
Kokoschka
The Untimely Modernist
Ruediger Goerner(Author)
Haus Publishing
Published on 5. December 2024
Book
Paperback/Softback
352 pages
978-1-914979-14-9 (ISBN)
Description
Oskar Kokoschka (1886-1980) was an artist of his time, but he also stood out among his peers - not just because of his towering physical height but for his artistic range. Using both brush and pen to work against the tide, he wrote plays and stories as well as essays on art and politics, playing a major role in the development of twentieth-century European art.
A rebel of the art world, he was used to controversy, and Ruediger Goerner's accomplished biography traces the dark, unsettling aspects of Kokoschka's life alongside his more celebrated achievements: from the eerie doll he had made in the image of a former lover to the unconventional art school he founded in the aftermath of the Second Word War.
Taking us from his birthplace of Poechlarn across Europe and to the United Kingdom, where he became a naturalised British citizen in 1947, this first English-language biography does more than show Kokoschka as a maverick artist; it is the definitive interpretation of an extraordinary life.
A rebel of the art world, he was used to controversy, and Ruediger Goerner's accomplished biography traces the dark, unsettling aspects of Kokoschka's life alongside his more celebrated achievements: from the eerie doll he had made in the image of a former lover to the unconventional art school he founded in the aftermath of the Second Word War.
Taking us from his birthplace of Poechlarn across Europe and to the United Kingdom, where he became a naturalised British citizen in 1947, this first English-language biography does more than show Kokoschka as a maverick artist; it is the definitive interpretation of an extraordinary life.
Reviews / Votes
'[A] rich literary study of a major cultural figure' -- Art History 'Ruediger Goerner is a thorough expert in all things Kokoschka, and his work is entertaining as it is knowledgeable.' -- New Art Examiner 'Kokoschka was a leading figure in the Central European expressionist movement. . . . G?rner presents a serviceable narrative that captures the 'inner tension, excitement and drama' of Kokoschka's career.' -- ChoiceMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 196 mm
Width: 128 mm
Thickness: 37 mm
Weight
324 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-914979-14-9 (9781914979149)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Ruediger Goerner was professor of German with comparative literature at Queen Mary University of London. The founder of the Ingeborg Bachmann Centre for Austrian Literature and the founding director of the Centre for Anglo-German Cultural Relations, his books include biographies of Rainer Maria Rilke, Georg Trakl and Stefan Zweig.
Content
Preface to the Paperback Edition // xi
Preface to the English Edition // xiii
Foundations, or the Journey to an Achievement of the Century // 1
1: The Journey // 11
2: Determination and Confusion // 30
3: Wartime Art // 67
4: Pre-Schooling Vision // 101
5: Exile in England // 162
6: The Portrait as a Form of Representation // 195
7: Portrait of the Older Artist as Educator, or Schools of Seeing // 238
Notes // 307
Bibliography // 334
Acknowledgements: A Word of Thanks // 351
Preface to the English Edition // xiii
Foundations, or the Journey to an Achievement of the Century // 1
1: The Journey // 11
2: Determination and Confusion // 30
3: Wartime Art // 67
4: Pre-Schooling Vision // 101
5: Exile in England // 162
6: The Portrait as a Form of Representation // 195
7: Portrait of the Older Artist as Educator, or Schools of Seeing // 238
Notes // 307
Bibliography // 334
Acknowledgements: A Word of Thanks // 351