ABSTRACT
This introduction provides an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book argues that the more formal aspects of Charles Sheeler’s constructive technique are loaded with references to the process of rationalisation, the working principle powering all spheres of American modernity, including mass-production and architecture. It outlines the development and cultural context of Sheeler’s early work and introduces a key theme, namely the problematic status of home. The book explores the continuing importance of photography in Sheeler’s work. It discusses the impact on Sheeler’s aesthetic of the Ford Motor Company commission to photograph the River Rouge Plant. It also argues for a re-evaluation of Sheeler’s work of the 1940s and 1950s. Criticism of Sheeler’s late period rarely asks difficult questions of works which appear rather staid repetitions of themes and subject matter drawn from earlier works.
