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A review by ste3ve_b1rd
Glittering Images: A Journey Through Art from Egypt to Star Wars by Camille Paglia
5.0
I was happy to see Paglia return to the style she used to such great effect in 'Sexual Personae", that being full-on academic mode -- In her analysis of the art (and artists) featured in "Glittering Images". I was already familiar with many of the artists discussed by Paglia in this book, but was not necessarily a fan of those included herein. However, even if I didn't, like, understand, or agree with whatever Paglia elucidated about each of her subjects -- I appreciated the depth of detail that she made use of, in her examination of her selected highlights from the history of Western art. In general, I'm interested in most of the subjects about which she writes, if for no other reason -- Than the way in which she approaches those subjects ..... In my last apartment, I had a poster of "Queen Nefertari and the Goddess" on my kitchen wall, having just a vague notion of the historical / cultural context of this image. Thanks to Paglia, I was able to expand my perception of this iconic work (among others that appear in "Glittering Images") by means of the precise analysis she provided.
Despite being impressed with a couple of works, in the first third of the book (i.e. "Saint John Chrysostom and "The Book of Kells") "Glittering Images" began to command more of my attention, starting with the chapter covering "Sea of Ice" (Caspar David Friedrich). In her examination of "Sea of Ice", Paglia foresees the future development of abstract art. That chapter, along with the four chapters following "Sea of Ice", ending with Georg Grosz -- Constitute the highlight of the book for me. I was already an admirer of George Grosz' paintings, and their satirical content, before reading this book -- But had been unfamiliar with his drawings and the technique he used to create them ..... Additionally, I found the chapter on Jackson Pollock to be compelling; regarding Abstract Expressionism, Paglia states the following: "Abstract Expressionism was the last authentically avant-garde style in painting" (p. 147). The chapter on Pop Art / Andy Warhol caught my attention as well; as I was born in 1960, the blatant influence of Pop Art on American culture, during my first decade was inescapable. Although I've never been especially enamored of Warhol -- Paglia's analysis of "Marilyn Diptych" helped to gain a renewed appreciation for that work, in which beauty (as well as "glitter") decays into nothingness.
Years ago, when I read one of the early reviews of "Glittering Images" -- I was surprised to find out that Paglia considered George Lucas to be a master artist. I didn't see Lucas' trilogy ("Phantom Menace", "Attack of the Clones" and "Revenge of the Sith") until after "Revenge of the Sith" was released in cinemas; I initially had no interest in viewing those films. It was only after a friend pointed out the underlying political / geopolitical metaphors within "Revenge of the Sith", that I finally went to see it; I ended up enjoying the entire trilogy. In this way, I came to understand why Paglia holds "Revenge of the Sith" in such high regard. On p. 188 of the book's final chapter, Paglia offers the following description: "..... three hundred special effects, combining cutting-edge, high-definition digital cameras, lenses, and editing techniques with old-fashioned artisanal model making ....." went into the making of the "Red River" sequence of "Revenge of the Sith". And as a result of that process, the "Red River" sequence on its own -- Stands as a towering achievement.
Despite being impressed with a couple of works, in the first third of the book (i.e. "Saint John Chrysostom and "The Book of Kells") "Glittering Images" began to command more of my attention, starting with the chapter covering "Sea of Ice" (Caspar David Friedrich). In her examination of "Sea of Ice", Paglia foresees the future development of abstract art. That chapter, along with the four chapters following "Sea of Ice", ending with Georg Grosz -- Constitute the highlight of the book for me. I was already an admirer of George Grosz' paintings, and their satirical content, before reading this book -- But had been unfamiliar with his drawings and the technique he used to create them ..... Additionally, I found the chapter on Jackson Pollock to be compelling; regarding Abstract Expressionism, Paglia states the following: "Abstract Expressionism was the last authentically avant-garde style in painting" (p. 147). The chapter on Pop Art / Andy Warhol caught my attention as well; as I was born in 1960, the blatant influence of Pop Art on American culture, during my first decade was inescapable. Although I've never been especially enamored of Warhol -- Paglia's analysis of "Marilyn Diptych" helped to gain a renewed appreciation for that work, in which beauty (as well as "glitter") decays into nothingness.
Years ago, when I read one of the early reviews of "Glittering Images" -- I was surprised to find out that Paglia considered George Lucas to be a master artist. I didn't see Lucas' trilogy ("Phantom Menace", "Attack of the Clones" and "Revenge of the Sith") until after "Revenge of the Sith" was released in cinemas; I initially had no interest in viewing those films. It was only after a friend pointed out the underlying political / geopolitical metaphors within "Revenge of the Sith", that I finally went to see it; I ended up enjoying the entire trilogy. In this way, I came to understand why Paglia holds "Revenge of the Sith" in such high regard. On p. 188 of the book's final chapter, Paglia offers the following description: "..... three hundred special effects, combining cutting-edge, high-definition digital cameras, lenses, and editing techniques with old-fashioned artisanal model making ....." went into the making of the "Red River" sequence of "Revenge of the Sith". And as a result of that process, the "Red River" sequence on its own -- Stands as a towering achievement.