A passing perspective of American taste, "our personal delight, our
private dilemma, and our public facade", as it was formed, defined
and refined by influential innovators through the decades is at
once an entertaining and edifying history- which reflects the
social as well as cultural changes of the past 120 years. And so
this cavalcade of patrons and purveyors to an untutored public
proceeds from the 1830's when factories mass marketed the "first
sweet sips of refinement", to the next decade when Downing cleaned
up the landscape with "smiling lawns and tasteful cottages". The
art missionaries, Jarves, Reed, Bryan, etc. developed a new circle
of collectors, and after the Civil War, there were prints for a
popular market- while for the wealthy, massive mansions with a
lustrous decor introduced architecture for "gorgeous sloth and
immoral ease". In the '80's, Hunt became the arbiter of private
taste; the '90's saw the last gasp of Victorian excess; and 1900
inaugurated Elsie de Wolfe as well as the new decade which
emphasized the beauty of suitability. The corporate taste as it
found expression in movies, in the exodus to the suburbs, in the
"antiques craze", and finally in modern; the good life which became
synonymous with comfort and convenience; big business- which
embraced culture and soon was to become its sponsor- all this is
part of the passing patterns of our visual arts as they were shaped
and sold to a receptive audience.... And through it all, Lynes in
an attractive escort: he writes with grace and ease and discretion.
(Kirkus Reviews)
A history of American popular taste in art, architecture, and
interior decoration, with short sketches of the men and women
responsible for the trends.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
(4)
(1)
