Product Description
According to author A.M. Hammacher, the art of the 20th century will ultimately be judged primarily on the basis of its sculptural achievements. Writing with the perspective afforded by the second half of our century, Hammacher proposes modern sculpture as a vast body of work that not only merits, but demands, comparison with the masterpieces of earlier periods.
The author discusses the enormously varied, rich and diverse sculptural styles that, from earliest times, have nourished our recent sculpture, revivifying this art and giving it new direction, new purpose, new conviction. Some developments, such as the work of the Futurists and Constructivists, come close to being sculptural precedent. They left their mark on architecture and sculpture, and between sculpture and our outdoor environment.
After analyzing the contribution of the past to the formative stages of modern sculptural development, the book examines the divided artistic loyalties of our age, provocatively evident in the presentation of between-the-wars sculptors - Gonzalez, Arp, Moore, Marini, Richier, Giacometti, Hepworth, Wotruba.
International sculpture at mid-century is explored, exploring European work, with extended attention to England, whose sculptural renaissance had come to exert worldwide influence. The author sketches the twofold advance of kinetic sculpture - the purist development through Moholo-Nagy to Op, and the Dada development through Calder to moving Pop.
