Customer Reviews

A Fine Disregard: What Makes Modern Art Modern

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Varndoe's book is the perfect antidote to the complaints of all the reactionary modern art bashers out there who accuse the moderns of lack of talent, pretentiosness or even a nihilistic hatred of reality. *A Fine Disregard* proves the opposite case. The moderns were motivated by the highest artistic impuses, were very talented and (best of all) were free spirits not beholden to static tradition and not afraid to experiment. Yes, some of the experiments failed, but is that not the case in science as well? What is important is that the moderns were imaginative, vigourous and playful in ways that no one had been before them. Rather than acting as passive human cameras, they willfuly exaggerated the colors and shapes of their subject matter in order to express their emotions and tell us which attributes they saw as most important. An artist who saw color as most important might reduce a meadow to a swirling field of unnaturally vivid color. An artist who was fascinated with the shape of things might reduce complex objects to simple geometry for the sake of emphasis. Some modern paintings are not insipred by objects in the everyday world at all, but are an attempt to paint states of mind or reflect on color and shape as ends in themselves. And what is wrong with any of this? Nothing at all. In fact it is a great tribute to human creativity.

Ten stars. This beautifully-written, handsomely-illustrated book is a must-read for all lovers of art, of any period. Not only does Varnedoe illuminate the works of specific artists, traditions and eras, he proposes fresh ways of looking at and thinking about art. Writing about Degas, he says, "This Realism doesn't describe a world, it proposes one." Modern art makes the familiar look strange so that we may come to know it more fully - from a variety of perspectives. Key to Varnedoe's argument is the contribution of the individual artist, whose innovations should not be reduced to a "cultural context" by later historians. My favorite quote in the book comes not from Varnedoe but from the Russian Formalist Viktor Shklovski: "And ... so that stones may be stony, there exists what we call art." A provocative and inspiring read.

Very fine purgative for all of us confused by the corrective, pedantic style of much art criticism. Varnedoe writes clearly, directly and builds a rich, warm, complex image of modern art. The section on Degas, Hiroshige et al. is wonderful writing. His argument is delivered with a lovely sense of story. An enjoyable,yet provocative read.

As one who has never really thought about modern art, and certainly not enjoyed it, this was a transforming book. The tone of the book is welcoming, and the ideas thoughtful. I only picked it up because of the New Yorker article "Last of the Metrozoids," an inspiring and loving description of Varnedoe at the end of his life. His own writing does not disappoint.

Varnedoe pulls together a sychronicity of visual perception between Degas, Hokusai, and other artists including photographers. The evolution of a way of seeing is brilliantly pulled together.

A book that appears to be a fairly dry interpretation of modern art, A Fine Disregard is in fact an absorbing book that will change the way you view the world. Herein, Kirk Varnedoe (RIP) managed to single-handedly explain everything I ever cared about in art. But he does more than that. He also shows, through eloquent prose and an endless stream of visual examples, that artists not only created works of art but also created new ways to see the world. In the process, he also manages to prove that how he thinks about art is an art form in itself.

I would advise anyone interested in art, or perception in general, to get this book while copies can still be found at a decent price. It is a treasure that will repay multiple reads, and will make your next trip to a museum far more rewarding.

Varnedoe's book is a brilliant philosophical statement about what makes modern art "modern" -- and what makes modern art "art". He sees art becoming meaningful in historical flows between individual creators and communities of viewers and evaluators. Modernistic artists, he says, achieve stylistic innovations by remixing and injecting new elements that often are available already in the cultural stream. Artists remix, add, and emerge with novel creations. Meanwhile, communities of viewers and evaluators participate in the formation of aesthetic values and excitement by embracing some works of art with greater intensity than others in particular times and places.

My summary pales next to this great book. It bursts with brio and insightful majesty, and the text is rich with plates for the "close looking" at modern art that Varnedoe passionately promotes.

I have ordered new this twice from Amazon. Both times Amazon took my order with estimated 7 days to ship.
Both time Amazon keeps delaying shipment with no prospect in sight.
I do not beieve that it is stiil in print or available new from Amazon.