The Object Stares Back: On the Nature of Seeing
James Elkins. Mariner Books, $15 (272pp) ISBN 978-0-15-600497-8
PW called this analysis of our habits of viewing ""a remarkable tour de force."" (Aug.)
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Reviewed on: 07/14/1997
Genre: Nonfiction
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- Why Are Our Pictures Puzzles?: On the Modern Origins of Pictorial ComplexityJames ElkinsPlato shrewdly noticed that a painting loses its liveliness the moment the viewer confronts its ""most majestic silence."" In this book, Elkins shows how ""dire anxiety in the face of pictures"" has Continue reading »
- Object Stares BackJames Elkins, ElkinsBecause our viewing of people, places and objects is molded by thoughts of using, possessing, keeping or cherishing what is seen, we actually perceive very little of what we look at, claims Elkins. Continue reading »
- How to Use Your EyesJames Elkins, James ElkinsHow does one read an X-ray? What do the markings on a butterfly's wings mean? Why do the colors in a sunset always come in a certain order? Elkins (What Painting Is) answers these and other questions Continue reading »
- Why Art Cannot Be TaughtJames Elkins, ElkinsIn Why Art Cannot Be Taught: A Handbook for Art Students, James Elkins (The Object Stares Back), professor of art history, theory and criticism at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Continue reading »
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