Sartre on Art - A Masterpiece of Western Art History and Theory

Author: Sartre
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-04-01
Features: In this book, Sartre discusses Tintoretto, the "Vagabond of Venice," who chases after absolute; Giacometti, who is obsessed with his solitude in all things and believes reality is absolute; Calder, who shapes kinetic sculptures; and Lapage, the "painter without privilege," and expresses his views on fundamental issues such as the nature of art and the position of artists in the human condition. Tintoretto is a product of class conflict; he is desperate and must resort to fraudulent means to prove himself. Giacometti is fascinated by his solitude in all things and believes reality is absolute, so he seeks to depict this void of the world, revealing signs of language in the silent things. Calder creates between freedom and constraint, thus discovering how to fill still things with movement and confirm his existence through self-movement. Lapage strives to combine creativity and beauty, giving an infinitely divisible appearance an indivisible unity.