undisciplinedbeing's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
It is an important reading to dissect the nature of how an artist get to where they are, in the eyes of the public. Somehow intrigued to know how other artists planned to document their life in the future.
maureenmcc's review
I'm as finished as I'm going to be with this book. I enjoyed the first half, but then it just seemed like more of the same. What actually would have helped a lot is to have a picture of the artwork in question alongside each essay so you could see exactly what the author was talking about, if you weren't already familiar with that work. At any rate, I'm moving on.
staatz's review against another edition
I liked it and I don't know much about the art world.
maebinnig's review
4.0
It's strange reviewing a book of art reviews. I'm several degrees removed from the act of creation and looking at it with a lofty, consumerist eye. Do art critics feel like this all the time? (Yes, this collection does include an essay about art criticism itself.)
Peter Schjeldahl truly enjoys art, and I did enjoy Hot, Cold, Heavy, Light even though it took me ages to finish it. Organized into four completely arbitrary categories and ordered in a way that makes sense to only the author, the book compiles 100 of Schjeldahl's art writings from 1988 through 2018. I barely paid attention to the dates on each piece; every one felt equally relevant and fresh.
None of these essays are very long, but they still took me quite some time to get through—not in a bad way. You have to look up the art that's being described to be able to fully appreciate the commentary. Even if you're an art connoisseur (I am not), Schjehldahl covers such a diverse range of mediums and artists that no one could possibly be familiar with everything he discusses. Full-color inserts would have been too much, and black and white would not have done justice to the works. This is how it had to be, but it still feels incomplete. Also, I like to think that I have a respectable vocabulary, but I had to stop every few pages to look up words. Again, that's not a strike against Schjehldahl.
Hot, Cold, Heavy, Light swings much closer to “heavy” than “light,” but in a down-to-earth, human way. Much of the artwork I discovered through this collection is incredible. The real star, however, is not art but rather Schjeldahl's passion for art. I appreciate it even when I don't get it.
(I received this book for free through a Goodreads giveaway.)
Peter Schjeldahl truly enjoys art, and I did enjoy Hot, Cold, Heavy, Light even though it took me ages to finish it. Organized into four completely arbitrary categories and ordered in a way that makes sense to only the author, the book compiles 100 of Schjeldahl's art writings from 1988 through 2018. I barely paid attention to the dates on each piece; every one felt equally relevant and fresh.
None of these essays are very long, but they still took me quite some time to get through—not in a bad way. You have to look up the art that's being described to be able to fully appreciate the commentary. Even if you're an art connoisseur (I am not), Schjehldahl covers such a diverse range of mediums and artists that no one could possibly be familiar with everything he discusses. Full-color inserts would have been too much, and black and white would not have done justice to the works. This is how it had to be, but it still feels incomplete. Also, I like to think that I have a respectable vocabulary, but I had to stop every few pages to look up words. Again, that's not a strike against Schjehldahl.
Hot, Cold, Heavy, Light swings much closer to “heavy” than “light,” but in a down-to-earth, human way. Much of the artwork I discovered through this collection is incredible. The real star, however, is not art but rather Schjeldahl's passion for art. I appreciate it even when I don't get it.
(I received this book for free through a Goodreads giveaway.)
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