Art and Laughter

by Sheri Klein

Overview

This is the first book to take seriously (though not too seriously) the surprisingly neglected role of humour in art. "Art and Laughter" looks back to comic masters such as Hogarth and Daumier and to Dada, Surrealism and Pop Art, asking what makes us laugh and why. It explores the use of comedy in art from satire and irony to pun, parody and black and bawdy humour. Encouraging laughter in the hallowed space of the gallery, Sheri Klein praises the contemporary artist as 'clown' - often overlooked in favour of the role of artist as 'serious' commentator - and takes us on a tour of the comic work of Red Grooms, Cary Leibowitz, 'The Hairy Who', Richard Prince, Bruce Nauman, Jeff Koons, William Wegman, Vik Muniz, and many more. She seeks out those rare smiles in art - from the Mona Lisa onwards - and highlights too the pleasures of the cute, the camp and the downright kitsch.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780857732774
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	11/22/2006
Series:	Art and Series
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	176
File size:	5 MB

About the Author

Sheri Klein is Professor of Art Education at The University of Wisconsin-Stout. A practising artist, she is also an avod collector of humorous art.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations     vii
Preface     xi
Acknowledgements     xiii
Introduction: Taking a Serious Look at Art and Laughter     1
Before the Laugh     9
Smiling Portraits in Art     31
Playing with Words and Images     51
The Art of Disguise     65
The Big, the Small and the Funny     79
Humour, Sex and Death in Art     93
The Desire for and Consumption of Cuteness     111
The Public Spectacle: Performance Art and Laughter     121
Conclusion     127
Notes     133
Bibliography     145
Index     153