Böcker av James Meyer

A groundbreaking examination of the "double" in modern and contemporary art From ancient mythology to contemporary cinema, the motif of the double--which repeats, duplicates, mirrors, inverts, splits, and reenacts--has captured our imaginations, both attracting and repelling us. The Double examines this essential concept through the lens of art, from modernism to contemporary practice--from the paired paintings of Henri Matisse and Arshile Gorky, to the double line works of Piet Mondrian and Marlow Moss, to Eva Hesse's One More Than One, Lorna Simpson's Two Necklines, Roni Horn's Pair Objects, and Rashid Johnson's The New Negro Escapist Social and Athletic Club (Emmett). James Meyer's survey text explores four modes of doubling: Seeing Double through repetition; Reversal, the inversion or mirroring of an image or form; Dilemma, the staging of an absurd or impossible choice; and the Divided and Doubled Self (split and shadowed selves, personae, fraternal doubles, and pairs). Thought-provoking essays by leading scholars Julia Bryan-Wilson, Tom Gunning, W.J.T. Mitchell, Hillel Schwartz, Shawn Michelle Smith, and Andrew Solomon discuss a host of topics, including the ontology and ethics of the double, the double and psychoanalysis, double consciousness, the doppelgänger in silent cinema, and the queer double. Richly illustrated throughout, The Double is a multifaceted exploration of an enduring theme in art, from painting and sculpture to photography, film, video, and performance. Published in association with the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC Exhibition ScheduleNational Gallery of Art, Washington, DCJuly 10-October 31, 2022

More than any other decade, the sixties capture our collective cultural imagination. And while many Americans can immediately imagine the sound of Martin Luther King Jr. declaring "I have a dream!" or envision hippies placing flowers in gun barrels, the revolutionary sixties resonates around the world: China's communist government inaugurated a new cultural era, African nations won independence from colonial rule, and students across Europe took to the streets, calling for an end to capitalism, imperialism, and the Vietnam War. In this innovative work, James Meyer turns to art criticism, theory, memoir, and fiction to examine the fascination with the long sixties and contemporary expressions of these cultural memories across the globe. Meyer draws on a diverse range of cultural objects that reimagine this revolutionary era stretching from the 1950s to the 1970s, including reenactments of civil rights, antiwar, and feminist marches, paintings, sculptures, photographs, novels, and films. Many of these works were created by artists and writers born during the long Sixties who were driven to understand a monumental era that they missed. These cases show us that the past becomes significant only in relation to our present, and our remembered history never perfectly replicates time past. This, Meyer argues, is precisely what makes our contemporary attachment to the past so important: it provides us a critical opportunity to examine our own relationship to history, memory, and nostalgia.

"I rush to the door and attempt to pry it open, the door is firmly latched. I sink to my knees in despair. I'm guilty of countless misdeeds and under the death penalty. I place my face in my hands and prepare myself for execution. I'm overcome with guilt, tears of remorse fill my eyes and I cry out... I deserve to die!" "I feel a hand on my shoulder and expect to see my executioner. I look up to a large hooded man dressed in black! He extends his hand! I reluctantly grasp his hand and expect to be led out to my execution. The hooded man motions to the open door and says... you're free!" "...I possess power and influence and my followers look to me for leadership! I wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in Mohamed's high place. I'm challenged to join forces with Mohamed and lead my followers to war against western nations and fight for Mohamed's ideologies. And I'm challenged to love my followers with grace and fight the spiritual war to destroy Mohamed's high place and lead my followers to their legacy of peace!" This is a story of intrigue, suspense, spiritual warfare... and love with grace! Jim is retired and traveled nationally and internationally as a computer consultant gaining a wealth of acquaintances, friends and experiences. He and his wife are parents of twins and grandparents of two preteen boys. Jim's active in children's and middle school ministries and a serious Bible student. He writes stories with characters living Biblical parallels to world events.