Cellblock visions :
prison art in America /
Phyllis Kornfeld.
| Main Creator: | |
|---|---|
| Summary: | Filled with quotes from men and women prisoners and Kornfeld's own anecdotes, Cellblock Visions shows how these artists, most of them having no previous training, turn to their work for a sense of self-worth, an opportunity to vent rage, or a way to find peace. We see how the artists deal with the cramped space, limited light, and narrow vistas of their prison studios, and how the security bans on many art supplies lead them to ingenious resourcefulness, as in extracting Color from shampoo and weaving with cigarette wrappers. Kornfeld covers the traditional prison arts, such as soap carving and tattoo, and devotes a major section to painting, where we see miniatures depicting themes of alienation and escape, idyllic landscapes framed by bars, portraits of women living in a fantasy world, large canvasses filled with erotic and religious symbolism and violent action. The brief, vivid biographies of each artist portray that individual's xperience of crime, prison, and art itself. Color from shampoo and weaving with cigarette wrappers. Kornfeld covers the traditional prison arts, such as soap carving and tattoo, and devotes a major section to painting, where we see miniatures depicting themes of alienation and escape, idyllic landscapes framed by bars, portraits of women living in a fantasy world, large canvasses filled with erotic and religious symbolism and violent action. The brief, vivid biographies of each artist portray that individual's experience of crime, prison, and art itself. |
| In collection: | Stephen Griffin Collection |
| Format: | Book |
| Language: | English |
| Published / Created: |
Princeton, N.J :
Princeton University Press,
c1997.
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| Subjects: | |
| Notes: | Includes bibliographical references (p. [81]-83) and index. Physical description: xxvi, 86 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 29 cm. more |
| ISBN: | 0691029768 (alk. paper) 9780691029764 (alk. paper) |
Table of Contents:
Historical Foreword / Roger Cardinal
Ch. 1. The Penitentiary as Art Studio. Safe and Unsafe Subject Matter. Materials. Space. Patrons and Enemies
Ch. 2. Traditions. Popular Art. Tattoo and Related Arts. Styles. Interior Decoration. Objects
Ch. 3. Paintings and Drawings. "A Variety of Color" Shadow. Faces of the Human Condition. Sin and Redemption.
Historical Foreword / Roger Cardinal
Ch. 1. The Penitentiary as Art Studio. Safe and Unsafe Subject Matter. Materials. Space. Patrons and Enemies
Ch. 2. Traditions. Popular Art. Tattoo and Related Arts. Styles. Interior Decoration. Objects
Ch. 3. Paintings and Drawings. "A Variety of Color" Shadow. Faces of the Human Condition. Sin and Redemption.