American Art: A Cultural History

Harry N. Abrams, Inc, 2000-09-01. Hardcover. Very Good. 2001 Harry N. Abrams, Inc. (New York), 8 3/8 x 10 3/8 inches tall black cloth hardcover in publisher's unclipped dust jacket, white lettering to spine, copiously illustrated with full color and black-and-white photographs, 416 pp. Very slight rubbing to covers. Otherwise, a very good to near fine copy - clean, bright and unmarked - in a like dust jacket which is nicely preserved and displayed in a clear archival Brodart sleeve. Note that this is a heavy and oversized book, so additional postage will be required for international or priority orders. ~VVV~ [4.0P] In this provocative survey of American painting, sculpture, photography and architecture, David Bjelajac dismisses both the idea of an evolutionary development of styles and a uniquely American way of seeing. Instead, showing the interrelation of art, politics, and social change, he encourages readers to look at artworks from the point of view of contemporaneous audiences and within a larger historical context. Explaining how shifting cultural values influence the way we interpret art, Bjelajac helps us to understand why people have reacted positively or negatively to various works at various times. Nearly 400 illustrations, 150 in full color, illustrate a vibrant, stimulating, and original work in which art is viewed not only in terms of its creation but also its reception.