The Invisible Masterpiece

Rating:
Summary: Lively and Controversial
Review: This is a lively and controversial book by one of the world's most important art historians. Hans Belting, trained as a medievalist, has in more recent years, along with Arthur Danto, set his compass on the evaluation of the status of certain art historical values: he has contemplated whether or not modern art is ended and in what ways, examined whether the discipline of art history itself is outmoded, and, in this fascinating study, looked at how our notion of the "masterpiece" constitutes an impossible goal in the modern era (since the mid 1700s)...how designated "masterpieces" such as the Mona Lisa and the Sistine Chapel are impossible and even absurd to attempt in a world of modern social and aesthetic values. Highly anecdotal and idiosyncratic, this is an important book for anyone interested in the history of the history of art.