Overview

""When an extremely intellectual, extremely experienced, extremely wise man shares his thoughts with others, the result seizes the imagination at once. Such is the effect of these essays, a series given as lectures at the National Gallery in 1973. Mr. Barzun examines art as religion, as destroyer, as redeemer, and in relation to what he calls ""its temper, science"", but never forgets the basic essential. As he says, ""the last word on art should indeed be: mystery. But that need not stop any of us from dealing with it as if we understood more than we can"". And how good it is to have one's mind stretched to that understanding of ""more.""""--Virginia Quarterly Review

Full Product Details

9780691018041

Table of Contents

Reviews

When an extremely intellectual, extremely experienced, extremely wise man shares his thoughts with others, the result seizes the imagination at once. Such is the effect of these essays. . . . Barzun examines art as religion, as destroyer, as redeemer, and in relation to what he calls 'its tempter, science,' but never forgets the basic essential. As he says, 'the last word on art should indeed be: mystery. But that need not stop any of us from dealing with it as if we understood more than we can.' And how good it is to have one's mind stretched to that understanding of 'more.' * Virginia Quarterly Review *

""When an extremely intellectual, extremely experienced, extremely wise man shares his thoughts with others, the result seizes the imagination at once. Such is the effect of these essays. . . . Barzun examines art as religion, as destroyer, as redeemer, and in relation to what he calls ‘its tempter, science,’ but never forgets the basic essential. As he says, ‘the last word on art should indeed be: mystery. But that need not stop any of us from dealing with it as if we understood more than we can.’ And how good it is to have one’s mind stretched to that understanding of ‘more.’"" * Virginia Quarterly Review *

These six lectures, delivered at the National Gallery in Washington last year, explore the conventionally accepted functions of Art: religious, redemptive, destructive, revolutionary, and the validity of that great enigma, Art for Art's sake. While the author is most comfortable drawing his examples from the world of painting, his arguments and theories are applied to all forms of Art, his conclusions are pertinent to all media. As critic, Barzun is not afraid to state his opinions, and while his prose borders on the pedantic, seldom does he lose sight of the distinction between opinion and interpretation. While one might not always agree with his premises, the arguments are logically constructed and seldom is the reader asked to take a point on faith. Barzun's conclusions about Art, that it is not a separate entity, that the artist is not sacred, and that Art that scorns or hates its public is of little value, are reassuring points of view in our emperor's new clothes age of art criticism. (Kirkus Reviews)

"""When an extremely intellectual, extremely experienced, extremely wise man shares his thoughts with others, the result seizes the imagination at once. Such is the effect of these essays. . . . Barzun examines art as religion, as destroyer, as redeemer, and in relation to what he calls ‘its tempter, science,’ but never forgets the basic essential. As he says, ‘the last word on art should indeed be: mystery. But that need not stop any of us from dealing with it as if we understood more than we can.’ And how good it is to have one’s mind stretched to that understanding of ‘more.’"" * Virginia Quarterly Review *"

When an extremely intellectual, extremely experienced, extremely wise man shares his thoughts with others , the result seizes the imagination at once. Such is the effect of these essays. . . . Barzun examines art as religion, as destroyer, as redeemer, and in relation to what he calls 'its tempter, science,' but never forgets the basic essential. As he says, 'the last word on art should indeed be: mystery. But that need not stop any of us from dealing with it as if we understood more than we can.' And how good it is to have one's mind stretched to that understanding of 'more.' * Virginia Quarterly Review *

Author Information

Jacques Barzun (19072012) was professor of history at Columbia University and the author of many books, including the bestselling From Dawn to Decadence: 500 Years of Western Cultural Life, 1500 to the Present; Simple and Direct; The Energies of Art; and The House of Intellect.

Tab Content 6

Countries Available