Writing on the Wall: Word and Image in Modern Art

Description

Now published in paperback, this book is the first systematic study to explore the way in which words have encroached on the visual arts from the late 19th century to the present day. From the Impressionists to contemporary practitioners, Writing on the Wall shows how artists have responded to an environment increasingly saturated with words, and how the mass media has adopted and adapted artistic devices in typography, propaganda and advertising.

Simon Morley is a visual artist and Assistant Professor in the College of Arts, Dankook University, Republic of Korea. He has lectured at such museums as Tate, The National Gallery, Hayward Gallery, Serpentine Gallery, Whitechapel Gallery and Camden Arts Centre, and has contributed to numerous publications including Third Text, World Art, the TLS, The Burlington Magazine, Art Monthly, The Art Newspaper, Contemporary Art and the Independent on Sunday.

"An intriguing survey of word-imbued artworks of the modern period, Writing on the wall will surely be a touchstone for readings on the relationship between language and art across time. While filling a gap in the current scholarship on text in art, Morley has crafted in clear, accessible prose, a study that is easily extrapolated beyond modernism, Indeed beyond the fine arts. It is an adventuresome work, and extremely stimulating."