I meant to get this when it first came out, but like so much else, it got put off and forgotten about. Then yesterday I see it on Borders bargain shelf! Haven't had a chance to flip through it yet. His Birth of the Modern and Modern Times were excellent reads.
Art: A New History
by Paul Johnson
>>This work is far better than the reviews, some of which make it sound as if the author has peculiar ideas. I find his attitude sensible and valid. For example, it is true that art is taught widely nowadays, and yet the practical skills are not. It is certain that a tradition of skilled craftsmanship, once broken, is almost never completely revived.
Johnson's writing is remarkable for his ability to condense into a single sentence, with clarity, an idea which would take others a paragraph to state. As an historian, he is better able than most art critics to place art in its historical context. In order fully to understand and appreciate art, one must see it in relation to culture, history, and ideas.
Johnson is an excellent writer: his prose is lively, compact, and he makes it easy - and a pleasure - to read.
The selection of illustrations is good, with the pictures placed in the text for easy association with the discussion. The trade-off is that the pictures are not large and glossy, and the reader may feel moved to visit a library to see reproductions at higher-resolution.
By today's standards, the book - an education in one volume - is a bargain for its price.
amazon.com |
