Artist'S Body, The

Twentieth-century art has increasingly seen the artist's body used as both the subject and the object of artists' work. Bound or beaten, naked or painted, still or spasmodic- the body is presented in all possible guises, as the artist quite literally lives his or her art either publicly, in performances, or privately, in video and photography. Expanding and renewing the age-old tradition of self-portraiture, body and performance artists are part of the tradition of artists moving art out of the gallery, into unexpected spaces and media. Breaking down the barriers between art and life, visual experience and sensual experience, these artists well represent the sense of angst and individual disorientation at the close of the twentieth century. Beginning with such key artists as Marcel Duchamp and Jackson Pollock, this book examines a selection of the most significant players who have used their bodies to create their art.