James Rosenquist: Painting as Immersion

AmonographonthegreatPopArtmaster,JamesRosenquist,thisbookshowshowtheartist'slarge-scaleworksandtheirsourcematerialsremainpowerfulandrelevantasculturalandpoliticalcommentary.Withabackgroundinadvertisingandpaintingbillboards,JamesRosenquisthadauniqueperspectiveonthedualeffectsofimageryandscaleontheviewingexperience.Hiscolossalpiecesareimmersive--theysurroundthevieweranddominatemostgalleryspaces.Inthisvolumereaderscanexaminehisprocessofcreatingimage-ladenabstractionsthroughhissourcematerials.Rosenquistoftenstartedwithimageshe'dliterallyrippedfromthepagesofprintmediaandwhichhethentransformedintocollages.Fromtherehewouldscaleupthecollage,recreatingitasalarge-scalecanvasorinstallation.Thisbookpresentsbothwell-knownandrarelyexhibitedpieces,includingF-111andTheSwimmerintheEconomist,toshowhowjuxtaposingseeminglyincongruentimagescreatesapowerfulmirrorofcommercialistculture.EssaysaboutRosenquist'slife,oeuvre,technique,andimpactontheartworldcreateamulti-facetedportraitofanartistwhobelievedthatthesumofthepartswasessentialtounderstandingthewhole.