Paul Sharits

Paul Sharits monograph edited by Yann Beauvais / ISBN 9782840662433 / 200-page hardback, 8 x 10.5 inches / English edition / published by Les presses du reel

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Known primarily for his experimental cinema and pictorial works, Sharits developed an oeuvre that evolved around two central themes: one, closely related to music and the world of abstraction, the other, within the psychological and emotional arena of the figurative. This complete monograph, drawn from a recent exhibition, explores the connections between these two practices, and in addition provides a general introduction to a remarkable body of work.

Illustrated throughout, the monograph also includes several essays, texts by Sharits and interviews.

Texts by Yann Beauvais, Bill Brand, Edwin Carels, Rosalind Krauss, Jean-Claude Lebensztejn, Wieslaw Michalak, Annette Michelson, Józef Robakowski, Keith Sanborn, Paul Sharits.

Paul Jeffrey Sharits (1943-1993) was an American experimental filmmaker and one of the most important representatives of structural film, with a sensual approach to the medium of film that brought abstraction (pure colours, loops, flickering effects etc.) together with figurative techniques (themes relating to violence, illness, psychology, sexuality etc.). His processes of composition were greatly influenced by his fascination with music. During the conception of his films he made graphical scores that he considered to be drawings in their own right. An interdisciplinary artist, he was also a painter and visual artist and was associated with the Fluxus movement.