DDC/MDS
| 759/.06 |
Publication
New York : Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1975.
Original publication date
1975
Description
No one skewers the popular movements of American culture like Tom Wolfe. In 1975, he turned his satirical pen to the pretensions of the contemporary art world, a world of social climbing, elitist posturing, and ingeniously absurd self-justifying theorizing. He addresses the scope of Modern Art, from its founding days as Abstract Expressionism through its transformations to Pop, Op, Minimal, and Conceptual. In the process he debunks the great American myth of Modern Art in an incandescent, hilarious, and devastating blast. Wolfe's style has never been more dazzling, and his wit never more keen.
Status
Available
Call number
Collection
User reviews
LibraryThing member edwinbcn
A love of modern art is often described as an "acquired taste" while anyone who professes doubt about the (aesthetic) value of modern art is frowned upon, smilingly or pityingly tut-tutted as being "not-in-the-know". The Painted word by Tom Wolfe debunks that notion.
First of all, The Painted word
In the first and second chapters, the author traces the history of the elitism that created the in-crowd feeling that dominates the modern art world, tracing back to its origins in the 1920. Painters of American modern art in the 1950s - 60s are most fiercely attacked, such as Greenblatt, Rauschenberg, Pollock, Warhol etc.
There is not much to learn from The Painted word, foremostly because the author is frightfully biased against the modern art scene. Nonetheless, the small book is still very readable and its irony may make readers chuckle.
As long as modern art is still venerated, The Painted word will remain a refreshing note of disharmony, a reminder that madness is (also) in the eye of the beholder.
First of all, The Painted word
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does and does not attack all modern art. It does not explicitly condemn all art, simply because the scope of the booklet (120 pages) is too limited. However, the introductory chapter is very critical, even about the beginnings of modern art, and thus, by implication of all modern art.In the first and second chapters, the author traces the history of the elitism that created the in-crowd feeling that dominates the modern art world, tracing back to its origins in the 1920. Painters of American modern art in the 1950s - 60s are most fiercely attacked, such as Greenblatt, Rauschenberg, Pollock, Warhol etc.
There is not much to learn from The Painted word, foremostly because the author is frightfully biased against the modern art scene. Nonetheless, the small book is still very readable and its irony may make readers chuckle.
As long as modern art is still venerated, The Painted word will remain a refreshing note of disharmony, a reminder that madness is (also) in the eye of the beholder.
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LibraryThing member gwendolyndawson
This is an unpersuasive essay about the failure of modern art and about how we are all caught up in the falsity and ugliness of modern art. Wolfe doesn't know what he's talking about, in my opinion.
LibraryThing member Sean191
I wasn't an art history major - or even really into paintings and painters, but it was still engaging.
LibraryThing member PuddinTame
I consider this to be one of the greatest art books ever written. I've read it three times, and two of the times were at one sitting. Wolfe takes on the pretensions and the polite fictions of the high brow art world. He argues that it has become so obsessed with theory that art works should be
Although this applies specifically to "modern", especially non-representational art, its points are often valid for other types of art.
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considered as ancillary examples to the real issue: philosophy.Although this applies specifically to "modern", especially non-representational art, its points are often valid for other types of art.
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LibraryThing member giovannigf
The defender of the bourgeoisie takes on the art world, or at least his idea of the art world. Entertaining, but infuriating if you know anything about art.
LibraryThing member hemlokgang
A well-written, witty, and still rather uninteresting essay about Modern Art.
LibraryThing member dbsovereign
Wolfe successfully lampoons art criticism and helps us remember that 'art' is about the artists, *not* the critics.
LibraryThing member jwhenderson
If you abjure the chic and dream of a realist approach to art this may be your book. Written by novelist and essayist Tom Wolfe, this is an extended essay on the current state of art (circa 1975). In it he extends his social critique into the world of art with not surprising results. Those results
Modern art has morphed into postmodernism and beyond since this book was written, but his commentary has not lost its bite. Moreover, there may be good modern art, but there certainly is a lot of bad modern art to sort through before you find it. This short introduction is one good place to find out where and how to look for it.
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are both witty and amusing. More importantly they are thought-provoking while raising the skeptical bar for art criticism. Modern art has morphed into postmodernism and beyond since this book was written, but his commentary has not lost its bite. Moreover, there may be good modern art, but there certainly is a lot of bad modern art to sort through before you find it. This short introduction is one good place to find out where and how to look for it.
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LibraryThing member datrappert
I listened to the audiobook and found the narrator's tone of voice and frequent pauses a bit annoying.
Wolfe is basically saying that Modern Art is much ado about nothing, and he backs up his opinion (circa 1975 anyway) with a scathing analysis of various critics and movements. The thesis is that it
Wolfe is basically saying that Modern Art is much ado about nothing, and he backs up his opinion (circa 1975 anyway) with a scathing analysis of various critics and movements. The thesis is that it
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all revolves around a very small number of people--just a few thousand in the whole world--who decide what is or is not art mainly for their own amusement, and that modern art is not comparable to literature or music in having a true mass audience that creates demand. In modern art, Wolfe is saying that the same people create the demand AND consume the art. I'm not sure how much I care. Even though the book is short (the audio book is barely over two hours), the fact that Wolfe invests any time in it at all perhaps shows that he took the subject more seriously than it deserved. This is occasionally amusing and a bit informative, but that's all. Show Less
Physical description
121 p.; 21 cm
ISBN
0374228787 / 9780374228781