Customer Reviews

Barnett Newman

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Armin Zweite's chronology of the life and work of Barnett Newman is absolutely fantastic. Written in a compact style hitherto unknown by art commentators the book flows from one anecdote to another. Complete and well referenced, the book is as complete as one would wish without ever being overbearing. Given the limited scope of Newman's work I would have hope that all prints were in color but alas only about 50% are color. Still the works are presented logically and connections are made throughout the book. HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommended for anyone. HIGHLY, HIGHLY, HIGHLY, HIGHLY, HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommended for the abstract art enthusiast.

Apart from the Catalogue Raisonné, this is the best contribution to the understanding of Newman's work in recent years. It is the catalogue for an exhibition held at the National Gallery in London and, therefore, carries no surprise: All the masterpieces are there, arranged in a chronological order, beautifully illustrated and accompanied by an enlightening text.

As the saying goes "you need to have a gimmick if you want to get ahead". Well, for Barnett Newmann, a major figure in the Abstract Expressionist movement and a precursor of Minimalism, the gimmick was the "zip"; a vertical line dividing the canvas. This feature is observed in many of his later works. Opinions are divided about Newmann's work. Clement Greenberg was an early enthusiast, Robert Hughes however is far less enthusiastic. Hughes caustically observes that "this minimal form came to be invested with powers one might hesitate to attribute to Paradise Lost or Beethoven's Ninth Symphony".

This volume, a catalogue of an exhibition held in Philadelphia in 2002, gives a comprehensive overview of Newmann's life and artistic output. The book begins with scholarly essays about Newmann and his work. This is followed by color illustrations of 109 exhibits. These are mainly paintings but there are a few sculptures and etchings. It is very interesting to observe the development in Newmann's painting style over the course of time. This book is is very well printed with high quality full page illustrations. This catalogue would serve very well as a comprehensive Barnett Newmann overview.

it is exelente book if you need same ideas ,for your paintigs this book it's greatfull