Styles, Schools and Movements: The Essential Encyclopaedic Guide to Modern Art

Synopsis

Styles, Schools and Movements offers a clear and lively guide to the movements in modern art. A unique visual map of the whole period in the form of an eight page fold-out is followed by articles on 100 of the most significant movements of the modern period, with briefer entries on 200 more. To bring out the interconnections and patterns of influence, the articles are arranged in chronological order, divided into five major periods. The articles crisply narrate the rise and impact of each style, the locale and historical background, the work and lives of the leading figures, the manifestos and the exhibitions, the judgments of the critics and the delight or outrage of the general public. The ideas behind the styles are discussed, and each article is supplemented by suggestions for further reading and where to see major collections of the art works. Special emphasis is given to the illustrations, many of which are in colour, which show what standard dictionary entries often fail to, the distinctive visual features of the art itself. Arranged with plentiful cross references, the texts and illustrations allow the reader to trace fascinating patterns of influence and reaction - across time, place and media - through the whole period. 1860-1900: Rise of the Avant Gardes; 1900-1918: Modernisms for a Modern World; 1918-1945: The Search for a New Order; 1945-1960: A New Disorder 1960-2000: Beyond the Avant Gardes; 200 Key Styles: A Dictionary