Recently I decided it would be a good idea to learn a little
bit about art history. My first book choice was David Cottingham’s Modern Art: A Very Short Introduction,
which (from the perspective of an art novice) I have to say I found pretty
unreadable.
But I was more fortunate with my second choice, What Are You Looking At?, because Will
Gompertz’s book is one of the most well-written that I’ve ever read. It
provides a great oversight – not too basic, not too detailed – into modern art,
from the impressionists right up to the modern day.
It’s incredibly difficult
to write about art and not sound pretentious, but Gompertz is simply brilliant
at it. His passion comes through with ease, and there is none of the
meaningless jargon or overly-ambitious waffle of the type that sadly pervades
many art books and exhibitions: just clear and thrilling chapters, one after
the other.
What Are You Looking
At? didn’t change my view of some modern art, but it certainly opened my
eyes to things I’d never considered. I’d thoroughly recommend the book to
anyone who feels that they would like to learn more about what modern art is
and what it means.
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