Modern Art: Impression to Post-Modern.

Modern Art: Impression to Post Modern. David Britt, editor. New York: Thames and Hudson, Inc. (800-233-4830), 1999. Illus., softcover, 416 pp., $24.95.

Every major development in the visual arts from the closing decades of the nineteenth century to the present time is covered in depth in this authoritative, well-illustrated survey of paintings and prints. The art produced and the artists discussed are predominately from Western Europe, until the concluding chapters on Abstract-Expressionism, Pop Art and the pluralism of recent decades. Eight essays, each by an art historian or critic with extended knowledge of the art movement discussed, present insights into how a movement emerges and evolves along with relevant historical references. Several of the chapters deal with multiple related movements such as Cubism, Futurism, and Constructivism. Likewise, other chapters examine smaller movements within a major "ism." An example would be discussions of Cobra School and Dubuffet's Art Brut within the context and chapter of Abstract-Expressionism. The book is lavishly illustrated with more than 400 color illustrations. Significant artists are represented with 4-6 examples of their work to provide more meaningful representation of their contribution to the modern movement. Chapter headings not already referred to are: Impressionism, Symbolism and Art Nouveau, Fauvism and Expressionism, and Dada and Surrealism. This book fills an important niche with its comprehensive overview of the major art developments of this century, and the influences that preceded them. Directed mainly to university level and above, the book would also be a worthwhile reference volume for serious secondary school students.