Inner: The Collected Writings and Selected Interviews of Sean Scully

by Sean Scully (Artist), Kelly Grovier (Editor)

Sean Scully (born 1945) is among the greatest abstract painters of our age. He is also one of the most outspoken. Since the late 1960s, Scully’s visual expressiveness has been matched by a verbal dynamism that is no less arresting than his art. Varying widely in form from brief reflections to essay-length meditations on artists such as Van Gogh, Morandi and Rothko, Scully’s writings are distinguished by a brutal lyricism and an effortlessly aphoristic turn of phrase. The nearly 200 texts that comprise this collection provide a unique perspective on one of the most engaging artistic imaginations of the past half-century. Here, readers will discover the effusions of a mind tirelessly wrestling with the profoundest issues of art, cultural history and what it means to be a creator in the contemporary world. The texts are illustrated by images including facsimile reproductions of handwritten pages which also feature drawings.

335 pages, Hardcover

Published October 25, 2016

Reviews

[Sheree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sean Scully's insights into his art are simply stated yet brilliant. I have so many take aways from this book. Rather than fill a notebook with quotes and jottings I will have to purchase this book and keep it close. I love the multitude of themes and the way the artist addresses each topic with clarity.
Sean Scully is an artist's artist.
PS The art included is helpful and colorful, interesting. But read this for the words. Simply fantastic.

[sam howie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The beauty of the way Scully writes and thinks about anything, but of course art in particular, lies in the poetic. He is a type of spiritual mystic intellectual who can unpack ideas with a wisdom that is truly his own. While the writing, particularly the lectures can be repetitive, it works with his style and the way he paints, as the nuances are the keys to the value. I have to admit he can have a stubbornness, an intolerance and perhaps an elitism, which comes across like a pinch of salt, but I think that actually keeps him honest and human.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scully is not just an innovative abstract painter, he is also a wonderfully insightful and often funny writer. Highly recommended. The book--with its varying typesets and organization, make this particularly lovely.