/lit/ - Literature

>>9523971
Gombrich's The Story of Art

Everybody Poops

>>9523971

I tried to think of something simple anon, and here is my unironic suggestion: "The Art Book", by Phaidon. It is in big editions (this is best), but there are also pocket editions.

This book basically covers major artists in western art history, from various periods (especially the medieval and renaissance up through the modern period). Every artist is given one page, and one representative artwork, and a blurb about their art. They are then also referenced to similar artists, also in the book.

You won't get much historical context from a survey like this which is focused around /actually looking at art and thinking about it for yourself/. Rather, the intention of my suggestion is for you to think harder about whatever art it is that you like, exactly, and branch into related artists and then start to get your own ideas about what books to look up, what artists interest you, which ones you don't like, etc.

Any general survey text of art history will do, you can get these online or in regular bookstores for cheap, but at some point, it's silly to START with a wall of text when the point is to be looking at something, or listening to something, etc. Go to a museum or a gallery as well and just walk around and see what you like.

>>9523971

One really interesting book about modern art that I thumbed through once was called /This is Modern Art/. The amazon reviews are mixed, but I liked the writing style, and the author strikes a nice medium between explaining why modern artists do what they do, and also being cheeky about it: "okay yeah, that one guy canned his own shit and exhibited it just to do it, and it's an old idea" - and so on.

Some questions for you: You seem to like modern art. /Why/ do you like modern art? Surely you're aware that lots of people hate modern art.

>>9523971
Probably better to go for several books dedicated to specific periods. What I remember from my survey courses at university they weren't very helpful and I didn't really get a solid grasp of all art history until my final year. It's a very complicated subject honestly.

>>9524003
Similar to this is Paglia's Glittering Images. She makes interesting points like how Monet was the first to repeat the same image over and over which translated to Warhol.

She ends with Star Wars III as one of the best works of modern art. Makes a case for it, but I disagree.

>>9524038
>>9524028
>>9524018
>>9524003
>>9523981

wow. thank you so much anons. this is really helpful.

>>9524003
>You won't get much historical context from a survey like this which is focused around /actually looking at art and thinking about it for yourself/. Rather, the intention of my suggestion is for you to think harder about whatever art it is that you like, exactly, and branch into related artists and then start to get your own ideas about what books to look up, what artists interest you, which ones you don't like, etc.
Great advice mate. I actually have started going to museums and thinking about why i like the things that i see. Iwanted recommendations so that i have at least some general historical knowledge of art and the movements so that there is at least some background canvas based on which i can start building my knowledge by individually researching my favorite artists by looking up contexts and what i thought about their art.


>/Why/ do you like modern art?
See it would be easier for me to answer that if i knew precisely WHAT modern art is and how it is defined be people who use the term. I saw a few paintings at a museum and thought they were visually interesting and appealing to me and later found out that they were categorized as modern art. I think a clearer grasp of the taxonomy in art and the definition of the terms used in it would be helpful to me as it would give me a vocabulary to use and method of expression which i can use to convey clearly what i like about somethin.

Janson and Janson's History of Art is a standard textbook and you can probably find an old edition at any used book store.

The Shock of the New by Robert Hughes is an excellent history of modern art.

>>9524101
OP here again. I hope what i said makes sense to you all.

>>9524110
thanks senpai. i was looking for stuff that deals with an overview of art in general (not specific to modern) but i'll check it out for sure.