Writing about Visual Art

by David Carrier

“A revelation for the specialist and casual art lover alike. Thanks to this profound book, we will see, think and write about art anew.”

—Mark A Cheetham, Professor, Department of Fine art, University of Toronto.

Here David Carrier examines the history and practice of art writing and reveals its importance to the art museum, the art gallery, and aesthetic theory.

Artists, art historians, and art lovers alike can gain fresh insight into how written descriptions of painting and sculpture affect the experience of art. Readers will learn how their reading can

For artists, teachers, and art lovers, this is a refreshing view that will open new ideas.

Genres: Art, Writing

224 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2003

Reviews

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

The work of writing about visual art has different rules, goals and applications in the fields of Art History, Art Criticism, Philosohpy(aesthetics.) With sometimes many examples per page, Carrier articulates these differences, not just to help you write better about art, but also to clarify how some wannabe serious disagreements in art are not--they only portray the writers' failure to know their context and field.

[Bridget · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Carrier writes so clearly that there is no trouble understanding what he is trying to get across as there is with so many other theorists these days. This is a great book about authors who reference art in their books, or about how different people may describe one work of art as contemporaries or over time. A great discussion of Manet's A Bar at the Folies-Bergère (1982).

[Nancy Elsamanoudi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an indispensable book for anyone interested in writing about art. Carrier's lucid and succinct way of explaining things makes complex ideas pertaining to art writing easier to understand.