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Civilisations: First Contact / The Cult of Progress
There is nothing simple about the idea of civilisation. It is a concept with multiple and contested meanings. Prefix it with the word ‘western’ and you have a whole new set of problems. Equally thorny is the belief, once commonplace, that civilisation was a singular project, a phenomenon that spread across parts of the world from a single source. The view that multiple civilisations emerged independently at various times and in various places across the world was not an idea many Victorian thinkers had much time for. Indeed, in the age of European Empires, nations justified their domination of other peoples by claiming they were engaged in a great ‘civilising mission’. Perhaps all that is certain about the concept of civilisation is that its opposite, barbarism, is toxic. In Civilisations, David Olusoga travels the world to piece together the shared histories that link nations. In Part One, First Contact, we discover what happened to art in the great Age of Discovery, when civilisations encountered each other for the first time? Although undoubtedly a period of conquest and destruction it was also one of mutual curiosity, global trade and the exchange of ideas In Part Two, The Cult of Progress we see how the Industrial Revolution transformed the world, impacting every corner, and every civilisation, from the cotton mills of the Midlands, through Napoleon’s conquest of Egypt, to the demise of both Native American and Maori populations and the advent of photography in Paris in 1839. Incredible art – both looted and created – relay the key events and their outcomes throughout the world.
304 pages, Hardcover
Published September 3, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
January 1, 2021
At first I was a bit confused because I didn't really understand the specific angle of this booklet. It offers an interesting overview of the meeting between Western and non-Western cultures, interspersed with historical episodes from Western history itself, all from the period from the 16th to the beginning of the 20th century. Works of art regularly are focussed on to illustrate everything.
It was only with the afterword that it became clear to me that this was based on a television series from the BBC (“Civilizations”), as a successor of and at the same time a counterweight to Kenneth Clark's series “Civilization”, from 1969. Olusoga rightly points out that Clark only offered a very limited, European and masculine look at art and culture. Olusoga indeed corrects this by emphasizing the mutual influence between cultures, but of course he cannot help but determine that due to a derailment of Enlightenment the Western one fell into a superiority thinking that enslaved the other cultures. Unfortunately, with regard to the one-sided male gaze, Olusoga offers much less of an alternative: female voices are hardly present in this book. Still an interesting read!
It was only with the afterword that it became clear to me that this was based on a television series from the BBC (“Civilizations”), as a successor of and at the same time a counterweight to Kenneth Clark's series “Civilization”, from 1969. Olusoga rightly points out that Clark only offered a very limited, European and masculine look at art and culture. Olusoga indeed corrects this by emphasizing the mutual influence between cultures, but of course he cannot help but determine that due to a derailment of Enlightenment the Western one fell into a superiority thinking that enslaved the other cultures. Unfortunately, with regard to the one-sided male gaze, Olusoga offers much less of an alternative: female voices are hardly present in this book. Still an interesting read!
Read
October 22, 2024This booklet is not completely flawless, but especially in the chapters in which Olusoga highlights the mutual influence between Western and non-Western cultures, I learned a lot of interesting things. See my review in my general account on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....
October 3, 2019
New interesting perspectives on history and the interaction between civilizations
”This was a nation committed to the art of making money”- about the Dutch Republic.
First Contact
Rich in language and scope, ranging from observations on Spain, Portugal, South America, The Dutch Republic, Japan, France, Egypt, England, India, Tahiti and New Zealand and the United States, Olusoga follows the encounters between leading civilisations of the day and how they viewed and influenced each other in the first part of this book, First Contact.
Interesting and new for me was how cosmopolitan Lisbon was during the age of discovery, with princes from Benin in service in the highest knight orders of the king of Portugal and slaves being white, asian and black, in the streets. Also the level of integration was much greater than I expected, for instance:
”Between 1780 and 1785 a third of the wills of company men, filed in Calcutta, made mention of Indian wives. In the same period half of the children baptised in St John’s Chirch, Calcutta, were illegitimate.”
It’s a frequent argument in the search for intelligent life, that a technologically more advanced civilization will “naturally” subjugate other civilizations, but the first contacts between Europe and the other continents were much more mutually beneficial than you’d think based on the narrative David Olusoga brings to live.
What a sad contrast therefor this makes with the looting of Benin city three centuries later, leading to a large collection of Benin Bronzes ending up on display in the British Museum in 1897. The injustice was palpatable, especially when the press of the day could not accept that a “barberian” people could create such artworks.
