In The Rhetoric of Purity, Mark Cheetham explores the historical and theoretical relations between early abstract painting in Europe and the notion of purity. For Gauguin, Serusier, Mondrian and Kandinsky - the pioneering abstractionists whose written and visual works Cheetham discusses in detail - purity is the crucial quality that painting must possess. Purity, however, was itself only a password for what Cheetham defines as an 'essentialist' philosophy inaugurated by Plato's vision of a perfect, non-mimetic art form and ...
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In The Rhetoric of Purity, Mark Cheetham explores the historical and theoretical relations between early abstract painting in Europe and the notion of purity. For Gauguin, Serusier, Mondrian and Kandinsky - the pioneering abstractionists whose written and visual works Cheetham discusses in detail - purity is the crucial quality that painting must possess. Purity, however, was itself only a password for what Cheetham defines as an 'essentialist' philosophy inaugurated by Plato's vision of a perfect, non-mimetic art form and practised by the founders of abstraction. The essentialism of late nineteenth-century French discussion of 'abstraction', Cheetham argues, also infects the work of Mondrian and Kandinsky. These visions of abstraction are central to the development of Modernism and are closely tied to the philosophical traditions of Plato, Hegel and Schopenhauer. As a conclusion, Cheetham provides a postmodern reading of Klee's rejection of the rhetoric of purity and claims that Klee's refusal speaks to contemporary concerns in visual theory and culture. By acting as an antidote to the seductive appeal of purity in art and society, Cheetham's final critique of the trope of purity seeks to preserve the possibility of visual discourse itself.
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Very good in Good jacket. First edition. Jacket is lightly rubbed and worn along edges. Jacket spine is sunned, but text is legible. Spine is lightly bumped and shaken, but binding is secure. Inside is clean and unmarked.
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Fine. Like new. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. Contains: Illustrations, black & white. Cambridge Studies in New Art History and Criticism. Audience: General/trade.
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Fair. Size: 10x7x0; Book is in good to acceptable condition with minor blemishes on the cover, including edge and corner roll/wear. Pages are clean. Ships next business day.
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New. Print on demand Trade paperback (US). Contains: Unspecified. Cambridge Studies in New Art History and Criticism . Includes unspecified. Intended for professional and scholarly audience.
Add this copy of The Rhetoric of Purity: Essentialist Theory and the to cart. $45.05, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 1994 by Cambridge University Press.
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Add this copy of The Rhetoric of Purity: Essentialist Theory and the to cart. $55.12, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 1991 by Cambridge University Press.
