Reflections about the transforming experience of art and Edward Ruscha's Nine swimming pools and a broken glass, 1968

Reflections about the transforming experience of art and Edward Ruscha's Nine swimming pools and a broken glass, 1968

As a publisher of artists' books, I worked a lot in Tuscany and at Podere Santa Pia. And now, as the sun is dipping below the horizon, casting a warm, golden glow over the rolling hills of the Tuscan Maremma, the evocative setting suddenly seemed to capture the essence of those creative partnerships and their enduring impact. The reflecting pool is serving as a mirror to memories of great collaborations with artists and friends.

Ed Russha was not one of them, but I would have loved to work with him. Ed Ruscha's books have left an indelible mark on the history of artists' books, pioneering a unique blend of conceptual art and bookmaking that has reshaped the way we perceive and engage with the printed page.

Capturing the breathtaking reflections of the evening sky painted in hues of dusky lavender, fiery orange, and soft pastel pinks, creating a mesmerizing symphony of colors that danced upon the water's surface

Colline sotto Podere Santa Pia con ampia vista sulla Maremma Grossetana

The poolside exudes a languorous charm, a space where leisure and luxury conjoin to orchestrate a symphony of the senses

The swimming pool becomes a locus of sensual delight and contemplative indulgence

The evocative settingaround my writing table suddenly seemed to capture the essence of those creative partnerships and their enduring impact [1]

Edward Ruscha, Nine swimming pools and a broken glass, 1968

Ed Ruscha's books have left an indelible mark on the history of artists' books, pioneering a unique blend of conceptual art and bookmaking that has inspired generations of artists and reshaped the way we perceive and engage with the printed page.

Ed Ruscha's artists' book, Nine Swimming Pools and a Broken Glass, published in 1968, marked a departure from his earlier photographic publications, most notably Twentysix Gasoline Stations in 1963. While his earlier works focused on mundane and everyday subjects, like gas stations and parking lots, Nine Swimming Pools and a Broken Glass, ventured into a different realm of visual exploration [1].
The book, with color photos of empty swimming pools found at budget motels in Los Angeles and Las Vegas,is notable for its deadpan aesthetic and minimalistic approach, which was characteristic of Ruscha's style. By focusing on swimming pools, he not only explored the architectural and design aspects but also delved into the concept of leisure and luxury in a place renowned for its sunny climate and lifestyle.
The inclusion of "a Broken Glass" in the title is intriguing, as it adds an element of narrative disruption to the otherwise straightforward documentation [3].

Pictures









Ed Ruscha, Nine Swimming Pools and a Broken Glass, Edward Ruscha, [Los Angeles], 1976 (1st ed. 1968) [1]


Early morning light at the private swimming pool at Podere Santa Pia	A bigger splash in swimming pool at Podere Santa Pia, southern Tuscany	A bigger splash in the pool, Podere Santa Pia, Castiglioncello Bandini, Cinigiano, Tuscany

Early morning light at the private swimming pool at Podere Santa Pia	Afternoon light at the private pool at Podere Santa Pia, with the elegant EMU garden furniture	Evening light at the private pool. The fading light and long shadows bring the vibrant Tuscan hillside to life

Vista sulla campagna maremmana, paese etrusco	Panoramic view from Santa Pia on the Tuscan Maremma, seen from Santa Pia	The appealing clearness of Podere SantaPia in a mild winter landscape


Podere Santa Pia, Grotere kaart bekijken
[1] Photo source Artists' books \| www.ergopers.be//artistsbook [2] Ergo Pers is a publisher of artists books, first editions of Dutch poetry and editions of French or English poetry in translation. Since its founding in 1995 Rein Ergo has brought together writers and artists to explore verbal and visual relations, such as Jürgen Partenheimer, Hanns Schimansky, John Ashbery, Philippe Vandenberg, Ronald Noorman André du Bouchet, Jerome Rothenberg and many others. Website: www.artistsbooks.be [3] There is an obvious reference to Marcel Duchamp's Broken Glass, The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors. “He was a very singular type of person,” recalls Ruscha. “He was very mysterious. And compared to other artists, like the abstract expressionists who were two-fisted tough guys, suddenly Duchamp comes along and he is a more suave continental answer to aesthetic questions. Anyway, he proved to be a real guiding light. All of his works, they kind of went counter to what we learned in school. The fact that all of these works finally got together in this very unlikely little museum in Pasadena was a surprise and also a real jewel.” [ Ed Ruscha on Marcel Duchamp: 'He was a guiding light' \| Marcel Duchamp \| The Guardian] The picture of a Broken Glass along a series of photographs of generic uninhabited swimming pools, precedes Ed Ruscha's sensational Broken Glass painting of 1967-68.