Anthony Blunt (1907–1983)

By all means this is the most awful book on artistic theory I've found. It's packed with hoary old long-discredited generalizations about the medieval and renaissance worldviews. The man was a raving ignoramus. It's positively painful reading.

It's no coincidence, perhaps, that the author, a sometime art historian to Queen Elizabeth, was also a spy for the Soviet union throughout World War II and much of the Cold War. His knighthood was stripped in 1979.

Thus, Anthony Blunt was not only a show more master of the bone-headed cliché, he was also a lousy art historian, and a mincing little commie, to boot. He gets half a star, however, for not writing in crayon. show less

The Pelican History of Art series is full of surprising gems and this book is no exception. It's value lies in the numerous photos and drawings which do not so much accompany the text as provide it with a ground substance on which the author hangs his words. Blunt, former Cold War spy though he might have been, writes with eloquence and verve directly to the artwork. Every picture seems carefully chosen to illustrate his points. Of course, in my older (1973) edition of this book, the show more pictures are in black and white so this isn't exactly a coffee table book but it's an excellent resource for learning about French painting, sculpture and architecture.

Considering that Blunt may have had some communist leanings, given his extracurricular activities, he certainly chose an interesting time period in which to specialize. The book covers the time frame from Charles VIII to Louis XIV, a time when the absolute monarchy in France was at its height. Aristocracy was failing while the merchant classes and the King divvied up the country. Blunt writes the book in eight chapters which roughly divide this time period into equal parts. Each chapter consists of a little historical and artistic context followed by sections on architecture, painting and sculpture. Being partial to architecture, I found those sections most entertaining, although I never could determine which of the two Mansarts (Francois or Hardouin) the Mansart Roof is named after. The various architectural developments of the Loire Chateaus including Blois, Chambord and Chenonceau, are particularly interesting, as Italian influence blends with French to yield a unique national style. The Palace at Versailles is well covered as is the Louvre and a multitude of other monumental buildings, while smaller, less well known but representative structures (Hotels in Paris, for example - not the kind with bell-boys but famous people's houses) are given significant coverage. Painting and sculpture is given equal footing with architecture although here the personalities and works are less well known. The movement from a gothic medieval style to classical renaissance styles in all the arts is well documented here.

The book, while written in an accessible fashion, is not for those completely new to the history of art and architecture. Some knowledge of basic architectural concepts (the classical orders - for example) is assumed and some knowledge of sculpture and painting is likewise useful. It could easily be used as a text for a course but should be accessible to the educated layperson. It contains a useful map of France and extensive end notes, bibliography and index.

This book is fantastic in the well-thought-out interplay between images and text. It would be impossible to read the text in isolation from its illustrations and the illustrations would seem pointless without the text. Don't buy it for your coffee table, buy it for your mind. show less

The book is mediocre, and I'm being kind now. Unlike my esteemed fellow reviewer, I don't see how him having been a spy has any bearing on that though.

El libro ofrece una síntesis rigurosa del desarrollo de las artes en Italia entre 1450 y 1600, abarcando pintura, escultura y arquitectura. Blunt analiza la evolución estilística, los centros artísticos principales, la influencia de los mecenas y la formación de las escuelas regionales. El enfoque combina historia cultural, análisis formal y estudio de fuentes.

Blunt destaca por su capacidad para integrar análisis estilístico y contexto histórico, ofreciendo una visión equilibrada y show more accesible. La traducción de José Luis Checa Cremades mantiene la precisión terminológica del original, mientras que el prólogo de Fernando Checa Cremades aporta una contextualización crítica y una addenda bibliográfica actualizada. La edición de Cátedra, dentro de la serie «Ensayos Arte Cátedra», se caracteriza por su fiabilidad académica y su cuidada presentación. Es una obra de referencia imprescindible para estudiantes y especialistas en historia del arte.

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VALORACIÓN
Puntuación: 5/5.

Razón.- Obra fundamental para el estudio del arte renacentista italiano, escrita por uno de los historiadores del arte más influyentes del siglo XX. La edición de Cátedra (1979) es sólida, con aparato bibliográfico extenso y un prólogo especializado que añade valor académico. La claridad expositiva de Blunt y la amplitud de su análisis justifican la máxima valoración. show less