Customer Reviews

The Shape of Content (Charles Eliot Norton Lectures)

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Based on a series of six lectures given by Shahn at Harvard University in the 1950's, this collection gives an overview of Shahn's ideas and opinions on such topics as the education of artists, the creative process, the nonconformity of artists, and appraisals of various modern art movements and artists. Shahn is a surprisingly gifted writer. His arguments are clearly reasoned and his tone is that of an art historian or philosopher. At the same time, the book is an intimate look at Shahn the artist. It is illustrated with numerous pen and ink sketches by Shahn

Ben Shan's "The Shape of Content" in many ways truly defines the thinking of artists in a time that might be considered the height of modern american painting and art. It is an enormously human and genuine dialogue on art of the fifties. Few books so clearly establish how and why one becomes an artist. It is written with soul, intelligence, and great humanism while totally avoiding the sophistry of the critics and journalists writing about art at that time in American society. A great book!

This book is one of the clearest explanations of the creative process of an artist available anywhere. Shahn speaks of painting, of course, but his lucid, interesting text, his ideas and explorations, apply to artists in any field. Highly recommended.

"The Shape of Content" should be required reading for any serious artist, no matter what the venue. I bought and read this when it first came out and have passed on a few copies over the years. Ben Shahn clearly defines what is necessary for the development of anyone planning a career in the arts.

What's good about this book is that it defines art and discusses what it should be. Shahn says art is conventional and noncomformist, and it should be objective and subjective. The definition of art is the key point I found useful. I did, however, think that he could've kept it a little shorter. He digresses a lot. It's still a quick read (131pgs). I recommend this book to artists, whether writer, painter, etc., who are having trouble finding subject matter to depict or are unsure about what appeals to audiences.

Until I read this book, I had never taken an interest in Ben Shahn or his work. Now, I do! He is an artist's artist! As a writer he didn't shy from self-criticism or being a critic of his own profession. At the same time he champions Art and Artists and puts forth his personal experiences as a conduit to a public's understanding of their purpose in society and life in general. Regarding the book's title essay: The "Shape of Content" - Shahn distills his many thoughts down to this: that there is nothing calling itself "Art" that doesn't have content - however simple, basic ,and screaming to be "unobjective."

This book was dull and I would not recommend it to someone who is not a fan of Ben Shahn and his work.