Contemporary Painting

The book by American art historian and art critic Susanna Hudson (born 1977) is devoted to painting — a medium that occupies a central place in classical Western art, but in today's post-media world is only one of many equal expressive means.

Analyzing the art of the first two decades of the 21st century, the author considers this duality: a painting is viewed not only as a handcrafted image on a flat surface but also as a tool for reflection on authorship, the identity of the artist, history, and the institutional structure of art, an element of installations, conceptual projects, and a means of expression on pressing political issues.

At the focus of the book is the diversity of art practices that use painting: an illustrated overview of the work of more than two hundred artists from around the world convincingly demonstrates that a painting — whether good or "bad," figurative or abstract, material or virtual, original or appropriated — remains an excellent framework or arena for innovative searches in art.