Customer Reviews: Read 11 more reviews...
 Yes a classic but too linear May 1, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
He loves a neat linear narrative.
Insisting all western art (and there's nothing non-Western) follows a first there was this, then artists thought that, then artists thought that is way too simplistic.
Yes it's a classic but is only useful in the classroom for school-age kids to grasp what a wide range of Euro-centric art looked like but nothing beyond that.
 The first, best introduction to Art and Art History there is. Superb. January 3, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
It might be recommendation enough to see that this book has been in continual publication for nearly sixty years, but that's just the start. The one thing which really sets this work apart is Gombrich himself - his love for his subject, his unpretentious attitude and his humility and generosity of spirit. These shine through from the moment one reads the introduction: "There are no bad reasons for liking a painting; there are bad reasons for not liking a painting". Gombrich shows us that fine art isn't just the province of snobby, Courtauld Institute dons; it's for everyone, and accessing it is easy, and enjoyable.
Originally written for younger readers, that was in a time when 'younger readers' were expected to be substantially more literate than they are today, and adults won't feel at all talked-down-to.
This is the best-selling book on art in the world. There is a reason for that.
 Starter September 18, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
It is a good book to start with, if you`re interested in the History of Art, but no way should it be treated as a complete. Once again - nothing is said about female artists, there are some gaps, and I personally would like to read some more on photography, XX and Eastern European art in particular.
'THE' Story Of Art July 31, 2007
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
31 July 2007
I bought this book back in April 2007 and have just literally finished. (I am quite a slow reader but have you seen the size of it?)
This book was recommended to me by a university that I am about to embark on a course to learn to teach Art and Design in secondary school. So I bought it and settled down to months of reading it.
I was quite intimidated by the size of this book but I began with an open mind and within a few pages I was in love. It is a fantastic book that, at times, reads like a novel and at other times reads like a journal (by which I mean that the author allows his own perspective to shake your ideas and guide you forward.)
This book was recommenced to me and so I wish to recommend it to you in turn. You won't have read an art book from cover to cover like this before.
Updated 18 July 2008
After my Teaching course I felt I should add a small comment to my previous celebration of such a well written book. Over the past year I have entered into heated discussions centered round this book and it has been brought to my attention that there is not one single mention of female artists (not even once) throughout this entire book! I was shocked. More over, I felt deceived. I have no idea how I could have missed such an obvious fact. The very first chance I could, I grabbed it and began my futile search to prove my tutor wrong... needless to say, I failed.
I referenced this book a lot over the teaching course for assignments and whatnot and with my new qualification I am still willing to stick by my original 5 star rating even though it is quite obviously not 'THE' Story of Art.
Difficult to rate April 9, 2007
13 out of 19 found this review helpful
Gombrich's 'The Story of Art' is one of the referred to texts of my Art History BA Degree, being a contextual comment on the History of Art as a somewhat indefinable whole. He focuses on the canon of art prominent in his era, and one must consider this when reading it - do not under any circumstances allow yourself to be guided to Gombrich's representation of a singular art history. Instead, analyse his motives and contextual issues when you read it - this will surely improve your own grasp of stories of Art. He writes for the male scholar of a certain class with certain interests, and for the 'modern' reader like myself (I am female and 18) this is undoubtedly narrow minded. Cultural diversities and the feminine inputs to Art are among factors that do not crop up in his volume, as some reviewers previous to me have mentioned, but it is an excellent reference and interesting mark for western society's ever changing and often selective approach to Art History. To be followed by James Elkins' broader 'The Stories of Art', most definitely.
|
