Experiencing Art and Architecture

<p>In this multidisciplinary book Sanda Iliescu articulates a rich multi-faceted approach to the aesthetic experience. Through in-depth discussions of her own lived encounters with art architecture and the world around her she advocates a way of looking that blends sensory perception formal analysis social and political consciousness and personal memory. Focusing special attention on the aesthetic concept of the figure-ground problem the author challenges this foundational principle's presumed hierarchies and shows how a new and more dynamic understanding of it can enhance our way of looking at and understanding art and architecture. Works discussed in the book include a wide range of contemporary and historic art and architecture among them artworks by Rembrandt Matisse Eva Hesse and David Hammons; architecture by Zaha Hadid Peter Zumthor and Weiss/Manfredi; and non-Western works such as a thirteenth-century Chinese vase and the Ryōanji dry garden in Kyoto Japan.</p><p>Personal and engaging this book is for a wide audience of those practicing studying or with an interest in the creative fields from beginners to seasoned professionals.</p>