The global silver trade that florished due to the exclusion of Chinese traders from Japan, making the West just a middle man in a vast trade network is an other example of mutual beneficial contacts between Portugese, Dutch, Japanese and Chinese nations. Also that the Shoguns took the stories of conquest and destruction of native cultures (in for instance the Phillipines) as a basis to banish Christianity from their lands, even though western fire arm technology help to unify Japan, was a new perspective for me.
In the end of this section I did however mis a bit of perspective of the “why” cordial and mutual beneficial agreements developed into colonial brutality and mass killings of indigineous people and the rise of Western empires through three centuries.
The Cult of Progress
A feeling of loss and melancholy is a constant in The Cult of Progress, the second part of the book. Olusoga shows how often artists like Gauguin, Van Gogh, Picasso were inspired by other cultures, often in decline due to Western colonialism.
”Like a number of artists and writers of late nineteenth-century France, Gauguin was entranced by the idea of escaping the frentic pace and apparent artificiality of modern European life.”
More directly artist like Lindauer and Catlin portrayed representatives of civilisations in transition like the Maori and the Indians.
Thomas Cole and many other American artists on the other hand were inspired by the enormity of American nature, yet uncivilised but on the brink to change for every by Manifest Destiny and progress marching in:
“In this new American art, natural history was to stand in for history itself. Canyons, mountains and waterfalls were to replace the classical ruins of the old world - so beloved by European landscape artists.”
Overall and conclusion
All in all I found this book sometimes a bit lacking in depth or to broad in scope, but it certainly brought new perspectives and it triggered my curiosity to revisit some well known relationships between countries.
Finally, as someone from the Netherlands, I liked that the Dutch not only came back as greedy merchants but that at least one quote showed a more liberal side:
“... she learned to draw and paint in watercolours, specifically choosing that medium as women were prevented from selling paintings executed in oils in many German cities.” - about a German botanist and artist who went to the Dutch Republic to publish her work, showing the restrictions imposed on women during the 17th century.
”This was a nation committed to the art of making money”- about the Dutch Republic.
First Contact
Rich in language and scope, ranging from observations on Spain, Portugal, South America, The Dutch Republic, Japan, France, Egypt, England, India, Tahiti and New Zealand and the United States, Olusoga follows the encounters between leading civilisations of the day and how they viewed and influenced each other in the first part of this book, First Contact.
Interesting and new for me was how cosmopolitan Lisbon was during the age of discovery, with princes from Benin in service in the highest knight orders of the king of Portugal and slaves being white, asian and black, in the streets. Also the level of integration was much greater than I expected, for instance:
”Between 1780 and 1785 a third of the wills of company men, filed in Calcutta, made mention of Indian wives. In the same period half of the children baptised in St John’s Chirch, Calcutta, were illegitimate.”
It’s a frequent argument in the search for intelligent life, that a technologically more advanced civilization will “naturally” subjugate other civilizations, but the first contacts between Europe and the other continents were much more mutually beneficial than you’d think based on the narrative David Olusoga brings to live.
What a sad contrast therefor this makes with the looting of Benin city three centuries later, leading to a large collection of Benin Bronzes ending up on display in the British Museum in 1897. The injustice was palpatable, especially when the press of the day could not accept that a “barberian” people could create such artworks.
The global silver trade that florished due to the exclusion of Chinese traders from Japan, making the West just a middle man in a vast trade network is an other example of mutual beneficial contacts between Portugese, Dutch, Japanese and Chinese nations. Also that the Shoguns took the stories of conquest and destruction of native cultures (in for instance the Phillipines) as a basis to banish Christianity from their lands, even though western fire arm technology help to unify Japan, was a new perspective for me.
In the end of this section I did however mis a bit of perspective of the “why” cordial and mutual beneficial agreements developed into colonial brutality and mass killings of indigineous people and the rise of Western empires through three centuries.
The Cult of Progress
A feeling of loss and melancholy is a constant in The Cult of Progress, the second part of the book. Olusoga shows how often artists like Gauguin, Van Gogh, Picasso were inspired by other cultures, often in decline due to Western colonialism.
”Like a number of artists and writers of late nineteenth-century France, Gauguin was entranced by the idea of escaping the frentic pace and apparent artificiality of modern European life.”
More directly artist like Lindauer and Catlin portrayed representatives of civilisations in transition like the Maori and the Indians.
Thomas Cole and many other American artists on the other hand were inspired by the enormity of American nature, yet uncivilised but on the brink to change for every by Manifest Destiny and progress marching in:
“In this new American art, natural history was to stand in for history itself. Canyons, mountains and waterfalls were to replace the classical ruins of the old world - so beloved by European landscape artists.”
Overall and conclusion
All in all I found this book sometimes a bit lacking in depth or to broad in scope, but it certainly brought new perspectives and it triggered my curiosity to revisit some well known relationships between countries.
