Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: Art: A New History by Paul Johnson ISBN: 0-06-053075-8 Publisher: HarperCollins Pub. Date: 30 September, 2003 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $39.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4 (11 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: Art, a personal history
Comment: Paul Johnson is arguably the most gifted popularizer writing today. He's certainly among the most wide-ranging, whether you consider his work to be writing or just typing.
The title obviously intends to set up the book as a competitor to Anthony F. Janson' _History of Art_. Johnson needn't have done so, for, educational as the book is, it is too personal to serve as a general reference. But Johnson's opinions, insights, and pointers to further reading are the draw for his fans anyway, so that is no barrier for their enjoyment of this book. His strong but fair opinions about art from Cubism on will probably be the first section of the book friend and foe alike will turn to.
The reproductions are excellent, a first-rate selection of the familiar and seldom-seen. Thanks to the internet, this is a good resource to go searching for new desktop wallpaper with!
There are inevitable omissions, and some that shouldn't have been so inevitable. No mention of the 1913 Armory show, when Cubism in the form of DuChamp's _Nude Descending a Staircase_ hit America? Whatever one thinks about 20th Century modern art, such a watershed event deserves inclusion in any art history.
There's no need to agonize: the author's name already tells you whether you want this book or not. I found it absorbing and educational, your mileage may vary.
Rating: 5
Summary: A Labor of Love
Comment: I would give this book 10 stars if I could! Paul Johnson's clear, engaging writing style, his experience as an historian, combined with his obvious love of art make this book a unique and valuable contribution to art literature/history. While there are several great comprehensive/encyclopedic books on art history, who has ever been able to read one from cover to cover? This is a book that pulls you into a story and captivates you, and yes, I read it from cover to cover.
Even though you know what's coming (historically speaking---most of the "big names" are covered), you can't wait to hear what Mr. Johnson has to say. Is he opinionated? Absolutely! But that's a great part of the fun. He has obviously devoted a great amount of his time and impressive intellect studying art. He is also a practicing artist, thereby incorporating an appreciation for the technical aspects into his views. You may not agree with everything he has to say, but it is well worth your time to read his perspective.
From his narrative of the pre-historic cave paintings in Chapter 1 to his narrative of modern architecture (dominated by bridges) in Chapter 32, Mr. Johnson captivates and illuminates. I have struggled with appreciating modern art and found the author's view that most modern art is "fashion art" to be most helpful, although I am sure there are countless others screaming in protest. I found myself chuckling at each mention of Picasso ("What made Picasso so successful professionally and financially was not so much skill as commercial inventiveness, artistic originality, ruthlessness and extreme cunning, sometimes supplemented by intelligence of an unusual kind.") and rolling my eyes when he commented that Balthus (and others) "would have produced better pictures if they had drawn the human form as it is, rather than as seen through post-Cubist spectacles". (Who knows if they were capable of doing so?) But I was totally absorbed and thoroughly entertained.
My only complaints are the lack of a bibliography and the lack of illustrations for many of the objects mentioned (particularly paintings). Thank you, Mr. Johnson, for sharing your passion.
Rating: 5
Summary: Art: A New History
Comment: In the spirit of postmodern revisionism, which looks to reappraise fundamental assumptions about culture, its evolution, and its production, this book reconsiders the conventional art historical canon and the traditional Eurocentric view of history. With this agenda comes the danger of misinterpreting the details of cultural history in a modern-day mirror. Aware of this pitfall, painter and critic Johnson (Intellectuals) is extremely thorough, and while tracing the recognized chronology he increases its breadth to include cultural production just outside established analytical sight lines. He devotes entire chapters to African, Russian, and Scandinavian art and to the significance of landscapes and watercolors, and he presents the work of many underrecognized artists. Johnson also discusses the late-medieval development of sculpture as an art form, the cultural and sociological impact of the skyscraper, and the artistic fallout of the realist and primitivist movements. This book stands apart from the many other revisionist surveys in its superior readability and its panoramic analysis not only of objects but also of ideas and their inevitable cross-fertilization over centuries. Recommended for all public and academic art collections.-
 |
Title: Human Accomplishment: The Pursuit of Excellence in the Arts and Sciences, 800 B.C. to 1950 by Charles Murray ISBN: 006019247X Publisher: HarperCollins Pub. Date: 21 October, 2003 List Price(USD): $29.95 |
 |
Title: Intellectuals by Paul M. Johnson ISBN: 0060916575 Publisher: Perennial Pub. Date: 11 April, 1990 List Price(USD): $16.00 |
 |
Title: Modern Times Revised Edition : World from the Twenties to the Nineties, The by Paul M. Johnson ISBN: 0060935502 Publisher: Perennial Pub. Date: 07 August, 2001 List Price(USD): $21.00 |
 |
Title: Ripples of Battle : How Wars of the Past Still Determine How We Fight, How We Live, and How We Think by VICTOR HANSON ISBN: 0385504004 Publisher: Doubleday Pub. Date: 16 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $27.50 |
 |
Title: A History of the American People by Paul M. Johnson ISBN: 0060930349 Publisher: Perennial Pub. Date: 01 March, 1999 List Price(USD): $20.00 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
