Andi,
Some thoughts, though I may be off on what you really need here.. but, by way of contemplation and meditation, what first comes to mind for me is the seminal exhibition catalog,
The Spiritual in Art: Abstract Painting 1890-1985 (produced by Los Angeles County MoA, 86/87) It. covers a bit of the period you’re interested in, but importantly provides context for the spiritual and contemplative in painting over time.
During the 60s contemplation of the human place in our natural environment began in an art dialogue on that topic that has been sustained since then. For the period itself, there is a farsighted two volume set (one a book and one an exhibition catalog) by
Alan Gussow: A Sense of Place: The Artist and the American Land. San Francisco: Friends of the Earth 1972-1973. Gussow was a painter and activist. His mission for the exhibition in the introduction states:
"If there is a message in this show, it lies in its urging each of us to attend to roots, to notice what is about us, to involve ourselves deeply in our own locations, to recognize
that in some hidden way we are the products of our places. In the end we are not distinct from our landscape for as we give shape to our villages and cities, these places shape us. Our environment is more than a passive backdrop; it is the stage on which we
move. The objects and forms on that stage shape our actions, guide our choices, restrict or enhance our freedom and in some mysterious way even predict our future."
In that vein, and to take a cue from Joel in suggesting Dematerialization, Lucy Lippard later gave us
Lure of the Local, Sense of Place in a Multi-Centered Society (1997) which could be interesting to consult in comparison.
A study of artists’ books produced during that time could also be a great way to go. Contemplative by nature they embrace the full gamut of possibilities including the personal,
political, environmental, social and conceptual.
Mo
Mo Dawley
Senior Librarian
Art and Drama Librarian
Carnegie Mellon University
4909 Frew St.
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
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412-268-6625
Hi Andi,
If the faculty member has not already done so, Lucy Lippard’s “Six Years : the dematerialization of the art object from 1966 to 1972…” maybe a source worth consulting.
Joel Parham | Librarian | Fox Research Library
Hello,
I have a faculty member who is writing an article centered around the art historical treatment of contemplative practices and meditation in contemporary
art (specifically from the 1960s and 70s).
I have suggested he look at the work of John Cage and Allan Kaprow's "just doing." Another possible avenue may be contemplation and protest era art
making, such as early feminist practices and anti-Vietnam performances.
If anyone has any other suggestions/resources that may be helpful in locating art historical scholarship related to the topic.
Thanks,
Andi Back
Fine Arts and Humanities Librarian
University of Kansas
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