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A History of Art for Beginners and Students: Illustrated
A History of Art for Beginners and Students - Painting—Sculpture—Architecture With Numerous Illustrations By Clara Erskine Clement - In speaking of art we often contrast the useful or mechanical arts with the Fine Arts; by these terms we denote the difference between the arts which are used in making such things as are necessary and useful in civilized life, and the arts by which ornamental and beautiful things are made. The fine arts are Architecture, Sculpture, Painting, Poetry, and Music, and though we could live if none of these existed, yet life would be far from the pleasant experience that it is often made to be through the enjoyment of these arts. In speaking of Painting, just here I wish to include the more general idea of pictures of various sorts, and it seems to me that while picture-making belongs to the fine or beautiful arts, it is now made a very useful art in many ways. For example, when a school-book is illustrated, how much more easily we understand the subject we are studying through the help we get from pictures of objects or places that we have not seen, and yet wish to know about. Pictures of natural scenery bring all countries before our eyes in such a way that by looking at them, while reading books of travel, we may know a great deal more about lands we have never seen, and may never be able to visit. Who does not love pictures? and what a pleasure it is to open a magazine or book filled with fine illustrations. St. Augustine, who wrote in the fourth century after Christ, said that “pictures are the books of the simple or unlearned;” this is just as true now as then, and we should regard pictures as one of the most agreeable means of education. Thus one of the uses of pictures is that they give us a clear idea of what we have not seen; a second use is that they excite our imaginations, and often help us to forget disagreeable circumstances and unpleasant surroundings. The cultivation of the imagination is very important, because in this way we can add much to our individual happiness.
224 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 2008
30 people are currently reading
54 people want to read
About the author
Clara Erskine Clement Waters
166 booksClara Erskine Clement Waters (1834-1916) was an American author and traveler. She was the daughter of John and Harriet Bethiah (Godfrey) Erskine, and her father was a businessman. She was educated at home by private tutors. In 1852, she married James Hazen Clement, a businessman. They moved to Newton, Massachusetts. After his death, in 1882, she married Edwin Forbes Waters, author and owner of the Boston Daily Advertiser. They resided in Cambridge. She made extensive tours in Europe, visited Palestine and Turkey in 1868, and traveled around the world in 1883/4. Her travels continued later in life.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 26, 2024
Ostensibly, this is a book, perhaps a textbook is aimed at “beginners and students”. It was published in the last decade of the nineteenth century. The fact that is that it has endured, is still read and indeed still deserves reading is testament to the quality of the writing and the extent of the author’s edition.
As with all critical studies from the past, it is always the things that are omitted that are of most interest. Anything vaguely contemporary, it seems, was not worthy of inclusion. The section on Britain, for instance, does not refer to the pre-Raphaelites. That on France does not mention Impressionism, or the Brabizon school, despite the fact that they were by the end of the century almost old hat.
What is also interesting in such works is to note how aesthetic judgment might have changed. Three examples give the flavour of these changes.
The art of the Middle Ages, for instance, is nearly dismissed. Clara Waters writes: “The painting of this period has a little to attract attention. If regarded only from an artistic standpoint, for we may truly say that, comparing it with the Greek art which had preceded it, or with the Italian art, which followed it, that of the Middle Ages had no claim to the beautiful.”
On Tintoretto, she opines that “his best pictures are slightly treated, and others are coarse and unfinished in the manner of painting. His portraits seem to be his best works, probably because they are more carefully finished.”
The biggest change in values between the 1890s and now comes in a discussion on Caravaggio. It is the subject matter and its treatment by the artist that disconcert the author. “…naturally, his manner of painting was best suited to scenes from common life, though he made those coarse, and sometimes painful, but when he attempted subjects of a higher order, his works are positively offensive.” It was thus just not possible for an artist to contemplate the inclusion of baser lives with higher ideals. One wonders how it was that the god they worshipped was considered to be concerned with the lives of the poor.
In the nineteenth century one would expect authors to dismiss or exclude anything that does not come from the European or classical traditions. The author does include a short description of Egyptian art, but it is curtly dismissed. No mention is made whatsoever, of course, of continents or cultures that were considered far removed from the European ideal.
Apart from these omissions and changes in aesthetic judgment, what the author does include is both insightful and entertaining. This means that, despite this book being written over century ago, it is still worth reading. What it is not, however, in this age, is a text for beginners. Both is the level of detail presented and the language in which it is described would not hold the attention of a “beginner” in our current era. And this is not a criticism of the text, or indeed of today’s “beginners”. Things have changed, that’s all, and this may be one of the significant differences between our own age and the era when this book was published.
As with all critical studies from the past, it is always the things that are omitted that are of most interest. Anything vaguely contemporary, it seems, was not worthy of inclusion. The section on Britain, for instance, does not refer to the pre-Raphaelites. That on France does not mention Impressionism, or the Brabizon school, despite the fact that they were by the end of the century almost old hat.
What is also interesting in such works is to note how aesthetic judgment might have changed. Three examples give the flavour of these changes.
The art of the Middle Ages, for instance, is nearly dismissed. Clara Waters writes: “The painting of this period has a little to attract attention. If regarded only from an artistic standpoint, for we may truly say that, comparing it with the Greek art which had preceded it, or with the Italian art, which followed it, that of the Middle Ages had no claim to the beautiful.”
On Tintoretto, she opines that “his best pictures are slightly treated, and others are coarse and unfinished in the manner of painting. His portraits seem to be his best works, probably because they are more carefully finished.”
The biggest change in values between the 1890s and now comes in a discussion on Caravaggio. It is the subject matter and its treatment by the artist that disconcert the author. “…naturally, his manner of painting was best suited to scenes from common life, though he made those coarse, and sometimes painful, but when he attempted subjects of a higher order, his works are positively offensive.” It was thus just not possible for an artist to contemplate the inclusion of baser lives with higher ideals. One wonders how it was that the god they worshipped was considered to be concerned with the lives of the poor.
In the nineteenth century one would expect authors to dismiss or exclude anything that does not come from the European or classical traditions. The author does include a short description of Egyptian art, but it is curtly dismissed. No mention is made whatsoever, of course, of continents or cultures that were considered far removed from the European ideal.
Apart from these omissions and changes in aesthetic judgment, what the author does include is both insightful and entertaining. This means that, despite this book being written over century ago, it is still worth reading. What it is not, however, in this age, is a text for beginners. Both is the level of detail presented and the language in which it is described would not hold the attention of a “beginner” in our current era. And this is not a criticism of the text, or indeed of today’s “beginners”. Things have changed, that’s all, and this may be one of the significant differences between our own age and the era when this book was published.
September 3, 2023
An overview of artistic developments in 3 volumes (painting, sculpture, architecture), but from a European perspective only. The facts presented are now all available on Wikipedia and the text serves only to enhance these facts with some anecdotes. Very little about the artists themselves is provided, for example their younger years or their influence on the direction of art. Art developments themselves are for the benefit of brevity glossed over and as a result have a habit of perpetuating myths surrounding these developments. For historical purposes only.
Available on Project Gutenberg.
Available on Project Gutenberg.
February 7, 2023
Very informative. Gives u a bird’s eye view. The you can dive into whatever area or artist you want to know more about in detail. Presents it as a good lecturer would. Interesting. Focusing on the important stuff. Well done for a very broad topic.
August 19, 2015
Very good book for beginners and art seekeres. It talks about the history of art in various countries and kingdoms. I whished my version had the illustrated pictures that mentioned in the book.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews