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- The Turn to Provisionality in Contemporary Art
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Description
In his influential essay “Provisional Painting,” Raphael Rubinstein applied the term “provisional” to contemporary painters whose work looked intentionally casual, dashed-off, tentative, unfinished or self-cancelling; who appeared to have deliberately turned away from "strong" painting for something that seemed to constantly risk failure or inconsequence.
In this collection of essays, Rubinstein expands the scope of his original article by surveying the historical and philosophical underpinnings of provisionality in recent visual art, as well as examining the works of individual artists in detail. He also engages crucial texts by Samuel Beckett and philosopher Gianni Vattimo.
Re-examining several decades of painting practices, Rubinstein argues that provisionality, in all its many forms, has been both a foundational element in the history of modern art and the encapsulation of an attitude that is profoundly contemporary.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Part I: What is Provisional Painting?
1. Provisional Painting (2009)
2. To Rest Lightly on the Earth (2011)
3. Painting the Stuckness: Samuel Beckett, Bram Van Velde, Georges Duthuit
4. Weak Thought, Strong Painting (Gianni Vattimo)
5. A Precarious Chain of Signifiers
Part II: Varieties of the Provisional
6. Some Precursors: Dorothea Rockburne, Pat Steir, Joan Snyder, Chris Reinecke, Sigmar Polke, Carmengloria Morales, Suh Se-ok, Nahum Tevet, Gérard Gasiorowski, Pierre Buraglio
7. Varieties of the Provisional: Michael Krebber, Albert Oehlen, Rachel Hecker, Amy Feldman
8. Painting As Is (Luca Bertolo and Co.)
9. In Glimpses: David Hammons's Tarp Paintings
Conclusion: After Provisional Painting
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Product details

Published | 12 Jan 2023 |
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Format | Ebook (Epub & Mobi) |
Edition | 1st |
Extent | 168 |
ISBN | 9781350243736 |
Imprint | Bloomsbury Academic |
Illustrations | 5 bw illus |
Series | Aesthetics and Contemporary Art |
Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |
About the contributors
Reviews
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[This book] is a fascinating study in skeptical digression. The author has managed to erect a transparent monument to the inescapable paradox of thought thinking itself, which makes for itself the most interesting of art.
Tom McGlynn, The Brooklyn Rail
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Developed over several years in a series of provocative and convincing essays, Raphael Rubinstein's concept of provisionality in art encompasses a wide swath of U.S. and European artists who have been redefining painting. Philosophers, theorists and other critics are heard from, too. It's a terrific book.
Elizabeth C. Baker, Editor-at-Large, Art in America, USA