In his influential essay "Provisional Painting," Raphael Rubinstein applied the term "provisional" to contemporary painters whose work looked intentionally casual, dashed-off, tentative, unfinished or self-cancelling; who appeared to have deliberately turned away from "strong" painting for something that seemed to constantly risk failure or inconsequence. In this collection of essays, Rubinstein expands the scope of his original article by surveying the historical and philosophical underpinnings of provisionality in recent visual art, as well as examining the works of individual artists in detail. He also engages crucial texts by Samuel Beckett and philosopher Gianni Vattimo. Re-examining several decades of painting practices, Rubinstein argues that provisionality, in all its many forms, has been both a foundational element in the history of modern art and the encapsulation of an attitude that is profoundly contemporary.

This book presents a detailed account of Guillermo Kuitca's major bodies of work, analysing his diverse range of imagery and reflecting on his engagement with the spaces in which we live. Following Kuitca's development from the 1980s to his latest body of work, the narrative reveals an artist who has continually challenged himself and his audience with new kinds of painterly language. In Kuitca's hands, everyday visual material such as road maps, street plans, architectural blueprints and theatre seating charts are transformed into remarkable paintings. Their impact comes from their apparent engagement with dark subjects such as the Holocaust and Argentina's 'Dirty War,' as well as the artist's innovative imagery and techniques. Drawing on conversations and studio visits the author has had with the artist, Guillermo Kuitca reveals the multifarious elements of a challenging and exciting body of work. It is essential reading for anyone fascinated by this truly original artist.

Paul Feeley (19101966) is a towering figure in postwar American modernism. His legendary tenure as head of the art department at Bennington College and resulting associations with the likes of Lawrence Alloway, Helen Frankenthaler, Clement Greenberg, Jackson Pollock, and David Smith informed his unique approach to painting as an open-ended proposition. Represented during his lifetime by the Betty Parsons Gallery and honored posthumously by a retrospective at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, he is the subject of this timely new publication, which accompanies a major exhibition organized by the Albright- Knox Art Gallery and the Columbus Museum of Art.In addition to color plates of all works in the exhibitionnearly one hundred paintings, works on paper, and sculpturesthis volume features essays by exhibition curators Douglas Dreishpoon and Tyler Cann, as well as poet and critic Raphael Rubinstein, and an illustrated chronology by academic and granddaughter of the artist Cary Cordova. From his early Abstract Expressionistinspired paintings to his organic, anthropomorphic figureground compositions and later diagrammatical, hard-edged works, "Imperfections by Chance" charts the full range of Feeley s influential life and career.The accompanying exhibition opens at The Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus, OH, October 22, 2015January 10, 2016"