Scan barcode
elaineruss's review against another edition
4.0
Really interesting read. I picked this up at Hay Festival a few years ago and I'm really not sure why I did as its not something I'd usually choose but it was fascinating and Oluslga's writing keeps you interested throughout.
Its pitched at just the right level as well. Informative without ever talking down to the reader.
Make sure you read the Afterword as well where Olusoga respectfully rebuffs some of the old Civilisations series.
All in all a surprisingly wonderful read and I'll be seeking out more of the accompanying books.
Its pitched at just the right level as well. Informative without ever talking down to the reader.
Make sure you read the Afterword as well where Olusoga respectfully rebuffs some of the old Civilisations series.
All in all a surprisingly wonderful read and I'll be seeking out more of the accompanying books.
latterature's review against another edition
4.0
Fantastically-accessible. Explores the intersection of the 'old' and 'new' worlds through art. I knew very little about art history but found it thoroughly-enjoyable.
michareads's review against another edition
informative
fast-paced
3.5
Toegankelijke eerste aanraking met de kunstgeschiedenis, waar vanuit een westers perspectief en canon de invloed van andere culturen wordt omschreven, aan de hand van een paar uitgelichte kunstenaars. Ook leuk als je al wat meer bent ingewijd in de (westerse) kunst- en wereldgeschiedenis, omdat je zeker ook nieuwe namen en anekdotes tegen komt. Vlot geschreven, hapklare brokjes en mooie afbeeldingen. Je hebt het zo uit. TIP: lees eerst het nawoord en dan pas de rest van het boek. Geeft wat context.
crazytourists_books's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
2.5
I was somewhat disappointed by this book. Even though the research behind it can't be doubted and is certainly extensive, I have the feeling that everything was seen through a western (European), male, lens.
In the afterword, the writer notes the importance of not underestimating the art and civilisations of Africa (and other non-european based, I will add) civilisations. But the content dedicated to them is the less than the bare minimum.
We read pages after pages about how colonisation changed european art but almost nothing about how it changed the art of the colonised people. Where is the art of the indigenous people of America? The art of Mexico? Where are Frida Khalo and Diego Rivera? Where is the art of the Maōri? The art of the slaves in the plantations of the New World? How their art was almost eradicated, how did it change? Or do we not care? And that comment at the end of the book that "there is single imagination, of which all art is a product", is it just words?
Another remark I want to make is how distasteful I found the author's choice to include photos of works of art and symbols of civilisations with his face in them. The bronzes of Benin, the pyramids of Giza, the portrait of the Maōri chief Te Rangiotu. A poor choice, to say the least.
In the afterword, the writer notes the importance of not underestimating the art and civilisations of Africa (and other non-european based, I will add) civilisations. But the content dedicated to them is the less than the bare minimum.
We read pages after pages about how colonisation changed european art but almost nothing about how it changed the art of the colonised people. Where is the art of the indigenous people of America? The art of Mexico? Where are Frida Khalo and Diego Rivera? Where is the art of the Maōri? The art of the slaves in the plantations of the New World? How their art was almost eradicated, how did it change? Or do we not care? And that comment at the end of the book that "there is single imagination, of which all art is a product", is it just words?
Another remark I want to make is how distasteful I found the author's choice to include photos of works of art and symbols of civilisations with his face in them. The bronzes of Benin, the pyramids of Giza, the portrait of the Maōri chief Te Rangiotu. A poor choice, to say the least.
pageglue's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
Cult of Progress is actually two short books, First Contact, and Cult of Progress, both of which are about art history. First Contact tells the stories of the Age of Discovery and the art that emerged when Europeans travelled to new lands, not just the “New World” of the Americas, but parts of Asia and Africa that they had not had any contact with in person. Cult of Progress gives snippets of moments in history largely related to the Industrial Revolution and how art portrayed that so-called “progress”.
I LOVED First Contact. It was a really eye-opening look at the Age of Discovery. I’m so used to the idea of Europeans being barbaric conquerors that I’d forgotten that oftentimes they didn’t immediately kill and pillage on sight, but spoke to the locals and traded wares first. Out of these moments of first contact emerged artwork depicting them, or even combining art styles and techniques from different cultures. Gracing the cover of this book is a 16th century ivory mask depicting Idia, an Oba of the Edo people of Benin, wearing a crown topped with a row of bearded Portuguese merchants. Of course not all of these initial encounters were peaceful (Incas and Aztecs, for instance), but when it came to understanding and recording these big changes in the lives of these peoples, art was essential, and in some cases art is the main surviving record that helps historians understand the past. The other thing I appreciated about Olusoga’s writing was that it made me realised how often historians write about colonisation as if it were inevitable and that those indigenous to the lands couldn’t or weren’t doing anything to resist it. Olusoga never showed them as passive peoples, and, embarrassing though it is that it even needs to stated, conferred dignity to the civilisations of these peoples, mainly focusing on their art.
