- Hardcover: 112 pages
- Publisher: D Giles Ltd; 1 edition (Jun 16 2010)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1904832733
- ISBN-13: 978-1904832737
- Product Dimensions: 24.8 x 29.1 x 1.8 cm
- Shipping Weight: 975 g
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #899,926 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Details |
Product Description
Product Description
- A major survey of the work of this important contemporary artist from his first works to his most recent paintings - Publication accompanies an exhibition at Parrish Art Museum, Southampton, New York, June 20 - August 8, 2010; Portland Museum of Art, Maine, December 16, 2010 - March 20, 2011; Weatherspoon Art Museum of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, May 28, 2011 - August 21, 2011 - Features a wide-ranging interview between the artist and Terrie Sultan, director of Parrish Art Museum Rackstraw Downes: Onsite Paintings, 1972-2008 is an important overview of the work and methods of this British-born 'realist' panoramic painter (b. 1939) who was given the MacArthur Fellowship genius award in 2009. Though primarily based in New York City, Downes has travelled widely and has created a significant number of landscape paintings on site including the harbour of Portland, Maine, and the Donald Judd structures in Marfa, Texas. Downes's panoramic paintings, which he developed by studying seventeenth-century Dutch panoramic landscape painting possess a unique balance between realism and abstraction, timelessness and history. Painted from observation, they are not snapshots of a scene recreated in the studio; rather, they are chronicles of the human experience- records of social history as it evolves.
About the Author
Klaus Ottmann is Robert Lehman Curator at Parrish Art Museum, Southampton, New York, and an independent curator and scholar. He is the author of, most recently, Yves Klein: Works, Writings, Interviews (2010) and Thought Through My Eyes: Writings on Art, 1977-2005 (2006). Sarah Rothenberg is an internationally acclaimed solo and chamber pianist and has served as artistic director of Da Camera, Houston since 1994. She is a frequent performer on Lincoln Center's Great Performers series in New York. Terrie Sultan is Director of Parrish Art Museum. She was director and chief curator of Blaffer Gallery from 2000-8, and curator of contemporary at the Corcoran Gallery of Art from 1988-2000.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Vistas Beyond the Normal Perspective
Dec 15 2010
Format:Hardcover
Rackstraw Downes was born in England in 1939 but has been considered an American artist for most of his life. He is a realist painter who could also be classified as a hyperrealist, so exacting are the details of his paintings. This book is a very fine catalogue that accompanies a large traveling exhibition that finally pays homage to this great painter.
Though every artist who paints representationally uses photographs to some extent, whether to capture the actual subject matter of a canvas or simply to provide references for times of day and qualities of light that can change so easily, Downs likely uses reference photographs but he is best known for his panoramic landscapes, seascapes, and cityscapes, each rendered in such detail they almost defy the knowledge that they were painted on site - en plein aire. Though the sites he elects to paint are seemingly plebeian, Downes imbues them with a sense of importance and a respect for the history of the location - both now and how it may be perceived in the future. Some of his vistas measure approximately 7'' X 60 " - long horizontal views of a portion of landscape others might ignore, but by the perpetuation of his line of thought the 'subject' of the painting becomes significant. Not that all of his works are in this format: many of his paintings are small, minutely detailed images that invite the viewer to approach and enter the world he has captured. Rackstraw Downes has been called 'an artist's artist', but this book proves that he also belongs to the art loving public.
The reproductions of the paintings and drawings are excellent as is the fine 'essay interview' between the director of the Parrish Art Museum, Terrie Sultan, and Rackstraw Downes. The depth of art history and technical knowledge is sufficient for a stand alone book, making the addition of this written word a superb accompaniment to what appears to be an extraordinary exhibition. Grady Harp, December 10
Though every artist who paints representationally uses photographs to some extent, whether to capture the actual subject matter of a canvas or simply to provide references for times of day and qualities of light that can change so easily, Downs likely uses reference photographs but he is best known for his panoramic landscapes, seascapes, and cityscapes, each rendered in such detail they almost defy the knowledge that they were painted on site - en plein aire. Though the sites he elects to paint are seemingly plebeian, Downes imbues them with a sense of importance and a respect for the history of the location - both now and how it may be perceived in the future. Some of his vistas measure approximately 7'' X 60 " - long horizontal views of a portion of landscape others might ignore, but by the perpetuation of his line of thought the 'subject' of the painting becomes significant. Not that all of his works are in this format: many of his paintings are small, minutely detailed images that invite the viewer to approach and enter the world he has captured. Rackstraw Downes has been called 'an artist's artist', but this book proves that he also belongs to the art loving public.
The reproductions of the paintings and drawings are excellent as is the fine 'essay interview' between the director of the Parrish Art Museum, Terrie Sultan, and Rackstraw Downes. The depth of art history and technical knowledge is sufficient for a stand alone book, making the addition of this written word a superb accompaniment to what appears to be an extraordinary exhibition. Grady Harp, December 10
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Shortcomings
Aug 27 2011
Format:Hardcover
Published in conjunction with the exhibition Rackstraw Downes: Onsite Paintings, 1972-2008 (June-August 2010, Parrish Art Museum, NY). Klaus Ottomann writes about Downes' work and what has influenced his work; and Sarah Rothenberg considers the role of time in visual perception. There is also an interview with the artist.
The book is illustrated in colour throughout, over 40 pictures accompany the text, and there are 25 colour plates. There is a bibliography, but no index.
The contributions from Ottomann and Rothenberg make interesting reading, but the interview with Downes is perhaps the most revealing. However there are several shortcomings here. The omission of any sort of index is frustrating at best, and at worst seriously hampers its use as a research tool. Most of the illustrations are small, even the majority of the plates are smaller than the page otherwise allows; of course in some cases the format of the painting presents difficulties, but allowing the image to cross the gutter would allow for a much larger picture; this is rarely done. The quality of colour reproduction is far from good, the colours are flat and lack-lustre, without vibrancy, and pictures are often lacking in detail. The omission of any close up detail is strange, with works that are predominantly very large surely it is essential to include a few details in order to convey the true qualities of the work.
The book compares unfavourably with Stanford Schwartz Rackstraw Downes (Princeton University Press (18 April 2005) ISBN: 0691120471), especially as regards the quality of the images. I bought this later study for the more recent pictures, and for the half dozen or so post 2005 paintings it is useful, but otherwise I see no reason to buy this over the excellent 2005 Schwartz which suffers none of the shortcomings of this publication.
The book is illustrated in colour throughout, over 40 pictures accompany the text, and there are 25 colour plates. There is a bibliography, but no index.
The contributions from Ottomann and Rothenberg make interesting reading, but the interview with Downes is perhaps the most revealing. However there are several shortcomings here. The omission of any sort of index is frustrating at best, and at worst seriously hampers its use as a research tool. Most of the illustrations are small, even the majority of the plates are smaller than the page otherwise allows; of course in some cases the format of the painting presents difficulties, but allowing the image to cross the gutter would allow for a much larger picture; this is rarely done. The quality of colour reproduction is far from good, the colours are flat and lack-lustre, without vibrancy, and pictures are often lacking in detail. The omission of any close up detail is strange, with works that are predominantly very large surely it is essential to include a few details in order to convey the true qualities of the work.
The book compares unfavourably with Stanford Schwartz Rackstraw Downes (Princeton University Press (18 April 2005) ISBN: 0691120471), especially as regards the quality of the images. I bought this later study for the more recent pictures, and for the half dozen or so post 2005 paintings it is useful, but otherwise I see no reason to buy this over the excellent 2005 Schwartz which suffers none of the shortcomings of this publication.
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