Finally, as someone from the Netherlands, I liked that the Dutch not only came back as greedy merchants but that at least one quote showed a more liberal side:
“... she learned to draw and paint in watercolours, specifically choosing that medium as women were prevented from selling paintings executed in oils in many German cities.” - about a German botanist and artist who went to the Dutch Republic to publish her work, showing the restrictions imposed on women during the 17th century.
November 26, 2018
My favourite part was when he was talking about Ancient Egypt and then how Napoleon stole the artifacts to France and decided to illustrate the chapter OUT OF ALL POSSIBLE THINGS with himself standing before a pyramid. If apocalypse comes and I have to make a fire, this thing goes in first.
August 29, 2021
“Civilisations” is een televisieserie over kunst en cultuur van de BBC waarvan David Olusoga een aantal afleveringen voor zijn rekening nam, naast cultuurstudie-iconen zoals Mary Beard en Simon Schama. Dit boek is de “as seen on TV”-publicatie, die daar bij hoort.
In de mooie uitgave op dik papier, met groot lettertype en mooie reproducties en foto’s, probeert Olusaga in minder dan 300 bladzijden te vertellen hoe de Europese geschiedenis van ontdekkingsreizen en kolonisatie, ondanks het primaat van economie en handel en ondanks het wapengekletter, toch ook gepaard ging met culturele uitwisseling en beïnvloeding.
In het eerste deel, “First Contacts”, toont hij ons de sporen in lokale en Westerse kunst van die vreemde periode vanaf 1492 waarin culturen die van elkaars bestaan niet of nauwelijks afwisten, met elkaar in contact kwamen. We zien onder andere de “Benin Bronzes” in het British Museum (roofkunst, restanten van weggevaagde samenleving), oude Portugese schilderijen die een pre-racistische maatschappij tonen, met Afrikanen als gelijken, of tekeningen gemaakt door Azteekse kunstenaars van de invasie van de Spaanse Conquistadores.
Het tweede deel, “The Cult of Progress”, bespreekt een aantal kruisbestuivingen tussen veroveraars en veroverde gebieden, later in de geschiedenis, zoals de vanzelfsprekende Gaugin in Tahiti of de invloed van Afrikaanse maskers en beelden op Picasso. Maar ook landschapskunst uit Noord-Amerika of Maori motieven uit Polynesië en nog veel meer.
Het fijne aan dit boek is dat Olusoga verhalen over kunstgeschiedenis samenbrengt vanuit dit unieke perspectief: hoe kunnen we die ontmoeting tussen de oude wereld en de nieuwe wereld nog zien in de kunst uit die periode. Hij schrijft erg helder en met gevoel voor de schoonheid. Er zit ook geen spat rancune in, Olusoga houdt van de kunst van het Europese continent, maar zegt af en toe wel waar het op staat: gepikt is gepikt en vermoord is vermoord. Wat een contrast met zo veel publicisten en academische die wat graag geschiedenis instrumentaliseren in hun “strijd tegen ongelijkheid”. Van culturele appropriatie geen spoor.
Zijn slotzin van het boek vind ik erg memorabel: “Ik heb geprobeerd om de rol, die de kunst gespeeld heeft bij de momenten van contact, interactie en conflict die naar mijn aanvoelen beslissend waren in de laatste 500 jaar, te verkennen. Ik heb dat gedaan … om mezelf en anderen die geïnteresseerd zouden zijn eraan te herinneren dat er maar één menselijke verbeelding is, waarvan alle kunst het product is.” (mijn vertaling)
In de mooie uitgave op dik papier, met groot lettertype en mooie reproducties en foto’s, probeert Olusaga in minder dan 300 bladzijden te vertellen hoe de Europese geschiedenis van ontdekkingsreizen en kolonisatie, ondanks het primaat van economie en handel en ondanks het wapengekletter, toch ook gepaard ging met culturele uitwisseling en beïnvloeding.
In het eerste deel, “First Contacts”, toont hij ons de sporen in lokale en Westerse kunst van die vreemde periode vanaf 1492 waarin culturen die van elkaars bestaan niet of nauwelijks afwisten, met elkaar in contact kwamen. We zien onder andere de “Benin Bronzes” in het British Museum (roofkunst, restanten van weggevaagde samenleving), oude Portugese schilderijen die een pre-racistische maatschappij tonen, met Afrikanen als gelijken, of tekeningen gemaakt door Azteekse kunstenaars van de invasie van de Spaanse Conquistadores.
