The Hydrogen Jukebox: Selected Writings of Peter Schjeldahl, 1978-1990

"Village Voice art critic Schjeldahl's reviews may occasion controversy--for example, his curt dismissal of Australian aboriginal painting or his putdown of Susan Rothenberg's later horses. Yet he is also a totally engaged art critic, as revealed by this awesomely alert batch of reviews, essays, articles, plus one interview and two funny poems ("I Missed Punk" and a verse-monologue lament on being a critic). He champions Eric Fischl's moralistic psychodramas, Edvard Munch's art of "emotional recognitions," Larry Rivers's reveling in chaos, Leon Golub's exposes of torturers and mercenaries. Anselm Kiefer, known for canvases laden with references to Nazism, is put in perspective here as a mostly self-referential, ahistorical painter. Ranging from Manet to minimalism, these partisan, passionate writings, edited by art appraiser Wilson, function as a savvy handbook on the current art scene. (Publisher's Weekly).