Australian Painting 1788-1970 by Bernard Smith

Book Description

Secondhand. Good condition. Minor wear to book corners and edges. Previous owner has signed inside page, now covered with blank ex libris bookplate sticker. Light foxing to half-title page. Body text has underlining in pencil. Dust jacket has creasing at edges and at spine. Dust jacket is now enclosed in protective covering.

This is the second edition of a book which has become an introductory text on Australian painting. The first edition, published in 1962, concluded with 1960. The new edition brings the story to 1970 and provides a detailed account of the significant changes that radically altered the art scene during that decade.

Four new chapters, comprising 130 pages and 65 illustrations, assess the new situation of the 1960s and provide detailed accounts of the impact of abstract expressionism, pop art, and colour painting upon Australian art.

Painters working within more traditional styles, however, are not neglected. Australian Painting has been written not for specialists but for those seeking a useful and comprehensive introduction to the subject. It should be valuable equally to artists, teachers, scholars, and the general reader.

It discusses the life and achievements of Australia's leading artists and many of its minor ones. All aspects of Australian painting are generously illustrated throughout the text - wherever possible, the work is considered to be illustrated adjacent to the relevant text - and it is believed that the 440 illustrations, over 50 of which are in colour, constitute the most significant selection that has yet been reproduced.

With its authoritative, forthright and attractive text and numerous illustrations, this book is a general introduction to Australian painting and a permanently valuable reference book. (book jacket)