Het tweede deel, “The Cult of Progress”, bespreekt een aantal kruisbestuivingen tussen veroveraars en veroverde gebieden, later in de geschiedenis, zoals de vanzelfsprekende Gaugin in Tahiti of de invloed van Afrikaanse maskers en beelden op Picasso. Maar ook landschapskunst uit Noord-Amerika of Maori motieven uit Polynesië en nog veel meer.
Het fijne aan dit boek is dat Olusoga verhalen over kunstgeschiedenis samenbrengt vanuit dit unieke perspectief: hoe kunnen we die ontmoeting tussen de oude wereld en de nieuwe wereld nog zien in de kunst uit die periode. Hij schrijft erg helder en met gevoel voor de schoonheid. Er zit ook geen spat rancune in, Olusoga houdt van de kunst van het Europese continent, maar zegt af en toe wel waar het op staat: gepikt is gepikt en vermoord is vermoord. Wat een contrast met zo veel publicisten en academische die wat graag geschiedenis instrumentaliseren in hun “strijd tegen ongelijkheid”. Van culturele appropriatie geen spoor.
Zijn slotzin van het boek vind ik erg memorabel: “Ik heb geprobeerd om de rol, die de kunst gespeeld heeft bij de momenten van contact, interactie en conflict die naar mijn aanvoelen beslissend waren in de laatste 500 jaar, te verkennen. Ik heb dat gedaan … om mezelf en anderen die geïnteresseerd zouden zijn eraan te herinneren dat er maar één menselijke verbeelding is, waarvan alle kunst het product is.” (mijn vertaling)
August 31, 2019
For such a short book, Civilisations is remarkably informative. In the context of the art that was produced by both the visitor and the visited (usually, the coloniser and the colonised), Olusoga distils the prevailing attitudes towards what civilisation ought to be at the time of first contact. Since most of these stories are one of ethnic cleansing by Europeans, it is pretty dark. Books like this, and the exceptional Black and British, are must reads for anyone who wishes to understand the world we live in. I predict that the nostalgic adoration of the lost Empires of Europe will diminish over the coming generations, and accessible books like these have a big role to play.
April 24, 2022
I'm a sucker for books that weave together art with another topic. When they are beautifully illustrated like this one is, and they introduce me to artworks I don't know - as this one does - reading it becomes an experience I really enjoy. The first half of the book where Olusoga explores changing attitudes of the West towards non-Western cultures is definitely the stronger. The first chapter is just brilliant. It focuses on how the art of Benin - not just the Benin Bronzes - demonstrates how the initial European attitude towards the culture of Benin was one of admiration and engagement changed to one of denigration, racism, colonialism and denial (these bronzes were "too good to have been made by Africans"!). The other theme of the first part of the book is how these peoples weren't passive objects of European action, but were themselves carefully engaging with Europe on their own terms - however well or poorly that might have turned out. The story of how Japan (and Japanese art) managed relationships with the Europeans and incorporated European ideas and techniques into their material and aesthetic culture is fascinating, and deserves to be known.
The second part on the idea of progress and its relationship to colonialism is interesting but less engaging. For New Zealand readers there is a short but fascinating chapter on Maori and their portrayal in and use of European portraiture.
I recommend that you read this if you are interested in either non-European Western art history, or the history of colonialism. And introduce yourself to beautiful European and non-European art at the same time.
The second part on the idea of progress and its relationship to colonialism is interesting but less engaging. For New Zealand readers there is a short but fascinating chapter on Maori and their portrayal in and use of European portraiture.
I recommend that you read this if you are interested in either non-European Western art history, or the history of colonialism. And introduce yourself to beautiful European and non-European art at the same time.
October 28, 2018
If you have watched the series. read this book. if you have not watched the series read this book. David Olusoga's writing style is so easy to read and accessible. The topics he cover are unflinching and challenging. Absolute must read for anyone interested in art history or history in general.
July 30, 2024
David Olusoga is a broadcaster whom I very much admire, and has made some great programmes on the legacy of the UK's colonial past, eg "Black and British: A Forgotten History" so I was looking forward to this.
I found there were moments that were genuinely engaging, for example when he covers the looting of cultural treasures by British troops in 1897 from the West African kingdom of Benin, in modern-day Nigeria's Edo state.
Some of these treasures,the Benin bronze masks, were later returned after the publication of this book (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainm...).
David Olusoga points out how these same masks were known and valued by earlier Portuguese traders compared to the British Victorian vandals who were quick to seize them.
But other chapters of this book didn't sparkle with quite the same fire for me,and I found it disappointing that he didn't reference John Berger's 1972 work, eg Ways of Seeing, which was an earlier response to Kenneth Clark's Civilization TV series.
