Giacometti: Pure Presence

TakingitstitlefromJean-PaulSartre,whodescribedGiacometti'sendeavortogive"sensibleexpression"to"purepresence,"thisbookexplorestheartist'sworkinrelationtoexistentialistideas.Spanningpainting,sculpture,drawingandprintmaking,Giacometti'soeuvrerangesfromsurrealistobjectstoimagesofthehumanfigure,withportraitsofparticularindividualsatthecenter.Thisbooklooksatthevariousphasesoftheartist'scareerandexploresindetailhisdepictionofhismainsitters,includinghismother;Diegohisbrother;hiswifeAnnette;JeanGenettheplaywright;Caroline,aprostitute;andhisfriendsYanaiharaandLotar.Earlydrawings,paintingsandsculpturesoffamilymembersandhisownimagedemonstrateGiacometti'sawarenessofPost-ImpressionistandDivisioniststyles.From1946Giacomettiresumedpaintinganddepictingindividualsbecamecentraltohiswork.After1954,whenhebeganmakingsculpturefromlife,hisportraitsexpressedadialoguebetweenpaintingandsculpture.