John Cage Visual Art: To Sober and Quiet the Mind (edition 2001)

For those who like this sort of thing, this is the sort of thing they will adore. Cage, in his music, tried many things, but some are key -- accident, sound for sound's sake and a Zen approach. Once, he accepted a definition of the purpose of music as being "to sober and quiet the mind, thus rendering it susceptible to divine influences".

The same approaches characterize his visual work, as this book illustrates. The writer, Kathan Brown, is uniquely qualified to discuss Cage and his work. Brown founded the Crown Point Press, which published Cage's work, and where he made some of his prints. She knew him, and understood his art and his process.

The book is NOT entirely about Cage's visual work. The first part is a text on Cage's art (and on art generally) by author Kathan Brown. The second uses Cage's scores to show how he used accident in his music. The third presents some of Cage's visual works. The book is a treasure and a treasury -- for those who like this sort of art.
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