John Yau Bücher

Painter Joan Mitchell was never content to compose "easy" abstractions, preferring to challenge both herself and the viewer with works that pushed the limits of her own sense of beauty. As an Abstract Expressionist, she worked in an idiom that was well established when she began, and curator Klaus Kertess has usefully compared her achievement to that of Soutine and late Bonnard, also artists who did not "innovate" formally but built their achievement by exploring an existing painterly language for their own more intimate purposes. As the critic Jed Perl once wrote of her "The best Mitchells are authentically civilized experiences. Our appetites are focused and clarified."This volume is the first comprehensive presentation of the artist's works on paper--which Mitchell once curtly characterized as "lady paintings." That comment surely had to do with her generation's censure of prettiness--however, contemporary viewers are now free to enjoy the delights of this buoyant and lively body of work.

This book is a major resource to the forty million visitors of New York City and the nearly twenty million art-loving residents of the Tri-State region, the largest urbanized area in the United States. For those who wish to gain a wider appreciation for art and architecture, this guide offers the insight of an art historian on the most important destinations (editor’s picks are inclusive of the surrounding urbanized regions of New York City—northern New Jersey, Long Island, and the lower counties of the Hudson Valley and Connecticut). 101 Masterpieces of New York City provides essential detailed information for every artwork featured—addresses, phone numbers, websites, and visiting hours, when applicable (so much in the region is available for free public viewing!). Organized by state, each entry explains the significance of each suggested destination and offers a brief contextual and historical overview. Valerie Ann Leeds is a curator, art writer, and editor and is a New York metropolitan–area native. She has written and edited numerous publications on various subjects in the field of American art. She has a PhD in American art and architecture from the Graduate Center of City University of New York.

Focusing on the plein air paintings of Liu Xiaodong, this monograph showcases his exploration of marginalized communities across the globe. While initially appearing as a traditional realist, Xiaodong employs various media and modern technology to challenge conventional painting norms. His monumental works not only capture everyday lives but also blur the lines between fact and fiction, tradition and modernity. This collection presents a unique vision that redefines observational painting, emphasizing the diversity of contemporary society.

A diverse and cacophonous poetry collection tackling subjects from identity to current events. At once comic and cantankerous, tender and discomfiting, piercing and irreverent, Genghis Chan on Drums is a shape-shifting book of percussive poems dealing with aging, identity, PC culture, and stereotypes about being Chinese. Employing various forms, John Yau’s poems traverse a range of subjects, including the 1930s Hollywood actress Carole Lombard, the Latin poet Catullus, the fantastical Renaissance painter Piero di Cosimo’s imaginary sister, and a nameless gumshoe. Yau moves effortlessly from using the rhyme scheme of a sixteenth-century Edmund Spenser sonnet to riffing on a well-known poem-rant by the English poet Sean Bonney, and to immersing himself in the words of condolence sent by a former president to the survivors of a school massacre. Yau’s poems are conduits through which many different, conflicting, and unsavory voices strive to be heard. 

Focusing on the artistic evolution of Philip Taaffe, the book explores his innovative use of diverse techniques such as silkscreen, collage, and gold leaf. It highlights his journey from his student days at Cooper Union under Hans Haacke to his current work, providing an in-depth analysis of his artistic development and inspirations. The insightful text aims to give a comprehensive understanding of how Taaffe has expanded the boundaries of painting through his unique methods and creative vision.

British painter William Tillyer (born 1938) is regarded as one of the most accomplished and consistently inventive artists working in watercolor. His work luxuriates in translucent color and sensuous brushwork. Some of his pieces, in their untrammeled expressive zeal and readily apparent love of color as a pure quality call to mind the canvases of Morris Louis; in other paintings, flamboyantly voluptuous shapes confront geometric abstractions and Minimalist blocks of color. With 224 full-color images, "William Tillyer: Watercolours" provides a comprehensive look at the titular aspect of Tillyer's oeuvre, looking back over nearly 40 years of work. It includes three texts by the American poet and art historian John Yau, an essay describing the development of Tillyer's watercolors and linking his work to the tradition of the English watercolor, an essay on the latest body of work and an interview with the artist.

Exploring the theme of identity and voice, this collection of poems delves into the complexities of language and perception, particularly from an Asian American perspective. Divided into eight sections, it examines concepts of address through various lenses, including memory and events. The work creatively intertwines influences from notable figures like Baudelaire and Philip K. Dick, enriching the narrative and challenging the reader to consider who is speaking and who is being represented. The poems embody Dickinson's idea of revealing truth with nuance and depth.

Highlighting the overlooked and misunderstood, this collection features reviews and essays by John Yau that offer an alternative perspective on various subjects. It encompasses a diverse array of figures, including film stars Anna May Wong and Sessue Hayakawa, poets like Clark Coolidge and Marilyn Chin, and filmmakers such as Leni Riefenstahl and Patty Chang. Yau's insightful commentary challenges conventional notions of what is considered new in art and culture, making it a unique exploration of lesser-known voices and ideas.