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Sean Scully: Resistance and Persistence : Selected Writings
Sean Scully (born 1945) is one of the leading painters of our time. His successful career has been built on an apparently simple recipe of abstract painted stripes and bars in muted colours, which, despite their apparent simplicity and serentiy, offer unsettlingly complex possibilities. His paintings are exhibited and collected by many major museums throughout the world, from Canberra to Washington, D.C.
This book brings together Scully's own writings for the first time, and presents them alongside superb reproductions of the artist's paintings. The collection reveals Scully's sense of his position within modern painting, and his understanding of and response to the artists whom he most admires. He discusses the circumstances that led him to become a painter; and outlines and expands on many of the themes that have engaged his art for the past twenty years.
This book brings together Scully's own writings for the first time, and presents them alongside superb reproductions of the artist's paintings. The collection reveals Scully's sense of his position within modern painting, and his understanding of and response to the artists whom he most admires. He discusses the circumstances that led him to become a painter; and outlines and expands on many of the themes that have engaged his art for the past twenty years.
- GenresArtNonfiction
192 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 30, 2012
Sean Scully won my respect and admiration with this book. A collection of writings, quotes and lectures from different periods in his own work, as well as other artists he draws inspiration from, Resistance and Persistence is a brick of a book in terms of depth and density; yet it holds none of the weight and dullness similar books of his peers hold. In other words, there is no bullshit 'artspeak' and heavy theoretical discourse to sift through. Scully writes and speaks with a clarity few artists have these days.
His perspective on painting––both in abstraction and figurative realms––was incredibly valuable for me. The photographs of his work are quite impressive in quality, but anyone who has seen his work in person would say it is impossible to do justice to such things in print. I would have to be one of those people, of course. Scale and surface are my only major complaints in that department (there are no detail slides, which would have been helpful to get a better sense of the work). Still, this book is an absolute must-read for the contemporary painter or anyone interested in learning more about Scully's work. Highly recommend.
His perspective on painting––both in abstraction and figurative realms––was incredibly valuable for me. The photographs of his work are quite impressive in quality, but anyone who has seen his work in person would say it is impossible to do justice to such things in print. I would have to be one of those people, of course. Scale and surface are my only major complaints in that department (there are no detail slides, which would have been helpful to get a better sense of the work). Still, this book is an absolute must-read for the contemporary painter or anyone interested in learning more about Scully's work. Highly recommend.
May 27, 2013
I have never to my knowledge seen a Sean Scully in life but I have been aware of his painting for some time and when a friend pointed me to his work in consideration of my own poor efforts I bought this along with an old catalogue.
This book has given me great pleasure and stimulation on the meaning of painting and has forced me to go back and revisit other paintings and ideas. Crucially it has forced me into a re-evaluation of my own work processes and the final paintings of my own. So if the power of a book is assessed on the way that it changes your life and informs your processes then this must be a powerful book.
Mr Scully writes extremely well in an area that is full of obfuscators and those that are merely seeking to blow their own trumpets and 'look smart' as non-doers in the world of doers. Of course Sean Scully has the advantage over so many of the critics and art historians that pontificate on painting in that he is a world class painter.
On his own painting, ultimately it is the painting that has to speak for itself, however it is useful to have the words of the author next to it and to see the context of the work. Useful but not final. The work has to speak for itself to each of us in our own rights and there are no right or wrong interpretations - just rafts upon rafts of views.
His championning of the 'mythic' and the 'spiritual' in painting is to be greatly valued in a time when we see art trivisalised in the hands of the Neo-conceptualists, the Brit-Packers and the video artists as well as by the purveyors of art school education at the fundamental base.
This book is certainly one of the best books I have read on the process of painting as well as the workings of the mind of a painter.
This book has given me great pleasure and stimulation on the meaning of painting and has forced me to go back and revisit other paintings and ideas. Crucially it has forced me into a re-evaluation of my own work processes and the final paintings of my own. So if the power of a book is assessed on the way that it changes your life and informs your processes then this must be a powerful book.
Mr Scully writes extremely well in an area that is full of obfuscators and those that are merely seeking to blow their own trumpets and 'look smart' as non-doers in the world of doers. Of course Sean Scully has the advantage over so many of the critics and art historians that pontificate on painting in that he is a world class painter.
On his own painting, ultimately it is the painting that has to speak for itself, however it is useful to have the words of the author next to it and to see the context of the work. Useful but not final. The work has to speak for itself to each of us in our own rights and there are no right or wrong interpretations - just rafts upon rafts of views.
His championning of the 'mythic' and the 'spiritual' in painting is to be greatly valued in a time when we see art trivisalised in the hands of the Neo-conceptualists, the Brit-Packers and the video artists as well as by the purveyors of art school education at the fundamental base.
This book is certainly one of the best books I have read on the process of painting as well as the workings of the mind of a painter.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews