Encounters : new art from old /

Poetic title itself, Encounters is an enigmatically extraordinary and astonishing catalog-book. It describes a documentary exhibition celebrating the new millennium at London's National Gallery (June 14-September 17, 2000), in which 24 living, contemporary, international artists were invited to show their masterpieces. The short review permits mention of only 12, i.e., Balthus, Bourgeois, Clemente, Lucian Freud, Hockney, Johns, Kiefer, Kitaj, Oldenburg and Van Bruggen, Tapies, Twombly, Viola, etc., whose art earlier (labeled "appropriated art," and presently "New Art from Old") is a visual dance between living artists inspired by old masters, i.e., Poussin, Turner (twice), Titian, Chardin, Ingres, Manet, Tintoretto, Vincent van Gogh, Vermeer, Rembrandt, and Bosch. All the images are reproduced in sumptuous colors, including photographs of the living artists and their biographies. With an erudite introduction by Robert Rosenblum and writings, with footnotes, by six scholarly specialists, among them, the prudent, provocative, and challenging Richard Morphet, this volume is an indescribable page-turner--succinct, yet pictorially and intellectually miraculous, contemplative, and philosophical, i.e., inimitable! It evokes a gamut of sensations from violence and tenderness to perfect design, always surprising. Most of all, the human condition itself is visualized. Most highly recommended for passionate readers who love complexity in the fine arts, with past and present juxtaposed. General readers; upper-division undergraduates through professionals. I. Spalatin; Texas A&M University-Commerce

It is paradoxical that a mishandled attempt at a rather interesting concept for a millennium show at the National Gallery, London, should result in such a wonderful catalog. Twenty-five major contemporary artists were commissioned to create new works inspired by great paintings in the National Gallery collection. The artists include both the usual suspects (Francesco Clemente, Anselm Kiefer, Jasper Johns, and Balthus) and the obscure (Euan Uglow, Stephen Cox, and Leon Kossoff). Unfortunately, only three are women, and all of the artists are American or Western EuropeanDhow interesting it would have been to have Vermeer, Rubens, Turner, and others reinterpreted by artists from vastly different backgrounds. Quibbles aside, the artists have, for the most part, produced fascinating meditations on the message and techniques of the old masters. Inspired by Stubbs, the English master of equine portraiture, Jeff Wall does a wonderful photo of a donkey, while Howard Hodgkins's super pointillist bathing scene is better than Seurat's original. All of the artists have essays explaining their motivation, their history, and those of the painters they chose for inspiration. The numerous color illustrations are of excellent quality. This catalog is recommended both as an examination of select modern and old masters and as an exploration of the nature of inspiration and the forces overt and impalpable that influence it.DDavid McClelland, Philadelphia Gwathmey Siegel Houses. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.