Painting Now

Painting is a continually expanding and evolving form of creative expression. The radical changes in the medium that took place in the 1960s and 70s - the period that saw the shift from a modernist to a postmodernist visual language - have led to painting's continued energy and diversity. Suzanne Hudson provides an intelligent and original survey of contemporary painting - a critical snapshot that brings together more than 200 artists from around the world who are defining the painterly ideas and aesthetics of our time. A contextual introduction maps out the history of painting in the modern and postmodern eras, followed by six chapters that explores the themes of appropriation, attitude, production and distribution, the body, painting about painting, and painters who introduce performance, installation and textiles into their work to critique painting itself. Compellingly argued and beautifully illustrated, Painting Now is an invaluable primer on the state of painting today.

This international survey of contemporary painting by a leading author features artwork from over 250 renowned artists whose ideas and aesthetics characterize the painting of our time. The twentieth century brought radical changes in art—including the shift from modernism to postmodernism—which were accompanied by fierce debates regarding the place of painting in contemporary culture. Contemporary Painting argues that the medium has not only persisted in the twenty-first century but expanded and evolved alongside changes in art, technology, politics, and other factors, developing a unique energy and diversity. Renowned critic and art historian Suzanne Hudson offers an intelligent and original survey of the subject, organized into seven thematic chapters, each of which explores an aspect of contemporary painting, from appropriation to the ways in which artists address and engage the body. Hudson’s inclusive and compelling text is sensitive to issues such as queer narratives, race, activism, and climate and demonstrates the continued relevance of painting today. Bringing together more than 250 eminent artists from around the world, such as Cecily Brown, Julie Mehretu, Theaster Gates, Kara Walker, Kehinde Wiley, Takashi Murakami, and Zhang Xiaogang, this is an essential volume for art history enthusiasts, students, critics, and practitioners interested in discovering how painting is approached, reimagined, and challenged by today’s artists.

Timeless Painting presents the work of 17 contemporary painters whose works reflect a singular approach that is peculiarly of our time: they are a-temporal, a term coined by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling, the originators of the cyberpunk aesthetic. A-temporality or timelessness manifests itself in painting as an ahistoric free-for-all, where contemporaneity as an indicator of new form is nowhere to be found, and all eras co-exist. Published to accompany an exhibition at The Museum of Modern Art that explores the impact of this cultural condition on contemporary painting, this publication features work by an international roster of artists including Joe Bradley, Kerstin Brätsch, Matt Connors, Nicole Eisenman, Mark Grotjahn, Charline von Heyl, , Julie Mehretu, Oscar Murillo, Laura Owens and Josh Smith, among others. An overview essay by curator Laura Hoptman is divided into thematic chapters that explore topics such as re-animation and reenactment, recontextualization, 'Zombie' painting, and the concomitant 'Frankenstein approach', which describes a process of stitching together pieces of the history of painting to create a work of art that would be dead but for its juxtaposed parts, all working in association with one another to propel the work into life.

'A beautiful, joyful book from cover to cover. Start Painting Now is packed full of brilliant and empowering creative advice that will compel you to shout from the rooftops I AM AN ARTIST. ' – Lorna Scobie, creator of the 365 Days of Art series Start Painting Now is an inspiring, practical, accessible guide to discovering your creative spirit, giving you brilliant new tools for relaxation and self-care. Renowned artist Emily Powell and her GP sister, doctor Sarah Moore, will guide you through the process of learning to ignore your inner critic and unwind from the stresses of daily life through painting. Whether you're returning to art after a long break or starting as a complete beginner, this book will motivate and encourage you to just pick up a brush and see where it takes you. Backed by the latest research on the benefits of art for mental health and wellbeing, Start Painting Now will empower you to put aside the fear of failure, turn off your phone and throw yourself into the joy of creativity. Complete with inspiring examples from a range of female artists and set alongside examples of Emily and Sarah’s own work, this book will give you all the tools you need to start painting now!

Text by Jason C. Kuo.

"Many painters enjoy working outdoors when the weather is good (and they need to know how to deal with it when the weather changes)! This book includes the best instruction on the special challenges of painting landscapes outdoors from a variety of the best plein-air artists working today in all major media-oil, pastel, watercolor, acrylic and gouache. - Materials, site selection and practical tips - Values, shapes, composition, color and elements of landscape painting - Bringing outdoor studies back into the studio - Complete start-to-finish demonstrations - Hundreds of gorgeous images"--

The dominant visual language of European painting from the Renaissance to the nineteenth century, history paintings were formidable in their monumental scale, ambitious moral lessons, and intricate narratives. With the rise of modernist avant-gardes, the genre receded from the forefront of artistic production into the realm of nostalgia. Yet history painting cast a shadow that would subtly colour even the works that sought to displace it. Exploring the resilience of this distinctive mode of visual representation, What Was History Painting and What Is It Now? brings together an internationally distinguished group of scholars to trace the endurance, adaptation, and mutation of history painting. These studies offer a reexamination of the fortunes of the genre from North America to Europe and Africa. Organized around illuminating themes, the book explores the creation of an audience attuned to the genre's didactic aims, the entry of history painting into the marketplace of commercial art and attractions, and the reimagination of the mode in response to the edicts of modern and contemporary art. Spanning the full range and diversity of history painting, this collection is a broad reconsideration of the tradition and the vibrant ways in which it resonates through the art of the present.