Artist’s Book: Art in Book Form

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to study the history of the evolution of book forms, define an artist’s book, and analyze the artworks from the artist’s book workshop called “Artists as Independent Publishers.” These objectives will be achieved by examining relevant documents, gathering observations from the workshop, and analyzing selected notable works to understand the artist’s intent and artistic elements. This study found that book forms are constantly changing due to the advancement of production technology and the evolution of the arts in any particular era. The book designs vary according to the content and Intellectual perception of readers. In the late 18th century, some artists were inspired to create artists’ books, which are actual works of art in book form, combining painting, literature, design, and photography. These books utilize different printing techniques to reproduce multiple copies of the original book, enabling wider distribution and easier accessibility compared to mainstream arts. According to the analysis of the works from the artist’s book workshop, “Artists as Independent Publishers,” these expressive art forms can be categorized into two types: interactive artist’s books and self-expressive artist’s books, in which the book form expresses meaning. Additionally, artists can integrate various artworks into a single printed medium.