A Concise History Of American Painting And Sculpture: Revised Edition [Paperback]

Matthew Baigell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 4, 1996 | ISBN-10: 006430986X | ISBN-13: 978-0064309868 | Edition: Revised Edition

This clear, thorough, and reliable survey of American painting and sculpture from colonial times to the present day covers all the major artists and their works, outlines the social and cultural backgrounds of each period, and includes 409 illustrations integrated with the text. Although some determining factors in American art are considered, Matthew Baigell views the rich and diverse achievements of American art as the result of the efforts and talents of a pluralistic society rather than as fitting into a particular mold.This edition includes corrections and revisions to the text, an updated bibliography, and 13 new illustrations.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Matthew Baigell is Distinguished Professor of Art History at Rutgers University. He is the author of Dictionary of American Art and The American Scene: American Painting During the 1930s, as well as books on Thomas Hart Benton, Charles Burchfield, Frederic Remington, Thomas Cole, and Albert Bierstadt.

Product Details

• Paperback: 462 pages
• Publisher: Westview Press; Revised Edition edition (October 4, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006430986X
• ISBN-13: 978-0064309868
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #792,805 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars dense and not linear, November 15, 2010

By 

Jotham W. Bailey - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Concise History Of American Painting And Sculpture: Revised Edition (Paperback)

I am reading this book as background to become a museum docent. I am finding the writing to be overly convoluted and dense, very jargony. I am finding that the author will create very long sentences full of words that need explanation for the context of the book. Lacking a description of the work itself, giving only critical words, and then having the image ( black and white only) several pages away left me with a pile of words not tied to anything immediate, proximate or specific.

He quotes lots of people, refers at a distance to words and works and fails to have them coherent. He, like many art analysts doesn't give the sense that what is implied is reflected in the writings or statements of the artists. I get the feeling that very often meanings are imputed without the support of the artists own words.

All this negative being said, I have not finished the book and perhaps at some point down the line the lack of linearity will be overcome. All the images are bad black and white and with out supportive description don't mean a lot. Not a book for someone who is not an art historian or with an encyclopedic memory for paintings and sculptures they might have seen somewhere else. I would like to have seen a timeline included, to make the book concise.

4.0 out of 5 stars Art in America, September 26, 2010

By 

Saul Grossmann (Haddon Heights, NJ) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Concise History Of American Painting And Sculpture: Revised Edition (Paperback)

Well written although Baigell assumes in Chapter 1 that you know about some areas that he doesn't define. Google was useful in clarifying these.