EDUCATION PAGES
Series
■ WOMEN, ART AND SOCIETY
Revised edition
WHITNEY CHADWICK
THAMES AND HUDSON £9.95 $16.95
448 PP. 60 COL/212 MONO ILLUS
ISBN 0-500-20293-1
US THAMES & HUDSON INC.
THIS REVISED edition is a new title in the
Thames and Hudson `World of Art'
series, reasonably priced and well
illustrated, including plates in colour.
While some of the older monographs in
the series are rather dated in their
approach, many of the more recent
titles are useful general textbooks,
written in an accessible way. The lack
of conventional footnotes is frustrating
for the more academic reader, but is
compensated for by increased `read-
ability' of the main texts.
Chadwick's book, as the title
suggests, is devoted to the examination
of women, their art (and to some extent
their representation in art), and the
social dimensions of this visual imagery
understood in a fairly wide sense. The
social reasons for women's struggles to
train as artists and the restrictions
placed upon them are dealt with, as
are notions of `suitable' art for women
Paula Modersohn-Becker, Self portraiture
with amber necklace, 1906
March 1997 ß BPL/AAH 1997
to practice, gendered looking and
psychoanalysis, and, perhaps not exten-
sively enough, the relations between
`race', sexuality, class and gender in
women's art practice.
After a rather short introductory
chapter dealing with notions of `the
woman artist' and the study of art
history, Chadwick's text is basically
chronological, beginning with the
Middle Ages and ending with a
discussion of `new directions', where
the bulk of the new material in the
revised edition is to be found. There are
also useful additions to the bibliography
for this chapter and for others dealing
with cultural difference, `race' and
sexuality. Basically, the book is a survey
± clearly written and sound ± from
which school and college students
could go on to more demanding and
theoretically challenging texts. The
bibliography is well prepared and clearly
set out. However, it is worth pointing
out that the book deals only with
Western art, i.e. Europe and North
America. The title may give the
impression that its scope is worldwide.
GEN DOY
Reference
■ CRITICAL TERMS FOR ART
HISTORY
EDITED BY ROBERT S. NELSON AND RICHARD
SHIFF
UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO PRESS £38.50 (H)
$45.00 £13.50 (P) $16.95.
380 PP. 22 MONO ILLUS
ISBN 0-226-57164-5 (H) 0-226-57165-3 (P)
THIS IS a fascinating and rewarding
collection of essays from a range of
writers who share an openness about
the shifting boundaries of art history. It
seems to fulfil a number of roles, and
certainly maps in a highly personal way
many of the fields of art-historical
discourse since the 70s. Despite the
reference to `critical terms' in the title,
these are not intended as definitions
but explorations or discourses around
those fields.
Although the editors emphasise the
idiosyncratic nature of their enterprise,
they are keen to show that the essays
reflect as well as clarify ideas under the
chosen headings. This may sound as if
there is a lack of focus to the wide
range of terms under consideration, but
is not the case at all. Interestingly,
Robert Nelson chooses a poem by
Wallace Stevens as the touchstone for
the aim of the book.
I placed a jar in Tennessee,
And round it was, upon a hill.
It made the slovenly wilderness
Surround that hill.
The wilderness rose up to it,
And sprawled around, no long-
er wild.
The jar was round upon the ground
And tall and of a port in air.
It took dominion everywhere.
The jar was gray and bare.
It did not give of bird or bush,
Like nothing else in Tennessee.
Wallace Stevens,
Anecdote of the Jar, 1919
It is the desire of editors Nelson and
Shiff, and their contributors, to
understand the relationship between
making and critiquing for both artist
and art historian. It is about the nature
of reflection for art historians. Therefore,
the essays are grouped under headings:
Operations, Communications, Histories,
Social Relations, Societies. The essays
can easily shift across categories and
one is left unsure as to how helpful
these are. For example, Communica-
tions includes essays on Word and
Image, Narrative, Context, Meaning/
Interpretation. In many respects, `Word
and Image', the essay by W.J.T. Mitchell
which examines the ongoing and
changing relation of the visual and
verbal, provides an axis for the entire
volume and again echoes directly the
19
variety of perspectives revealed by
Stevens' poem. Interestingly, an earlier
volume from University of Chicago
Press, Critical Terms for Literary Studies,
uses Stevens' poem to illustrate an
argument in that particular context,
and many of the essay titles correspond
to those in this volume.
Critical Terms for Art History is a
stimulating book which could serve as a
very accessible `reader' for a new type
of interdisciplinary programme. It would
appeal particularly to those with an
eclectic approach to visual and verbal
culture. It is a book which has grown
out of a real need. Thoroughly
recommended.
HOWARD HOLLANDS
■ VISUAL ARTS IN THE 20TH
CENTURY
EDWARD LUCIE-SMITH
LAURENCE KING £29.95 (H) £19.95 (P)
400 PP. 150 COL/350 MONO ILLUS
ISBN 185669-090-3 (H) 185669-091-1 (P)
US ABRAMS $60.00
LUCIE-SMITH'S chronological survey of the
visual arts in the twentieth century
appears to avoid the overtly selective
and interpretative model of popular
texts such as Hughes' The Shock of the
New (1980). However, he does admit
that his is a personal account, and
insists that the chronological device
serves only in helping him to avoid
the pitfalls of the purely developmental
and stylistic trajectory so typical of
similar ventures. In this way he hopes to
lead the reader away from the notion
that visual art is the autonomous
production of genius to one in which
Peter Halley, Black Cell with Conduit, 1988.
Gallery Bruni Bischofberger
20
it is seen as historically and culturally
specific. Because the book is packaged
as a comprehensive and inclusive
survey clearly designed to appeal to
an educational market, this review will
concentrate on its effectiveness as a
pedagogic tool, its accessibility as a
reference book, and the extent to which
its chronological framework and `new'
inclusions do in fact reinterpret
orthodox histories of modernism.
The book is written as a decade-by-
decade descriptive overview of the
century. Each chapter is divided into
sections which focus on architecture,
painting, sculpture and photography.
This pattern allows the reader to use the
book as an introductory text to any one
of these areas, but simultaneously
diminishes any sense of their inter-
dependence or congruence. It boasts a
plethora of good to adequate repro-
ductions which include items not
usually found in such surveys. For
educators who do not have access to
a more specialist literature, this will be a
welcome introductory source for visual
referencing.
The contents are divided equally
between word and image, the text
providing a narrative largely condi-
tioned by the choice of reproductions.
Because it attempts to cover such a
broad and inclusive field, explanations
have had to be condensed and tend to
be descriptive rather than analytical.
Each decade is characterised by key,
star players so that individual contribu-
tions appear to be as significant as
collective enterprise. Any indication of
relevance is therefore dependent on
Lucie-Smith's summary evaluations
which are occasionally remarkably
dismissive, for example, on Fauvism.
A notable feature is the highlighted
key works, two for each decade, their
purpose presumably either to exemplify
particular trends or indicate progressive
points of departure (although the pub-
lishers have preferred to designate them
`masterpieces'). As this is `the first book
of its kind that emphasises photo-
graphy', it is perhaps surprising that
photographs are absent from this par-
ticular pantheon. Although the build-
ings privilege international modernism,
its precursors as well as its postmodern
derivatives, the sculptures represent
greater breadth and significant develop-
ments. On the other hand, the paintings
are an idiosyncratic bunch with no
obvious trajectory.
Double-spread time lines are
similarly highlighted in an attempt to
contextualise each decade by providing
sections on general events, science and
technology, art and architecture, but
which unfortunately include some
errors. Despite the contextual overviews
which introduce each chapter, the
significance of these facts is rarely
developed unless the art under con-
sideration is characterised by its social
application or documentary value.
Thus, the subsequent texts read like a
series of severely edited synopses,
somewhat akin to dictionary definitions.
