Art history book recommendation please

[Benny Bunter]

As a present for my niece whos going to study at uni next year. Comprehensive with good pictures, that I can order off amazon. @Corpsey maybe knows?

 

[luka]

Corpsey likes the story of art by Gombrich but it might be a bit basic

 

[Benny Bunter]

Nah that's exactly what I was looking for, nice one

 

[jenks]

Mirror of the World: a New History of Art by Julian Bell is in the same vein - but more up to date. Very good illustrations pub Thames and Hudson.
I’d also check out Phaidon as well - the illustrations in their books are usually top notch.

 

[DannyL]

Might be a bit obvious but some cheap John Berger paperbacks?

Fivebooks is always good for recommendations: https://fivebooks.com/best-books/art-2020-romas-viesulas/

Extraordinary Art Books

The arts books publisher chooses a book about Rembrandt’s representation of his own nose, and tells the bigger story is about the way in which Rembrandt renders sense of flesh in his prints and his oil paintings

fivebooks.com

The Best Art History Books for Teenagers

The best art history books for teenagers, as recommended by John Harrison, longtime art history teacher at Britain's Eton College. Perfect for students studying History of Art at A Level in the UK or AP Art History in the US.

fivebooks.com

 

[Benny Bunter]

Oh thanks for those links, might go for A World History of Art by Hugh Honour and John Fleming now

 

[woops]

it's not what you're looking for but i think matthew collings's books are some of the best i learned more from those than from half a unit of art history at university

 

[DannyL]

I used to follow Matthew Collings on Facebook. He does some really nice close readings of paintings. He went Full Corbyn though so I had to stop.

 

[luka]

Everything is about Corbyn with you Danny!

 

[DannyL]

Tell that to Matthew Collings! I just wanted to read about some nice paintings, not the Zionist-Blairite axis.

 

[luka]

It is weird people suddenly falling away into these rigid identities. We never used to have them, apart from a few Marxists everyone ignored anyway

 

[Benny Bunter]

Ordered World History of Art in the end, big 1000 page slab of a thing. Feeling like the best uncle in the world

 

[DannyL]

It is weird people suddenly falling away into these rigid identities. We never used to have them, apart from a few Marxists everyone ignored anyway

It is a weird thing. I used to be of one mind with pretty much all of my mates, on most political things. Corbyn yay or nay is one axis now, I guess Brexit is the other one, though that's more generational.

 

[RWY]

The Shock of the New: Art and the Century of Change by Robert Hughes

 

[WashYourHands]

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/9321125-the-book-of-symbols

The Archaeology of Art: Materials, Practices, Affects (…

How can archaeologists interpret ancient art and images…

www.goodreads.com

an acquaintance’s PhD (free)

https://orca.cf.ac.uk/54305/1/U584119.pdf

 

[Corpsey]

As well as the aforementioned 'Story of Art' and 'Shock of the New', some art related books I've enjoyed:

'About Modern Art' by David Sylvester
'Interviews with Francis Bacon' by David Sylvester
'Nothing if Not Critical' by Robert Hughes
'The Nude' by Sir Kenneth Clark
'Five Centuries of British Painting: From Holbein to Hodgkin (World of Art)' by Andrew Wilton (World of Art books are generally really good, ditto Taschen guides)
'Matt's Old Masters: Titian, Rubens, Velasquez' by Matthew Collings
'Man with the Blue Scarf: On Sitting for a portrait by Lucien Freud' by Martin Gayford
'Modernists and Mavericks: Bacon, Freud, Hockney and the London Painters' by Martin Gayford
'The Yellow House: Van Gogh, Gauguin, and Nine Turbulent Weeks in Arles' by Martin Gayford
'Art and Illusion' E.H. Gombrich

 

[Benny Bunter]

The Shock of the New: Art and the Century of Change by Robert Hughes

This was the one i had in mind and had seen before but couldn't remember title of. Tempted to order one for myself now.

 

[DannyL]

Theres a documentary series based on the book. Not watched it but heard good things. :

 

[constant escape]

What about Dewey's Art as Experience? Does that cover the history, or is it more theory?

 

[yyaldrin]

As well as the aforementioned 'Story of Art' and 'Shock of the New', some art related books I've enjoyed:

'About Modern Art' by David Sylvester
'Interviews with Francis Bacon' by David Sylvester
'Nothing if Not Critical' by Robert Hughes
'The Nude' by Sir Kenneth Clark
'Five Centuries of British Painting: From Holbein to Hodgkin (World of Art)' by Andrew Wilton (World of Art books are generally really good, ditto Taschen guides)
'Matt's Old Masters: Titian, Rubens, Velasquez' by Matthew Collings
'Man with the Blue Scarf: On Sitting for a portrait by Lucien Freud' by Martin Gayford
'Modernists and Mavericks: Bacon, Freud, Hockney and the London Painters' by Martin Gayford
'The Yellow House: Van Gogh, Gauguin, and Nine Turbulent Weeks in Arles' by Martin Gayford
'Art and Illusion' E.H. Gombrich

how is that van gogh book? william_kent mentioned van gogh in another thread and it reminded me i still need to get a biography of him.