Reading the 20th Century discussion

Welcome to our September Mod Read: What Are You Looking At?: 150 Years of Modern Art in a Nutshell by Will Gompertz

What is modern art? Why do we either love it or loathe it? And why is it worth so much damn money? Join Will Gompertz on a dazzling tour that will change the way you look at modern art forever. From Monet's water lilies to Van Gogh's sunflowers, from Warhol's soup cans to Hirst's pickled shark, hear the stories behind the masterpieces, meet the artists as they really were, and discover the real point of modern art.

You will learn that Picasso is king (but Cézanne is better); Pollock is no drip; Dali painted with his moustache; a urinal changed the course of art, why your 5-year-old really couldn't do it. Refreshing, irreverent and always straightforward, What Are You Looking At? cuts through the pretentious art speak and asks all the basic questions that you were too afraid to ask. Your next gallery trip is going to be a little less intimidating and a lot more interesting.

This book is essential reading for sceptics, art lovers, and the millions of us who visit art galleries every year - and are confused. It will also be enjoyed by readers of The Story of Art by E.H. Gombrich and is a perfect primer to the subject for the student or beginner.

Will Gompertz is the BBC Arts Editor and probably the world's first art history stand-up comedian. He was a Director at the Tate Gallery for 7 years. He has a particular interest in modern art and has written about the arts for The Times and the Guardian for over 20 years. In 2009, he wrote and performed a sell-out one-man comedy show about modern art at the Edinburgh Festival. He was recently voted one of the world's top 50 creative thinkers by New York's Creativity Magazine.

Welcome to our Mod read of What are you Looking at? Who is reading this one?

I’m 72 pages in and I’m thoroughly enjoying this ride through 150 years of modern art.

Will Gompertz is the perfect guide. Playful and humorous whilst also wearing his considerable knowledge lightly.

It reads more like a novel than a non fiction work.

I anticipate I’m going to learn a lot whilst being entertained.

What more can a reader ask for?

Highly recommended

I am about to start this - which makes three books being read at the same pace for Goodreads Group Reads.

Who do you think Gompertz is referring to....


In Gompertz’s opinion the one who is the greatest artist of the entire modern movement

The man Picasso called “the father of us all”


Anyone care to hazard a guess?


Still thoroughly enjoying this book

I could be way off here... but will hazard a guess of Cezanne?

... and that's principally because we've been talking about him and Manet over on the Zola thread as they were all friends - much info courtesy of Elizabeth :)

ps. Nigeyb, you might be interested in Zola's The Masterpiece - I haven't read it but listened to a BBC radio dramatization of it recently. Of course, I might be on completely the wrong track with my answer!

Yes!


Paul Cezanne!

Roman Clodia wins this week’s star prize

Thanks for the recommendation too

I will be reading this one but haven't started it yet - looking forward to it though.

I have read quite a lot of this one; I'm at chapter nine. So far, it has had me doing some slightly odd internet searches, such as staring at stock images of The Statue of Liberty to see if she has a visible nipple. (That is supposed to be a 'teaser' to encourage you to read on.) Chapter nine starts the discussion of abstract or non-figurative art, which is where any knowledge I thought I had of modern art runs out.

I am still with the Impressionists, but it is an interesting overlap with The Portrait (which we will also have a Group/buddy read), where the narrator is also talking about Impressionism.

I recently obtained a copy of The Masterpiece, not because of the BBC, but because of the subject. Keen to read it!

Will Gompertz has explained one thing I definitely didn't understand before.

What was that Val?

I thought it might be a spoiler if I elaborated, but (view spoiler)[why Rothko's coloured squares mean something completely different to Malevich's or Rodchenko's coloured squares. I used to suspect that Rothko was a pretentious tw*t, now I wonder if he was being deliberately obscure to avoid drawing suspicion from the Committee for Un-American Affairs. (hide spoiler)].

P.S. I prefer Mondrian's to either; he also helps explain why I do.

Thanks Val. I can’t see spoilers on the phone app so will reveal it in a few days when I Sam next at a computer

I want people to read the whole book Nigey, or I would remove the spoiler tags and let you out of your suspense.

Thanks Val


I’m certainly in for the entire book

Not much reading time at the moment though

I don't know if you're planning to or have read Life Class, our group read, but there are interesting themes about the relevancy of art during WW1, and about technical skill vs. 'honesty'. From what I remember, they become more developed in the second book Toby's Room.

