Customer Reviews

But Is It Art? An Introduction to Art Theory

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Is there a more confusing or controversial area of understanding in today's society than determining whether a piece of work is 'art' or 'trash'. This book gives a scholarly, yet eminently readable and enjoyable description of how the question, 'but is it art', can be approached and understood. Beginning with Neanderthal renderings and ending in the digital arena - the changing creative environments and philosophical drivers are explained clearly and compellingly. The authors appropriately timed use of wit keeps one happily reading in an area that could easily get dry and intellectually elitist. I now finally feel that I have some tools to evaluate 'art' for myself.

This was a very interesting book and a good read. However, if you are looking for a primer on art theory, then you need look elsewhere. This gives some insight into the general art theories of the past and today but it isn't organized like a textbook. Instead it has a more meandering structure that makes it more interesting but less instructional. All in all though, I really enjoyed it. The only thing I truly didn't like was that it gave very short shrift to some media that are only the line between craft and art. That would have seemed to be a very good topic for inclusion. But still a good book.

It may not be as complex as some readers are looking for, but it is an excellent place to start when contemplating "Why is THAT art?" You won't get bogged down trying to decipher lots of theory, but you will get some of the art history and the theory that is necessary to understand where the art world is today and what made it that way. Just the right amount of color plates and black & white illustrations to help those unfamiliar with the works mentioned.

On the subject of art (or should it be Art?): Freeland's book is a good and relevant treatment of the issue, low of jargon and high on no nonsense sociology. I was surprised, however, to see no treatment of the historical rise of "nobrow" artistic culture and no philosophical and socio-aesthetic analysis of the phenomenon. In general there was almost no analysis of literature/literary fiction. C'mon, art is not equivalent to the visual culture. Let me just say that this astonishing gap is filled by a magnificent book by Peter Swirski 'From lowbrow to nobrow' which I heartily recommend to those who finished 'But is is art' feeling only partly sated.

The author has tacked an immense subject and skims the surface by discussing some of the many different theories of art. Her desire to keep the discussion straightforward and brief results in sometimes heavy-handed simplification (to the point of dumbing down) the ideas she discusses, but the book is still a useful introduction to thinking about art.

I found myself disappointed with the book in a number of ways, and I'll discuss a couple of them here. First, the author has discussed theory by means of examples, and her choices of artists like Goya and Bacon work well, but some of her other choices (Bill Viola, for example) give the book a somewhat dated feel. A second, more significant disappointment, is the author's discussion of museums. A number of her comments seem uninformed and (in one case regarding the Getty) even snarky. The tone of her writing undermines her discussion of important questions such as how museums should balance the goal of showing worthwhile works with the goal of showing works by a representative group of artists. There is a lot of real-world compromise required to get lenders and donors on board so that exhibitions happen, and lenders, donors and exhibition organizers are, in fact, wrestling with these issues daily.

Overall, the book is a good introduction to a number of theories about art, and perhaps it would work as one of the texts to be used in a high school or college survey class. However, anyone with a serious interest in art will be left wanting something more satisfying on a number of levels.

What is art? It used to be about beauty. Today, it means almost anything. This was intensified along modernism, which sought to liberate art from rules and canons so as to promote wider and more effective expression of thoughts and emotions. There are currently a large number of competing theories of art, many of which focusing on specific aspects dominating the time when they were created, such as in political theories of art. This book largely succeeds in providing a lucid, largely unbiased view of many of the principal theories of art. The author uses interesting and well-chosen examples to illustrate several art movements and approaches (I particularly appreciated to know about the surprising work of Bill Viola). The book is organized mostly in a non-linear way, with chapters dedicated to different key subjects. I personally believe that, though art indeed involves all aspects of human experience, its emphasis is communicating and sharing surprise and beauty. Interestingly, the book concludes with a comment about future Botticellis and Bachs creating new beautiful sights and sounds.

So glad I was able to get the book I needed for a great price overnighted. The book is actually very good.

I had to buy this book for class. It's actually a good book. I'm glad I bought it.

I ordered this book at the beginning of january (around the 4th or so) because I really needed it for a class, but by the time i got it the class was nearly over and I no longer had any use for it. I received the package around the 23rd or so-- thts weeks later than expected and I was already receiving shipments from items on amazon that I had order like a week after the book from this buyer. However, the book, upon [late] arrival, was in good condition-- as promised.