Week 9 Going Away For Two Weeks!!!

Well, I am going to be away for two week because my Uncle has had his leg amputated and I am needed in Newcastle in order to help out with some private family business. I will however be taking the work with me so that I can keep up to date. Will not be surprised if I fall behind though because I am going to be flat out, so I have tried to do a lot this week to make up for it. I have had a look at Topic 6 Artists’ books in depth however I find myself being quite a bit distracted at the moment because of how much stuff is going on at the moment. I had a look at the first few study activities and answered all of the questions. I looked in depth at the difference between livres d’artiste, fine printing and independent publishing. But first I want to talk about the artists’ book.
What is considered an artist’s book? I had a look at several of the definitions on the Art and Books website and I came to the conclusion that an artist’s book, in it’s most basic definition is a book that has been illustrated in some way by an artist to convey a certain aspect, idea, mood or concept. An artist’s book can be, but most often is not mass produced.
Traditionally, illustrators working for the printing trade developed black and white illustrations on paper and the design was translated by a master craftsman into a wood or metal engraving for reproduction. In contrast the illustrations on livres d’artiste are produced using original graphic processes, such as lithography, woodcut, linocut or etching, with the artist either working directly on the printing matrix or working in close collaboration with a master printer. The end result being a limited edition book that contained original illustrations and was intended for sale as a collectable object on the art market. \
I wanted to include these in my learning journal because I feel that I got a lot more of an understanding about what an Artists’ Book was through look at different ideas of what an Artists’ Book could and could not be.

An exhibit in an exhibition comprising a book that is bound up so it can not be opened?
I believe that this example can be considered to be an artist’s book because it represents all of the aspects of an artist’s book. It convey a certain concept, and fundamentally it is a book, and has book-like qualities. I’ll take this opportunity to refer back to topic 1 when we discussed what a book actually was and the idea of bookness was brought up. The exhibit represents the form of a book, and the function fundamentally however it just can not be opened.

Australian artist Imants Tillers creates composite works made up of individual panels. Many of these works contain images and text. When not exhibited on the wall these works are stacked on top of one another in sequential order.
I think that even though it is a sequential artwork, it is not to be classified as an artist’s book. One the panels are completely individual and two, just because the works, when not being exhibited, are stacked in sequential order does not mean that they can be considered a book. A stack of pages is not considered a book until it is bound. Again the form and function of a book need to be considered here. It does have the function of a book, with it’s imagery and text, however it does not employ the form of a book, with binding.

A portfolio of prints on the same topic presented in a box.
It could be argued that this can be an artist’s book because it has both the function and the form of a book. It has pages, which house the prints for a portfolio. Also it is represented in a box which can be considered a form of binding.

Well I better finish off for now. Need to start packing and get out of Wagga Wagga on the next train. Should be a wonderful train ride. I am enjoying this topic so far. It is something I have never really looked into before so I am getting quite a bit out of it. I was having a little trouble grasping what an Artists’ book was so I think that I am going to have more of a look into Artists’ Books before I post next.