Für Elise
Jan Vercruyse
1978
Für Elise
Für Elise
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After studying law at the University of Ghent, Jan Vercruysse reinvented himself as a poet and conceptual artist. In this first editorial experiment, he conceived the catalogue for his solo exhibition at the International Cultureel ...
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Für Elise
Jan Vercruyse
1978
Antwerp: Internationaal Cultureel Centrum
Unpaginated [50 pages]
29.7 × 21 cm

After studying law at the University of Ghent, Jan Vercruysse reinvented himself as a poet and conceptual artist. In this first editorial experiment, he conceived the catalogue for his solo exhibition at the International Cultureel Centrum in Antwerp (October–November 1978) as an artwork in its own right.


 


Taking as his epigraph Ferdinand de Saussure’s observation that “it is a bad method to start from words in order to define things”, Vercruysse explores language not only as a system of signs, but also in its semantic and visual dimensions. He begins by playing with the phrase “pensées littéraires” (literary thoughts), presenting it as a visual poetry written with eight different typefaces: Ratio Italique, Garamont, Pascal, Baskerville, Charleston, Broadway, Polka, and Avant Garde Light. Halfway through the book, language gives way to a more explicitly conceptual proposition, reflecting on the formal, aesthetic, and political meanings of the artwork. The final section turns to the publication itself as a self-conscious object, offering a range of related terms – catalogue, index, art script, commercial script, palace script – each set in a different typeface.


 


The influence of Marcel Broodthaers is perceptible, yet remains subtle and deliberately acknowledged. The title, “Für Elise,” evokes Beethoven’s famous bagatelle, while the arrangement of the text across the pages suggests the rhythm and structure of a musical composition.

Antwerp: Internationaal Cultureel Centrum
Unpaginated [50 pages]
29.7 × 21 cm

After studying law at the University of Ghent, Jan Vercruysse reinvented himself as a poet and conceptual artist. In this first editorial experiment, he conceived the catalogue for his solo exhibition at the International Cultureel Centrum in Antwerp (October–November 1978) as an artwork in its own right.

 

Taking as his epigraph Ferdinand de Saussure’s observation that “it is a bad method to start from words in order to define things”, Vercruysse explores language not only as a system of signs, but also in its semantic and visual dimensions. He begins by playing with the phrase “pensées littéraires” (literary thoughts), presenting it as a visual poetry written with eight different typefaces: Ratio Italique, Garamont, Pascal, Baskerville, Charleston, Broadway, Polka, and Avant Garde Light. Halfway through the book, language gives way to a more explicitly conceptual proposition, reflecting on the formal, aesthetic, and political meanings of the artwork. The final section turns to the publication itself as a self-conscious object, offering a range of related terms – catalogue, index, art script, commercial script, palace script – each set in a different typeface.

 

The influence of Marcel Broodthaers is perceptible, yet remains subtle and deliberately acknowledged. The title, “Für Elise,” evokes Beethoven’s famous bagatelle, while the arrangement of the text across the pages suggests the rhythm and structure of a musical composition.

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After studying law at the University of Ghent, Jan Vercruysse reinvented himself as a poet and conceptual artist. In this first editorial experiment, he conceived the catalogue for his solo exhibition at the International Cultureel Centrum in Antwerp (October–November 1978) as an artwork in its own right.

 

Taking as his epigraph Ferdinand de Saussure’s observation that “it is a bad method to start from words in order to define things”, Vercruysse explores language not only as a system of signs, but also in its semantic and visual dimensions. He begins by playing with the phrase “pensées littéraires” (literary thoughts), presenting it as a visual poetry written with eight different typefaces: Ratio Italique, Garamont, Pascal, Baskerville, Charleston, Broadway, Polka, and Avant Garde Light. Halfway through the book, language gives way to a more explicitly conceptual proposition, reflecting on the formal, aesthetic, and political meanings of the artwork. The final section turns to the publication itself as a self-conscious object, offering a range of related terms – catalogue, index, art script, commercial script, palace script – each set in a different typeface.

 

The influence of Marcel Broodthaers is perceptible, yet remains subtle and deliberately acknowledged. The title, “Für Elise,” evokes Beethoven’s famous bagatelle, while the arrangement of the text across the pages suggests the rhythm and structure of a musical composition.

Antwerp: Internationaal Cultureel Centrum
Unpaginated [50 pages]
29.7 × 21 cm

After studying law at the University of Ghent, Jan Vercruysse reinvented himself as a poet and conceptual artist. In this first editorial experiment, he conceived the catalogue for his solo exhibition at the International Cultureel Centrum in Antwerp (October–November 1978) as an artwork in its own right.

 

Taking as his epigraph Ferdinand de Saussure’s observation that “it is a bad method to start from words in order to define things”, Vercruysse explores language not only as a system of signs, but also in its semantic and visual dimensions. He begins by playing with the phrase “pensées littéraires” (literary thoughts), presenting it as a visual poetry written with eight different typefaces: Ratio Italique, Garamont, Pascal, Baskerville, Charleston, Broadway, Polka, and Avant Garde Light. Halfway through the book, language gives way to a more explicitly conceptual proposition, reflecting on the formal, aesthetic, and political meanings of the artwork. The final section turns to the publication itself as a self-conscious object, offering a range of related terms – catalogue, index, art script, commercial script, palace script – each set in a different typeface.

 

The influence of Marcel Broodthaers is perceptible, yet remains subtle and deliberately acknowledged. The title, “Für Elise,” evokes Beethoven’s famous bagatelle, while the arrangement of the text across the pages suggests the rhythm and structure of a musical composition.

MORE BOOKS

After studying law at the University of Ghent, Jan Vercruysse reinvented himself as a poet and conceptual artist. In this first editorial experiment, he conceived the catalogue for his solo exhibition at the International Cultureel Centrum in Antwerp (October–November 1978) as an artwork in its own right.

 

Taking as his epigraph Ferdinand de Saussure’s observation that “it is a bad method to start from words in order to define things”, Vercruysse explores language not only as a system of signs, but also in its semantic and visual dimensions. He begins by playing with the phrase “pensées littéraires” (literary thoughts), presenting it as a visual poetry written with eight different typefaces: Ratio Italique, Garamont, Pascal, Baskerville, Charleston, Broadway, Polka, and Avant Garde Light. Halfway through the book, language gives way to a more explicitly conceptual proposition, reflecting on the formal, aesthetic, and political meanings of the artwork. The final section turns to the publication itself as a self-conscious object, offering a range of related terms – catalogue, index, art script, commercial script, palace script – each set in a different typeface.

 

The influence of Marcel Broodthaers is perceptible, yet remains subtle and deliberately acknowledged. The title, “Für Elise,” evokes Beethoven’s famous bagatelle, while the arrangement of the text across the pages suggests the rhythm and structure of a musical composition.

MORE BOOKS