Richard Long - Jivya S Mashe - Un Incontro

Welcome to Richard Long – Jivya S. Mashe: Un Incontro (2004) by Hervé Perdriolle and Martin Jean Hubert (Mazzotta) — a book about an “encounter” that sounds politely Italian and art-world elegant, but is really a quiet, stubborn celebration of two artists who can make you stop, stare, and think: Wait… is this art? (Yes. Also: that’s the point.)

This is a meeting of worlds and methods. On one side, Richard Long, patron saint of the purposeful walk — the artist who can cross a landscape, rearrange a few stones, draw a line, take a photograph, and somehow make you feel the weight of distance, time, weather, and human presence with almost nothing “made” at all. On the other, Jivya Soma Mashe, whose work carries the pulse of a different visual language entirely — earthy, intimate, rhythmic, deeply rooted, and quietly electrifying. Put them together and you get a dialogue that isn’t about shouting style; it’s about mark-making, place, and the mysterious way a gesture can hold meaning without explaining itself.

“Incontro” here is doing a lot of work. It’s not a “collaboration” in the corporate sense, and it’s not a gimmick. It’s more like the book itself is a room where two sensibilities are allowed to sit opposite each other and let the viewer do the connecting. Expect pages that feel like a conversation conducted through images, textures, and the kind of restraint that makes the brain lean forward. This is the art world’s version of a meaningful silence.

Because yes — this is one of those books where you might find yourself thinking very seriously about stones, footprints, lines, and marks that look deceptively simple. You may even have an existential moment about a circle of rocks. That’s normal. It happens. It’s the price of admission to minimalism with a heartbeat.

Published by Mazzotta, it has that handsome, gallery-book feel: thoughtful layout, strong reproduction, and an overall sense that this belongs on a shelf where people will occasionally pick it up, go quiet, and then say something like, “This is really… beautiful,” as if surprised by their own sincerity.

Condition: Good, meaning it’s been handled and appreciated — not pristine, but very much presentable, like an art book that has actually done its job rather than living untouched as a decorative prop. It’s ready for its next owner: someone who enjoys art that doesn’t shout, but lingers.

Perfect for:

• fans of land art, minimalism, and work that’s about the world as much as the studio,

• readers who like art books that feel like an essay in images,

• and anyone who enjoys the quiet thrill of understanding something without being spoon-fed.

Sold by Crappy Old Books, naturally — the ideal place for a beautifully serious art encounter to turn up slightly scuffed, patiently waiting for someone to open it and fall into a calm, thoughtful rabbit hole of lines, marks, and the strange magic of leaving only the lightest trace.

Keep browsing: See more Art books Other books by Herve Perdriolle and Martin Jean Hubert