American Silences

The Realism of James Agee, Walker Evans, and Edward Hopper

Nonfiction, Art & Architecture, General Art, Criticism
Cover of the book American Silences by , Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: ISBN: 9781351532327
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: October 24, 2017
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author:
ISBN: 9781351532327
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: October 24, 2017
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

In ""American Silences"", Joseph Anthony Ward offers a unique analysis of the use and effects of silence in modern American realistic art. Beginning with the nineteenth-century literature that laid the foundation for silence in art, he moves to a brief analysis of Sherwood Anderson's ""Winesburg"", Ohio and Ernest Hemingway's ""In Our Time"", showing how they, along with several other crucial works of twentieth-century American realism, incorporate the power of the silent into their expression without sacrificing the subjects and techniques of traditional realism. Examining ""Let Us Now Praise Famous Men"", James Agee's commentary on the life of tenant farmers, documented with photographs by Walker Evans, Ward traces the book's pattern of 'silence, then silence disturbed by sound, and ultimately silence restored'. Ward further supports his theory with a study of Agee's ""A Death in the Family"" and Evans' ""American Photographs"". Ward sees Agee's admiration of photography as a connection between the silence of the scenes he writes about and the silence of Evans' photographs. The use of silence is perhaps even more obvious in the paintings of Edward Hopper. Although throughout the book Ward suggests both the positive and negative qualities of silence in art, Hopper's paintings provide little in the way of postiveness. For Ward, the art of silence is an art of extreme concentration that seeks essences rather than superficiality that nearly transcends realism itself. The theme of silence in American realism is a significant new one, but Ward's interpretation of the prose and his analysis of the photographs and paintings, many of which are reproduced in this book, establish validity for art as the voice of silence.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In ""American Silences"", Joseph Anthony Ward offers a unique analysis of the use and effects of silence in modern American realistic art. Beginning with the nineteenth-century literature that laid the foundation for silence in art, he moves to a brief analysis of Sherwood Anderson's ""Winesburg"", Ohio and Ernest Hemingway's ""In Our Time"", showing how they, along with several other crucial works of twentieth-century American realism, incorporate the power of the silent into their expression without sacrificing the subjects and techniques of traditional realism. Examining ""Let Us Now Praise Famous Men"", James Agee's commentary on the life of tenant farmers, documented with photographs by Walker Evans, Ward traces the book's pattern of 'silence, then silence disturbed by sound, and ultimately silence restored'. Ward further supports his theory with a study of Agee's ""A Death in the Family"" and Evans' ""American Photographs"". Ward sees Agee's admiration of photography as a connection between the silence of the scenes he writes about and the silence of Evans' photographs. The use of silence is perhaps even more obvious in the paintings of Edward Hopper. Although throughout the book Ward suggests both the positive and negative qualities of silence in art, Hopper's paintings provide little in the way of postiveness. For Ward, the art of silence is an art of extreme concentration that seeks essences rather than superficiality that nearly transcends realism itself. The theme of silence in American realism is a significant new one, but Ward's interpretation of the prose and his analysis of the photographs and paintings, many of which are reproduced in this book, establish validity for art as the voice of silence.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book The Language of Jane Austen (Routledge Revivals) by
Cover of the book Merchant Shipping Legislation by
Cover of the book Governing by Inspection by
Cover of the book Beyond the Team by
Cover of the book On Seeing Forms by
Cover of the book Sociological Perspectives on Sport by
Cover of the book The Positive Obligations of the State under the European Convention of Human Rights by
Cover of the book Hosting the Olympic Games by
Cover of the book Strategic Marketing Management (RLE Marketing) by
Cover of the book Investigating Intimate Discourse by
Cover of the book The Psychotherapy Of The Elderly Self by
Cover of the book An Urban Approach To Climate Sensitive Design by
Cover of the book A2 Media Studies by
Cover of the book The Economy as a System of Power by
Cover of the book The Institutional Dynamics of Culture, Volumes I and II by
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy