The artist, at least according to Honoré de Balzac, is at work when he seems to be at rest; his labor is not labor but repose. This observation provides a model for modern artists and their relationship to both their place of work-the studio-and what they do there. Examining the complex relationship between process, product, artistic identity, and the artist's studio-in all its various manifestations-the contributors to this volume consider the dichotomy between conceptual and material aspects of art production. The various essays also explore the studio as a form of inspiration, meaning, function, and medium, from the nineteenth century up to the present.