Customer Reviews

The Life of Forms in Art

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Although I ultimately disagree with most of this book, I would neverthless wholeheartedly recommend it to anybody trying to think through the issue of form in art. What is form? How do forms evolve? What is the relationship between forms and space/ time? In particular this book begins from the curious problem of how, while individual artists do not conceive of their work as a develpment of existing forms, nevertheless, viewed historically, forms do seem to have their own life, their own temporality. How do we account for this. Focillon's prose is limpid and occasionally poetic, in an almost Proustian way. I loved reading this book.

This book is indispensable to anyone who wants to understand art and begin to comprehend its inevitable intricacies. It is an agreeable blend of art, its history and philosophy. The author explains his positions in crystal clear form and shows many of the myriad relationships among form itself and imagery. He almost always writes well-informed by an understanding of techniques and materials. The English edition requires more concentration than the French version which is eloquent.

One of the most influential books in art history, The Life of Forms in Art is nonetheless horribly tedious. It was originally written in French, which is reportedly much more lucid. However, if your background in art historical study is strong, it is imperative that you understand Focillon's thesis. But I must tell you, I am a first year undergraduate at Yale, and I had to read it three times before some degree of understanding crept in; my graduate student TA read it twice! Enjoy!

The reason to read is the thrill of the beautiful sentences. Never mind the topic. Here is a sentence from this book which I will never forget: "Their very immobility sparkles with metamorphosis."