Believing Is Seeing: Creating the Culture of Art

by Mary Anne Staniszewski

Why are the paleolithic Venus of Willendorf, Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel frescoes, and Marcel Duchamp's ready-made urinal all considered works of art? Why, strictly speaking, is a Cindy Sherman photograph more "art-like" than a Da Vinci portrait? How did the painters and sculptors of the Renaissance see their creations? And who decides what art is today? In the tradition of Marshall McLuhan and John Berger, this learned and deliciously subversive book gives us a new way of seeing our artistic heritage. Believing Is Seeing is a work of multicultural scope and glittering intelligence that bridges the gulf between classical Japanese painting and the films of Spike Lee, between high theory and pop culture. Probing beyond the rhetorical surface of standard art histories and drawing on a panoramic array of illustrative material, Mary Anne Staniszewski throws a fresh light on individual works and the often mystifying criteria by which they are valued.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Art History, Theory, Read For School, Cultural, History

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

Reviews

[Alison Wong · Rating 5 out of 5]

How to look at Art 101. Clearly explained and easy to understand.

[Victoria Kitirattragarn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read however you must know about decent level of art history before attempting to read this book or else you will be very lost.

Admittedly, I am a little rusty on my art history knowledge and general "art talk" that I used to regularly partake in during crits (critiques) so I was little lost especially in the more modern/ contemporary sections.

The book provides "to the point" chapters about art, the growth, how the meaning changed over time etc with a fair bit of political, societal, and world context. Definitely something to read in conjunction with other more 'traditional' art history texts.

[Nara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed it! I liked that it felt like a PowerPoint presentation. Very engaging :)

[Jordan A. A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting book by an art historian where she doesn't focus on linear time like most historians. The book is in the style of a slide lecture and presents a really great argument. She argues that art is only 300 years old.

[Emma · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you have any knowledge of art/art history, this book is basically useless. The information is painfully redundant and presented as if the author were writing for young children.

[Ingrid · Rating 2 out of 5]

Staniszewski presents some interesting (and controversial) ideas, but doesn't tend to drill down on them. For example: she argues that works whose primary purpose is something other than visual expression (e.g. the frescoes of the Sistine Chapel, which were intended to serve a religious purpose) are NOT art, but subsequently holds up the Peace Tower (whose primary purpose was to protest US involvement in the Vietnam War) as an example of something that IS art. She never fully explains why some intended uses or contexts disqualify a work as "art" while others do not.

The majority of the book is devoted to reproductions designed to illustrate her points, and the supporting text is mostly written in simple, accessible language that actually hinders her ability to argue her case thoroughly.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Required summer reading before my AP Art History course. Good intro into it for someone who doesn't know anything about art history. Made me reconsider some things I took for granted. I recommend this for people (especially high school students) who want to read an easy book that turns some concepts on its head and forces the reader to either consider a new way of thinking or defend their own. Good even if you aren't super into art/art history, but people who like museums (like me) will find it particularly interesting.

[E L K Y · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I would enjoy the reading lot more, if I actually had a copy of the book and not the digital version, which i often struggle with. Especially reading art books, one likes to go back few pages to go back over previous examples.

That said I think its nicely constructed book for anyone wondering what is art in the most fundamental way there is and wants to broaden the views on it with an easy read.

[Esar ايثار · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5* I don’t agree with everything she has to say, but it was an interesting read and she handled and delivered the information very well.

In my opinion, to gate-keep art within a few centuries is absurd. Otherwise, I agree with her feminist view on woman’s lack on privilege in the world of creativity and politics, and her opinion on museum culture to some extent.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Staniszewski wonderfully narrativizes the transformation of aesthetic production and people’s perceptions of art, what art can be, and what art can do.

“If we accept the fact that everything is shaped by culture, we then acknowledge that we create our reality. We therefore contribute to it and can change it. This is an empowering way of living and of seeing ourselves and the world.”