If politically correct inclusion is the
name of the game, then there are some
surprising omissions. The importance of
inter-cultural exchange, whether in the
context of colonialism or diaspora, is
given little real attention. It is only with
1990's pluralism that art outside Europe
and the Americas is acknowledged, as if
Asia, Africa or Australia had nothing to
contribute to the visual arts until their
appropriation by western markets and/
or critical debate. Despite the inclusion
of photography, there is no mention of
the contribution by artists to film
making. Contemporary practice, instilla-
tion and multi-media pieces (including
the new technologies) are given neces-
sary space, yet the absence of any but
marginal comment on the interrela-
tionship between craft, design and the
fine arts reinforces traditional boun-
daries and hierarchies. In a sense, the
book tries to accommodate more than
its format will allow so that, although it
may serve as a useful visual intro-
duction, its text must be approached
critically if the reader hopes to avoid
the historical distortions that the author
intends to dispel.
NICHOLAS ADDISON
■ THE ART HISTORY STUDY
GUIDE
JOHN SPENCER
THAMES AND HUDSON £9.95
ISBN 0-500-27878-4
US APPLY BRITISH PUBLISHER
TEACHERS OF ART history in schools have
been crying out for years for textbooks
aimed specifically at A-level, and at last
The Art Book Volume 4 Issue 2
one has arrived. The problem is that in
some sense it is all too late, as the A-
level History of Art is now in the process
of moving on to reflect more accurately
current developments in the history of
art and culture. However, this book will
provide a good deal of very useful
information and guidance for both the
teacher and student of art history in
schools. It is written by a former chief
examiner for the subject, which to some
extent underwrites the advice on offer.
The first section of the book, about a
third, covers the different roles that art
history can play and discusses the
language of criticism, with examples of
how to tackle various types of questions
and the dissertation or special study.
The appendix, too, gathers together
some useful material concerning the
requirements of the various syllabuses.
However, the resource list of museums
and galleries in the appendix is not very
extensive and does not have full
addresses or telephone numbers.
Resourcing generally is not very
imaginatively handled.
Almost two-thirds of the book is
devoted to what is called `Art and
Design in Context'. This is the most
worrying dimension because, based on
114 works, it offers snippets of infor-
mation about each work in the hope
that it will spur the reader to look
further. This may well happen, but the
danger is that these will be seen as the
model responses in terms of possible
subjects and how they are to be
approached.
The style of writing appears rather
dated and seems a long way from the
language of contemporary discourse.
The writer attempts to cover the lack of
reference to the work of women artists
and those outside the European
tradition by blaming the syllabuses
themselves. This is really not good
enough, particularly given his role as a
former chief examiner with a
responsibility for one of the syllabuses.
Despite these criticisms, this is a
book that could prove useful to the
history of art teacher, although it should
be handled with caution. The
publication that teachers have all been
waiting for has yet to be written.
HOWARD HOLLANDS
March 1997 ß BPL/AAH 1997
■ LOOKING AT PICTURES: AN
INTRODUCTION TO THE
APPRECIATION OF ART
JOHN ARMSTRONG
DUCKWORTH £12.99 $28.95
166 PP. 22 MONO ILLUS
ISBN 0-7156-2701-5
US DIST FOCUS PUBLISHING
JOHN ARMSTRONG makes a brave claim for
what is a relatively short book,
describing it as an introduction to
looking at and thinking about paintings;
it aims to `enhance appreciation and to
cultivate a philosophical view of art'. I
must state from the beginning that I am
not sympathetic to the idea that appre-
ciation of painting and a philosophical
view are mutually dependent.
It is also claimed that the function of
the book is to provide `a User's Guide
for the appreciation and enjoyment of
paintings . . . to gain the maximum
pleasure from a gallery visit'. What
might such a guide be expected to
offer? This book has the advantage of
brevity, the printing is clear, the margins
generous; in that sense it is well
presented and easy to read. But the
assertion that `Dr Armstrong has
selected a wide range of particular
paintings' is not exactly true. The range
is not wide, although it is particular. Of
the twenty-two reproductions, nothing
is earlier than the High Renaissance,
nothing later than Post-Impressionism,
thirteen are landscapes, or have signifi-
cant landscape content, fourteen are
French. All the works belong to the
realistic, figurative type that would be
considered traditional, even conserva-
tive. There is one exception: a sculpture
classified as a fictive work called
Untitled Multiple Perspexive. It is
presented as typical of contemporary
work and is dealt with rather sarcas-
tically: `and the sophisticate knows that
this is yet another example of art
playing cat and mouse with bourgeois
expectations'. This seems to me to elicit
the question, `but is it art?'.