I found there were moments that were genuinely engaging, for example when he covers the looting of cultural treasures by British troops in 1897 from the West African kingdom of Benin, in modern-day Nigeria's Edo state.
Some of these treasures,the Benin bronze masks, were later returned after the publication of this book (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainm...).
David Olusoga points out how these same masks were known and valued by earlier Portuguese traders compared to the British Victorian vandals who were quick to seize them.
But other chapters of this book didn't sparkle with quite the same fire for me,and I found it disappointing that he didn't reference John Berger's 1972 work, eg Ways of Seeing, which was an earlier response to Kenneth Clark's Civilization TV series.
July 16, 2024
A good read, and one of the things that really amazed me was how old Medieval Paris had been ... gentrified for want of a better word ... in the 1850s. I didn't know about this history and was saddened to find that whole neighbourhoods - which included around 20,000 buildings - were demolished and replaced by the modern city. The photograph of this process taken by Charles Marville ... is eerie in the morning fog. The life and achievements of naturalist Maria Merian was also fascinating and her art is gorgeous.
July 27, 2023
I enjoyed this book. I learned some new things - hadn’t known Napoleon had invaded Egypt and thereby started the European obsession with Ancient Egyptian civilisation. Overall I found it a bit disjointed, possibly because it was a TV tie-in and followed the series episode structure. It’s not a patch on Black and British though - and I’ve read all three versions (picture book, shorter kids’ edition and the full-fat original). (Get me!)
January 2, 2019
While Mary Beard’s contribution to the Civilisations series was to raise questions, Olusoga brings a more traditional narrative and argument.
When the “Benin Bronzes” were displayed in London in 1897 British society had difficulty reconciling their ideas of Africans as barbarous with these clear signals of civilisation, yet their Tudor ancestors would have had no such problems. The first book sets out to show that Europe didn’t necessarily mean civilisation: the Portuguese introduction of African and Asian art was seen as astonishing and enlightening; even the brutal Spanish conquest of the Aztecs had voices speaking back; and the Japan was populous, wealth, and militarily formidable enough to be able to decide how to interact with the outside world. Even when the British reappear in India in the final chapter there is a recognition of the “high” nature of Indian culture and art. Olusoga argues that it was only with the late 18th century changes that only cultures that could trace their lineages back to Greece and Rome could be considered truly civilised, that the “singularity” of western civilisation justified expansion, and that neoclassical art was to play a symbolic role.
“The Cult of Progress” looks at the logic that we are more accustomed to (Western civilisation is superior) and brings the reader through ideas of the inevitability of progress (and the associated loss of innocence), the creation of new national myths (particularly in America), and the assumptions about the dying races. But it also shows the fight back through art of the “dying races”, with the Maori an example of being comfortable in both cultures. The story ends with the First World War, the end of civilisation.
I understand that there was a certain amount of frustration with the recent BBC series, and to those people who dismissed the project out of hand it is worthwhile looking to Olusoga’s final words: “I have attempted to explore the role art played in the moments of contact, interaction and conflict that I believe have been defining features of the past half millennium. I have done so not in riposte to Kenneth Clark, an enormously significant cultural figure whom I admire, but to remind myself and those who might be interested, that there is a single human imagination, of which all art is a product.”
Despite some annoyances about the lack of engagement with Islam and the Middle East, I would definitely recommend this to a friend.
When the “Benin Bronzes” were displayed in London in 1897 British society had difficulty reconciling their ideas of Africans as barbarous with these clear signals of civilisation, yet their Tudor ancestors would have had no such problems. The first book sets out to show that Europe didn’t necessarily mean civilisation: the Portuguese introduction of African and Asian art was seen as astonishing and enlightening; even the brutal Spanish conquest of the Aztecs had voices speaking back; and the Japan was populous, wealth, and militarily formidable enough to be able to decide how to interact with the outside world. Even when the British reappear in India in the final chapter there is a recognition of the “high” nature of Indian culture and art. Olusoga argues that it was only with the late 18th century changes that only cultures that could trace their lineages back to Greece and Rome could be considered truly civilised, that the “singularity” of western civilisation justified expansion, and that neoclassical art was to play a symbolic role.
“The Cult of Progress” looks at the logic that we are more accustomed to (Western civilisation is superior) and brings the reader through ideas of the inevitability of progress (and the associated loss of innocence), the creation of new national myths (particularly in America), and the assumptions about the dying races. But it also shows the fight back through art of the “dying races”, with the Maori an example of being comfortable in both cultures. The story ends with the First World War, the end of civilisation.
