D. Lejeune, The Radical Use of Chance in 20th Century Art

Denis Lejeune, The Radical Use of Chance in 20th Century Art

Amsterdam : Rodopi, coll. "Faux titre", 2012.

EAN 9789042034396.

275 p.

Prix 55EUR

Présentation de l'éditeur :

To many, chance and art are antagonistic terms. But a number of 20th century artists have turned this notion on its head by attempting to create artworks based on randomness. Among those, three in particular articulated a well-argued and thorough theory of the radical use of chance in art: André Breton (writer), John Cage (composer) and François Morellet (visual artist). The implications of such a move away from established aesthetics are far-reaching, as much in conceptual as in practical terms, as this book hopes to make clear.
Of paramount importance in this coincidentia oppositorum is the suggested possibility of a correlation between the artistic use of chance and a system of thought itself organised around chance. Indeed placing randomness at the centre of one’s art may have deeper philosophical consequences than just on the aesthetical level.

Contents
General Introduction
The Rise of Chance in Modern Sciences
Part I
The Tribulations of Chance within Philosophical Thought
The Philosophy of Clément Rosset
Part II
The Dialogue of Chance and the Arts
André Breton
François Morellet
John Cage
General conclusion
Bibliography
Appendix 1: Interview with Clément Rosset
Appendix 2: Interview with François Morellet