Initially, I took this book to be about
pictures; it is in fact about a particular
type of painting. It is consistent with the
book's philosophical aims that the
question `is it art?' should be considered,
but are there not paintings, modern or
traditional, that could have provoked it?
There seems to me to be a sub-text to
the work which calls into question the
value of non-representational work by
implication.
The treatment of the paintings is not
profound and formal analysis is
superficial. Much is made of the X-
figure that dominates the composition
of Hobbema's The Avenue Middel-
harnis, and the observable fact that
lines of the X are simultaneously surface
pattern and expressive of pictorial
space. There is some discussion of a
landscape drawing and painting by
Poussin, but the relationship of drawing
to painting in Poussin's work is not
examined. This is an unfortunate
omission, since the idealisation which
occurs in this instance is deeply and
consciously rooted in classical philo-
sophy and art theory. Titian's Bacchus
and Ariadne warrants a paragraph,
Leonardo's Last Supper little more,
although Chardin is treated more
generously.
In the final analysis, I am not sure
what Dr Armstrong means by appre-
ciation or what a philosophical view of
art should be. Appreciation, he writes,
`has been understood in a specific way
which draws on intrinsic merit,
irreplaceability and artistry'. In other
words, we value a painting because its
character is in some way unique, and
that this special character and its
aesthetic properties would be changed
if the image were to be altered. More-
over, the work must display artistry,
which is not a simple matter of skill; it `is
that of balancing the demands of
accuracy of depictions and gracefulness
of design so that he produces a
graceful, accurate representation'.
The author also says that paintings
are, in part, appreciated for their aes-
thetic properties, and it was a discus-
sion of this and aesthetic education
which I found the most unsatisfactory.
Dr Armstrong's choice of paintings is
curiously old-fashioned, almost nostal-
gic. I believe that in some respects the
choice was unimportant; many others
could have been substituted without
affecting the substance of his argu-
ments. The arguments are important
and will continue to be discussed, but I
remain unconvinced that his book can
achieve either its aim or its function.
BRIAN DALE
21
Slides/Videos/
Teaching Packs
■ A SENSE OF PLACE: LANDS-
CAPE
PORTRAITURE: REPRESENTA-
TIONS OF IDENTITY
SLIDE AND TEACHING PACKS
AVAILABLE BY MAIL ORDER FROM
INIVA (INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL VISUAL
ARTS), KIRKMAN HOUSE, 12±14 WHITFIELD
STREET, LONDON W1P 51P £35 EACH
TEL: 0171 636 1930
INIVA's two education packs deal with
traditional themes from the history of
art: landscape and portraiture. What is
new, however, and most welcome, is
the challenging issues-based approach
to these two themes. What is not so
welcome is the price ± £35 each for
twenty-four slides and accompanying
notes, excellent though they are. This
puts them beyond the pockets of many
art departments, which is precisely
where the need is. However, the packs
should be seen as an investment, not
simply for the varied selection of images
around two familiar themes, but for
their encouragement of new ways of
handling those themes.
An issues-based approach, as
opposed to chronological or stylistic,
can encourage a more questioning and
open-ended structure to the school art
programme. It broadens the curriculum
and brings art work in schools into the
centre of current debates about con-
temporary culture and how we interpret
the past through the present. In both
packs there is clear reference to how the
various units can relate to national
curriculum programmes of study.