I understand that there was a certain amount of frustration with the recent BBC series, and to those people who dismissed the project out of hand it is worthwhile looking to Olusoga’s final words: “I have attempted to explore the role art played in the moments of contact, interaction and conflict that I believe have been defining features of the past half millennium. I have done so not in riposte to Kenneth Clark, an enormously significant cultural figure whom I admire, but to remind myself and those who might be interested, that there is a single human imagination, of which all art is a product.”
Despite some annoyances about the lack of engagement with Islam and the Middle East, I would definitely recommend this to a friend.
August 26, 2018
This book accompanies two episodes of the TV series 'Civilisations' that Olusoga presents. These two documentaries are incredible - I had no idea I had any interest in Art History before watching this. It covers art produced pre transatlantic slave trade, showing us a glimpse into a world where the colour of your skin didn't dictate your place in society. It shows art produced by African artists to sell to the Portugese. It covers the spread of Industrialisation, and the end of the myth for the cult of progress with the art of WW1.
The book goes into a bit more detail than the TV series. What you don't get in the documentaries is the Afterword. Here Olusoga cites Clark, the guy who made a TV series called Civilisation (note the lack of plural) 50 years earlier. In his book to accompany his TV series, Clark uses the phrase 'Negro imagination'. This is the quote from Clark, he is comparing an African Mask to a Greek Statue (the Apollo Belvedere).
“Whatever its merits as a work of art, I don’t think there’s any doubt that it [the Apollo Belvedere] embodies a higher state of civilisation than the mask. They both represent spirits, messengers from another world - that is to say, from a world of our imagining. To the Negro imagination it is a world of fear and darkness, ready to inflict horrible punishment for the smallest infringement of a taboo. To the Hellenistic imagination, it is a world of light and confident, in which Gods are like ourselves, only more beautiful, and descend to earth to teach men reason and the always of harmony."
This reads pretty badly to me. Olusoga is pretty kind on Clark's interpretation, giving him a lot of leeway for being born in the Edwardian age, but he destroys this idea that there is some ‘other’ imagination, He ends his book with a reminder = ‘to remind myself and those who might be interested, that there is a single human imagination, of which all art is a product."
The book goes into a bit more detail than the TV series. What you don't get in the documentaries is the Afterword. Here Olusoga cites Clark, the guy who made a TV series called Civilisation (note the lack of plural) 50 years earlier. In his book to accompany his TV series, Clark uses the phrase 'Negro imagination'. This is the quote from Clark, he is comparing an African Mask to a Greek Statue (the Apollo Belvedere).
“Whatever its merits as a work of art, I don’t think there’s any doubt that it [the Apollo Belvedere] embodies a higher state of civilisation than the mask. They both represent spirits, messengers from another world - that is to say, from a world of our imagining. To the Negro imagination it is a world of fear and darkness, ready to inflict horrible punishment for the smallest infringement of a taboo. To the Hellenistic imagination, it is a world of light and confident, in which Gods are like ourselves, only more beautiful, and descend to earth to teach men reason and the always of harmony."
This reads pretty badly to me. Olusoga is pretty kind on Clark's interpretation, giving him a lot of leeway for being born in the Edwardian age, but he destroys this idea that there is some ‘other’ imagination, He ends his book with a reminder = ‘to remind myself and those who might be interested, that there is a single human imagination, of which all art is a product."
July 10, 2023
I was somewhat disappointed by this book. Even though the research behind it can't be doubted and is certainly extensive, I have the feeling that everything was seen through a western (European), male, lens.
In the afterword, the writer notes the importance of not underestimating the art and civilisations of Africa (and other non-european based, I will add) civilisations. But the content dedicated to them is the less than the bare minimum.
We read pages after pages about how colonisation changed european art but almost nothing about how it changed the art of the colonised people. Where is the art of the indigenous people of America? The art of Mexico? Where are Frida Khalo and Diego Rivera? Where is the art of the Maōri? The art of the slaves in the plantations of the New World? How their art was almost eradicated, how did it change? Or do we not care? And that comment at the end of the book that "there is single imagination, of which all art is a product", is it just words?
Another remark I want to make is how distasteful I found the author's choice to include photos of works of art and symbols of civilisations with his face in them. The bronzes of Benin, the pyramids of Giza, the portrait of the Maōri chief Te Rangiotu. A poor choice, to say the least.
(2.5 stars)
In the afterword, the writer notes the importance of not underestimating the art and civilisations of Africa (and other non-european based, I will add) civilisations. But the content dedicated to them is the less than the bare minimum.
We read pages after pages about how colonisation changed european art but almost nothing about how it changed the art of the colonised people. Where is the art of the indigenous people of America? The art of Mexico? Where are Frida Khalo and Diego Rivera? Where is the art of the Maōri? The art of the slaves in the plantations of the New World? How their art was almost eradicated, how did it change? Or do we not care? And that comment at the end of the book that "there is single imagination, of which all art is a product", is it just words?
