Hello all! This subreddit has helped me find not only amazing suggestions for myself but also for friends. So I’m back after being stuck for hours figuring out my next steps in diving into art history
I was at Barnes and Noble yesterday and picked up “In Montmartre Picasso, Matisse, and the birth of Modernist Art” which I’m super excited to read. I was also looking at “Mona’s Eyes” but have heard extremely mixed reviews due to its “lecturing” feel of the explanations of the art pieces mentioned. I’ve just recently started diving into art history as I’ve always adored art but find myself stuck trying to find books that don’t just feel like a lecture. They don’t necessarily have to be story driven, but I want to feel the passion in the writing when the art is being spoken about if that makes sense. Is this realistic? Do I just have to get used to the lecture feel of art history books?
Any suggestions are helpful! Thank you in advance ☺️
by Dakotaccino
2 Comments
colour: travels through the paint box by Victoria finlay did this for me. It’s about how different cultures produced pigment to paint with, and covers a tonne of art history in the process
first off, i love this question and i can’t wait to see the suggestions you get.
that said, my favorite book about art is “the judgement of paris.” it’s about manet showing up on the exhibit scene in paris, and the transition in taste from realism to impressionism. it explores the changing in artistic taste in the context of the historical events occurring at the time.