(h/b) bill viola

The first comprehensively illustrated monograph on the work of Bill Viola, one of the most original and poetic artists of his generation: a rare and fascinating account of one of contemporary art's most powerful creative minds.Bill Viola began experimenting with video art in the early 1970s; today, he is considered one of the foremost proponents of the medium, captivating audiences around the world with his profound and beautifully wrought explorations of the human condition. Bill Viola is the first monograph to chart the artist's career in full, from his education in Syracuse, New York, to the inauguration in 2014 of Martyrs (Earth, Air, Fire, Water), a work specially commissioned for St. Paul's Cathedral in London. John G. Hanhardt outlines the key visual, literary, and spiritual influences on Viola's work, together with his changing approach to the moving image in response to advances in technology. Woven into the discussion are numerous illustrations of Viola's most significant works, including Information (1973), The Greeting (1995) and Going Forth By Day (2002), as well as reproductions of his sketches and notebook entries, which bring his working methods to life. (From the publisher)