Art and Architecture in France, 1500-1700 (Yale University Press Pelican History of Art)

Rating:
Summary: Blunt on France
Review: The one sad thing about the new Yale University Press/Pelican history of art editions is that the samll format has been eschewed in favor of a large size coffee table book. The text has changed little, if at all. What has been updated is the bibliography, and many color illustrations have been added. However, even the illustrations have not changed in many instances, because Blunt, when he originally wrote the text in the 1950's worked with, wrote from, a very specific set of images, and these same images are still essential if the reader wants to comprehend his argument. With that said, this is probably still the best general accounting of French art and architecture in the Renaissance and Baroque periods, certainly the best for the beginner. Those looking for more detailed studies might turn to some of Blunt's other books (he was the leading scholar of French Baroque for over fourty years) or more recent scholarly works. One bit of gossip that makes the text more enjoyable is that Blunt was for many many years a Russian spy, involved with a circle of British men sending intelligence to the Russians, and when he was found out in the late 1970's he was stripped of his knighthood and of his post at London's restigious art historical institution, the Courtauld. Whether or not his activites in that capacity influenced his interpreation or his writing of the text is for you to find out.