Beautiful Agitation - by Anneka Lenssen (Hardcover)

About the Book

"In modern Syria, a contested territory at the intersection of differing regimes of political representation, artists ventured to develop strikingly new kinds of painting to link their images to life forces and agitated energies. Examining the works of artists Kahlil Gibran, Adham Ismail, and Fateh al-Moudarres, Beautiful Agitation explores how painters in Syria activated the mutability of form to rethink relationships of figure to ground, outward appearance to inner presence, and self to world. Drawing on archival materials in Syria and beyond, Anneka Lenssen reveals new trajectories of painterly practice in a twentieth century defined by shifting media technologies, moving populations, and the imposition of violently enforced nation-state borders. The result is a study of Arab modernism that foregrounds rather than occludes efforts to agitate against imposed identities and intersubjective relations."--

Book Synopsis

In modern Syria, a contested territory at the intersection of differing regimes of political representation, artists ventured to develop strikingly new kinds of painting to link their images to life forces and agitated energies. Examining the works of artists Kahlil Gibran, Adham Ismail, and Fateh al-Moudarres, Beautiful Agitation explores how painters in Syria activated the mutability of form to rethink relationships of figure to ground, outward appearance to inner presence, and self to world. Drawing on archival materials in Syria and beyond, Anneka Lenssen reveals new trajectories of painterly practice in a twentieth century defined by shifting media technologies, moving populations, and the imposition of violently enforced nation-state borders. The result is a study of Arab modernism that foregrounds rather than occludes efforts to agitate against imposed identities and intersubjective relations.

From the Back Cover

"Deeply researched and beautifully written, this book is a pleasure to read. Lenssen's vivid, incisive, and powerful analyses of artworks shine. The aesthetic and intellectual encounters of Arab and European artists come alive in this timely and compelling addition to scholarship on global modern and contemporary art."--Sonal Khullar, author of Worldly Affiliations: Artistic Practice, National Identity, and Modernism in India, 1930-1990

"Lenssen has produced one of the most exciting examinations of modern Arab art in decades. The result is an invaluable contribution not only to those interested in Syrian art but in the Global South's own experience with the promises and discontents of modernism."--Stephen Sheehi, author of Arab Imago: A Social History of Portrait Photography, 1860-1910

"Beautiful Agitation provides a groundbreaking account of art making in a temporally and geographically 'expanded' Syria, expertly guiding us to understand the complex mix of transnational exchange, local tradition, spiritual thinking, and political aspiration at the core of Syrian modernism. Along the way, Lenssen creates a new lens to see the politics and potentialities of abstract painting tout court. Beautifully written, meticulously researched, and deftly argued with both clarity and wit, the book's contributions cannot be underestimated."--Hannah Feldman, Associate Professor of Art History, Northwestern University

"This is the first and only book in English (and I believe in French and Arabic as well) to examine Syrian painting in the twentieth century comprehensively. Beautiful Agitation is also an exemplary work of global art history--truly transnational in its scope, framework, sources, and analysis."--Heghnar Watenpaugh, author of The Missing Pages: The Modern Life of a Medieval Manuscript, from Genocide to Justice

Review Quotes

"Throughout the book, the close attention to Arabic terms and concepts, the reappraisal of complex international webs of cultural actors, the close reading of the artworks, as well as the thorough historical inquiries of often fluid political situations, situate this study in an inclusive approach and a much-needed rethinking of modernist narratives in the Middle East, and more generally in the field of global art history."-- "Journal of Art History"

"Beautiful Agitation is a much-needed contribution to the field of art history, but it is also a serious historical account of a volatile era from which the region is still suffering aftershocks. The book is a must-read for anyone interested in looking beyond the standard definitions of modern art and the traditions of art historical writing."

-- "caa.reviews"

"Beautiful Agitation operates as an essential act of recuperation, providing precious evidence that modernist narratives need not follow presumptions of originality, exclusive ownership, or authenticity. Certainly, it will prove invaluable to all art historians and art lovers who wish to go below the surface."

-- "H-Net"

About the Author

Anneka Lenssen is Associate Professor of Art History at the University of California, Berkeley.