In his influential essay "Provisional Painting," Raphael Rubinstein applied the term "provisional" to contemporary painters whose work looked intentionally casual, dashed-off, tentative, unfinished or self-cancelling; who appeared to have deliberately turned away from "strong" painting for something that seemed to constantly risk failure or inconsequence.In this collection of essays, Rubinstein expands the scope of his original article by surveying the historical and philosophical underpinnings of provisionality in recent visual art, as well as examining the works of individual artists in detail. He also engages crucial texts by Samuel Beckett and philosopher Gianni Vattimo.Re-examining several decades of painting practices, Rubinstein argues that provisionality, in all its many forms, has been both a foundational element in the history of modern art and the encapsulation of an attitude that is profoundly contemporary.

List of FiguresAcknowledgementsIntroductionPart I: What is Provisional Painting?1. Provisional Painting (2009)2. To Rest Lightly on the Earth (2011)3. Painting the Stuckness: Samuel Beckett, Bram Van Velde, Georges Duthuit4. Weak Thought, Strong Painting (Gianni Vattimo)5. A Precarious Chain of SignifiersPart II: Varieties of the Provisional6. Some Precursors: Dorothea Rockburne, Pat Steir, Joan Snyder, Chris Reinecke, Sigmar Polke, Carmengloria Morales, Suh Se-ok, Nahum Tevet, Gérard Gasiorowski, Pierre Buraglio7. Varieties of the Provisional: Michael Krebber, Albert Oehlen, Rachel Hecker, Amy Feldman8. Painting As Is (Luca Bertolo and Co.)9. In Glimpses: David Hammons's Tarp PaintingsConclusion: After Provisional PaintingNotesBibliographyIndex