Neo Baroque (English, Italian, Paperback)

Despite postmodernism's inclusive theory, much of its practice is aesthetically minimal. Enter the new Baroque, aglow with brilliant colors, dizzying arabesques and spectacular ornamentation in gold and sparkling crystals. It can also be a bit dark, with provocative narratives and difficult subject matter. The Neo Baroque is evolving radically differently from modernism: as a sensibility rather than a specific style. This genus of work and its practitioners--those considered here include Petah Coyne, Robert Longo, Alexis Rockman, Fred Tomaselli and Kehinde Wiley--offer a visual feast for the senses, and "Neo Baroque!" offers proof that the sensibility is infiltrating everything from painting, sculpture, video and photography to performance and installation, a dazzling new cultural signature of the times.