Instant Art History: From Cave Art to Pop Art

by Walter Robinson

From the prehistoric cave paintings to Andy Warhol's soup cans, this lively chronicle surveys the rich history of artistic expression. INSTANT ART HISTORY examines such geniuses as Michelangelo, da Vinci, Rembrandt, Renoir, van Gogh, and the Impressionists as well as Dali, Matisse, Picasso, Kandinsky, and Lichtenstein.
With INSTANT ART HISTORY you'll
* How Mona Lisa's smile changed forever the grim face of portrait sitters.
* The differences between Analytic and Synthetic Cubism.
* How the avant-garde movements of Constructivism, Dadaism, and Surrealism of the 1920s redefined how society viewed art.
* How the action paintings of the Abstract Expressionists allow the viewer to "feel" a painting, not just see it.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, History, Art History, Reference

256 pages, Paperback

First published February 21, 1995

About the author

Walter Robinson, also known as Mike Robinson, was an American painter, publisher, art curator, and art writer, based in New York City. He was called a Neo-pop painter, as well as a member of the 1980s The Pictures Generation. Robinson was the subject of the 632 page book A Kiss Before Dying: Walter Robinson – A Painter of Pictures and Arbiter of Critical Pleasures by Richard Milazzo published in 2021 with an Italian translation by Ginevra Quadrio Curzio.

Reviews

[Kara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the compelling format for the book and the casual tone of the author. The summaries at the beginning and end of each section were helpful. I would have appreciated more pictures throughout.

[Danielle Woolard · Rating 3 out of 5]

It says on the cover "A complete education - without the tuition" and I would agree that the book covers just about everything that your typical Art History 101 class would. But I am very grateful that I did take art history in college or I wouldn't know what in the world our author is talking about half the time. There really aren't nearly as many pictures as I wish the book had, and the pictures we do get are literally some of the most famous works of all time.

100% I'd rather read this book than sit through another semester of art history 101. It is a good, quick overview of what you should know.

[Frankie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's an okay book. A lot of information is crammed in a mere 230 pages but it's done in such a way that the reading of it is delightful, not stuffy. I'd describe it as an elongated journal or magazine article meant for the broad public and not only experts - no hard art world vernacular except for the terms explained, a very down-to-earth and unpretentious description of works, movements and artists.

It's all good but I think there were too few images. Hard to imagine what formal qualities the author is talking about if you have to imagine your own painting.

[Hadron Haizlip Beers · Rating 2 out of 5]

Little Library
Hi loves!

I decided to annotate this book because I found 16 copies of it in one little library. I picked out the one that looked the most loved, the most annotated, the most alive, and decided to give it a story. I soon learned that this is a text book from the 90’s, so it SUCKED to read. There was so much bias, racism, and misogyny, but I had committed to the bit. I took this book from Virginia to Colorado, annotated the FUCK out of it, and gave the next person instructions to do the same.

The book: 2/5 stars
The experience: 5/5

[Richard Buckley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unpretentious concise review/refresher, of mainstream art history from an American man on the street perspective.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book but would have been much better if there were more pictures of what he was describing as examples.

[Chris Borror · Rating 2 out of 5]

Surface level information infused with poor attempts at humor and bad editing throughout.

[Gesinger]

Written in a humorous and accessible way—something you rarely see in the world of art. Not too highfalutin to make fun of itself. A fun, quick, and educational read. Some claims are a bit subjective and overqualified, but are presented in a way that affords the reader a better grasp of the concepts.

[Ashlee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really should be 3.5 stars. It's a cliff notes version of art history so it's good for those wanting just an introduction or a refresher. I wish there were more pictures, that would have been helpful for some of the works discussed. I also think some topics and artists should have been covered more in-depth, but that's just a personal preference.

[Mario Gonzalez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Instant Art History
by: Walter Robinson

Perfect book for someone who is beginning to wet their feet in the realm of art history. Straight to the point yet very informative. would recommend this book to anyone.

[Sophiebird · Rating 3 out of 5]

Humorous quick run down of art styles through the ages. Maybe I missed it ,but no mention of Georgia O'Keefe? Fun way to pick up some lesser known details.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very readable, with great stories (I would think) for a teenage reader. I wish the photographs were better, but an excellent resource overall.

[Ashley Owens · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's a simplistic guide to art that tries way to hard to be humorous and break it down. It was distracting and jumped around time periods a lot to the point where it made no sense.