What do you think?
Rate this book
Sensations: The Story of British Art from Hogarth to Banksy
What is the artistic impulse uniting Robert Hooke's drawings of insects, George Stubbs's studies of horses, and Damien Hirst's pickled shark? In this new and spirited account of British art, Jonathan Jones argues for empiricism. From the Enlightenment to the present, British artists have shared a passion for looking hard at the world around them. Jones shows how this zeal for precision and careful observation paved the way for Realism, Impressionism, and the birth of modern art
- GenresArt
336 pages, Hardcover
Published April 23, 2019
3 people are currently reading
59 people want to read
About the author
Jonathan Jones
185 books8 followersJONATHAN JONES is art critic for The Guardian and writes for numerous art magazines. He appears regularly on the BBC and gives talks at the Tate Modern.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 26, 2019
As a passionate art lover and British art, in particular, this looked to be an excellent, information-rich text featuring some of the most remarkable British authors from right across the spectrum. However, I would say that it's almost essential to have a knowledge of British and wider European history in order to properly understand the context of some of the pieces. This is a book that is very thorough but ultimately its success is dependent on subjective views on who should/should not have been included, so it may be worth checking out the artists featured before purchasing to make sure it suits your tastes.
It explores their works in terms of the cultural, political, societal, philosophical and scientific ideas around at the time of creation which gives a completely different insight into these pieces, and the accompanying illustrations are simply stunning. It is full of thorough history and analysis which goes beyond the norm and makes this is a fascinating read. Recommended to art connoisseurs or those wanting to know more about the inspiration and background of certain iconic British pieces.
It explores their works in terms of the cultural, political, societal, philosophical and scientific ideas around at the time of creation which gives a completely different insight into these pieces, and the accompanying illustrations are simply stunning. It is full of thorough history and analysis which goes beyond the norm and makes this is a fascinating read. Recommended to art connoisseurs or those wanting to know more about the inspiration and background of certain iconic British pieces.
July 31, 2021
Отличная книга про британское искусство, несмотря на то, что не читается на одном дыхании. И, похоже, сам автор достаточно критически относится к искусству Альбиона. Но он отлично вплетает художников и их картины в исторический и социальный контексты, умело увязывает с развитием науки и технологий. Отдельные плюсы: прекрасные и многочисленные иллюстрации, очень высокое качество самого издания и хороший перевод. Из минусов: некоторые художники обсуждаются долго и нудновато, о других упоминается вскользь. И ещё Джонс похоже не в восторге от моих любимых прерафаэлитов 😁😁
May 26, 2020
Sensations by Jonathan Jones is at first sight a monster project, nothing less than a critique of the entirety of British art. But in the introduction the author makes clear that the project does not pretend to be encyclopaedic. Instead an agenda is set whereby the author will highlight only significant artists and their work, those with are both outstanding artistic achievements in themselves but which also offer signposts to significant societal, attitudinal and scientific change. This will be art history with a stress on the history.
The book begins by dismissing almost everything before the eighteenth century. If there existed great British art before then, it is lost. It might be concluded, however, that we will not be looking at architecture. Anyone who might have seen the pre-Reformation altarpiece on show in the Capodimonte in Naples will be in no doubt that great British art from before the seventeenth century does exist, but they would also agree that there remains so little of it that is hardly even receives an occasional glance, let alone acknowledgement. And most of the rest is by the procession of foreigners that dominated that seventeenth century. Personally, I feel that Hilliard might well have figured somewhere in the discussion of the sixteenth century, however. Perhaps his work was simply too adulatory or represented an understanding of the universe that was pre-rational, and thus did not fit with the book’s overall premise.
Thus, Jonathan Jones starts with Hogarth. And thus, we appreciate that the approach will concentrate as much on the content of the work, alongside its social and historical context as on the artistic style, expression or aesthetic. This approach does work and does deliver a narrative that is regularly astonishing in its insight and erudition. It does, however, sometimes seem to suggest that the object may have been chosen for the opportunity it presents for an assembly of asides, rather than on its merit as an artwork. But this is a criticism that only really arises later in the book. It does also raise the argument as to whether art is primarily derivative of external experience or whether it can be generated from internal insight. It seems that from the start Jonathan Jones is siding with Hume, whom he quotes early in the text.
Hogarth figures large, of course, with his gin versus beer and his observation of social mores, hypocrisy and economic realities via Marriage a la Mode and The Rake’s Progress. But Gainsborough also takes centre stage, though not for his social comment, but because he represented the development of art as commerce. One wonders how he would have figured, considered either commercially or ideologically, if he had been born much later.
The names that follow are to be expected: Reynolds, Wright of Derby, Constable and Turner. The landmarks are also often rather predictable: planetary motion, gravity, colour separation, an industrial revolution, steam, Empire, prosperity, consumerism, evolution. But this is no mere list, since every artist or achievement is linked in ways that create real insights into what we see. Jonathan Jones makes much, for instance, of Turner’s identity and assumptions being rooted in a Georgian age devoted to pleasure, rather than a Victorian one associated with pride, self-congratulation and probably hypocrisy.
