Rating: 
Summary: Art - A New History
Review: "Art: A New History," by historian and arts writer Paul Johnson, takes the reader on an ambitious survey of Western art (non-western art is touched upon only briefly, and then only as it impinges upon European consciousness.) Johnson, although not a professional art historian, both knows and loves his subject, and proves throughout to be an urbane and enthusiastic, if rather opinionated, guide. (Johnson has seen the 20th century, and does not approve.) Painting, sculpture, and architecture are included. The book's 300 color photo illustrations are a little small, but finely printed.
In terms of coverage, the book tries to do too much; it crams in numerous items of secondary import, but does not leave adequate room to discuss the most important topics in depth. The result is almost paradoxical - a lengthy, yet rapid and shallow, run-through. There are only ten pages on the Impressionists, and no mention of Raphael's "School of Athens" or Masaccio's seminal frescoes in the Brancacci Chapel. Johnson explains in his preface that he had wanted to include much more material, which presumably would have gone to redress such imbalances, but was unable to do so for practical reasons (the publisher balked at making the book any larger than it already is.) Unfortunately, one of the parts that got eliminated was the book's notes and bibliography, and this makes the book less than useful for scholarship or study.There are some errors in the book which seem to have been propagated from older reference works: Shah Jehan actually built the Taj Mahal for himself, not for his wife; and the Vatican's "Apollo Belvedere" is now considered to be a Roman copy, not a Greek original. Definitions of technical terms are not always careful. For example (page 84), the book's definition of "contrapposto" asserts baldly that "the bent leg is forward." Actually, in contrapposto, the foot and lower part of the bent leg is set back, relative to the straight leg, with only the knee and thigh projecting slightly forward. In terms of suggested audience, the book does not seem suitable for students or beginners, because it readily assumes that the reader is already familiar with the artists and works discussed; nor is it likely to please the professionals, since it offers no new contributions to scholarship. This leaves, as a potential audience, the hypothetical cultured reader who has seen much art, who would like to run through it again in chronological order, and who might find in Johnson a congenial and philosophically compatible guide.
Rating: 
Summary: The Insentive Eye
Review: A stunningly mediocre book. Unorthodox, revisionist stances, can often be bracing. Johnson's are merely inane. He seem incapable of seeing with a sympathetic eye. His biases are pervasive and uninteresting. So one can "learn" from Johnson that Giotto is "wooden"; that Artemisia Gentlischi "weakness was that she was overweight"; that Cezanne is a "would be realist" producing "crude" pieces which are "stiff and awkward and anatomically incorrect....clumsily painted ( Johnson reaches this conclusion by comparing him to Chardin!) and that Cezanne's reputation is really only a result of "commerce. Johnson eye is so dead and his theories so skewed that he is obliged to excoriate virtually all art from the twentieth century onward as mere "fashion art" and "higher frivolity". Wretched history to be sure--but hardly "new"
Rating:
Summary: The Insentive Eye
Review: A stunningly mediocre book. Unorthodox, revisionist stances, can often be bracing. Johnson's are merely inane. He seem incapable of seeing with a sympathetic eye. His biases are pervasive and uninteresting. So one can "learn" from Johnson that Giotto is "wooden"; that Artemisia Gentlischi "weakness was that she was overweight"; that Cezanne is a "would be realist" producing "crude" pieces which are "stiff and awkward and anatomically incorrect....clumsily painted ( Johnson reaches this conclusion by comparing him to Chardin!) and that Cezanne's reputation is really only a result of "commerce. Johnson eye is so dead and his theories so skewed that he is obliged to excoriate virtually all art from the twentieth century onward as mere "fashion art" and "higher frivolity". Wretched history to be sure--but hardly "new"
Rating: 
Summary: Succeeds in its mission
Review: Another winner from Paul Johnson, one of the greatest historians of our time. This time, though, the subject is not Judaism, America, WWI or the Enlightenment - it is an informal history of art given to us in Johnson's usual beautiful and opinionated manner. I'm surprised that some reviewers have taken the author to task for not being "more detailed" or "not providingn more pictures". This is not meant to be a college textbook but instead a tome for the educated layman. He begins at the beginning, when art first started and it was, of course, personal art - body art, clothing, crude tattoos. It was only later on that the incredible cave paintings developed. Despite the vast differences in perception between cave man and modern humans, Johnson concludes that art was undertaken for the simple reason that people found it enjoyable. Once art had been classified as something distinct from normal activity, specialists developed. And so we begin the journey from those who barely spoke to modern times. Personally, I thought the book balanced the twin elements of illustrations and text. It is a rare case of a work that tries to be all things to all people and surprisingly pulls it off. This is an impressive looking book but it does not rely on its looks alone. The prose is captivating and written with an obvious person love for the subject. The various reasons for art, the schools, the cultures (with a heavy leaning toward European art) - are all discussed. Throughout he makes clear his notion that art should reflect beauty and order and when it stops doing these things, it is more indicative of a society that the art itself. Great read - buy it now.
