Patricia Johanson and the Re-invention of Public Environmental Art, 1958-2010

Book excerpt: Impeccably researched and richly detailed, this book addresses the issue of translation between visual arts and landscape design in the 50-year career of American painter and environmental artist Patricia Johanson. Exploring the artist's search for an art of the real as a member of the postwar New York art world, it demonstrates that visual translation cannot be understood solely through the works of art, instead attention must be paid to the process of creation. This book is an insightful attempt to confront a crucial question in the history of art through the work of a contemporary artist.