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justgeorge99's review against another edition
2.0
But is it art?
I read this book with the intent of gaining some basic familiarity with the major players and movements of art in the last century, and it certainly succeeded in that respect. I can now trace the line of artistic innovations that led from the Cubism of Picasso and Braque to the Minimalism of Judd and Andre, and am no longer completely perplexed by Damien Hirst's pickled animals (see his work The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living above) or Takashi Murakami's statues of disconcertingly pornographic cartoon characters (actually, I'm still pretty weirded out by them.)
Unfortunately, a bare-bones summary of modern art is all that What Are You Looking At? provides. Gompertz is mildly amusing and to be fair to him, does try to prevent his book from becoming too dull, occasionally incorporating interesting anecdotes from his career working at the Tate. But overall, the book comes across as a slightly hapless attempt by a man without experience writing about art history to try and convince hoi polloi that no, their five year old really couldn't do that (this is a point that recurs several times throughout the book.) But despite the book's faults, it does do a very good job of making an extremely abstract (pun intended) subject accessible, which is an achievement in itself.
In the end though, you can do a lot worse when looking for an introduction to modern art. But I'm decently sure you can do a lot better too.
2/5 stars
jdintr's review against another edition
4.0
Reading this book is as enlightening as a college class in Modern Art. Gompertz deftly flits from the Impressionists to the modern era, tying themes together and introducing significant works of art. I'm hoping to make my first visit to MoMA in New York this summer, and I'll look forward to using the knowledge I gained in this reading.
One challenge for readers is that only about 1/4th of the paintings that Gompertz discusses are actually included in the book. I was glad to have my smart phone or a computer nearby as I read because I had to look up so many of the paintings for myself. Trust me, it was worth the effort.
One challenge for readers is that only about 1/4th of the paintings that Gompertz discusses are actually included in the book. I was glad to have my smart phone or a computer nearby as I read because I had to look up so many of the paintings for myself. Trust me, it was worth the effort.
blundo's review against another edition
challenging
funny
informative
medium-paced
4.0
Accessible, humourous and informative, but I recommend reading it with a computer next to you so you can look up the artworks being discussed.
alundeberg's review against another edition
5.0
In 2013 I made my solitary way to London's Tate Modern. After wandering around for maybe half an hour, I left rather befuddled and disappointed. I really wanted to understand what was going on in there, but I felt like someone who entered late into a conversation. My niche was really at the Tate Britain and National Gallery, among what author Will Gompertz calls "old brown paintings". Fortunately, Gompertz took the time to write this book that helps demystify and contextualize modern art. Writing with a lively tone, he is both irreverent and reverential about this topic and makes this body of art accessible to the lay-person. He spans 150 years of art and explains how each movement builds upon and diverts from one another and comments on the times they are made in. While I do not think my interest in what was made post-1950 will equal earlier works, with Gompertz's expertise, I at least have a grasp of how to approach these works and gain an appreciation for them.
tactiics's review against another edition
3.0
Well-structured and very informative but far too focused on white males, and the narrative aspects did not add much
mmmbooqz's review against another edition
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.5
Fluid time driven narrative of the evolution, appreciation, and consumption of art
snpefk's review against another edition
4.0
Бесит нереально дефицитом картинок и пропихиванием ортогональных мне идей (пошел ты нахуй Дюшан со своими «3 Standard Stoppages»), но подстегивает к размышлениям (a.k.a спор с бутылкой шампуня в душе), а это стоит больше, чем десяток удобных мне рассказов и историй.
Не пожалел.
Не пожалел.
seventhswan's review against another edition
5.0
I was actually angry when I finished this because there wasn't more to read! This book is incredibly well written and totally understandable to someone (me) who is just starting to learn about art. I only picked it up because I needed information about one artist for an essay, but ended up reading the whole thing cover-to-cover in less than a week. Being the first book I've read about art, I can't say for certain that it's fully accurate, but it seems authoritative and definitely makes me want to know more.