In fact, the author singles out the Victorian age as where it again all went wrong for British art. He clearly has some time for Morris, especially his political ideals, but not much for his attempts to attain them. He rather dismisses the pre-Raphaelites as sentimentalists, exemplars of everything that we now see as wrong with their age. None of Burne-Jones, the icon of the age Lord Leighton, or Watts seem worthy even of consideration. There is a brief flowering of conscience during and immediately after World War One, but it is not until Bacon that the author finds a new voice worthy of attention. And Bacon leads to Freud who is seen as a vast figure, but oddly, not as an import. Moore is seen as derivative, whereas Hepworth is worth a mention. Bloomsbury is dismissed.
There is a procession of younger artists towards the end of the book, but the author’s jury seems to be out in most cases. He seems revolted by the calculatedly commercial, but yet strangely attracted to self-promotion, irrespective of evidence of talent. An analysis of these ideas in relation to the contemporary art scene would surely have been revealing. But then this was a big enough project already, and its rewards are perhaps enhanced by Jonathan Jones’s tendency to understate, rather than over-elaborate.
The book begins by dismissing almost everything before the eighteenth century. If there existed great British art before then, it is lost. It might be concluded, however, that we will not be looking at architecture. Anyone who might have seen the pre-Reformation altarpiece on show in the Capodimonte in Naples will be in no doubt that great British art from before the seventeenth century does exist, but they would also agree that there remains so little of it that is hardly even receives an occasional glance, let alone acknowledgement. And most of the rest is by the procession of foreigners that dominated that seventeenth century. Personally, I feel that Hilliard might well have figured somewhere in the discussion of the sixteenth century, however. Perhaps his work was simply too adulatory or represented an understanding of the universe that was pre-rational, and thus did not fit with the book’s overall premise.
Thus, Jonathan Jones starts with Hogarth. And thus, we appreciate that the approach will concentrate as much on the content of the work, alongside its social and historical context as on the artistic style, expression or aesthetic. This approach does work and does deliver a narrative that is regularly astonishing in its insight and erudition. It does, however, sometimes seem to suggest that the object may have been chosen for the opportunity it presents for an assembly of asides, rather than on its merit as an artwork. But this is a criticism that only really arises later in the book. It does also raise the argument as to whether art is primarily derivative of external experience or whether it can be generated from internal insight. It seems that from the start Jonathan Jones is siding with Hume, whom he quotes early in the text.
Hogarth figures large, of course, with his gin versus beer and his observation of social mores, hypocrisy and economic realities via Marriage a la Mode and The Rake’s Progress. But Gainsborough also takes centre stage, though not for his social comment, but because he represented the development of art as commerce. One wonders how he would have figured, considered either commercially or ideologically, if he had been born much later.
The names that follow are to be expected: Reynolds, Wright of Derby, Constable and Turner. The landmarks are also often rather predictable: planetary motion, gravity, colour separation, an industrial revolution, steam, Empire, prosperity, consumerism, evolution. But this is no mere list, since every artist or achievement is linked in ways that create real insights into what we see. Jonathan Jones makes much, for instance, of Turner’s identity and assumptions being rooted in a Georgian age devoted to pleasure, rather than a Victorian one associated with pride, self-congratulation and probably hypocrisy.
In fact, the author singles out the Victorian age as where it again all went wrong for British art. He clearly has some time for Morris, especially his political ideals, but not much for his attempts to attain them. He rather dismisses the pre-Raphaelites as sentimentalists, exemplars of everything that we now see as wrong with their age. None of Burne-Jones, the icon of the age Lord Leighton, or Watts seem worthy even of consideration. There is a brief flowering of conscience during and immediately after World War One, but it is not until Bacon that the author finds a new voice worthy of attention. And Bacon leads to Freud who is seen as a vast figure, but oddly, not as an import. Moore is seen as derivative, whereas Hepworth is worth a mention. Bloomsbury is dismissed.
There is a procession of younger artists towards the end of the book, but the author’s jury seems to be out in most cases. He seems revolted by the calculatedly commercial, but yet strangely attracted to self-promotion, irrespective of evidence of talent. An analysis of these ideas in relation to the contemporary art scene would surely have been revealing. But then this was a big enough project already, and its rewards are perhaps enhanced by Jonathan Jones’s tendency to understate, rather than over-elaborate.
April 19, 2021
Extremely interesting, a complete - and enjoyable - history of English painting and its evolution.
The author manages to link Lucian Freud to Stubbs and Banksy to Hogarth.
I only wish it had even more illustrations but if you have internet you can see the artworks easily.
The author manages to link Lucian Freud to Stubbs and Banksy to Hogarth.
I only wish it had even more illustrations but if you have internet you can see the artworks easily.
May 10, 2019
This is a very interesting book that treats some arguments and through the artworks of British artists tells us some interesting facts and stories in various time periods. A good knowledge of British and European history is recommended in order to appreciate the very informative and rich text. What I did not like is the choice of the artists included. Beginning with the very discutable art of Hirst, the sickening paintings of Bacon and the very overrated Hockney (any serious art student can paint like that and better). OK for Hogarth, Lucian Freud, William Blake, Turner and others, but why have you not included painters like Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema or Lord Frederic Leighton for example and some more paintings from the pre-Raphaelites. From the cover I expected more of the astonishing artworks of realist painters and especially more portraits like those in the National Portrait Gallery. It seems to me that the preference went to dramatic, satyrical, shocking or in some cases actually ugly artworks. Is beauty boring?
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews