On Quality in Art: Criteria of Excellence, Past and Present (The A. W. Mellon Lectures in the Fine Arts, 13)

An acclaimed art historian explains how to identify excellence in art In this book, Jakob Rosenberg takes up the timeless problem of how to make a valid judgment about artistic quality. In his search for criteria of excellence in art, Rosenberg examines both the achievements and failures of other critics from the Renaissance to modern times, including Giorgio Vasari, Roger de Piles, Sir Joshua Reynolds, Théophile Thoré, and Roger Fry. Drawing vital lessons from these critics’ writings, Rosenberg charts an effective approach to the challenges of judging quality in works of art by analyzing master drawings from the fifteenth to twentieth centuries and comparing them with examples of followers or minor contemporaries. The result is a set of practical criteria that are applicable across diverse periods and styles. Brimming with insights from a legendary art critic and historian, On Quality in Art sheds invaluable light on drawings by artists ranging from Dürer, Raphael, Leonardo, Rubens, Rembrandt, Watteau, Degas, and van Gogh to Matisse, Picasso, and Marin.

An acclaimed art historian explains how to identifyexcellence in art In this book, Jakob Rosenberg takes upthe timeless problem of how to make a valid judgment about artisticquality. In his search for criteria of excellence in art, Rosenbergexamines both the achievements and failures of other critics fromthe Renaissance to modern times, including Giorgio Vasari, Roger dePiles, Sir Joshua Reynolds, Théophile Thoré, and Roger Fry. Drawingvital lessons from these critics' writings, Rosenberg charts aneffective approach to the challenges of judging quality in works ofart by analyzing master drawings from the fifteenth to twentiethcenturies and comparing them with examples of followers or minorcontemporaries. The result is a set of practical criteria that areapplicable across diverse periods and styles. Brimming withinsights from a legendary art critic and historian, On Qualityin Art sheds invaluable light on drawings by artists rangingfrom Dürer, Raphael, Leonardo, Rubens, Rembrandt, Watteau, Degas,and van Gogh to Matisse, Picasso, and Marin.

Cover Title Copyright Contents List of Illustrations Acknowledgments Introduction Quality Judgment in the Past I. The Sixteenth Century II. The Seventeenth Century III. The Eighteenth Century IV. The Nineteenth Century V. The Early Twentieth Century Conclusions Quality Judgment Today VI. Master Drawings of the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries VII. Master Drawings of the Seventeenth to Nineteenth Century VIII. Master Drawings and Prints of the Twentieth Century Conclusions Notes Appendixes I: Roger de Piles II: Théophile Thoré Index