LEON4004_pp401-413.ps - 6/21/2007 3:40 PM Leonardo Reviews LEONARDO REVIEWS this book’s ability to convey the world- aid the organizational structure in the Editor-in-Chief: Michael Punt wide connectivity that was emerging in effort to present basic themes. These, Managing Editor: Bryony Dalefield the second half of the 20th century. in turn, allow us more easily to place One of the stronger points of the book the recent art history of Argentina, Associate Editor: Robert Pepperell is the way the research translates the Brazil, Mexico, Uruguay, Venezuela, A full selection of reviews is regional trends of the mid-1940s into Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary published monthly on the LR web site: an environment that was setting the and Poland in relation to that of the <www.leonardoreviews.mit.edu>. stage for the international art world of West. the 1960s to take form. In effect, the The range of artists is equally local communities gave way to a global impressive. Included are (among vision, due, in part, to inexpensive air others) Josef Albers, Bernd and Hilla BOOKS travel, the proliferation of copying Becher, Max Bill, Lucio Fontana, Eva technologies and the growing ease Hesse, On Kawara, Sol LeWitt, Bruce of linking with others through long Nauman, Hélio Oiticica, Blinky distance telecommunication devices. Palermo, Bridget Riley, Jesus Rafael BEYOND GEOMETRY: Authored by six writers (Lynn Soto, Frank Stella, Jean Tinguely, and XPERIMENTS IN ORM E F , Zelevansky, Ines Katzenstein, Valerie Victor Vasarely. Among the noteworthy 1940S–1970S Hillings, Miklós Peternák, Peter Frank contributions are the sections integrat- edited by Lynn Zelevansky. MIT Press, and Brandon LaBelle), each chapter of ing significant artists. For example, Cambridge, MA, U.S.A., 2004. this book is filled with an abundance of I was particularly taken with Max Bill’s 232 pp., illus. Trade. examples. These range from European influence and compositions. No doubt ISBN: 0-262-24047-5. and Latin American concrete art, others were as well, for Bill’s name Argentine Arte Madi, Brazilian Neo- comes up often throughout the book. Reviewed by Amy Ione, The Diatrope Concretism, Kinetic and Op Art, Born in Switzerland in 1908, he trained Institute, Santa Rosa, CA, U.S.A. Minimalism and various forms of Post- at the Bauhaus with Josef Albers before E-mail: <[email protected]>. Minimalism, including systematic forms of process and conceptual art. Topical As we enter the 21st century, it is themes delineate the book’s scope and strange to think that the highly experi- offer a sense of the survey: “The For- Reviews Panel: Nameera Ahmed, Peter Anders, mental work of the mid-20th century is ties and Fifties,” as the name suggests, Fred Andersson, Wilfred Arnold, Kasey Asberry, now historical. Many of these projects introduces influential modes of abstrac- Jan Baetens, Niran Bahjat-Abbas, Curtis Bahn, remind us of the distance between our John F. Barber, Marc Battier, René Beekman, tion employed during the first decade David Beer, Roy R. Behrens, Martha Blassnigg, accelerated, wired lives and the quite and a half after World War II. “The Barry Blundell, Alex Brown, Paul Brown, Annick animated, perceptually exciting work Object and the Body” examines the Bureaud, Chris Cobb, Donna Cox, Sean Cubitt, of the last century. Yet, what is often move from two to three dimensions. Nina Czegledy, Andrea Dahlberg, Victoria de lost when we look at this history is how “Light and Movement” is not confined Rijke, Shawn Decker, Margaret Dolinsky, Dennis much of it formed the art world we Dollens, Luisa Paraguai Donati, Victoria to projects made with light; it also Duckett, Maia Engeli, Anthony Enns, Enzo know. Beyond Geometry: Experiments in extends to perceptual aspects of Kinetic Ferrara, George Gessert, Elisa Giaccardi, Thom Form, 1940s–1970s ably points this out, and Op Art. “Repetition and Seriality” Gillespie, Allan Graubard, Dene Grigar, Diane demonstrating that we can discern is an examination of projects that elimi- Gromala, Rob Harle, Craig Harris, Josepha more similarities throughout the globe Haveman, Paul Hertz, Craig J. Hilton, Coral nated the need for traditional composi- Houtman, Amy Ione, Jude James, Stephen Jones, in the 20th century than is often tion. “The Object Redefined” examines Richard Kade, Nisar Keshvani, John Knight, thought to be the case. works that undermined the traditional Veronique Koken, Judy Kupferman, Jim Laukes, Showcasing the work of artists on art object and constituted a breaking Mike Leggett, Katia Maciel, Roger Malina, three continents, this book (actually a down of barriers that was commensu- Jacques Mandelbrojt, Malcolm F. Miles, Rick catalogue for an exhibition of the same Mitchell, Robert A. Mitchell, Martha Patricia rate with the social mores of the late Niño Mojica, Christopher Morris, Michael name at the Los Angeles County Art 1960s and 1970s. Finally, “The Problem Mosher, Alex Mulder, Frieder Nake, Maureen