"The Human Face" and Other Writings on His Drawings

This volume collects all three of Antonin Artaud's major writings on his artworks, including "The Human Face" (1947), "Ten Years That Language Is Gone" (1947), and "50 Drawings to Assassinate Magic" (1948). These texts explore Artaud's approach to drawing portraits, his use of notebooks as a creative medium, and his use of drawing as a weapon against malevolent assaults and attempted acts of assassination.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 128 pages
Publication date: 31 January 2023
Publisher: Diaphanes AG

The extensive exhibitions of Antonin Artaud's drawings and sketched notebook pages in recent years, held at prestigious institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Museum Moderner Kunst in Vienna, and the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, have profoundly altered our understanding and interpretation of his artistic output. These exhibitions have shifted our focus towards the final years of Artaud's career, reorienting our perception of his work. This comprehensive collection brings together all three of Artaud's major writings on his artworks.

"The Human Face" (1947), originally written as the catalog text for Artaud's sole gallery exhibition of his drawings during his lifetime, delves into his unique approach to capturing portraits of his close friends in the dilapidated pavilion in the Parisian suburbs where he spent his final year.

"Ten Years That Language Is Gone" (1947) explores the drawings Artaud created in his notebooks, which became his primary creative medium towards the end of his life when language failed him. It examines the electrifying power of these drawings when they served as a means of expression in times of difficulty.

"50 Drawings to Assassinate Magic" (1948), the remnants of an abandoned book of Artaud's drawings, takes a different perspective, examining drawing as a weapon used by Artaud in his final years to combat malevolent assaults and attempted acts of assassination. These three extraordinary texts, which straddle the boundaries between writing and image, offer a profound insight into Artaud's intense and unwavering engagement with the act of drawing.

Through these exhibitions and this collection, Artaud's artistic legacy continues to evolve and captivate audiences, shedding light on his profound and multifaceted artistic vision.

Weight: 82g
Dimension: 190 x 127 x 6 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783035802481