The Work of Art by Adam Moss
“The true artist,” Beethoven wrote in his touching letter of advice to a young girl aspiring to be an artist,
“is sad not to have reached that point to which his better genius only appears as a distant, guiding sun.” via
What is the work of art? In this guided tour inside the artist’s head, Adam Moss traces the evolution of transcendent novels, paintings, jokes, movies, songs, and more. Weaving conversations with some of the most accomplished artists of our time together with the journal entries, napkin doodles, and sketches that were their tools, Moss breaks down the work-the tortuous paths and artistic decisions-that led to great art. From first glimmers to second thoughts, roads not taken, crises, breakthroughs, on to one triumphant finish after another.
WHY IT’S READWORTHY: A New York Times bestseller hailed as “the gift book of the year” (Chicago Tribune) Dozens of visionary artists - from iconic filmmakers to celebrated novelists - share the hidden secrets of their crafts The perfect addition to any collection of coffee-table books, it’s “designed to be absorbed in bursts of pleasure” (The New Yorker)
Featuring: Kara Walker, Tony Kushner, Roz Chast, Michael Cunningham, Moses Sumney, Sofia Coppola, Stephen Sondheim, Susan Meiselas, Louise Glück, Maria de Los Angeles, Nico Muhly, Thomas Bartlett, Twyla Tharp, John Derian, Barbara Kruger, David Mandel, Gregory Crewdson, Marie Howe, Gay Talese, Cheryl Pope, Samin Nosrat, Joanna Quinn & Les Mills, Wesley Morris, Amy Sillman, Andrew Jarecki, Rostam, Ira Glass, Simphiwe Ndzube, Dean Baquet & Tom Bodkin, Max Porter, Elizabeth Diller, Ian Adelman / Calvin Seibert, Tyler Hobbs, Marc Jacobs, Grady West (Dina Martina), Will Shortz, Sheila Heti, Gerald Lovell, Jody Williams & Rita Sodi, Taylor Mac & Machine Dazzle, David Simon, George Saunders, Suzan-Lori Parks
"We create - a poem or a theorem, a novel or a song - in order to explain the world to ourselves and explain ourselves to the world."
-Maria Popova, The Marginalian via
dr. π (pi)
.
“is sad not to have reached that point to which his better genius only appears as a distant, guiding sun.” via
What is the work of art? In this guided tour inside the artist’s head, Adam Moss traces the evolution of transcendent novels, paintings, jokes, movies, songs, and more. Weaving conversations with some of the most accomplished artists of our time together with the journal entries, napkin doodles, and sketches that were their tools, Moss breaks down the work-the tortuous paths and artistic decisions-that led to great art. From first glimmers to second thoughts, roads not taken, crises, breakthroughs, on to one triumphant finish after another.
WHY IT’S READWORTHY: A New York Times bestseller hailed as “the gift book of the year” (Chicago Tribune) Dozens of visionary artists - from iconic filmmakers to celebrated novelists - share the hidden secrets of their crafts The perfect addition to any collection of coffee-table books, it’s “designed to be absorbed in bursts of pleasure” (The New Yorker)
Featuring: Kara Walker, Tony Kushner, Roz Chast, Michael Cunningham, Moses Sumney, Sofia Coppola, Stephen Sondheim, Susan Meiselas, Louise Glück, Maria de Los Angeles, Nico Muhly, Thomas Bartlett, Twyla Tharp, John Derian, Barbara Kruger, David Mandel, Gregory Crewdson, Marie Howe, Gay Talese, Cheryl Pope, Samin Nosrat, Joanna Quinn & Les Mills, Wesley Morris, Amy Sillman, Andrew Jarecki, Rostam, Ira Glass, Simphiwe Ndzube, Dean Baquet & Tom Bodkin, Max Porter, Elizabeth Diller, Ian Adelman / Calvin Seibert, Tyler Hobbs, Marc Jacobs, Grady West (Dina Martina), Will Shortz, Sheila Heti, Gerald Lovell, Jody Williams & Rita Sodi, Taylor Mac & Machine Dazzle, David Simon, George Saunders, Suzan-Lori Parks
"We create - a poem or a theorem, a novel or a song - in order to explain the world to ourselves and explain ourselves to the world."
-Maria Popova, The Marginalian via
dr. π (pi)
.