The New Art History: A Critical Introduction

by Jonathan Harris

The New Art History provides a comprehensive introduction to the fundamental changes which have occurred in both the institutions and practice of art history over the last thirty years. Jonathan Harris examines and accounts for the new approaches to the study of art which have been grouped loosely under the term 'the new art history'. He distinguishes between these and earlier forms of 'radical' or 'critical' analysis, explores the influence of other disciplines and traditions on art history, and relates art historical ideas and values to social change. Structured around an examination of key texts by major contemporary critics, including Tim Clarke, Griselda Pollock, Fred Orton, Albert Boime, Alan Wallach and Laura Mulvey, each chapter discusses a key moment in the discipline of art history, tracing the development and interaction of Marxist, feminist and psychoanalytic critical theories. Individual chapters * Capitalist Modernity, the Nation-State and Visual Representation * Feminism, Art, and Art History * Subjects, Identities and Visual Ideology * Structures and Meanings in Art and Society * The Representation of Sexuality

Genres: Art, Art History, Nonfiction

320 pages, Paperback

First published September 20, 2001

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Reviews

[Jairo Salazar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book leaves me with some mixed feelings. The first section, particularly, is a brilliant and thorough historiographic approach of topics related to contemporary culture. Marxist and Feminist Studies, Psychoanalysis, Semiotics, Otherness, and Gender and Racial Studies are the main focuses in Harris' chapters. However, it seems the book losses a clear "hook" in some of its chapters. This is visible especially in chapters 4 through 6, where I felt Harris was simply repeating -by using other terms or other authors- ideas already exposed or suggested in previous sections.

Secondly, I feel Harris' idea of using same artworks as examples for different topics does not really work completely. It would have been more useful to make study cases in a whole range of different works and periods; yet his insistence on Matisse's "Blue Nude" or Courbet's "Stonebreakers" seems to be a bit overtly imposed and not entirely clear.

In sum, this is a must-read for those looking for a deep and complex historiographic analysis of the state of the art historical discipline from 1968 onwards. Nonetheless, the book leaves a bittersweet feeling for those -like me- looking for a more straightforward contribution from the author when it comes to the idea of a "New" Art History and its (im)possibilities.

[Gemma McAndrew · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5*