Ernest Trova's uniqueness among contemporary American artists lies in his close adherence to a chosen theme - man in his environment. His entire output is a work-in-progress that gains in richness and knowledge with each new variation. This volume finally makes it possible to view his work as it should be viewed - in its totality. The author, Udo Kultermann, shows that this theme was apparent even in Trova's earliest paintings and assemblages. Although these were influenced by Dubuffet and De Kooning, Trova soon found his own voice in the series Study/Falling Man, which he developed in paintings, graphics, assemblages, and sculptures for over a decade. In tracing the artist's evolution from his self-taught beginnings to his present status as a sculptor of originality and force, Kultermann emphasizes the continuity of Trova's work over thirty years, always returning to the theme of man as the point of departure.^

In the early 1970s, Trova found a new expression of his theme on a large scale in the Profile Cantos. These led to the monumental series of the 1970s - the Gox, Abstract Variations, Geometric Variations. Although these series of sculptures do not deal with man in figurative terms, man in his environment remains Trova's overriding concern. Kultermann discusses the parallels to Trova's Falling Man in art, literature, and philosophy, both of the past and the present. He also examines Trova's fascination with popular imagery and products, which has resulted in such works as Trova/Index and Time Capsule, his personal catalogues of Americana. Statements by the artist himself illuminate the theory and philosophy behind his work. Udo Kultermann, professor of architecture at Washington University in St. Louis, was the director of the City Art Museum of Leverkusen, Germany, from 1959 to 1964.^

He has published numerous articles and books, including The New Sculpture, The New Painting, Art and Life, and The New Realism. His thorough and inclusive text is beautifully illustrated with 176 plates, of which 48 are in full color. Notes, biological outline, lists of one-man shows and group exhibitions, selected bibliography, and an index complete this handsome volume on one of America's important contemporary artists. -- from dust jacket.