A Sense of Place: Landscape focuses
on British artists and does not set out to
explore the issue of landscape through
other cultural traditions, although it
does highlight the relationship between
cultural development in Britain and
other countries, and questions of
identity. Slides of a wide range of two-
and three-dimensional work are utilised
from Constable and Turner to Andy
Goldsworthy, Vong Phaophanit and
Ingrid Pollard.
Portraiture: Representations of Iden-
tity: it is the particular selection from the
22
sixteenth century to the present day,
and the grouping of images in order to
initiate debate, which is so stimulating
for an area that can often look tired and
bereft of ideas. Hogarth and Gains-
borough are placed in relation to
contemporary artists such as Faisal
Abdu `Allah and Chila Burman who
have used portraiture to challenge
racial and gender stereotypes, and in
order to re-invent their own identities.
This material is innovative and
creative. I particularly like the style of
presentation and the sensitivity to the
needs of teachers. Also important is the
reference to a variety of media, both 2D
and 3D, throughout the packs, which in
itself helps break some of the assump-
tions about the form of a `landscape' or
`portrait' and encourages pupils to
research other possibilities in their own
work.
These packs do not attempt to do
the job for the teacher; the discussion
points relating to the slides are helpful
yet not prescriptive. Most of the slides
are of good quality and represent a
wide range of artists. One or two,
particularly of installations which can
often be difficult to capture in a
photograph, strain the eyes. The trigger
sheets (to get the student thinking) are
well prepared, open-ended and full of
helpful hints. There is also a useful self-
assessment form, referred to as the
`snail' (because of its shape), which has
been developed through classroom
practice.
Here we have some of the best
support material for teachers of art at
key stages 3 and 4 that has been
produced to date. The packs are not
as physically robust as they should be
for frequent use in school, and the
sheets are made from paper that is far
too thin. Nonetheless, I look forward
eagerly to more resources from INIVA.
As with any good material, it could
usefully be adapted to meet the needs
of key stages 1 and 2, as well as . . . yes
. . . even higher education!
HOWARD HOLLANDS
■ VIDEOS ON ART ± A
RESOURCE GUIDE TO FILMS
AND VIDEOS AVAILABLE
WORLDWIDE FROM THE
ROLAND COLLECTION
ANTHONY ROLAND $49.99
448 PP. MANY ILLUS
ISBN 0-9525881-0-2
ANTHONY ROLAND, who has collected and
selected many thousands of films on
art, offers a guide which teachers at all
levels will find valuable. The resource
guide, weighing as much as a catalogue
for a blockbuster exhibition, has 37
sections with titles covering the history
of art and culture from prehistoric times
to the present, and including architec-
ture and design. There are also films on
conservation, films for younger
audiences (one called Great Artists from
the World of Comics) and a collection of
videos on modern literature with writers
discussing their work. There are com-
plete indexes of the titles, scriptwriters,
directors and producers for easy
reference. The last section, called
`Ordering Made Easy', gives prices and
details of availability for institutions and
individuals worldwide.
Videos can be rented by users in the
US or Canada only; everyone else must
purchase the films. All prices are quoted
in US dollars; UK-based buyers should
add VAT and shipping charges. To give
some idea of subjects and video prices,
a few titles are listed here:
Picasso the Sculptor, an Arts Council
film (in colour), 27 minutes long,
costs $99.
Alvar Aalto, directed by Piero Beren-
go Gardin (in colour), 57 minutes,
costs $139.
French Romanesque Art, directed by
Edouard Logereau (in black and
white), 21 minutes, costs $89.
All prices listed are for institutional
use. In the UK at least, individual users
are entitled to a 50% discount.
Enquiries should be made to: The
Roland Collection, Peasmarsh, East
Sussex TN31 6XJ, England. Tel: 01797
230 421; or Fax: 01797 230 677. In the
USA, write to: 22-D Hollywood Avenue,
Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey 07423. Tel: (201)
251-8200; or Fax: (201) 251-8788.
ELEANOR ROBBINS
The Education Pages for this issue
have been edited by Crispin
Robinson of Tudor Hall School,
Oxfordshire and Stowe School,
Buckinghamshire.
The Art Book Volume 4 Issue 2