Bibliography
Bataille, Georges. The Impossible. San Francisco; City Lights
Books. 1991.
The concept of the impossible, moving toward an elusive, disappearing
object. The merits of violent pleasure, horror, and death contrasted
with the merits of science and utility. Only the extremism of
desire and death enables one to attain the truth.
Follet, Ken and Fitzgerald, f-stop. Pillars of the Almighty. New
York; William Morrow and Company, Inc.. 1994.
Ken Follet's story of the erection of a cathedral accompanied
by the photography of f-stop Fitzgerald. The photography consists
of artistic interpretations of interiors and exteriors of churches
and cathedrals around the world.
Frank, Elizabeth. Jackson Pollock. New York; Abbeville Press.
1983.
The life and times of the American abstract expressionist Jackson
Pollock. Includes many reproductions of artworks in color and
black and white .
Friedman, B. H. Jackson Pollock: Energy Made Visible. New York;
Da Capo Press. 1995.
The memoirs, personal letters and correspondences of Jackson Pollock
and his friends, family and critics collected in chronological
order from his youth to just before his death. Some photographic
reproductions in black and white.
Hansen, Jan-Erik Ebbestad. Odd Nerdrum. Oslo; H. Aschehoug &
Co.. 1994.
This book consists of a forward section by Donald Kuspit discussing
the Norwegian painter Odd Nerdrum's imagery, themes, motifs, and
symbolism coupled with philosophical perspectives -- Nerdrum's
notion of the old master' style as a reaction against modernism.
Nerdrum's paintings are reproduces in full color.
Harrison, Charles and Wood, Paul. Art in Theory: 1900-1990. Oxford;
Blackwell. 1992
A general resource book and valuable source of ideas relating
to the concept of art-making.
Joyce, James. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. New York;
The Viking Press. 1965.
A novel about an Irish artist's life.
Krafft, Maurice and Krafft, Katia. Volcano. New York; Harry N.
Abrams, Inc., Publishers. 1975.
This book is concerned with the phenomenon of volcanoes. All aspects
of the subject of volcanoes is discussed -- of special importance
to me are the mythological references and vastness of historical
perspective when considering geological activity. The book also
contains five poems by Max Gerard which are very interesting.
as well, there are many color photographs of volcanic activity
which are delightful.
Magnusson, Magnus and Palsson, Hermann (translators). The Vinland
Sagas: The Norse Discovery of America. Baltimore; Penguin Books.
1965.
A translation of the ancient Norse saga of Graenlendinga and the
saga of Erik.
Mann, Thomas. The Magic Mountain. New York; Alfred A. Knopf. 1958.
This book is full of interesting ideas. It chronicles the life
of a German young man who is awakened after ascending a mountain
to a sanatorium and becoming the student of a humanist Italian.
Mason, Herbert. Gilgamesh. New York; Mentor Books. 1970.
A verse narrative of epic proportion and stimulating content.
Mellinkoff, Ruth. The Devil at Isenheim: Reflections of Popular
Belief In Grunewald's Altarpiece. Berkeley; University of California
Press. 1988.
This book considers the place of evil and the devil in the great
Isenheim altarpiece of Grunewald. Various interpretations of the
work are discussed in light of the religious climate of the time.
Color reproductions abound.
Otto Dix. London; Tate Gallery. 1992.
The art and life of the German Expressionist Otto Dix. The book
opens with several short essays. Sarah O'Brien Twohig's essay
entitles Dix and Nietzsche is interesting and relevant to my own
work. There are many color reproductions of Dix's artwork, including
the War triptych.
Rosenthal, Mark. Anselm Kiefer. Chicago; Philadelphia Museum of
Art. 1987
A collection of the German neo-expressionist Anselm Kiefer's art
work with extensive writings by Mark Rosenthal. A book full of
history, religion, philosophy and art. Color reproductions of
Kiefer's work from the early days to the present.
Schmied, Weiland. Caspar David Friedrich. New York; Harry N. Abrams,
Inc.. 1995.
The supreme German romantic painter Caspar David Friedrich of
the early nineteenth century. This book contains interpretations
of his work and full color reproductions.
Stiles, Kristine and Selz, Peter. Theories and Documents of Contemporary
Art: A Sourcebook of Artists' Writings. Berkeley; University of
California Press. 1996.
A resource book of artists' writings.
Tucker, Paul Hayes. Claude Monet: Life and Art. New Haven; Yale
University Press. 1995.
The art and life of the French impressionist Claude Monet. Color
reproductions permeate this tome.
Twitchell, James B. Romantic horizons. Columbia; University of
Missouri Press. 1983.
This book considers variations of the sublime in art, literature,
and music. These variations are discussed under the categories
of the natural, the daemonic, the empyreal, the vortex, and the
systematic.
Varnedoe, Kirk. Northern Light: Nordic Art at the Turn of the
Century. New Haven; Yale University Press. 1988
A collection of many northern European artists' works such as
Edvard Munch. Color reproductions of paintings coupled with biographical
sketches and criticism.
Vaughan, William. German Romantic Painting. New Haven, Yale University
Press. 1980
A history of the German Romantic movement during the nineteenth
century. The chapters on Caspar David Friedrich and Otto Runge
are the two most prominent features. There are many reproductions
of countless etchings, engravings, and paintings.
Visions of America: Landscape as Metaphor in the Late Twentieth
Century. Denver; Denver Art Museum and Columbus Museum of Art.
1994.
A collection of widely different works by different modern artists
concerning new perspectives on the function of landscape, nature
and man's place therein.
Waldman, Diane. Mark Rothko, 1903-1970: A Retrospective. New York;
Harry N. Abrams,
Inc.. 1978.
The art and life of the American abstract expressionist Mark Rothko.
Rothko was a painter of the sublime, although he abandoned the
imagery of traditional landscape in favor of a purified form.
There are many color reproductions of his works in this book.
Wellmer Albrecht. Endgames: The Irreconcilable Nature of Modernity,
Essays and Lectures. Cambridge; MIT Press. 1998.
This book is a collection of essays on post-metaphysical modernity,
the end of history, the end of knowledge, and the end of human
life. 'The myth of the god who suffers and becomes' is an interesting
cosmological concept I encountered in this book.