Having devoted yesterday’s post to a discussion of the work of Antony Gormley (responding to criticism of him by Lanny May Freedman) by coincidence I opened this month’s edition of Apollo magazine this morning to find an article about him.* It is interesting to find both a measure of agreement (if only implied) between the … Read more
I’ve just finished reading the section in Lanny May Freedman’s book What Happened to Art? in which she discusses the work of Antony Gormley. It certainly gave me pause for thought, for several reasons. The primary focus of her critique is the language in which Gormley describes his own work, finding his style overblown and, … Read more
It’s a good question. I’ve decided that it isn’t necessarily one that simply reflects back at you your own ideas. It is far more interesting to read a book which challenges you to think about things for yourself. This is certainly the case with Lanny May Freedman’s What happened to art? which I’m reading at … Read more
The more I get into Lanny May Freedman’s What Happened to Art? the more irritated I get. It does seem to be turning, in some respects, into a classic compendium of fuddy-duddyism. A primary target of her anger appears to be “conceptual art”. Now, I have sometimes wondered why “conceptual art” needs a special label, … Read more
A good friend and fellow artist has loaned me a book, with his recommendation. It is What Happened to Art? by Lanny May Freedman, and I suppose its purpose could be summarised as a survey of the changes that have happened to western art since the Great War, and especially since 1945. Although I am … Read more