Portraits: John Berger on Artists
by John Berger Edited by Tom Overton
“A volume whose breadth and depth bring it close to a definitive self-portrait of one of Britain’s most original thinkers” – Financial Times
A major new book from one of the world’s leading writers and art critics. John Berger, one of the world’s most celebrated art writers, takes us through centuries of drawing and painting, revealing his lifelong fascination with a diverse cast of artists. In Portraits, Berger grounds the artists in their historical milieu in revolutionary ways, whether enlarging on the prehistoric paintings of the Chauvet caves or Cy Twombly’s linguistic and pictorial play. In penetrating and singular prose, Berger presents entirely new ways of thinking about artists both canonized and obscure, from Rembrandt to Henry Moore, Jackson Pollock to Picasso. Throughout, Berger maintains the essential connection between politics, art and the wider study of culture. The result is an illuminating walk through many centuries of visual culture, from one of the contemporary world’s most incisive critical voices.
Reviews “Unruly attentiveness animates […] a lifetime’s engagement with artists like Rembrandt, Goya, Henry Moore and Francis Bacon […] Ingenious, jargon-free and direct […] Berger is a formidable stylist.” – Alexi Worth, The New York Times
“A rich and loving exploration of art history, at once intellectually acute and deeply personal… vital and uncommonly engaging proof of concept for ideas that Berger has long espoused.” – Jacob Brogan, Slate
“A volume whose breadth and depth bring it close to a definitive self-portrait of one of Britain’s most original thinkers.” – Jackie Wullschlager, Financial Times
“Perhaps the greatest living writer on art … reminds us just how insufficient most art commentary is these days … an indispensible guide to understanding art from cave painting to today’s experimenters.” – Spectator (Art Books of the Year 2015)
“John Berger teaches us how to think, how to feel, how to stare at things till we see what we thought wasn’t there. But above all he teaches us how to love in the face of adversity. He is a master.” – Arundhati Roy, author of The God of Small Things
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