Christine Herter

Defense of Art

"The reader will find this compact, vigorous yet unruffled little book both a sane guide and a valiant defense of 'tradition' in art." —New York Times Book Review

Art has tended more and more to be isolated from popular life and become the concern of the few. This isolation of art has been brought about, the author of this book contends, not by museums, collectors or dealers, but by its most devoted spokesmen—the theorists who write about art. "Art needs no defense," says Christine Herter, "when we permit it to speak for itself. But from those who would speak for it, it needs most to be defended."

In the 1920s and 1930s, critical theories about art reached an unprecedented state of confusion. Christine Herter argues that these theories were elaborated far beyond the painters' own ideas and misrepresented artistic achievement instead of clarifying it. She examines the statements of a number of critics of the time—Herbert Read, Roger Fry, Alfred H. Barr, Jr., Sheldon Cheney, among others—to make her point that we need to re-establish standards for talking about art, especially abstract art.

Writing as a painter herself, Christine Herter offers a spirited plea for common sense in art appreciation and evaluation—and for courage to speak up when the emperor has no clothes.