Familiar narratives about the nature of English modernism, "tradition," and "periodization," together with the "literary" character of English art from the mid-nineteenth to the early twentieth centuries, are abandoned in this innovative and important book. In their stead, David Peters Corbett proposes a new way of looking at this painting from the Pre-Raphaelites to the Vorticists. Arguing that art history has been too reluctant to confront the fundamental question of how and what the consistency and application of paint signifies, Corbett investigates the work of English artists—among them Rossetti, Burne-Jones, Leighton, Watts, Whistler, Sickert, and the modernists of 1914 —through a historical examination of the meanings of the visual in English culture. By revealing that for many artists and thinkers the visual promised to deliver a more profound understanding of the world than language, the book offers a new reading of the art of the period between 1848 and the First World War.

The World in Paint: Modern Art and Visuality in England, 1848–1914 (Refiguring Modernism)

Arts & Photography

Corbett, David Peters

History & Criticism

Penn State University Press

Familiar narratives about the nature of English modernism, "tradition," and "periodization," together with the "literary" character of English art from the mid-nineteenth to the early twentieth centuries, are abandoned in this innovative and important book. In their stead, David Peters Corbett proposes a new way of looking at this painting from the Pre-Raphaelites to the Vorticists. 
Arguing that art history has been too reluctant to confront the fundamental question of how and what the consistency and application of paint signifies, Corbett investigates the work of English artists—among them Rossetti, Burne-Jones, Leighton, Watts, Whistler, Sickert, and the modernists of 1914 —through a historical examination of the meanings of the visual in English culture. By revealing that for many artists and thinkers the visual promised to deliver a more profound understanding of the world than language, the book offers a new reading of the art of the period between 1848 and the First World War.

Walter Sickert (1860-1942) was a leading figure in the development of British painting and the graphic arts. Influenced by Whistler and Degas early in his career, by 1914 he was respected as a major figure within the Camden Town Group and a renowned painter in his own right. Yet Sickert's life and art were never stable, and he was never complacent. His work varies strikingly--from a strongly worked paint surface laden with impasto to the thinnest and sparest application; from an overtly modern set of subjects to apparently nostalgic images. But whatever form his art took, Sickert always remained what he was so often called in the 1910s: "a painter's painter."
 This study examines the dynamism of Sickert's work from his earliest career at the Slade School of Art to his last works. It argues for Sickert as a major figure in the history of attempts to record modern life and to develop a distinctly modern mode of painting.

Walter Sickert (British Artists Series)

Sickert, Walter

Princeton Univ Pr

This ground-breaking book re-conceptualises the history of English painting from 1914 to the end of the 1920s. Whereas most accounts of the period have tended to see English art as marked by a tension between the native tradition and Modernism. The modernity of English art rethinks the 1920s by offering a cultural history of this period. Whitin this context, the book explore the fate of both Modernist and non-Modernist painters. Established figures such as Paul Nash, C.R.W. Nevinson and Wyndham Lewis, as well as important but little-known artists like Charles Sims, John Armstrong and Ethelbert White, are discussed and illustrated in a series of innovative readings develop in the light of this strongly revisionist account of an important but neglected period of English art.

The Modernity of English Art 1914-1930

Manchester Univ Pr

This book re-conceptualises the history of English painting from 1914 to the end of the 1920s. Whereas most accounts of the period have tended to see English Art art as marked by a tension between the native tradition and Modenism, The modernity of English art rethinks the 1920s by offering a cultural history of the period.

The Modernity of English Art, 1914-1930

Manchester University Press

The World in Paint: Modern Art and Visuality in England 1848-1914

Believing the artist should be an explosive force, Wyndham Lewis sent shock waves through England's literary establishment in 1914-1915 by publishing his revolutionary BLAST . But Lewis returned from World War 1 to a different literary scene, his former colleagues either dispersed or killed. His own iconoclastic energies remained unflagging and nine years after the War single-handedly published The Enemy , three issues of a tabloid-format rebel magazine. 
In Volume 3, Wyndham Lewis produces his polemic 'The Diabolical Principle', skewering 'transition', house organ of the Paris-based English avant-garde, as a latter-day manifestation of late nineteenth century symbolism.

The Enemy: A Review of Art and Literature

Literature & Fiction

LEWIS, Wyndham

Black Sparrow Pr

Tutored by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, one of the founding members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, Edward Burne-Jones (1833-1898) was one of the leading artists in what is often referred to as the second generation of the Pre-Raphaelite movement. Inspired by medieval, classical and biblical themes, Burne-Jones's paintings of graceful women, angels, gods and heroes, often in pensive or sad poses or asleep are dreamlike, romantic and sentimental. He also designed mosaics, tapestries and stained-glass windows that can be seen in many English churches, including Christ Church, Oxford, and Birmingham Cathedral. This fascinating, scholarly study throws new light on the inspiration and working practices of this most romantic of artists.

Tate British Artists: Edward Burne-Jones

Tate Publishing

In the first decades of the 20th century, George Bellows and other painters of the Ashcan School, a loosely connected group of gritty, urban realists, created images of the city from street level. Following older artist Robert Henri's insistence that artists should make "pictures from life," the Ashcanners renounced the polished academic style taught in art schools of the time. Instead they practiced a more urgent manner working with bold, highly saturated color, seeking to catch the ebb and flow of life in urban America. Some of them, particularly Bellows, also produced vivid landscapes and portraits. 
This book introduces the artists of the Ashcan School and the key characteristics and themes of their work. Detailed commentaries are provided for twelve significant paintings by George Bellows, William Glackens, Robert Henri, George Luks, and John Sloan, ranging from depictions of the metropolitan throng to Bellows's vivid seascapes. In their visual contemplation of early-20th-century America, these artists offer deep insights into the nature of ordinary life not only in their time but also in our own.

An American Experiment: George Bellows and the Ashcan Painters

National Gallery London

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Corbett, David Peters. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Corbett, David Peters

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Corbett, David Peters. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The World in Paint: Modern Art and Visuality in England, 1848–1914 (Refiguring Modernism)

The World in Paint: Modern Art and Visuality in England, 1848–1914 (Refiguring Modernism)

Walter Sickert (British Artists Series)

The Modernity of English Art 1914-1930

The Modernity of English Art, 1914-1930

The World in Paint: Modern Art and Visuality in England 1848-1914

The Enemy: A Review of Art and Literature

Tate British Artists: Edward Burne-Jones

An American Experiment: George Bellows and the Ashcan Painters