Dutch Painting 1600-1800 (Yale University Press Pelican History of Art)

Rating:
Summary: Superb Survey of Dutch Painting
Review: I could not disagree more with the reviewer below. This is a thorough treatment of Dutch painting that includes both the heavyweights and lesser known figures. It is rarely technical; instead we get Slive's visceral (but authoritative) reactions to individual artists and works. He gives us context, but never overdoes it till the life is drained from the art. As a result, he explains Dutch painting but doesn't lessen the wonder that draws us to the Dutch in the first place. His moving analysis of Frans Hals is a case in point.

Should you be uninterested in Slive's text, however, the reproductions he has selected alone justify buying the book. I have not seen a more complete collection from this period available in a single volume.

Rating:
Summary: Broad, but uninspired
Review: Slive's book is a basic introduction to the art of the Northern Netherlands during the Baroque era. It covers a wide range of artists and genres, but fails to consider the wide interpretative issues of the art. When Slive does attempt interpretation, he tends to fall back on old-fashioned methods that have since been disproved by modern scholarship. The prose is boring and bland, but the book does feature many photos (although more of them could be in color). Overall, an introductory text that covers a lot of ground but has little depth.