The Nude: A Study in Ideal Form

Tremendously rich from beginning to end. Each paragraph contains passages of deep critical observation and unexpected connections. The finest book on art history that I've read.

While it's written in a very accessible style, this book is aimed at art historians. If statements like "The ideal form of Apollo scarcely appears again before that false dawn of the Renaissance, Nicola Pisano's pulpit in the Baptistery of Pisa" don't leave you scratching your head about who Pisano was and when that false dawn happened (the book doesn't give even a hint), then you might really get a lot out of it. Amateurs can still enjoy it, but might feel--as I did--that they're missing out on many of Clark's finer points.

I've wanted to read this book for years and years. It is a lovely, coherent history of the artistic nude. It speaks of the meanings of certain poses, how they were used and transformed through the ages. Clark uses lots of photographs to give visual references. A wonderful introduction to the study of art.

Clark is delightful to read and his analysis is fascinating

298 illustrations in b&w