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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
brilliant and overlooked,
By
This review is from: Civilization (Hardcover)
This series has lately been dismissed by shallow art history charlatans who relish theory over the connoisseurship of the eye. Clark suffers only from the irresistible urge to tell the truth; some cultures are more exquisite and developed than others, and the artistic record gives evidence to that fact. Beautifully filmed, artfully argued, timeless.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Sir Kenneth's Enduring Legacy,
By
This review is from: Civilization (Hardcover)
This is the companion book to Sir Kenneth's famous TV series of the same name. Actually, it IS the TV series. The text of each chapter is a literal transcription of Clark's words from each episode. If I were reviewing the TV series I would give it 5 stars, but as the book pales visually in comparison, I have downgraded my rating slightly. That's not the only reason, however. As much as I like Sir Kenneth's presentation and enjoyed the show, I find his depressing conclusion to the series somewhat baffling. Just try reading the final chapter (in fact the final paragraphs of the final chapter) and see if you can figure out what the hell he is saying. Writing at the beginning of the 1970's, is Clark saying that civilization is going down the toilet? Is he saying that there will be no more good art? Was he afraid that nuclear holocaust was just around the corner? I don't know. I can't figure it out.That being said, I've read both volumes of Sir Kenneth's autobiography and I KNOW how intensely he felt art. It paralyzed him. Some paintings could move him to tears. Whether his view of civilization is really just his views on art, this is indeed a personal take. By the way, it is interesting to compare Clark on the Ecstasy of St. Theresa with Simon Schama's ludicrous rambling on the same subject.
8 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not about civilization,
By Chris Crawford (Oregon USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Civilization (Hardcover)
I would give this book five stars if its title were "The Story of Western Art" or "Art and the Soul of Western Civilization" or some such. I was fooled by the title into thinking that this was a grand overview of Western Civilization, a kind of short version of "The Story of Civilization" by the Durants. I was bitterly disappointed that the book was not at all about its title. It's a brilliant review of the art of Western civilization and what it tells us about the ethos of that civilization through the course of time. Although I am not much interested in the history of western art, I nevertheless found the book rather interesting. I would enthusiastically recommend this book to anybody who is interested in the history of western art. I'm not interested, so the book was a disappointment to me.
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