Werner Haftmann is a leading German art critic and historian and his excellent, authoritative, and presumably definitive...

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PAINTING IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY

Werner Haftmann is a leading German art critic and historian and his excellent, authoritative, and presumably definitive history of painting has been revised, expanded and brought up to the present time, and translated by Ralph Mannheim. The first volume is entirely textual, save for black and white reproductions of portraits (whether paintings or photographs) of the artists, and covers the primary movements and trends from impressionists, to , expressionists, , and the more abstract and more extreme styles of the later years both on the continent and in America. Within these necessarily loose classifactions, there are biographical and critical of the painters, their concepts, influences, achievements, and it is here that Haftmann shows great insight and appreciation. The second volume has an interesting introduction on the parallelism of art and science, on the ""encroachments"" of scientific thinking on forms had images, which makes modern painting more understandable. If not approachable It is followed by 395 illustrations, full page, only 55 in full color, of paintings by artists who have been discussed in the earlier volume.... It is an impressive work, essential for all art libraries and the serious collector, but not merely a gift or item.

Pub Date: N/A

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Praeger

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1961

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