Courbet's Realism

by Michael Fried

"'This book,' Michael Fried's work opens, 'was written not so much chapter by chapter as painting by painting over a span of roughly ten years.' Courbet's Realism is a magnificent work and its very first sentence brings us up against the qualities of mind of its author, qualities that make it as impressive as it is. It allows us to reconstruct the keen eye, the commitment to perception, the gift of rapt concentration, the conviction that great paintings are not necessarily understood easily, and the further conviction that a great painter deserves to get from us as good as he gives. By drawing on these qualities, Fried achieves something out of reach for all but a handful of his colleagues. In his writing, art history takes on some of the character of art itself. It is driven by the same stubborn resolve to open our eyes."€”Richard Wollheim, San Francisco Review of BooksCourbet's Realism is clearly a major contribution to the highly active field of

Genres: Art History, Art, Nonfiction

396 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

Reviews

[Neil Miley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the book mind-bending, but worth the read. The discussion of theatricality and the artist's relationship to the painting was very interesting and sustained me when I was struggling to find Fried's reasoning. A good book for artists.