Aphorisms for Artists: 100 Ways Toward Better Art by Walter Darby Bannard
4 X 5.75 INCHES / 224 PAGES FLEXI BOUND
FIRST EDITION OF 250
80.00
Why do young artists struggle to find their voices? Walter Darby Bannard, having come to the University of Miami after achieving renown as a critic for Artforum and an internationally exhibited painter, contemplated that question for more than two decades.
Prior to his passing in 2016, at the urging of one of his former students, Bannard set down his thoughts in this short book, newly released by our imprint, Signature16. It is at once a volume of practical art-making wisdom and an engaging piece of personal philosophy, both wry and readable. Open to any page, and you'll find a memorable gem of wisdom, followed by a brief expansion by Bannard that adds even more insight. Read and re-read it cover to cover, or consult it like an oracle in times of artistic trouble. It is a necessary reference to keep handy in the studio, and a perfect gift for the aspiring artist.
Edited and with a foreword and afterword by Franklin Einspruch.
“Darby Bannard’s Aphorisms for Artists is exactly what one might expect—super-intelligent, pithy, vivid, wise, and taking no prisoners. Anyone lucky enough to have known Darby will recognize his inimitable voice.”—Michael Fried, critic, author of Art and Objecthood
“Darby Bannard was a fiercely intelligent, deeply knowledgeable, inventive abstract painter. He was also an influential teacher, and a splendid critic and writer about art, with a wicked wit, capable of summing up and often skewering whole movements with a pointed phrase. While he was intolerant of one-liner art, his condensed critical observations are illuminating and memorable. Reading his aphorisms brings this smart, articulate, gifted artist back to vivid life.”—Karen Wilkin, critic, curator, author of Figuration Never Died
“From the outrageous, to the benign, to the wonderfully insightful, Walter Darby Bannard's aphorisms are provocations for 100 never-ending—and absolutely essential—arguments about art. Quote one of ‘em at an artists’ bar, and you’re there for the night—buying a few rounds when you lose.”—Peter Plagens, artist, critic, author of Sunshine Muse
“Walter Darby Bannard was the Ben Franklin of the art world, producing aphorisms and epigrams so witty and astute they deserve to be passed on from one generation to another. Read through these and you may soon find yourself sending them to friends or tacking his insights on to your studio wall.”—Ann Landi, director, The Wright Contemporary