All About Process: The Theory and Discourse of Modern Artistic Labor

by Kim Grant

In recent years, many prominent and successful artists have claimed that their primary concern is not the artwork they produce but the artistic process itself. In this volume, Kim Grant analyzes this idea and traces its historical roots, showing how changing concepts of artistic process have played a dominant role in the development of modern and contemporary art. This astute account of the ways in which process has been understood and addressed examines canonical artists such as Monet, Cézanne, Matisse, and De Kooning, as well as philosophers and art theorists such as Henri Focillon, R. G. Collingwood, and John Dewey. Placing “process art” within a larger historical context, Grant looks at the changing relations of the artist’s labor to traditional craftsmanship and industrial production, the status of art as a commodity, the increasing importance of the body and materiality in art making, and the nature and significance of the artist’s role in modern society. In doing so, she shows how process is an intrinsic part of aesthetic theory that connects to important contemporary debates about work, craft, and labor. Comprehensive and insightful, this synthetic study of process in modern and contemporary art reveals how artists’ explicit engagement with the concept fits into a broader narrative of the significance of art in the industrial and postindustrial world.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction

296 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 1, 2017

Reviews

[Dumplainys · Rating 5 out of 5]

A bit difficult at times. But non the less fascinating.

The author talks about views on art from renaissance till modern day. Artists once were creative labourers, makers of luxury commodities, but now they are dedicated to process, earasing a line between art and life.
What motivated artists in their period, what was their role in society? Shifts in artistic mentality as humanity progresses, the importance of creation for humans, art and craft movement, process art.

Ideas dense. I kept writing down sentences from various chapters. Really glad I stumbled upon this book. I feel so much work and dedication was put into writing it.
It helped tremendously with my art education and developement as an artist. I reevaluated my own role, motives and processes.

Process > goal