Mexico and American Modernism
FAIN: FA-55147-10
Ellen G. Landau
Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland, OH 44106-1712)
Mexico and American Modernism presents a related set of tightly argued interdisciplinary cross cultural case studies. I am interested in charting the impact on four important mid-20th century American artists of their significant, but as yet under-examined aesthetic connections to Mexico and/or Mexican art. Major contributions by these artists, Jackson Pollock, Robert Motherwell, Isamu Noguchi and Philip Guston, were sparked in decisive ways by links to Mexican artistic accomplishments and, in the latter three instances, to unique opportunities available south of the border. The little-known Mexican mural experiences of Guston and Noguchi both foreshadowed and nourished central tenets of their mature artistic production. A closer reading of many of the most innovative works by Jackson Pollock, who encountered Mexican muralists Orozco and Siqueiros in New York, and Robert Motherwell, likewise reveals thematic and technical dimensions unlikely without synthesizing Mexican impetus.
Associated Products
Mexico and American Modernism (Book)Title: Mexico and American Modernism
Author: Ellen G. Landau
Abstract: In the years between the two world wars, the enormous vogue of "things Mexican" reached its peak. Along with the popular appeal of its folkloric and pictorialist traditions, Mexican culture played a significant role in the formation of modernism in the United States. Mexico and American Modernism analyzes the complex social, intellectual, and artistic ramifications of interactions between avant-garde American artists and Mexico during this critical period.
In this book, Ellen G. Landau looks beyond the well-known European influences on modernism. Instead, she probes the lesser-known yet powerful connections to Mexico and Mexican art that can be seen in the work of four acclaimed mid-century American artists: Philip Guston (1913–1980), Robert Motherwell (1915–1991), Isamu Noguchi (1904–1988), and Jackson Pollock (1912–1956). Landau details how these artists' relationships with the Mexican muralists, expatriate Surrealists, and leftist political activists of the 1930s and 1940s affected the direction of their art. Her analysis of this aesthetic cross-fertilization provides a new framework for understanding the emergence of Abstract Expressionism and the New York School as a whole.
Year: 2013
Primary URL:
http://yalepress.yale.edu/yupbooks/book.asp?isbn=9780300169133Primary URL Description: Yale University Press Books
Publisher: Yale University Press
Type: Single author monograph
ISBN: 9780300169133
Copy sent to NEH?: Yes
Prizes
Publication Grant
Date: 3/1/2012
Organization: Terra Foundation for American Art
Abstract: These grants provide support for publication projects on historical American art (pre-1980) that make a significant contribution to scholarship and have an international dimension. Projects may include translations of texts on American art; publications written by non-U.S. scholars or those with a significant number of non-U.S. contributors; and publications with a focused thesis exploring American art in an international context. Projects must be under contract for publication. Books may receive up to $30,000; articles may receive up to $3,000.
Publication Grant
Date: 4/29/2011
Organization: Society for the Preservation of American Modernists
Abstract: Through an annual series of Publication Grants, SPAM supports the authorship of articles or books by independent scholars, writers, students and professionals in the following subject areas: the artistic contributions of the American modernists, and the history of public and private support for the arts in the United States. Either of these areas may be explored in a successful application.
Honorable Mention, Art & Criticism, American Publishers Awards for Professional and Scholarly Excellence (PROSE),
Date: 2/6/2014
Organization: American Publishers Awards
Abstract: The PROSE Awards annually recognize the very best in professional and scholarly publishing by bringing attention to distinguished books, journals, and electronic content in over 40 categories. Judged by peer publishers, librarians, and medical professionals since 1976, the PROSE Awards are extraordinary for their breadth and depth.
Honorable Mention, Art/Photography, New England Book Festival
Date: 1/18/2014
Organization: JM Northern Media LLC
Abstract: The New England Book Festival will consider non-fiction, fiction, biography/autobiography, children's books, young adult, how-to, cookbooks, science fiction, photography/art, poetry, gay literature, regional literature, spiritual, wild card (anything goes!), business books, unpublished stories and compilations/anthologies. All entries must be in English. Submitted works will be judged by a panel of industry experts using the following criteria:
1) General excellence and the author's passion for telling a good story.
2) The potential of the work to reach a wider audience.
Honorable Mention, Art/Photography, Los Angeles Book Festival
Date: 3/22/2014
Organization: JM Northern Media LLC
Abstract: Submitted works will be judged by a panel of publishing industry experts using the following criteria:
General excellence and the author's passion for telling a good story.
The potential of the work to gain a wider audience in the worldwide market.
The Los Angeles Book Festival will consider major publisher, independent publisher and self-published works in the following categories: general non-fiction, fiction, biography/autobiography, children’s books, young adult, how-to, cookbooks, science fiction, business, wild card (anything goes!), compilations/anthologies, sequels (for books that are part of a series), photography/art, poetry, romance, and regional literature published on or after January 1, 2010.