A. Museum) abundantly demonstrates of Painting” reminds us of the peren- Nappi, Angela Ndalianis, Marcus Neustetter, how artists in Europe, South America nial question whether painting is dead. Simone Osthoff, Jack Ox, Narendra Pachkhede, and the United States explored com- Robert Pepperell, Kjell Yngve Petersen, Cliff Although the authors of the six chap- Pickover, Alise Piebalga, Patricia Pisters, Michael parable forms despite their minimal ters are guilty of some repetition from Punt, Kathleen Quillian, Harry Rand, Sonya awareness of similar aesthetic develop- essay to essay, this overlap also served Rapoport, Trace Reddell, Alex Rotas, Henry See, ments elsewhere. Integrating 200 works to underscore the degree to which the Bill Seeley, Basak Senova, Aparna Sharma, by 139 artists, the survey’s geographic visions included in Beyond Geometry defy George K. Shortess, Joel Slayton, Yvonne and stylistic reach is impressive. No Spielmann, David Surman, Eugene Thacker, Pia classification. Indeed, since many of the Tikka, David Topper, René van Peer, Stefaan Van doubt all readers will discover treasures artists and, by extension, a great deal of Ryssen, Zainub Verjee, Ian Verstegen, Claudia previously unknown to them tucked in the research are outside the boilerplate Westermann, Stephen Wilson, Arthur Woods, these pages, while also delighting in chronology, the repetitive portions Soh Yeong, Jonathan Zilberg. ©2007 ISAST LEONARDO, Vol. 40, No. 4, pp. 401–412, 2007 401 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/leon.2007.40.4.410 by guest on 01 October 2021 LEON4004_pp401-413.ps - 6/21/2007 3:40 PM adopting theories of concrete art saw as the emotional excesses of opment of movies and animation in the associated with the Dutch modernist abstract expressionism was not a uni- United States in the 1930s and 1940s. Theo van Doesburg. These theories form expression. All in all, the different Anime is not, however, restricted by were based on mathematics, which authors successfully place the work the age and subject matter constraints Bill believed “enable[d] certain prob- discussed in the context of art history often imposed on Western animated lems to be solved without compromise, and the aesthetic and social issues of stories. Additionally, where the audi- in a world that is full of compromises the time. Still, the limitations within ence for Western animation is primarily and failed speculations.” One who this book’s format and design remind children, anime is viewed and enjoyed was influenced by his work was the the reader that a catalogue can add to by men and women of all ages. self-taught French painter François an exhibition, but in order to appreci- Nor is anime dependent on Western Morellet, who encountered Bill’s work ate the words a first-hand exposure to animated films for its look and feel. in 1951 on a visit to Brazil. the works is unbeatable. According to Drazen, anime often Despite all its positive attributes, reflects high creative values, shows serious readers should note that this great attention to artistic detail, utilizes NIME XPLOSION HE book falls short as a research work. For A E : T the latest production technology, and example, when Peternák compares WHAT? WHY? & WOW! draws attention to itself through its François Morellet’s Random Distribution OF JAPANESE ANIMATION sophistication. In contrast, until of 40,000 Squares Using the Odd and Even by Patrick Drazen. Stone Bridge Press, recently, familiar Western animations Numbers of a Telephone Directory, 1960 Berkeley, CA, U.S.A., 2003. 382 pp., have seemed similar to newspaper with Béla Julesz’s Random Dot Stereo- illus. Paper. ISBN: 1-880656-72-8. cartoons: simplistic, lacking in details, gram (RDS), he demonstrates that he childish. does not know the difference between Reviewed by John F. Barber, School of Arts As for what it represents, Drazen Julesz’s RDS and the autostereogram, and Humanities, The University of Texas argues that anime was developed and is which was invented in 1979 by Christo- at Dallas. E-mail: <[email protected]>. still utilized as a methodology for inter- pher Tyler. There are also perceptual nal cultural communication, a way to limitations that speak more to the The popular culture cachet of Japanese reinforce Japanese cultural myths and failure of translating the varieties of art animation, or “anime,” both entertains preferred modes of social behavior. The into a book than a failure on the part of and confounds its audience and fact that anime was never developed, anyone involved in the project. Finally, observers; it is at once familiar and originally, for export adds now to the this survey repeatedly brings to mind strange. Its themes are both broad— confusion suffered over specific refer- the value in engaging with the artistic war and peace, love and death, the ences and markers sharply fixed in one imagination in real time and on its own history of the past and the potential of culture being translated to another.