New Impact: A Hundred-Year History of Western Modern Art for the Masses: A Hundred-Year History of Western Modern Art for the Masses

Author: Robert Hughes
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-01-01
Features: This is likely the best introduction to modern art that general readers can obtain. Hughes's narrative style is fresh, lively, and full of energy. A superior read; a vivid, dramatized journey through a swamp of both recent and distant art. Robert Hughes is the best guide, enthusiastic yet stern, neither arrogant nor condescending. Thought-provoking and engaging, it describes the interaction between art and society. Western modern art holds revolutionary significance in the history of human art. However, its rebellion against traditional art, its emphasis on highly personalized subjective feelings, its bold expressive means, and its metaphysical speculation all make it unfamiliar and confusing to general readers. This book uses fresh and lively prose to depict the evolution of Western modern art from multiple perspectives, offering insightful descriptions and interpretations of the relationship between art and society, the creative styles and works of the most representative artists, and new artistic concepts. Occasionally, brilliant insights emerge, revealing hidden depths, exploring subtle nuances, and delivering captivating, eloquent prose. As readers approach each masterpiece, they also gain a general understanding of the context of Western modern art. This book originated as a script for a BBC television series and was later expanded fivefold, gaining significant influence among Western readers and being hailed as "likely the best introduction to modern art that general readers can obtain."