Another remark I want to make is how distasteful I found the author's choice to include photos of works of art and symbols of civilisations with his face in them. The bronzes of Benin, the pyramids of Giza, the portrait of the Maōri chief Te Rangiotu. A poor choice, to say the least.
(2.5 stars)
February 20, 2021
Guide to how certain cultures and races have been almost eradicated by the wave of colonization and empire building first started by the Spanish Conquistadors. This book moves through the eradication of the Aztec and Inca cultures through the enforced migration of the indigenious peoples of North America via brief looks at how Europe's main countries used indigenious peoples of Africa, Asia and the Americas through slavery and depopulization. This book does it on multiple levels from the masterly prose of David Olusoga to the supporting art from painters such as Manet, Degas, Vermeer and Picasso. The pictures show the evolution of progress in terms of both colonization and empire. Decent book that would be informative for people who like analysis of art to explain the momentum of civilization.
January 1, 2020
This quote, ..."a preordained process of displacement and extermination was playing out across the world" (p.213) sums up much of the book. It's well written, easy to read, and tremendously informative. The history itself, of one culture/people determining they have the right/have been called to remove/replace another culture, is upsetting and immensely sad. Who do people think they are to assume they're better than another race and therefore take control - whether that's by making slaves of some or slaughtering others? Unfortunately, I don't know how much we learned over the years.
July 27, 2018
Sweeping and Broad
This is one of the books based on the recent BBC television series as an updated and broad expansion of the classic Kenneth Clark series. It focuses on the Age of Discovery and the Enlightenment through paintings. A generous number of paintings are shown with a substantial historic commentary. The Kindle Fire version allows the painting size to be easily enlarged which enhances the experience.
This is one of the books based on the recent BBC television series as an updated and broad expansion of the classic Kenneth Clark series. It focuses on the Age of Discovery and the Enlightenment through paintings. A generous number of paintings are shown with a substantial historic commentary. The Kindle Fire version allows the painting size to be easily enlarged which enhances the experience.
October 31, 2018
enjoyed the interpretations of art from other cultures and how art ideas flowed between cultures not just in one direction. Esp appreciated the actual works of art pictured in the book and Olusoga's interpretation of them. I have been intrigued for a while how people from the "west" esp in 1800s used to believe that civilization was flowing to the newly "discovered" lands and how that screwed things up so badly for environment and peoples in lands like here in New Zealand.
November 5, 2020
I enjoyed this beautifully produced and interesting book, looking at civilisations through their art. David Olusoga is a compelling writer and brings a fresh perspective to the history of conquest, colonisation and the art that is destroyed and the art that is created.
July 15, 2023
Taking on the complex idea of civilization -- this book tells a story of history, art, and culture spanning centuries.
I found the book to be a profound page turner, filled with incredibly interesting insights and bold ideas.
The book had two main failings:
- The book doesn't fully close the loop on it's claim. From misinterpreting historical evidence to failing to fully flesh out it's thesis in a more falsifiable fashion -- there are issues with taking this book entirely at face value. I think most of these flaws are in the chapters in which Olusoga discusses the mutual influence between Western and non-Western cultures. But there were also many crimes of omission -- in particular portraying the Dutch as an empire of meek traders without mentioning their acts of conquest and genocide in SE Asia.
- The book ends it's story in 1914; in doing so it tells a neat, cohesive, and well-researched narrative of the Age of Discover and the age of Imperialism. However it doesn't comment on the more current neo-imperialism and the modern ideas and impressions that persist to this day. I felt like this was a disservice, especially as commentary on the modern "cult of progress" would be by far the most informative.
I found the book to be a profound page turner, filled with incredibly interesting insights and bold ideas.
The book had two main failings:
- The book doesn't fully close the loop on it's claim. From misinterpreting historical evidence to failing to fully flesh out it's thesis in a more falsifiable fashion -- there are issues with taking this book entirely at face value. I think most of these flaws are in the chapters in which Olusoga discusses the mutual influence between Western and non-Western cultures. But there were also many crimes of omission -- in particular portraying the Dutch as an empire of meek traders without mentioning their acts of conquest and genocide in SE Asia.
- The book ends it's story in 1914; in doing so it tells a neat, cohesive, and well-researched narrative of the Age of Discover and the age of Imperialism. However it doesn't comment on the more current neo-imperialism and the modern ideas and impressions that persist to this day. I felt like this was a disservice, especially as commentary on the modern "cult of progress" would be by far the most informative.
