Between Action and the Unknown

Download or read book Between Action and the Unknown written by Gabriel Ritter and published by Dallas Museum of Art. This book was released on 2015-03-24 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This comprehensive book is the first in English to examine two of the most successful and important postwar Japanese artists, Kazuo Shiraga (1924–2008) and Sadamasa Motonaga (1922–2011). During an 18-year engagement with the Gutai Art Association, both artists experimented with unorthodox techniques, such as Motonaga's use of smoke and water, or Shiraga's method of painting with his feet. Relatively little, however, is known in the West about Shiraga and Motonaga beyond their involvement with Gutai. Essays aim to assert the importance of Shiraga's and Motonaga's post-Gutai careers—when they pursued exciting new styles and themes in their work—as well as to evaluate the legacy of Japan's postwar avant-garde. Never-before-translated interviews with the artists, incisive essays by experts in the field, and a beautiful color plate section featuring many works never before seen outside of Japan complete this impressive catalogue.