Thursday, June 4, 2015
6:30 – 8 pm
Scheuer Auditorium

This lecture considers painting as a medium that is both historically specific and burdened by tradition. Graw will begin with an assessment of painting today, proposing that the art form is correlated with what our contemporary economy most desires. In order to better understand the medium now, Graw will look back at theories of painting since the 14th century and argue that, despite the years separating us from these reflections, such historical arguments around painting are still relevant. Only now, what was once considered to be painting´s strength — its ability to produce a sense of liveliness or subjectivity — takes on a different meaning in an economy that considers exactly those qualities to be its resources.

Isabelle Graw is Professor for Art Theory and Art History at Staatliche Hochschule für Bildende Künste (Städelschule), Frankfurt am Main, where she co-founded the Institute of Art Criticism. She is an art critic and co-founder of Texte zur Kunst in Berlin.

Free with Pay-What-You-Wish Admission; RSVP Recommended