Primitivism, Cubism, Abstraction: The Early Twentieth Century

by Gillian Perry, Francis Frascina, Charles Harrison

This volume presents a survey of art from the first two decades of the twentieth century. The authors begin by exploring how aspects of the primitive were invoked by the rural artists' colonies formed in France and Germany at the end of the nineteenth century and by the work of the Fauves and the German Expressionists a few years later. The book then develops an analysis of Cubist works based on semiotic theory, considering the social and cultural values encoded in such signifying systems, and investigating the relationship between representation and ideology. The final chapter considers some problems of interpretation and evolution posed by specific examples of abstract art ranging from Malevich to Mondrian.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Art History, Cultural

280 pages, Paperback

First published May 26, 1993

Reviews

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

An in depth view into the early 20th century and the rise of modern art. Obviously the focus is on different types of abstraction and the continued reaction against academic art.
For one to understand the art world today, it is absolutely necessary to understand the roots which are outlined in this book. Without a background in the transitional period from the late 1800s to the early to mid 1900s, contemporary art has no context.
However, at times the text can be unnecessarily wordy and cause the reader to lose attention. There are a good variety of examples, both well-known and not too overexposed - which is a welcome change from the usual art history text.
Overall, this is a good departure from the survey text books and gives insight not only to the art, but the cultural and social tensions of the time that led to the artistic revolutions across Europe.