Now available in paperback for the first time, this is the only major monograph to be published on the paintings of Patrick Caulfield whose work has enjoyed widespread popular appeal and critical acclaim over the past four decades.
When Caulfield established his reputation in the early 1960s, his deadpan handling and his reliance on vivid, flat colours encased in uniform black outlines led to him being hailed as one of the originators of Pop Art in England. Caulfield himself consistently denied an interest in popular culture, preferring instead to make timeless pictures that subtly and with great originality reconfigured such traditional subjects as interiors and still-lives. Marked by a graphic elegance, a finely tuned colour sense and a sometimes melancholy air, these are among the most haunting paintings of the late twentieth century.
Illustrating over 150 works, this book reproduces almost all the paintings made by Caulfield since 1961, when he was still studying at the Royal College of Art alongside such painters as David Hockney and R. B. Kitaj. In so doing, it comprehensively charts the evolution of one of the most thoughtful and engaging painters of our time. It weaves together analytical and interpretative texts published over the past quarter century by Marco Livingstone, the foremost authority on Caulfield’s work, with new material on different phases of the artist’s career. Individual key paintings are awarded separate, in-depth attention.
The significant events in his life and career are charted in a comprehensive chronology compiled by Richard Riley.
Patrick Caulfield: Paintings is a long overdue assessment of the work of one of Britain’s most important painters, whose work has continued to prove extremely influential on subsequent generations. It will be welcomed by art specialists and enthusiasts alike.
Contents: Acknowledgements; Mistaken Identity; Building the Foundations: the 1960s and 1970s; Trouble is his Business; Rooms Ready for Habitation: Interiors of the 1990s; A Text for Silent Pictures; Chronology by Richard Riley; List of Works; Exhibitions; Public Collections; Bibliography; Photographic Credits; Index.
About the Author: Marco Livingstone is an art historian and independent curator who has written extensively on Pop Art and more widely on contemporary painting, sculpture and photography. The curator of Caulfield’s first retrospective in 1981, he is the author of the acclaimed Pop Art: A Continuing History and of monographs and major exhibition catalogues on numerous artists including David Hockney, R.B. Kitaj, Allen Jones, Peter Phillips, Jim Dine, Tom Wesselmann, George Segal and Duane Michals. His most recent book, Hockney’s Portraits and People, was awarded the 2004 Sir Bannister Fletcher Award for best book on the arts.
Reviews: 'This is a beautiful book on a great artist. Marco Livingstone has been writing with unfailing intelligence and perceptiveness on Caulfield's work for many years, and with an ever-deepening understanding of its meanings. Bringing together earlier texts with new essays, including several on individual paintings, superbly illustrated and handsomely designed, this is the monographic survey the artist has long deserved.' Mel Gooding, The World of Interiors
'... this fine book, with its excellent illustrations, will help us to apply our minds as well as our eyes, and join in celebrating an outstanding artist.' Modern Painters
‘ This new book – the first substantial monograph on Caulfield ever produced – is among the most necessary publications on a living painter that could be produced.’ RA magazine, Nov 2005
' ... this great monograph goes some way to demonstrating the breadth of his (Caulfield's) talents, including his amazing sense of colour.'
The Bookseller Buyer's Guide, Jan 2007
‘…this large, generously illustrated book affords the opportunity to see the richness and depth of Caulfield's work and to appreciate its many deceptively hidden sources. Livingstone explores the artist's career output, represented here by drawings, paintings, screen prints, murals, stage sets, posters, and interior designs…Highly recommended.’
Choice, March 2006
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