Art Firsts: The Story of Art in 30 Pioneering Works

by Nick Trend

The story of art is not always the story of art-historical 'isms' and complex academic debate. The real history is often the story of some very simple firsts - the first time an artist painted themselves, the first time someone painted a smile, the first actual place to be depicted, the first feminist artwork, the first anti-war work.

Art evolves and revolutionises itself through these simple - but ground-breaking - creative leaps. Art Firsts brings together 30 of these pioneering firsts to piece together an original approach to looking at and appreciating art, as well as understanding where it has come from and how it relates to you. Each first is approachable and engaging, while each work is simply and satisfyingly explained. Every work is also fully illustrated, and its significance is shown through images of the subsequent artists directly inspired by them. Art Firsts offers a refreshing and fascinating narrative for those curious about why so-called 'masterpieces' are so important and how the story of art can be boiled down to flashes of fascinating brilliance.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction

208 pages, Paperback

Published June 20, 2023

Reviews

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the background about The Scream, citing a note from Munch's diary:

I was walking along the road with two friends - the sun went down - I felt a gust of melancholy - suddenly the sky turned a bloody red. I stopped, leaned against the railing, tired to death - as the flaming skies hung like blood and sword over the blue-black fjord and the city - my friends went on - I stood there trembling with anxiety - and I felt a vast infinite scream through nature.

I want to remember the propaganda painting Ruby Loftus Screwing a Breech-ring by Laura Knight.

I appreciate that the creator is clear that this is Western art and also pulls from a variety of time periods.

[Ryan Reese · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a decent quick hitter on some art history; however, I wish that there was a tad more study and examination of the works highlighted within. It felt a bit too "Wikipedia" in the end. I did enjoy some of the categories the author chose, and I have to say I learned a few things a long the way. Decent.

[A · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fantastic book! Initially picked this up thinking it would be a great coffee table book and nice to look at, which it was, but it's so much more than that. The organization was everything!

I loved how it broke each topic/theme down with the first known artwork but then also incorporating often more well known contemporary pieces and artists. All art was considered modern at a certain point in time.

If you find art history overwhelming like me, this is a great starting point.

[Tabish Khan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Art history books have a tendency to be informative but rather dry. This one bucks the trend by keeping it snappy with a few pages on each topic - telling the history of art from the first kiss depicted in art through to the first anti-war painting and the first portrait of a Black person in Western art.

Each short chapter also references more recent works on the same theme so it also dips into Modern and Contemporary Art. It's a read that you can find fascinating even if you're new to art history.

[Calvyn]

An interesting, fun read about various "firsts" in art."

Grouped by related topic and then seb-divided into Firsts; the 3-5 page chapters include --

First Abstract
First Feminist
First Anti-War
First Kiss

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun concept.
I came in knowing 0 things about art history and felt like I learned a lot and enjoyed doing so. I was confused why they bothered to include 1 or 2 of the pieces... because there came too big of an emphasis on the disclaimer that it wasn't actually "the first".

[Mbur · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun to glance through what were perceived as the 'firsts,' from the first nudes painting, the first selfie, first landscape painting, to the first female painter. Covers 3-5 artists/paintings per topic.

[Julie Akeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book on a short excursion through art history.

[harper · Rating 4 out of 5]

fun!! i love art

[Neo · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Martha Courtauld · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun !

[moon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting read, but aggressively Eurocentric and seems to outright ignore the artistic innovations of other cultures. Bothered me enough to significantly dampen my reading experience.