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marginaliant's reviews
946 reviews
The Drifting Classroom: Perfect Edition, Vol. 1 by Kazuo Umezz
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
“horror”
White Sight: Visual Politics and Practices of Whiteness by Nicholas Mirzoeff
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
2.0
Many thanks to The MIT Press for the review copy.
The introduction to the book introduces us to the concept of "White Sight" as a collective viewpoint constructed by white people in the Renaissance at the beginning of capitalism, colonialism, and the slave trade. It is aligned with hierarchy and surveillance, and places a screen of difference between the hegemonic white viewer and the subject (in both senses of the word.) It also suggests that antiracist political action frequently targets both the attitude of white sight and the mechanisms by which white sight is perpetuated.
Unfortunately the rest of the book has nothing to offer that is not already said in the introduction. More examples are provided, but the analysis of how each of these examples ties into the concept of white sight is frequently lacking. Even ideas that I found quite compelling, such as the idea that linear perspective in art is related to the onset of a colonial ordering worldview, were not well explained. Frequently I wondered if his ideas could be better articulated with a more clear distinction between "perception" and "sight" but it is difficult to tell.
I also found Mirzoeff's intersectionality weak at best. Nicholas Mirzoeff's vision of intersectionality is one in which every bad thing is also equally representative of every other bad thing, by virtue of their badness. Bernini's Apollo and Daphne sculpture is not just indicative of sexual violence, but (by virtue of depicting sexual violence) also evocative of slavery, colonialism, and gender dysphoria: "Daphne's metamorphosis out of whiteness into wood and incarcerated status could not but evoke the transformations of Atlantic slavery." This is patently nonsense, and does not do any of the service to the subjugated that he clearly thinks it is doing.
I might read Mirzoeff again, but probably in the short form. I don't think the long form does his ideas justice.
The introduction to the book introduces us to the concept of "White Sight" as a collective viewpoint constructed by white people in the Renaissance at the beginning of capitalism, colonialism, and the slave trade. It is aligned with hierarchy and surveillance, and places a screen of difference between the hegemonic white viewer and the subject (in both senses of the word.) It also suggests that antiracist political action frequently targets both the attitude of white sight and the mechanisms by which white sight is perpetuated.
Unfortunately the rest of the book has nothing to offer that is not already said in the introduction. More examples are provided, but the analysis of how each of these examples ties into the concept of white sight is frequently lacking. Even ideas that I found quite compelling, such as the idea that linear perspective in art is related to the onset of a colonial ordering worldview, were not well explained. Frequently I wondered if his ideas could be better articulated with a more clear distinction between "perception" and "sight" but it is difficult to tell.
I also found Mirzoeff's intersectionality weak at best. Nicholas Mirzoeff's vision of intersectionality is one in which every bad thing is also equally representative of every other bad thing, by virtue of their badness. Bernini's Apollo and Daphne sculpture is not just indicative of sexual violence, but (by virtue of depicting sexual violence) also evocative of slavery, colonialism, and gender dysphoria: "Daphne's metamorphosis out of whiteness into wood and incarcerated status could not but evoke the transformations of Atlantic slavery." This is patently nonsense, and does not do any of the service to the subjugated that he clearly thinks it is doing.
I might read Mirzoeff again, but probably in the short form. I don't think the long form does his ideas justice.
An Art Lover's Guide to Florence by Judith Testa
5.0
I genuinely enjoyed this book, as it was an informative and comprehesive history of Florence combined with a catalog of some of the greatest artistic archievements to be found within it. And, it did all this without falling into pretentious art-world cliches. I can't wait to find more by Judith Testa, what she created here was truly marvelous.
The National Gallery: An Illustrated History by Alan Crookham
3.0
This book makes me want to visit the gallery, and what else can you say about a book that's very clearly intended as a grandiose advertisement? To be fair, the history is fairly well written, but it's not well organized, but there's some interesting information (and a very, very funny anecdote about the acquisition of one painting.) And if the evacuation of the gallery during WWII doesn't tug at your heartstrings, I don't know what to do about you.
Neoclassicism and Romanticism by Silvestra Bietoletti
4.0
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Like the others in this series, it's a wonderful introduction to the period without getting too bogged down in Art History rhetoric or value judgement. Unfortunately, if you're looking for a book that will engage in in-depth analysis, this isn't the book for you, but it's a nice way to cover lots of artists so you get a broad, sweeping understanding of the movements, their sub-categories, and several of the artists that participated in it.
The City of Falling Angels by John Berendt
5.0
This was a truly wonderful book, despite how long it took me to get through it. Berendt really makes reading this historical book read like fiction, smoothly gliding from one topic to another. And there are a lot of topics. Though the book is "centered" around the theme of the fire that consumed the Fenice Opera House in 1996, it branches out to discuss the happenings of prominent (and not so prominent) Venetian residents, from the battle over the estate of Ezra Pound to the man who discovered perfect recipe(s) for rat poison. It can be very involved in the politics and business of certain events (like the Save Venice Foundation debacle), though Berendt stays unbiased for much of it. What stuns me is how he manages to get all of these interviews with famous figures of Venice, he seems to be able to call up anyone and get an interview. He must be extraordinarily charismatic, I'd love to have coffee with him.
Anyway, if you're at all interested in Venice but want to read something other than Renaissance history, definitely get this book. Highly recommended.
Anyway, if you're at all interested in Venice but want to read something other than Renaissance history, definitely get this book. Highly recommended.
From Realism to Art Nouveau by Laura Lombardi
2.0
I didn't think this book was as well written as others in the same series, but that might just be because I don't like the impressionists. It's a good primer for the genres and has huge lists of paintings and sculpture to look at, so if you're interested in them this is a great place to start.
Medieval Art by Veronica Sekules
2.0
Ehh. I didn't really like this book. Certainly not the worst book I've read about Medieval Art, but still pretty bad. The writing was decent if bland and there were some pieces I hadn't seen before, but the organization was horrible. It went by topic without considering dates so all the information was jumbled and confused (especially when the pieces of later Medieval art contradicted the themes of early Medieval art.) And there were a few occasions when they show a close-up of a work of art next to the whole piece and the close-up is colored wrong and is a mirror image... it's just not well put together. So, you could do worse, but I'd skip it.
The Louvre: European Sculpture by Jean-René Gaborit
3.0
For what it is, this book is pretty good. It provides a catalog of sculpture from the Louvre with big, glossy pictures and the basic information about them. I powered through the scholarship written by Gaborit but you really don't have to bother if you have any art historical background. There's nothing ground-breakng there. Mostly I'm just using the book as a resource for my art blog, and for that purpose it does just fine.