American artists and designers responded to the atomic-age anxieties of the postwar period with "vital" formsorganic imagery and biomorphic shapes based on nature. Against the boxy shapes inspired by the International Style, these forms proliferated in the late 1940s and the 50s in such objects as Tupperware and the Hula Hoop, Eames chairs and Calder mobiles, and the seemingly ubiquitous "Boomerang" pattern of Formica countertops. This beautifully illustrated bookwith more than 230 color and black and white photographs, drawings, and swatchesexamines visual arts across many disciplines, focusing on the development of organic imagery in everything from the paintings of Willem de Kooning to the sculpting of Cadillac fins.
Presenting a slice of American life from 1940 to 1960, this exhibition catalog examines the emergence of abstract organic forms (or "vital forms") and their assimilation into the arts and popular culture of mid-century America. From Alexander Calder's sculpture to the slinky and every step in between, the authors look at abstract natural forms within advertising, commercial design, decorative arts, and the fine arts. The exhibition is organized by the Brooklyn Museum of Art and is the third in a series devoted to exploring the interdisciplinary evolution of American art. Rapaport (associate curator of contemporary art, Brooklyn Museum of Art) and Stanyon (chair of decorative arts, Brooklyn Museum of Art), the principal authors of this catalog, present a thought-provoking and entertaining look back at a reactionary, but cautionary, period in American art and culture. The essays examine larger cultural and social issues as well as art history from the perspective of the mid-20th century. Well written and abundantly illustrated, with a helpful bibliography and index, this work is recommended for all libraries. Kraig Binkowski, Delaware Art Museum, Wilmington.