[Yesha Ross David · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read, but having some art history knowledge helps. Without it, the modern and contemporary sections might feel a bit confusing. The book is concise and focuses on how art’s meaning has evolved over time, with insights into political and societal influences. It’s best read alongside more traditional art history texts for better context.

[Zoe Chad]

It's funny how fascinating and interesting I can find something when I am not forced to read it for school. Almost 7 years later I picked up this book with the open mindset that allowed me to enjoy the knowledge and views that Staniszewski shares in these pages.

[Marija · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting perspective of the art timeline and what art really is or is not. Easy to read and understand for broad public. I would recommend it as a general education of Art for everyone from age 5 to 105.

[Sophie Cheung · Rating 4 out of 5]

actually enjoyed this book a lot! it was a very easy and simple read with some ideas that i hadn't thought of before.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

a very pleasant surprise

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for class, interesting perspective although I don’t necessarily agree with all of the points brought up

[Madi · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

[Lucie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had some awesome quotes. Loved the pictures would give 4.5 if I could but the haters are omniscient

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super approachable and practical, easy to follow. Disagreed in some places, but really well articulated.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

first book of the year!!!

[Jessica Coyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting and (importantly) very readable exploration of what art IS and how it folds into our culture.

[Joshua Loong · Rating 3 out of 5]

The main thing I took away from this, and I guess would be old hat if you took an art history course but which I found quite interesting, is the idea that our conception of art is a purely modern invention and extremely culturally rooted. Every element of it: what constitutes the arts (painting, sculpture etc.), the idea of art (an aesthetic, imaginative, original creation), the institutions of art (galleries, museums etc.), and the divisions of art (genre, high vs low etc.) are all recent creations.

The best parts were the historical anecdotes of what historical people considered “art”:

> Plato wrote of “art” as the art of painting and sculpture, but he also wrote of the art of hunting, midwifery, prophecy, and mathematics.
>

> In the thirteenth century, Thomas Aquinas wrote of the arts of shoemaking, cooking, juggling, and grammar, as well as the arts of sculpture and painting.
>

> During the seventeenth century in Milan, Manfredo Settala put together a collection that contained microscopes, telescopes, stuffed animals, bone specimens, natural curiosities, antiques, books, paintings and sculptures.
>

> … Charles Perrault, listed in his Le Cabinet Des Beaux Arts eight “fine arts”: eloquence, poetry, music, architecture, painting, optics, and mechanics. In France, at the end of seventeenth century, optics and mechanics were thought to be in the same category as painting and sculpture.
>

I think we need to bring back some of these arts. I want to go to the Met and see a whole exhibit with fortune tellers and psychics giving people prophecies.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is really for laymen but it's a fantastically clear way of explaining some of the motivations behind some contemporary art. Its emphasis is on politically driven work. This book would be a good answer to a lot of instances of the question 'how is that art?' ... not so much in terms of things like abstract expressionism or, I don't know, Jessica Stockholder or David Shrigley. It's an excellent fast read too, and very well illustrated.

[Kathline]

Mary Anne Staniszewski, former lecturer and professor of contemporary art, culture and critical theory at Rhode Island School of Design, wrote this book based on her teaching lectures on art history. She has livened up and rethought the curriculum, and has produced an accessible thoughtful survey on modern, postmodern art theory.

[Sarah Camp · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gives you a quick look at various forms of 'art', how we view it, what criteria we use to determine what art is, what it's intentions are and an overall theme of accepting that what most people consider art isn't really art.

[Susanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmmm. it was ok. Didn't love it. Yes, she makes some good points. Perhaps it's because this book is so dated now. It would be interesting to hear this author's take on the impact of the internet and social media and everything that has happened since this book was written. or not.

[Larissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Define: Art.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a nice introductory reader to art and art history, the movers and shakers, the major movements, and how our culture views art.

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book!

[Erica]

I met with Mary Anne, she works at Rensselaer Polytechnic's fine art dept.
Very cool that I happened to own Mary Anne's book, too bad I hadn't read it yet when I met with her.