Lives of the Artists (Calvin Tomkins)

It is a compilation of contemporary artists profiles from The New Yorker. Calvin Tomkins has been writing for the magazine for over three decades.

I only read profiles of Damien Hirst, Cindy Sherman, Richard Serra, Maurizio Cattelan, Jasper Johns, and Jeff Koons. Would read it again. I will search for more books by Tomkins.

Some exerpts from the book I want to have handy:

(Jasper Johns profile )

"... The four men shared certain ideas and ambitions which would soon become much more influential than they were then: ideas of an art based not on self-expression or heroic individualism or some concept of the sublime but on a field of aesthetic possibilities reachable through nontraditional means such as chance, experimentation, and the unapologetic embrace of everyday experience..."

"... why he quit painting... Duchamp has told the interviewer that it was "because of dealers and money and various reasons... And then he looked up and said," But you know, it wasn't like that. It's like you break a leg - you didn't mean to do it." What Johns loved about  this, I think, was Duchamp's denial of consious intention as a ruling principle. It coincided with his own feeling that an artist does what he is helpless not to do. "

" Marcel Duchamp, too, believed that the viewer was an essential part of the creative process. The artist initiated the creative act, he said, but it was up to the viewer to complete it, by interpreting its meaning and its place in art history.."

The Andy Warhol Diaries

It was not what I expected. Daily and routinely recorded list of events and expenses which become boringly repetitious pretty soon. Should have picked his Philosophy book instead.

Painting Below Zero ( James Rosenquist)

 An honest story of an American artist written in his own words. I liked the style of the book, its linear narration. It allows you to observe how one becomes what he is today. Like a seed growing into a big tree. It's fascinating to be able to access the artist's mental process that lead to his paintings and choices he made. Thank you for the book, James Rosenquist!

A Brief History Of Everything (Ken Wilber)

I learned about this book from Quang Ho (artist) who referred to it in one of his DVDs. It was so intriguing that I decided to borrow it from the library. Well...it is pure philosophical stuff. The idea is that everything is both a whole and part of something larger, called a 'holon'. After two chapters I simply 'scanned' the rest of the book.
The book is just not for my temperament.

Hare Brain Tortoise Mind (G. Claxton)

The subtitle of the book sums up the content of it. I am glad I read it. Now I don't feel guilty about not thinking hard ALL the time.

This is something I want to record for reference in future:

"...Most coaches and trainers understand very well that the major learning vehicles, in their line of work, are observation and practice, and that hints,tips and explanations need to be introduced into learner's minds slowly and appropriately. Whatever is offered needs to be capable of being bound by learners into their gradually developing practical mastery. It must be tested against existing experience and incorporated into it, and it takes time..."

"...There is evidence...for the undermind, the intelligent unconscious that works quietly below,and in some cases ahead of,conscious apprehension."

"...Cultivating a relaxed attitude of mind.."

"...The more self-conscious we are - the more fragile our identity - the more we shut down the undermind."