Paths to the Absolute: Mondrian, Malevich, Kandinsky, Pollock, Newman, Rothko and Still - Softcover

Golding, John

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0500237751 ISBN 13: 9780500237755

Publisher: Thames & Hudson Ltd, 2000

Synopsis

Surveying the origins and development of abstract art in the 20th century, Golding analyzes the ambitions and careers of seven major artists - Mondrian, Malevich, Kandinsky, Pollock, Newman, Rothko and Still - each of whom has been inspired by the fact that he was on the path to something new.

About this title

Review

ÝA¨ sensitive survey of seven of art's most influential abstract painters. . .

ÝGolding¨ argues that the best abstract art is about something and that its meaning comes partly from the artist. The modernists he discusses were drenched in ideas, especially of better or hidden worlds.
[A] sensitive survey of seven of art's most influential abstract painters. . . -- The Sunday
[Golding] argues that the best abstract art is about something and that its meaning comes partly from the artist. The modernists he discusses were drenched in ideas, especially of better or hidden worlds. -- The Economist
Seldom has an art movement been so misunderstood, yet so instrumental in shaping the direction of art in so many ways. . . . Golding's excellent work brings the reader from an artistic cloud of unknowing into expert mode with beauty and precision. -- Booklist
The restraint, subtlety, and intellectual rigor of John Golding's "Paths to the Absolute" . . . are especially timely. -- The New York Review of Books
Whether writing of Mondrian's quest for the purity of art, Pollock's search for the symbol, or Rothko's abstract sublime, the author eloquently conveys the deep spiritual impulses of such art in vivid and learned analyses. -- Virginia Quarterly Review
Seldom has an art movement been so misunderstood, yet so instrumental in shaping the direction of art in so many ways. . . . Golding's excellent work brings the reader from an artistic cloud of unknowing into expert mode with beauty and precision. -- "Booklist

[Golding] argues that the best abstract art is about something and that its meaning comes partly from the artist. The modernists he discusses were drenched in ideas, especially of better or hidden worlds. -- "The Economist

[A] sensitive survey of seven of art's most influential abstract painters. . . -- "The Sunday

About the Author

John Golding is a distinguished art historian, art critic, curator, and painter. He was a lecturer and reader in the History of Art at the Courtauld Institute; a senior tutor at the Royal College of Art, London; and Slade Professor of Fine Arts at Cambridge University. His history of Cubism published in 1959 remains the standard work on the subject. His recent publications include Braque: The Late Works (1997), Picasso: Sculptor/Painter (1994), and Visions of the Modern (1994).

Edition details

• Publisher: Thames & Hudson Ltd
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0500237751
• ISBN 13: 9780500237755
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 240