Jess~ Books to stimulate your mind: Art - History and Theory
With galleries and museums finally opening back up, what better to turn your mind to than the wonderful world of art! Below are my top picks of books to get you engaged in the art world again, whether you’re a beginner or looking to expand your reading I hope there will be something on this list that takes your fancy.
Talk Art: Everything You Wanted to Know about Contemporary Art But Were Too Afraid to Ask by Russell Tovey and Robert Diament
This beautifully produced colour explosion of a book is right at the top of my list for people who want to get into contemporary art but have no idea where to start. Tovey and Diament are very clearly enthusiastic about all the forms of art they cover - from sculpture to sound. This book features works from names you might already know, like Tracey Emin or Grayson Perry, to names that were brand new to me; it’s the perfect primer to give you a taste of an enormous variety of art from all across the spectrum. I particularly loved the section on ceramics, which talks about how ceramic artists play with the perception of their medium as purely utilitarian, pushing the boundaries of what counts as fine art. Above all, this book is accessible but never patronising, giving you all the tools you need to start appreciating art on your own terms.
Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists? by Linda Nochlin
This essay by Linda Nochlin is one of the foundational essays of feminist art criticism. Originally published in the early 1970s, it looks at the inconsistencies and ideologies behind the title question. In clear terms, Nochlin starts to shine a light on the institutional inequalities that have historically barred women from artistic success. She also questions the narrative of ‘genius’ or ‘greatness’ and how it favours male greatness through its hidden assumptions and failure to interrogate the conditions conducive to artistic success. This 50th anniversary edition contains an introduction by Catherine Grant which contextualises the essay and the scholarship which it inspired. It also follows Nochlin’s 1970s essay with a follow-up essay she wrote in 2006 looking back at its legacy. I would really recommend this book as a foundational piece of modern art theory.
Great Women Artists
Off the back of this essay, I would also recommend the 2019 Phaidon collection of Great Women Artists. This is an absolutely stunning book, printed in full colour, which profiles 400 female artists across the centuries - over 500 years, right up to the present decade. Some of these artists have done their works since the publication of Nochlin’s essay, but this book is also a document of female artists whose legacies have been reconsidered and who are now being given prominence in the artistic canon. Not only is this book incredibly interesting but it is a great way to discover many (often lesser-known) but hugely talented artists. I personally love the work of Anni Albers, a textile artist who trained and taught at the Bauhaus. An example of her work is printed alongside her profile in this book.
Ways of Seeing by John Berger
Ways of Seeing is another absolute classic of the genre, combining art history with theory and innovative essay styles. It was written as a companion book to the 1972 television series of the same name which critiqued the ideology that lay behind the traditionalist view of western art, arguing for a reframing of artistic history. The book contains seven essays on art, three of which are entirely comprised of images, encouraging active participation in analysis and connection-making on the part of its readers. Despite drawing on ideas from notoriously theory-heavy works like ‘The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction’ by Walter Benjamin, Berger’s work is very readable and the perfect introduction to art theory. It is my great hope that one day, a special edition of Ways of Seeing will be published with full colour imagery throughout, but until then this book is the definitive edition.
I also want to note two recent books which I have not had the chance to read yet, but which I very much look forward to reading:
Women in the Picture: Women, Art and the Power of Looking by Catherine McCormack
Like with Ways of Seeing, this book seeks to reevaluate canonical works of art by looking again at their representations of women. McCormack is an author and lecturer in art history and this book represents her dedicated work to writing women back into art. I personally can’t wait to read this!
How to Enjoy Art: A Guide for Everyone by Ben Street
Art is often seen as an exclusive club that requires years of specialist learning and knowledge to be talked about. This book strips back all that and focuses once again on the fundamental pleasures of art. Like with Tovey and Diament’s book, this promises to be a really interesting primer for people who are interested in art but have no idea where to start.
Request a copy here.