Books of  Inspiration

The traditional landscape genre was radically transformed in the 1960s when many artists stopped merely representing the land and made their mark directly in the environment. Drawn by the vast uncultivated spaces of the desert and mountain as well as post-industrial wastelands, artists such as Michael Heizer, Nancy Holt or Robert Smithson moved the earth to create colossal primal symbols. Others punctuated the horizon with man-made signposts, such as Christo's Running Fence or Walter de Maria's Lightning Field. Journeys became works of art for Richard Long whilst Dennis Oppenheim and Ana Mendieta immersed their bodies in the contours of the land. This book traces early developments to the present day, where artists are exploring eco-systems and the interface between industrial, urban and rural cultures. Alongside stunning photographs, sketches and project notes, Kastner compiles an invaluable archive of statements by all the featured artists alongside related texts by art historians, critics, philosophers and cultural theorists including Jean Baudrillard, Edmund Burke, Guy Debord, Michael Fried, Dave Hickey, Lucy R. Lippard, Thomas McEvilley, Carolyn Merchant and Simon Schama

Taken from Amazon;-

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Land-Environmental-Art-Themes-Movements/dp/0714845191



 In the mid-60s, artists in the USA and Europe began planning works for sites outside the narrow boundaries of galleries and museums. It began with ephemeral enhancements or traces left in deserted landscapes, in the deserts of America, or in the moors of Scotland. Following this were spectacular earthen sculptures of gigantic proportions, some of which are still in the process of completion today. One distinguishing feature of "Land Art" is its critical preoccupation with the tradition of sculpture. Sculpture can now be an earthwork excavation, a field of metal poles, a buried hut, a trace in the grass, or even a book. Another of the movement's special characteristics is its emphasis on site-specific, outdoor works intended to lastingly alter our perception of places, and to set new parameters in art production and reception. About "Taschen's Basic Art" movement and genre series: Each book includes a detailed introduction with approximately 35 photographs, plus a timeline of the most important events (political, cultural, scientific, etc.) that took place during the time period. The body of the book contains a selection of the most important works of the epoch; each is presented on a 2-page spread with a full-page image and, on the facing page, a description/interpretation of the work, a reference work, portrait of the artist, quotes, and biographical information.

Taken from Amazon

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Land-Art-Canvas-Taschen-Series/dp/3822856134/ref=pd_sim_b_1/276-4016066-6509938

Time, always a crucial element in the work of Andy Goldsworthy both as a medium and as a metaphor is celebrated in this book, newly available in paperback. An introduction by the artist conveys the importance to him of time, change and place. A sequence of works made around his home in Scotland often shown in series recording their gradual disappearance or transformation is followed by Goldsworthys diaries of visits to five locations in North America and Europe, vividly evoking, in text and pictures, the process of exploration and response to each place.With a detailed chronology by Dr Terry Friedman, this volume is an invaluable source of reference on Andy Goldsworthy and his compelling, sensitive work.
Taken from Amazon

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Time-Andy-Goldsworthy/dp/0500287503/ref=pd_sim_b_30