Lucien C. Kapp

Painting between the Mur and the Mississippi

Barbara Aulinger, Maria Slater

• Publisher: Böhlau Wien
• Year: 2024
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9783205221333
• Topic: Art
• Subtopic: Art General

This book explores the unusual oeuvre of the American painter Lucien C. Kapp, who—largely under the radar of art history—forged a bridge between Abstract Expressionism and the twenty-first century. It discusses his three artistic "homes" of Illinois, Japan, and Styria in Austria, each of which in its own way fired the artist's imagination and inspired him to "condense the world." A recurring theme over the years was the expelled Indigenous peoples of the former Mississippian culture: the Illini, the Cahokia, and the Menominee. In addition, the publication provides a condensed overview of abstract art's "immigration" to the US after being driven from Europe and Russia by war and dictatorships. At the same time, it illuminates the various standpoints of artists, critics, and art historians on the question of who is allowed to pass judgment on art. Finally, the unconventional, often paradoxical titles that Lucien C. Kapp gave his works are embedded in a short history of work titles.

Table of contents

• Title page
• Copyright
• Table of contents
• Condensing the World
• “I have forgotten my reasons …”
• Historical Coordinates
• Circles, Arches, Bodies, and a Center
• The Picture Title: From Clue to Paradox
• The Potawatomi, the Illini, and the Tamaroa
• Word Painting
• The American Way of Life
• The Pürgg Transformation
• Earthen Hues, Awash, and Zen or Not
• Bibliography
• Illustration Credits