Publisher's Synopsis
For centuries artists have been pushing the limits of society's norms, whether in the form of a new technique, subject matter, or message. In the fifteenth century a fresco by Masaccio shocked audiences by playing with perspective to depict Adam and Eve's expulsion from Eden. Five hundred years later, Diego Rivera's mural, Man at the Crossroads, commissioned by John D. Rockefeller Jr. for the lobby of the soon-to-be-completed Rockefeller Center in New York City, featured Lenin and was destroyed because it was deemed too radical to display. This fascinating volume presents dozens of paintings, prints, photographs and installations that horrified audiences when they were created. Each example is presented in generous two-page spreads, with large colour reproductions and insightful texts that explore the artists' intentions and the pieces' historical context. Most of these works no longer have the power to shock us, but a number of them still do. Together they offer a thought-provoking exploration of the artist's duty to instigate, inspire and move their audience toward new ways of thinking.
