From the Book of Kells to William Kentridge, artists have painted and drawn in books. Illuminated manuscripts disappeared with the invention of the printing press, at a time when explorers described unknown lands in journals and sketchbooks. Once the medium of choice for expeditionary artists, watercolor in the nineteenth century was embraced by studio artists. Digital technology today has redefined print media, leading to the rebirth of painted books. Pollock Krasner Foundation Grant recipient and Yale alumnus James Lancel McElhinney unpacks the epic tale of this once and future art-form
Book of Kells
Frans Post
Jacques Le Moyne des Morgues
William Kentridge
McElhinney working at the summit of Kilauea, on the Island of Hawai’i, Dawn, July 1, 2016.
McElhinney’s work is currently the focus of an exhibition at Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia, and can be found in the collection of Yale Beinecke Library, New York Public Library and the Hudson River Museum. McElhinney will speak on Artists as Publishers at the College Art Association conference in New York on February 15, 2019. He will exhibit new artworks at Gerald Peters Gallery in Santa Fe, NM in Summer 2019.
This program is co-sponsored by the Ridgefield Library and the Ridgefield Guild.
Please register at www.ridgefieldlibrary.org or call 203-438-2282.
Ridgefield Library | 472 Main Street | Ridgefield | CT 06877
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