The Phenomenology of Paint
Between Materiality and Illusion
The Phenomenology of Paint
Between Materiality and Illusion
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Description
Analyzing the different modes of appearance and application of the most ubiquitous medium in art and ritual, this book examines the aesthetics, anthropology, ethnography and history of paint. The result is a clearly articulated account of both the materiality and phenomenology of paint, as substance and idea.
Beginning with paint as ritual in prehistoric and ancient times, it discusses the provenance, politics and chemistry of pigments, the role of concealment and beautification as paint is applied to bodies, the stories and practices of hiding paint by artists, and efforts to isolate paint as an essential quantity, ending on the philosophical question as to whether paint is separable from colour.
A phenomenology of paint is in many respects an ontology of the ways we seek to represent and mediate our existence: it is the medium for both covering (house paint, make-up) to revealing (art). By exploring paint in a multitude of roles, from bodily substances to chemical engineering, this study provides a fresh understanding of ritual and representation through this medium that reveals through covering.
Table of Contents
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Part One: Ideas
One: Farbe/Colour: Wittgenstein
Two: Part, Species and Extension: Husserl
Three: Material vs Mimesis: Adorno
Part Two: Applications
Four: Bodily Fluids
Five: Painted Bodies
Six: The Politics of Pigments
Seven: Serving Illusion
Eight: Isolating Paint
Conclusion: Virtual Paint
Bibliography
Index
Product details
| Published | Dec 24 2026 |
|---|---|
| Format | Paperback |
| Edition | 1st |
| Pages | 224 |
| ISBN | 9781350446946 |
| Imprint | Bloomsbury Academic |
| Illustrations | 25 bw illus |
| Dimensions | 234 x 156 mm |
| Series | Aesthetics and Contemporary Art |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |
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