Rating:
Summary: Succeeds in its mission
Review: Another winner from Paul Johnson, one of the greatest historians of our time. This time, though, the subject is not Judaism, America, WWI or the Enlightenment - it is an informal history of art given to us in Johnson's usual beautiful and opinionated manner. I'm surprised that some reviewers have taken the author to task for not being "more detailed" or "not providingn more pictures". This is not meant to be a college textbook but instead a tome for the educated layman. He begins at the beginning, when art first started and it was, of course, personal art - body art, clothing, crude tattoos. It was only later on that the incredible cave paintings developed. Despite the vast differences in perception between cave man and modern humans, Johnson concludes that art was undertaken for the simple reason that people found it enjoyable. Once art had been classified as something distinct from normal activity, specialists developed. And so we begin the journey from those who barely spoke to modern times. Personally, I thought the book balanced the twin elements of illustrations and text. It is a rare case of a work that tries to be all things to all people and surprisingly pulls it off. This is an impressive looking book but it does not rely on its looks alone. The prose is captivating and written with an obvious person love for the subject. The various reasons for art, the schools, the cultures (with a heavy leaning toward European art) - are all discussed. Throughout he makes clear his notion that art should reflect beauty and order and when it stops doing these things, it is more indicative of a society that the art itself. Great read - buy it now.
Rating: 
Summary: Finding a Friend in Art History
Review: As a professional artist, I have been annoyed for years by art historians focused only on their largely faddish views. What is wonderful about Paul Johnson's Art:A New History is that he gives me the information I have craved: what were the artist's life and times like, what were his or her techniques, what was the popular art of the day. This is more useful to me than an art historian's fantasies about where he himself fits into art history. It is clear, and refreshing, that Mr. Johnson loves beauty and knowlege.
I would have given this book five stars if it had had a bibliography and more reproductions. I hope that we can hear more from Mr. Johnson on the vast subject of modern art, especially the fine modern realism that is not covered in the mainstream art magazines.
This book spoke to me like a friend about what I have loved and sought in art all my life.
Rating:
Summary: A Joyfully Fascinating Guide to Looking at Art
Review: As the attendance at museum shows increases each year, at least attendance to the blockbusters like Impressionism, Van Gogh, Lucien Freud, John Singer Sargent, etc, there seems to be an encouraging awakening to the importance of art here in the USA. And for those who have boarded the bandwagon as well as those who are intimidated by the vastness of knowledge believed necessary to enjoy art, welcome to Paul Johnson's immensely readable tome ART: A NEW HISTORY. The operative word here of course is 'New' and plays a fine bit of anachronism; how can 'History' be 'New'? Read the opening page of this huge tome and the answer (as a consistent beginning to a novel-like history book) is there. "I argue here that art predated not only writing but probably structured speech, too, that it was closely associated with the ordering instinct which makes society possible, and that it has therefore always been essential to human happiness. The artist was the first professional.....if we succeed in recovering the context [of art], we still have to see through the work into the mind of the artist who made it. This is where the real business of appreciating art begins. Artists are real people....etc" And so Johnson begins his magical journey through the entire history of art. "...it must never be forgotten that art was instinctively created by humanity to assist the process of ordering, and so understanding and mastering, the wild world of nature....For once art loses its fundamental order, it becomes disorderly and therefore ceases to sustain a moral society and may, in fact, become a menace to our happiness." He then sums up his very personal views about the book he has created by stating: "..the love of art is a subjective phenomenon, which comes to us through our sympathetic eye, and no expert should be allowed to mediate......We should use our own eyes, train them, trust them. This book is specifically designed to aid the process." From this warm and encouraging stance, Johnson then launches into a thorough, historically accurate survey of art history. He does this with a profound understanding of History of Civilization and embroiders his discussion of artists and art pieces, architecture, sculpture, etc with this rich background while he visits many individual artists with humorous and very personal insights. While extolling the majesty of such greats as Michelangelo, da Vinci, Caravaggio, Eakins, Hockney etc he slips in tales of their sexual preferences and how those preferences affected their art and their lives. And he always keeps his writings in the context of the times he is visiting. For instance, "It was one of the virtues of the Italian ruling class, and a great source of strength for her artists, that rulers loved them, understood their work, gave them not only money but friendship and support in times of need - indeed, often put up with tantrums and rages." It is this style of writing that allows, indeed encourages, the reader to discover the magnificence of art while learning enough about the creators to find memory associations that will make the contents of this massive book last far beyond the closure of the last page. He chooses his well-reproduced illustrations wisely. His discussion of Caravaggio's visceral vision, of Sargent's preoccupation with light source and reflection, of Turner's preference for watercolor over oil, of many 20th century artists forgetting the paths to representing order when it was most needed - all of these become conversations that read like a fine novel. One could write for pages praising the warmth of this very significant book, but the better choice would be to simply encourage everyone who is in any way involved with art and art appreciation to buy this book. Here are hours of re-readable information that will serve us well for years to come. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Rating:
Summary: A Labor of Love
Review: I would give this book 10 stars if I could! Paul Johnson's clear, engaging writing style, his experience as an historian, combined with his obvious love of art make this book a unique and valuable contribution to art literature/history. While there are several great comprehensive/encyclopedic books on art history, who has ever been able to read one from cover to cover? This is a book that pulls you into a story and captivates you, and yes, I read it from cover to cover. Even though you know what's coming (historically speaking---most of the "big names" are covered), you can't wait to hear what Mr. Johnson has to say. Is he opinionated? Absolutely! But that's a great part of the fun. He has obviously devoted a great amount of his time and impressive intellect studying art. He is also a practicing artist, thereby incorporating an appreciation for the technical aspects into his views. You may not agree with everything he has to say, but it is well worth your time to read his perspective. From his narrative of the pre-historic cave paintings in Chapter 1 to his narrative of modern architecture (dominated by bridges) in Chapter 32, Mr. Johnson captivates and illuminates. I have struggled with appreciating modern art and found the author's view that most modern art is "fashion art" to be most helpful, although I am sure there are countless others screaming in protest. I found myself chuckling at each mention of Picasso ("What made Picasso so successful professionally and financially was not so much skill as commercial inventiveness, artistic originality, ruthlessness and extreme cunning, sometimes supplemented by intelligence of an unusual kind.") and rolling my eyes when he commented that Balthus (and others) "would have produced better pictures if they had drawn the human form as it is, rather than as seen through post-Cubist spectacles". (Who knows if they were capable of doing so?) But I was totally absorbed and thoroughly entertained. My only complaints are the lack of a bibliography and the lack of illustrations for many of the objects mentioned (particularly paintings). Thank you, Mr. Johnson, for sharing your passion.
Rating:
Summary: A Labor of Love
Review: I would give this book 10 stars if I could! Paul Johnson's clear, engaging writing style, his experience as an historian, combined with his obvious love of art make this book a unique and valuable contribution to art literature/history. While there are several great comprehensive/encyclopedic books on art history, who has ever been able to read one from cover to cover? This is a book that pulls you into a story and captivates you, and yes, I read it from cover to cover. Even though you know what's coming (historically speaking---most of the "big names" are covered), you can't wait to hear what Mr. Johnson has to say. Is he opinionated? Absolutely! But that's a great part of the fun. He has obviously devoted a great amount of his time and impressive intellect studying art. He is also a practicing artist, thereby incorporating an appreciation for the technical aspects into his views. You may not agree with everything he has to say, but it is well worth your time to read his perspective. From his narrative of the pre-historic cave paintings in Chapter 1 to his narrative of modern architecture (dominated by bridges) in Chapter 32, Mr. Johnson captivates and illuminates. I have struggled with appreciating modern art and found the author's view that most modern art is "fashion art" to be most helpful, although I am sure there are countless others screaming in protest. I found myself chuckling at each mention of Picasso ("What made Picasso so successful professionally and financially was not so much skill as commercial inventiveness, artistic originality, ruthlessness and extreme cunning, sometimes supplemented by intelligence of an unusual kind.") and rolling my eyes when he commented that Balthus (and others) "would have produced better pictures if they had drawn the human form as it is, rather than as seen through post-Cubist spectacles". (Who knows if they were capable of doing so?) But I was totally absorbed and thoroughly entertained. My only complaints are the lack of a bibliography and the lack of illustrations for many of the objects mentioned (particularly paintings). Thank you, Mr. Johnson, for sharing your passion.
Rating:
Summary: Art: A New History
Review: In the spirit of postmodern revisionism, which looks to reappraise fundamental assumptions about culture, its evolution, and its production, this book reconsiders the conventional art historical canon and the traditional Eurocentric view of history. With this agenda comes the danger of misinterpreting the details of cultural history in a modern-day mirror. Aware of this pitfall, painter and critic Johnson (Intellectuals) is extremely thorough, and while tracing the recognized chronology he increases its breadth to include cultural production just outside established analytical sight lines. He devotes entire chapters to African, Russian, and Scandinavian art and to the significance of landscapes and watercolors, and he presents the work of many underrecognized artists. Johnson also discusses the late-medieval development of sculpture as an art form, the cultural and sociological impact of the skyscraper, and the artistic fallout of the realist and primitivist movements. This book stands apart from the many other revisionist surveys in its superior readability and its panoramic analysis not only of objects but also of ideas and their inevitable cross-fertilization over centuries. Recommended for all public and academic art collections.-
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