The Aesthetics of Matter

This insightful volume explores the significance of materiality in art and writing, particularly within The Aesthetics of Matter framework. It addresses key questions in modernism.

This volume presents a thorough investigation into the materiality of art and writing within the realms of modernism and the avant-garde. The Aesthetics of Matter emphasizes the significance and breadth of the aesthetics related to material practices in avant-garde and modernist art from the 19th century to contemporary times. It highlights how these movements have influenced various art forms, expanding our understanding of the role of materials in artistic expression.

The emergence of early-20th-century avant-gardes and modernisms marked a pivotal moment in exploring the materiality of art and writing. Artists and writers of this era sought to define the uniqueness of different media and experimented with the blending of materials across diverse disciplines. This third volume in the European Avant-Garde and Modernism Studies series delves into how these explorations shaped the aesthetics of matter, providing insights into the practices that have defined modernist and avant-garde movements.

Contributions from experts across approximately 20 countries address critical questions surrounding the objects, materials, and media that illuminate the avant-garde and modernist “aesthetics of matter.” They investigate how emotions and sensory experiences were transformed through material experimentation and how concepts like time were redefined during this artistic period. Furthermore, the book examines the cultural transfer of objects and the evolving responses of later avant-gardes to the aesthetics of matter established by their predecessors.