Portraits

John Berger on Artists

by John Berger

This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.

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Pub Date Nov 24 2015 | Archive Date Oct 27 2015

Verso Books (US) | Verso

Arts & Photography | Nonfiction (Adult)

Description

A major new book from one of the world’s leading writers and art critics

John Berger, one of the world’s most celebrated art writers, takes us through centuries of drawing and painting, revealing his lifelong fascination with a diverse cast of artists. In Portraits, Berger grounds the artists in their historical milieu in revolutionary ways, whether enlarging on the prehistoric paintings of the Chauvet caves or Cy Twombly’s linguistic and pictorial play.

In penetrating and singular prose, Berger presents entirely new ways of thinking about artists both canonized and obscure, from Rembrandt to Henry Moore, Jackson Pollock to Picasso. Throughout, Berger maintains the essential connection between politics, art and the wider study of culture. The result is an illuminating walk through many centuries of visual culture, from one of the contemporary world’s most incisive critical voices.

Advance Praise

“John Berger teaches us how to think, how to feel, how to stare at things till we see what we thought wasn’t there. But above all he teaches us how to love in the face of adversity. He is a master.”
—Arundhati Roy, author of The God of Small Things

“In this extraordinary new work, John Berger embarks on a process of re-discovery and re-figuring of history through the visual narratives given to us by portraiture. Berger’s ability for storytelling is both incisive and intriguing. He is one of the greatest writers of our time.”
—Hans Ulrich Obrist, author of Ways of Curating

“I admire and love John Berger’s books ... Not since Lawrence has there been a writer who offers such attentiveness to the sensual world with responsiveness to the imperatives of conscience. He is a wonderful artist and thinker.”
—Susan Sontag

“One of the most influential intellectuals of our time.
—Sean O'Hagan, Observer

“Berger is a writer one demands to know more about ... an intriguing and powerful mind and talent.”
—New York Times