January 9, 2020
I haven't watched the BBC series on 'Civilisations'...but this well-illustrated but superficial survey of 'culture clashes' raised some questions for my un-civilised, western soul...that it fairly fizzled with the whole debate on our progress towards Civilisation...we all have a long road ahead of us before a global utopia is created.
Me? I'm a primitive down to my bone-marrow...apparently...but I have rejected all religions & political creeds with a sense of relief.
This book is worth an afternoon's perusal & is full of fascinating conjectures & interpretations. Who would have thought that the Japanese characterised the Dutch & English traders in 17th century by their red hair & pale skins?!
Me? I'm a primitive down to my bone-marrow...apparently...but I have rejected all religions & political creeds with a sense of relief.
This book is worth an afternoon's perusal & is full of fascinating conjectures & interpretations. Who would have thought that the Japanese characterised the Dutch & English traders in 17th century by their red hair & pale skins?!
April 15, 2021
I was a little confused when I started this book, because I couldn’t quite grasp what the focus of it was, and the point that David Olusoga was trying to make, but then as you got further into it, it became clearer that he was looking at those initial points of contact between two disparate peoples and how that impacted on the “progress” of each country.
All in all, it was incredibly interesting to look at the first meetings of the people from different cultures and backgrounds and how those meetings were so often very different to what we imagine they would be.
So it’s kind of hopeful to realise that humans haven’t always been enormous assholes.
All in all, it was incredibly interesting to look at the first meetings of the people from different cultures and backgrounds and how those meetings were so often very different to what we imagine they would be.
So it’s kind of hopeful to realise that humans haven’t always been enormous assholes.
April 21, 2025
Despite claiming to show how art 'is key to understanding our histories', this is merely another Eurocentric perspective on cannonised art history that uses the work of Western European artists to understand history from their own perspective. Save for one or two small paragraphs, the surviving work from indigenous people that could actually be used to better understand this period of history and shed light on the 'cult of progress', is entirely ignored, instead non-West and indigenous subjects appear only in the work of these European artists, with their perspectives and experiences conveyed by established colonial narratives.
April 21, 2019
An exciting, lucidly argued, alternative history of an interconnected global culture. It's a similar thesis to "a history of the world in a hundred objects," and an intuitively appealling one... Even if like the earlier 'golden thread' ideas it sets out to challenge it probably obscures as much as it reveals. If there's a weakness it's that the rattling pace doesn't totally give the first and second sections space to link together. I'd have been interested in more details of the art of colonised peoples. Perhaps room for a sequel.
May 8, 2021
Really interesting read. I picked this up at Hay Festival a few years ago and I'm really not sure why I did as its not something I'd usually choose but it was fascinating and Oluslga's writing keeps you interested throughout.
Its pitched at just the right level as well. Informative without ever talking down to the reader.
Make sure you read the Afterword as well where Olusoga respectfully rebuffs some of the old Civilisations series.
All in all a surprisingly wonderful read and I'll be seeking out more of the accompanying books.
Its pitched at just the right level as well. Informative without ever talking down to the reader.
Make sure you read the Afterword as well where Olusoga respectfully rebuffs some of the old Civilisations series.
All in all a surprisingly wonderful read and I'll be seeking out more of the accompanying books.
April 23, 2020
A fascinating exploration of the interface between conqueror and conquered, in terms of art. Olusoga describes the Benin Bronzes causing great mystification when they first appeared in London - how could "savages" create such intricate artworks? Other civilisations are seen through their art, from Mayan and Aztec artefacts to Rembrandt's "The Night Watch", ending with Picasso's "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon".
July 14, 2024
A genuinely interesting account of how globalisation occurred and the timelines between first contact and European settler colonialism.
I loved how Olusoga used art to illustrate this passage of time and the influence cultures had on one another. I wish the focused had continued a little further on this vein, but he was discussing an extremely broad subject in a short book.
I loved how Olusoga used art to illustrate this passage of time and the influence cultures had on one another. I wish the focused had continued a little further on this vein, but he was discussing an extremely broad subject in a short book.
July 22, 2024
From the title, I had thought that this book was more about the myth or evolution of the idea of civilisational progress through the ages and how it was used as a means to justify its ends. Good book nevertheless - easy to read, with nice colour-printed pages and it has some exciting historical facts with a focus on art and cultural from across the world.
December 7, 2024
I think this was meant to accompany a tv series that I didn't watch, but I still found it to be interesting. If you are already familiar with the discipline of world history, there's not much new here. What I did really enjoy was how he tracked the idea of "progress" through art and the publisher spared no expense in ensuring there were excellent color pictures to bring the text to sight.
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