I will be, when I get to it. I liked Toby's Room.

I've started this now and am enjoying Gompertz's breezy writing style - I think I'm going to learn a lot.

I am enjoying it - and learning a lot. It's useful being on Kindle so that I can easily search for the paintings etc that are not included as illustrations in the book.

It's an interesting companion piece to The Portrait, too, filling in background which would otherwise be unclear.

I'm also reading on Kindle, and finding the same - it's very useful to be able to search for art works which are mentioned.

I'm reading a library hardback, but have my laptop beside me so I can look up the art works.

I’m currently enjoying the rivalry between Matisse and Picasso, and how the Steins were so supportive of both

Agree that looking up each artwork is essential. I have the paperback edition which has colour plates for about 30-40% of the artworks WG discusses

Val - good idea! The Gombrich is good because the small edition that I have, contains pictures of what he is talking about and doesn't assume that you do know.

Just located a library copy of this. I should know some of the art without looking them up. Before I qualified to be a Librarian, I was an art student...a few decades ago. So this will test my memory!

Nigeyb - Ahh! I have the hardback edition.

I studied The Story of Art when I did history of art for part of my General Studies A-level at school more than 40 years ago and remember it as excellent.

I loved the story of Picasso’s banquet for Henri Rousseau

I love that I am the perfect Target Reader for a non-fiction book.

Blimey, I was extremely surprised by The Origin of the World by Gustave Courbet - I had no idea that anything that sexually explicit was painted in 1866!

I'm onto Cubism now...


...and Picasso's remarkable Les Desmoiselles d'Avignon (1907)

I hadn't known his 'interesting side fact'; I'd always assumed they were from Avignon, Vaucluse department, France, but it makes sense.

Me too. You live and learn eh Val?

I'm earlier in the book, still on the Impressionists, who are probably my favourites.

Earlier still, I was interested to see that the famous Salon des Refusés came about by royal command from Napoleon III - the Wikipedia page for the event features a striking painting by Whistler, Symphony in White, No. 1: The White Girl.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salon_d...

I hoped to find a site with more of the paintings from the Salon des Refusés but haven't managed to so far.

No, I couldn't find one either Judy. I don't there is a site which shows them as a collection (although you could look for a site which lists the paintings and then look them all up individually).

Thanks for looking Val! That's a good idea about looking for a site that lists the paintings.

This week's episode of Michael Portillo's Continental Railway Journeys saw him in Sicily with a 1930s edition, so in the Fascist era. He visited the Post Office in Palermo, a very fascist/futurist building, with paintings by Benedetta Cappa, wife of Marinetti, the founder of the Futurist movement.

It is strange how often you can apply knowledge recently acquired!

Yes indeed.


And how often one thing leads to another

I just got on to the book's discussion of The Dance Class by Degas, and was confused by the mention of a small dog, as the reproductions I found online to start with did not include a dog. I then realised he had painted more than one painting with the same title - this is the one with the dog, discussed in the text:
https://www.beverlyamitchell.com/the-...

And this is the one without:

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collect...

Just in case anyone else was wondering where the dog had gone!

And the girl scratching her back - who is in the one with the dog. I got the right one first time, so wasn't confused by that (but have been by other paintings, where google provided another, that didn't seem to match the book description.

Fascinating how the Constructavists gave the Soviet utopian ideals of communism a look that was instantly recognisable, confidently assertive and psychologically powerful.

Nigeyb wrote: "Fascinating how the Constructavists gave the Soviet utopian ideals of communism a look that was instantly recognisable, confidently assertive and psychologically powerful."
Now you probably understand my cryptic spoiler Nigey.

Ah. Yes

I read the chapter on Bauhaus last night - really interesting


As the cover of my edition states, Will Gompertz is the best teacher you never had

Is there a TV series of this, does anyone know? I keep feeling it would be brilliant to watch him presenting a version of the book and see all the paintings, rather than having to search for them online.

Answering my own question... I've just had a look and there doesn't seem to be a TV series, but here is a brief clip of him talking about his book:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3MZf...

I think the BBC should have done a series based on this - he's their arts editor, for goodness sake.

While looking up Gompertz, I came across this fantastic one-liner: "Will is the first Butlin's Red Coat to become Head of Media at the Tate."

Great quote - and yes, where’s the TV series?