- Wolf Jahn is deeply knowledgeable about Gilbert & George's work and practice, having written extensively about them over the past 40 years, including the book The Art of Gilbert & George (Thames & Hudson, 1989)
- The Meaning of the Earth has been designed to reflect the anarchic nature of Gilbert and George's practice. Only Gilbert and George's works are allowed to sit large across the pages - all other works and comparative images are deliberately shrunk down and thrown into the margins - reflecting the importance of the unique system of meaning they have wrought within their practice
- The cover and printed edges of the book are illustrated with original artwork created by Gilbert & George especially for the book
The Meaning of the Earth offers a retrospective on the lives and work of the relentlessly controversial artists, placing them within the context of twentieth century British culture. Wolf Jahn tells the story of how Gilbert & George found their identity in opposition to pervasive ideas around social conformity and religion after meeting in 1967.
The artists staged an internal revolution, mining their psyches to create visionary and unwaveringly modern art. The two people but one artist' ask the questions that gnaw at us all: Where do we come from?', Who are we?' and Where are we going?' The book meditates on the artists' role in this century, connecting their beginnings as Living Sculptures to their pictorial work of today.
The Meaning of the Earth is a continuation of Jahn's 1989 work, The Art of Gilbert & George. The author writes a playful philosophical interrogation of Gilbert & George's work that truly grasps its cosmic scale.
Daugiau informacijos
The Meaning of the Earth places the Art of Gilbert & George within the context of C20th art and how they have revolutionised our view of Christianity and the human soul.
Foreward7
Revolution After Revolution
Chapter one9
Meditation on Three Words
Chapter two49
Reversed Aceticism
Chapter three69
Go to Hell
Chapter four95
Kill
Chapter five133
New Genesis
Chapter six203
Below
Chapter seven243
Be Human
Chapter eight279
Paths and How to Take Them
Chapter nine311
The Meaning of the Earth
Chapter ten343
What we Are
Chapter eleven379
Signatura Crucis
Chapter twelve403
Obsessions
Chapter thirteen419
The Wild Donkey, the False Promise, Leviathan and Judgement Day
Chapter fourteen451
Dual Nature
Chapter fifteen483
Monarchia
Chapter sixteen543
Continents of Being
epilogue565
Endnotes567
Bibliography583
Born in Stuttgart in 1955, Wolf Jahn is an author, editor and journalist. Over the past forty years, Wolf Jahn has written extensively about the works of Gilbert & George, including the book The Art of Gilbert & George (Thames & Hudson, 1989).
Gilbert & George began creating art together in 1967 when they met at Central St Martins School of Art, and from the beginning in their films and LIVING SCULPTURE performances they have appeared as figures in their own art. The 'two men, one artist' believe that everything is potential subject matter for art. They address social issues and taboos, challenging what might be considered 'good taste'. Implicit in their art is the idea that an artists sacrifice and personal investment is a necessary condition of art. The backdrop and inspiration for much of their art is the East End of London where Gilbert & George have lived and created art for nearly 50 years.
