The book is the clearest, most forceful statement on art by an artist of our time that I have read.
Frank Getlein
New Republic
To find a lucid painter speaking lucidly of art is a thrilling discovery… [He traces] the formation of painting from idea to completion, both generally and specifically with a clarity of thought and ... Read morea precise use of language which should be a very archetypal model for all critics and painters alike.
Virginia Quarterly Review
A remarkably interesting book, which puts the reader in rewarding contact with a questing mind and a humane spirit.
The Atlantic
[Shahn] sets forth his views on both the practice and the purposes of art with a clarity, cogency, and incisiveness that any professional writer might envy, and he manages to interweave with this a good deal of interesting material about his own development as an artist, as well as a running summary of his opinions on contemporary painting in general…the book is highly controversial…also highly stimulating.
New Yorker
Points made in the collection are pertinent, lucid and most readable. A valuable addition to the appraisal of the condition of the arts.
Kirkus Reviews
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