Writers
on Artists is a beautifully produced interesting coffee-table book for
people who are ready for some substantial discussion of art. The idea of the book is collects together 39
excellent writers thoughts about great or prominent artists. Most of the writers are British, and may be
less familiar to American readers. 
There’s Craig Riane on Georges Seurat, Seamus Heaney on Barrie Cooke,
Julian Barnes on Edgar Degas, and Sister Wendy Beckett on Salvador Dali. Some of the writers are more famous for work
in other media: David Bowie on Travey Emin and David Hockney on Pablo Picasso. Some of the pieces, such as Richard Wollheim
on David Hockney, are serious and scholarly, while others are more
conversational in tone; such as Will Self on Damien Hirst, which is the meeting
of two egoists who love to create a stir. 
Some pieces are very short – Andrew Motion writes two pages of poetry on
Duane Hanson; others are longer – Martin Gayford writes 16 pages on Jackson
Pollock. All the pieces are very nicely
illustrated, with well-chosen examples of the artists’ work, and the quality of
reproduction compares well with other art books.

Of course, some
pieces are more interesting than others, and I certainly have my
favorites. I was thrilled to read Nick
Hornby on the photographer Richard Billingham, whose book Ray’s
a Laugh pictures his dysfunctional family in their home. Billingham’s father is an alcoholic, and the
photographs show him passed out sitting next to a toilet or throwing the family
cat through the air. Billingham’s
mother stands up for herself, and one picture shows her fighting and getting the
best of her husband. Hornby’s writing on
these photographs is clear and compassionate. 
Other writers make one want to know more about the artists; Ian
MacMillan writes a letter to filmmaker Harmony Korine, bringing the themes of
those films alive; Phillip Hensher does a good job at setting out the issues in
interpreting Cy Twombly, and most of the pieces do a good job at introducing
artists who will probably be unfamiliar to many readers.

The general
public does not know much about modern art, and is often hostile towards
notorious cases of art. Often academic
art theory is unreadable or so pretentious as to be off-putting to even the
most sympathetic reader. The great
strength of this book is to find writers who can find language to describe and
discuss these works of art that can speak to a larger audience and articulate
why these artists are important to cultural life today. It should appeal to a wide range of readers.

© 2002 Christian Perring. First Serial Rights.

Christian Perring,
Ph.D., is Chair of the Philosophy Department at Dowling College,
Long Island. He is editor of Metapsychology Online Review.
His main research is on philosophical issues in psychiatry.
He is especially interested in exploring how philosophers can
play a greater role in public life, and he is keen to help foster
communication between philosophers, mental health professionals,
and the general public.

Categories: ArtAndPhotography