Nineteenth-Century European Art [Hardcover]

Petra ten-Doesschate Chu (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 2003

This refreshingly direct study addresses 19th-century European art along with the forces that informed it. After introducing historical events and cultural and artistic trends from about 1760 that would exert their influence well into the new century, author Petra ten-Doesschate Chu discusses the advent of Modernism and its many interpretations. She considers the changing relationship between artist and audience; evolving attitudes toward the depiction of nature; and the confrontation of European artists with non-Western art due to expanding trade and travel. An impressive 550 illustrations-200 in full color-illustrate her themes.

Incidents from individual artists' lives enrich the reader's understanding of the art, as do sidebars that focus on specific works, techniques, or historical circumstances. Although painting and sculpture are central in her narrative, Chu also covers a broad scope of visual culture, including architecture, decorative arts, and the burgeoning fields of photography and graphic design. A timeline, glossary, and thorough bibliography, listing not only books but also films related to the period, complete this major achievement.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

From artists Goya to Monet and Friedrich to Munch, and From the French Revolution to the Industrial Revolution and beyond, author Petra ten-Doesschate Chu charts the fascinating story of nineteenth-century European art and the driving forces that shaped it. The notion of Modernism as the depiction of contemporary life comes to full flower in the nineteenth century, an idea heralded by the painter Gustave Courbet and championed by the Impressionists. Beginning with the painter Edouard Manet another notion of Modernism emerges—one that celebrates surface and texture, signaling a deliberate shift from art aimed at the imitation of nature, and in turn leading to the work of Cézanne and later to twentieth-century abstraction. These and other exciting developments in nineteenth-century European art did not abruptly appear in 1800, but were tied to specific historical events and cultural and artistic trends from about 1760, which the author cogently introduces in the first several chapters of the book.

Alongside the story of Modernism, the author discusses several supporting factors in the history of nineteenth-century European art—the changing relationship between artist and audience; the exposure of European artists to non-Western art due to expanding trade and travel; the impact of new technologies, such as the use of glass and iron in architecture; and changing attitudes about the depiction of nature as influenced by industrialization, ideas about so-called "primitive" cultures and "exotic" lands, and discoveries and developments in the natural sciences (e.g., Darwinism).

References to individual artists' lives enrich the student's understanding of the art, as do sidebars that focus on specific works, techniques, or historical circumstances. The student's appreciation of the period is further enhanced by the author's broad coverage of visual culture, including painting, sculpture, architecture, the decorative arts, and the burgeoning fields of photography and graphic design. A timeline, glossary, and extensive bibliography, listing not only books but also films related to the period, complete this major achievement.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Petra ten-Doesschate Chu is a leading authority on nineteenth-century art. She is a professor in the Department of Art and Music at Seton Hall University, and author of many articles and book essays. Managing Editor of Nineteenth-Century Art Worldwide, she is also President of the Association of Historians of Nineteenth-Century Art. Chu is the recipient of numerous awards and scholarships, including two National Endowment for the Humanities Research grants, a Jane and Morgan Whitney Art History Fellowship, and a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship. Her other books include French Realism and the Dutch Masters and Courbet in Perspective.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 544 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall (September 15, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0131833022
• ISBN-13: 978-0131833029
• Product Dimensions: 12 x 8.7 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,392,313 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A treasure trove of art history information, January 10, 2003

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nineteenth Century European Art (Hardcover)

Compiled and written by Petra ten-Doesschate Chu (Professor of Art History, Seton Hall University) Nineteenth-Century European Art is an immense (544 pages), complex, and scholarly coffee-table artbook presenting and studying European art of the 1800's, featuring 550 illustrations (200 in full color) of classic and illuminating works. The reader is treated to an extensive, literate, articulate analysis of the great European artists of the period, including the evolution of their styles, figures, and nudes, the spread of Modernism, and much, much more. Enthusiastically recommended for both community library as well as academic Art History reference collections, Nineteenth-Century European Art is as much fun for the non-specialist general reader to simply browse through, as it is a treasure trove of art history information for the dedicated student.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very readable, excellent art history volume, January 13, 2008

By 

Anon. "Cheyenne" (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nineteenth Century European Art (Paperback)

I have read this book and used it as a reference resource. As per the critical reviews, a highly readable narrative of nineteenth century art. Gives insight not only onto artists and their work, but also onto the economic, social, and political factors of the nineteenth century and how they affected and influenced art making. Fluid writing, well presented scholarly arguments, excellent supporting images.

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW!, September 4, 2011

By 

Jeanette Pine (Central New Jersey) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Nineteenth Century European Art (3rd Edition) (Paperback)

This book is like a big box store for 19th century art! Although the content is rather broad, isn't that the point of a text lke this? Great introduction!