Transformations in Late Eighteenth Century Art

by Robert Rosenblum

Rosenblum's classic essays on the art and architecture of this transformational period in modern art―now available in paperback for a new generation of readers

The importance of the late eighteenth century in the genesis of modern art emerges in these four essays on various aspects of the art and architecture of a neglected period. Written by the author of Cubism and Twentieth Century Art , the essays take a “Cubist view” of these crucial decades of transition, a view “that constantly shifts its vantage point and moves freely from one nation and one medium to another.” Such diverse matters as the emotional and stylistic flexibility of Neoclassicism, the emergence of Historicism, the rapport between politics and the new moralizing art, and the search for a radical formal purity are considered. Many works of art previously unpublished, and sometimes even unphotographed, make their first appearance here.

Genres: Art, Art History, 18th Century, School, Nonfiction

344 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1967

About the author

Robert Rosenblum was a curator at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and a professor at the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University. He is the author of multiple volumes on modern and contemporary art, including The Paintings of August Strindberg and Paintings in the Musee d'Orsay. Rosenblum is the recipient of a Frank Jewett Mather Award for Distinction in Art Criticism.

Reviews

[Beau Daignault · Rating 5 out of 5]

Politics and turbulent cultural change inspire artists to take from the past and present (as we have always done) and viola! The birth of Neoclassicism and Historicism!
Robert Rosenblum is my favourite Art History writer and
this is the first book I ever read by Prof. Rosenblum.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Straight-up classic art history, yo.