Another interesting thing I learned was just how much the “race sciences” of the 19th century skewed history for us today. Prior to this, even though explorers/invaders had their prejudices, when they wrote about or painted and drew what they saw they did so in awe and wonder, amazed by the ingenuity of indigenous cities, engineering, art and culture. Bruce Pascoe’s book Dark Emu dispelled so many of the ahistorical lies about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders that I had been taught in school, much of his evidence coming from the writings of 17th-18th century journals from Europeans. But during and post-conquest, so much of local life and culture was stamped out that new narratives of white supremacy displaced the truth.
Cult of Progress is a much simpler sections that looks at the advanced in technology in the 17th-19th centuries and the art that responded to it. The “cult” part comes from this idea that all economic progress is good for society (i.e. high society), when in reality such advances also caused a lot of harm. One of the more memorable artworks was a landscape of a city in the Black Country, so called because of the amount of soot and smog from the factories that blanketed the area, that was seen from a distance so you see this pollution addled city in the background but in the foreground there are green pastures and meadows.
Usually when I read nonfiction books where I’m learning something, I’ll jot down some notes of the key takeaways. I made A LOT of notes from First Contact, but barely any in Cult of Progress. I’d still say Cult of Progress was worth reading - both sections make it abundantly clear how art emerges from a historical context - but I felt like it was making the same point over and over again. Olusoga is a great writer and I loved his perspective on history, so I definitely need to read his book Black and British now.
I LOVED First Contact. It was a really eye-opening look at the Age of Discovery. I’m so used to the idea of Europeans being barbaric conquerors that I’d forgotten that oftentimes they didn’t immediately kill and pillage on sight, but spoke to the locals and traded wares first. Out of these moments of first contact emerged artwork depicting them, or even combining art styles and techniques from different cultures. Gracing the cover of this book is a 16th century ivory mask depicting Idia, an Oba of the Edo people of Benin, wearing a crown topped with a row of bearded Portuguese merchants. Of course not all of these initial encounters were peaceful (Incas and Aztecs, for instance), but when it came to understanding and recording these big changes in the lives of these peoples, art was essential, and in some cases art is the main surviving record that helps historians understand the past. The other thing I appreciated about Olusoga’s writing was that it made me realised how often historians write about colonisation as if it were inevitable and that those indigenous to the lands couldn’t or weren’t doing anything to resist it. Olusoga never showed them as passive peoples, and, embarrassing though it is that it even needs to stated, conferred dignity to the civilisations of these peoples, mainly focusing on their art.
Another interesting thing I learned was just how much the “race sciences” of the 19th century skewed history for us today. Prior to this, even though explorers/invaders had their prejudices, when they wrote about or painted and drew what they saw they did so in awe and wonder, amazed by the ingenuity of indigenous cities, engineering, art and culture. Bruce Pascoe’s book Dark Emu dispelled so many of the ahistorical lies about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders that I had been taught in school, much of his evidence coming from the writings of 17th-18th century journals from Europeans. But during and post-conquest, so much of local life and culture was stamped out that new narratives of white supremacy displaced the truth.
Cult of Progress is a much simpler sections that looks at the advanced in technology in the 17th-19th centuries and the art that responded to it. The “cult” part comes from this idea that all economic progress is good for society (i.e. high society), when in reality such advances also caused a lot of harm. One of the more memorable artworks was a landscape of a city in the Black Country, so called because of the amount of soot and smog from the factories that blanketed the area, that was seen from a distance so you see this pollution addled city in the background but in the foreground there are green pastures and meadows.
Usually when I read nonfiction books where I’m learning something, I’ll jot down some notes of the key takeaways. I made A LOT of notes from First Contact, but barely any in Cult of Progress. I’d still say Cult of Progress was worth reading - both sections make it abundantly clear how art emerges from a historical context - but I felt like it was making the same point over and over again. Olusoga is a great writer and I loved his perspective on history, so I definitely need to read his book Black and British now.