New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2012"Beautiful; haunted; evocative and so open to where memory takes you. I kept thinking that this is the book that I have waited for: where objects; and poetry intertwine. Just wonderful and completely sui generis." (Edmund de Waal; author of The Hare with Amber Eyes)An unforgettable voyage across the reaches of America and the depths of memory; Red Brick; Black Mountain; White Clay follows one incredible family to discover a unique craft tradition grounded in Americasup1;s vast natural landscape. Looking back through the generations; renowned critic Christopher Benfey unearths an ancestry--and an aesthetic--that is quintessentially American. His mother descends from colonial explorers and Quaker craftsmen; who carved new arts from the trackless wilds of the frontier. Benfeysup1;s father escaped from Nazi Europe--along with his aunt and uncle; the famed Bauhaus artists Josef and Anni Albers--by fleeing across the Atlantic and finding an eventual haven in the American South.Bricks form the backbone of life in North Carolinasup1;s rural Piedmont; where Benfeysup1;s mother was raised among centuries-old folk potteries; tobacco farms; and clay pits. Her father; like his father before him; believed in the deep honesty of brick; that men might build good lives with the bricks they laid. Nurtured in this red-clay world of ancient craft and Quaker radicalism; Benfeysup1;s mother was poised to set out from home when a tragic romance cracked her young life in two. Salvaging the broken shards of his mothersup1;s past and exploring the revitalized folk arts resisting industrialization; Benfey discovers a world brimming with possibility and creativity.Benfeysup1;s father had no such foundation in his young life; nor did his aunt and uncle. Exiled artists from Berlinsup1;s Bauhaus school; Josef and Anni Albers were offered sanctuary not far from the Piedmont at Black Mountain College. A radical experiment in unifying education and art; Black Mountain made a monumental impact on American culture under Josefsup1;s leadership; counting Robert Rauschenberg; John Cage; and Buckminster Fuller among its influential students and teachers. Focusing on the natural world; innovative craftsmanship; and the physical reality of materials; Black Mountain became a home and symbol for an emerging vision of American art.Threading these stories together into a radiant and mesmerizing harmony; Red Brick; Black Mountain; White Clay is an extraordinary quest to the heart of America and the origins of its art.
#4526170 in eBooks 1994-01-18 1994-01-18File Name: B005GEZ2HG
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. The Best downtown Toronto index ideal residential planningBy SantayanaThis is by far the best book in plain language to demostrate how a city was saved from highway expansion of 70s and merged in to become one of the best place to live in North Ameria!! Every project has very insightful input from professionals worked through the project. either new or converted projects.A great read! Thanks to Coach House press pick up this work. True spirit of Torono! Great for non-Torontonian as well as reference of their selection of living environement and city improvment guidelines.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Toronto as it really isBy A CustomerThis book gives a fantastic overwiew of how Toronto developed into the place it is today. From the Don Jail to the CN tower insightful vignettes into the city on the lake ... a must read for all that live in it and all that plan to visit
