The Bottom Line
A mixture of articles and interviews that shows art criticism at its very best: informative, entertaining, insightful, and highly readable.
Pros
- Best art writing from 15 years of Modern Painters
- Shows how art critique can be great reading
- Includes biographies of each artist and writer
Cons
- Won't contain all your favorite artists
- May include people you're unfamiliar with
- "Modern Painters" being a UK magazine, the selection has a UK bias
- Out of print, so may be hard to find a copy.
Description
- Illustrated hardback book, 352 pages, published by Dorling Kindersley in UK and USA editions, www.dk.com
- 350 color reproductions of paintings, plus portraits of all the artist and writers
- 39 articles selected from 15 years of 'Modern Painting' magazine, www.modernpainters.co.uk
- Arranged chronologically by original publication date
- Mixture of articles and interviews
- Artists include Picasso, Warhol, Rego, Matisse, Mondrian, Pollock, Dali, Hirst, Emin
- Includes pieces by artists such as Bridget Riley on Mondrian and Hockney on Picasso
- Index to artists, writers, and paintings
Guide Review - Writers on Artists
Choosing which of the 39 articles to read first is difficult: do you pick your favorite artist or writer from the selection? Either way, it's fascinating reading that shows how readable art criticism can be.
The writing is illustrated by some 350 paintings (with captions giving the name, date, medium, and size of each, plus where it's to be found) and a portrait of both the artist and writer. Sprinkled through the text are quotes from the artists and other art critics. The short biographies of each artist and writer outline their achievements and 'claim to fame'.
If you're wanting to learn more about art, develop your own art critique skills, or simply looking for a good read, this is it.
The writing is illustrated by some 350 paintings (with captions giving the name, date, medium, and size of each, plus where it's to be found) and a portrait of both the artist and writer. Sprinkled through the text are quotes from the artists and other art critics. The short biographies of each artist and writer outline their achievements and 'claim to fame'.
If you're wanting to learn more about art, develop your own art critique skills, or simply looking for a good read, this is it.
