Particles and waves : Southern California abstraction and science 1945-1990 / [edited by] Michael Duncan and Sharrissa Iqbal ; essays by Camille Frémontier-Murphy, Roger Malina, W. Patrick McCray, Matthew Simms, Jason Weems.

Format
Book
Language
English
Published/​Created
  • Palm Springs, CA : Palm Springs Art Museum ; New York, NY : DelMonico Books, [2024]
  • New York, NY : DelMonico Books available through ARTBOOK / D.A.P.
  • ©2024
Description
175 pages : illustrations (chiefly color) ; 31 cm

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Marquand Library - Remote Storage (ReCAP): Marquand Library Use OnlyN6530.C22 P37 2024q Oversize Browse related items Request

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    Getty AAT genre
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    Summary note
    "Particles and Waves examines how concepts and technologies from the realms of advanced scientific research impacted the development of abstract (or non-figurative) styles of artwork in postwar Southern California. Beginning in the 1920s and 1930s, scientists at institutions near Los Angeles including Mount Wilson Observatory, the California Institute for Technology, and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, generated groundbreaking experimental research in astronomy and particle physics. During and after World War II, the region remained at the forefront of scientific inquiry in theoretical physics and its applications within aerospace engineering, industrial manufacturing, and communications technologies. Between 1945 and 1990, many artists in Los Angeles produced visually abstract artworks while closely engaging with scientific ideas, mathematical theories, and materials or processes derived from physics and engineering. The exhibition unites several generations of artists working in diverse materials and styles to examine how subfields of scientific investigation inspired a range of non-figurative artworks by practitioners concerned with light, energy, motion, and time. By drawing interdisciplinary connections between the work of early abstractionists and contemporary practitioners, the exhibition considers abstract artwork from Southern California in a new way. Particle and Waves is among more than 50 exhibitions and programs presented as part of Pacific Standard Time. Returning in September 2024 with its latest edition, PST ART: Art & Science Collide, this landmark regional event explores the intersections of art and science, both past and present. PST ART is a Getty initiative"-- Provided by publisher.
    Notes
    • "Particles and Waves: Southern California Abstraction and Science, 1945-1990 is part of PST: Art & Science Collide. Southern California's landmark arts event, PST ART, returns in September 2024, presenting more than 60 exhibitions from organizations across the region. PST ART is presented by Getty"--Colophon.
    • Stanton MacDonald-Wright's A Treatise on Color, 1924, seen on pages 15-16, contributed by California State University, Long Beach Special Collections and University Archives.--page 175.
    • "PST ART: Art & Science Collide"--Colophon.
    Bibliographic references
    Includes bibliographical references and index.
    Exhibitions note
    "Particles and Waves: Southern California Abstraction and Science, 1945-1990 exhibition held at the Palm Springs Art Museum, September 14, 2024- February 23, 2025"-- host institution website.
    Contents
    • Director's foreword / Adam Lerner
    • Acknowledgments
    • When physics becomes metaphysics / Michael Duncan
    • A universe in motion : southern California abstraction and science / Sharrissa Iqbal
    • Color in motion
    • Space-age abstraction
    • The science of patterns
    • Light, energy, and perception : abstraction and optics
    • Experiments in abstract film
    • Frank J. Malina : dreamer of space, engineer of art / W. Patrick McCray
    • Toward a more sensate awareness : Robert Irwin's acrylic column / Matthew Simms
    • Out of sight and mind, into self : vision and education in Charles and Ray Eames' 'Powers of ten' / Jason Weems
    • Leonardo's goals and intentions (then and now) / Camille Frémontier-Murphy and Roger Malina
    • The influence of atomic physics on my paintings / Bettina Brendel
    • Electric light as a medium in the visual fine arts : a memoir / Frank J. Malina
    • Lenticular polyster resin sculpture : transparency and light / Robert C. Bassler.
    Other title(s)
    Southern California abstraction and science 1945-1990
    ISBN
    • 9781636811383 ((hardcover))
    • 1636811388 ((hardcover))
    LCCN
    2024932736
    OCLC
    1455503140
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