. Over 100 sculptures illustrated. Mark Grotjahn’s Mask sculptures are deceptive. Cast in bronze from spontaneous cardboard assemblages that he has been working on privately for over a decade, they record all the nuances of the original found material with its corrugations, dents, tears, and creases. The bronzes are vigorously painted, often with the fingers, in a riotous spectrum of color. The Mask sculptures recall the simple cardboard-box constructions typical of early classroom activity—emulated so charmingly by Pablo Picasso for his own children during the idyllic Mediterranean years.

Mark Grotjahn: Masks

O´Brien, Glenn

Humor & Entertainment

Gagosian / Rizzoli

The first comprehensive publication on Mexican-born artist Bosco Sodi, whose paintings and sculptures combine preindustrial minimalist and arte povera traditions with elements of Oaxacan and Japanese culture. Sodi has described his creative process as "controlled chaos" that makes "something completely unrepeatable and unique." In his most celebrated body of work, the artist mixes raw pigment with sawdust, wood, pulp, and natural fibers to create the dense surfaces of monochrome paintings. As the layers of material dry, fissured "landscapes" form without the guidance or intervention of the artist. Sodi's sculptural process reflects traditions of his Mexican heritage. At his studio, Casa Wabi, in Oaxaca, he uses raw earth clay to create kiln-fired cubes, spheres, and bricks. Stacked into columns as minimalist sculpture or assembled as a field or wall, these projects range in scale from architectural installations to earthworks. Sodi also collects solidified volcanic magma from the Ceboruco volcano to make rock sculptures. These fragments are coated in a ceramic glaze and precious metals, uniting geological processes with art-making techniques. This book reflects Sodi's distinct material processes, with essays detailing his relationship to Oaxacan and wabi-sabi aesthetics, as well as his engagement with artistic traditions ranging from minimalism to arte povera to land art.

Bosco Sodi

Bonet, Juan Manuel

Abrams, Matthew J.

Individual Artists

Rizzoli Electa

Isamu Noguchi, Archaic/Modern brings together more than eighty works, from six decades, which reveal how the ancient world shaped this inspirational artist’s vision for the future. Monolithic basalt sculptures and floating Akari ceiling lights are juxaposed with works that use stone, water, and light to call to mind elemental structures in civilization across time. Noguchi saw himself as equal parts artist and engineer and this volume devotes special attention to his patented designs, such as Radio Nursethe first baby monitor, and also includes his designs for stage sets, playgrounds, and utilitarian articles, many of which are still being produced today.

Isamu Noguchi, Archaic/Modern

GILES

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