Description
Book SynopsisOffers an understanding of artistic creativity by examining the careers not only of great painters but also of important sculptors, poets, novelists, and movie directors. This book provides insights into the mysterious processes of human creativity.
Trade Review"Galenson's idea that creativity can be divided into these types--conceptual and experimental--has a number of important implications."--Malcolm Gladwell, New Yorker "David Galenson has developed something approaching a unified theory of art ... [that] does a surprisingly good job of explaining the relative value of the world's great paintings... While Mr. Galenson has been studying the art world over the last five years, all sorts of other fields have been engaged in their own debate about judgment versus rules... When the traditionalists in these fields describe their skepticism of statistics, they sometimes make the argument that their craft is as much art as it is science. That's a nice line, but the next time you hear it, think back to Mr. Galenson's work. Even art, it turns out, has a good bit of science to it."--David Leonhardt, The New York Times "After a decade of number crunching, Galenson, at the not-so-tender age of 55, has fashioned something audacious and controversial: a unified field theory of creativity. Not bad for a middle-aged guy. What have you done lately?"--Daniel Pink, Wired "An intriguing book."--The Age (Sunday Edition)
Table of ContentsList of Illustrations and Tables ix Preface xi INTRODUCTION 1 CHAPTER 1: Theory 4 Experimental and Conceptual Innovators 4 Archetypes 5 Planning, Working, and Stopping 11 Innovation and Age: Old Masters and Young Geniuses 14 Artists, Scholars, and Art Scholars 15 CHAPTER 2: Measurement 21 Quantifying Artistic Success 21 Prices 21 Textbook Illustrations 25 Examples: Ten Important Modern Painters 27 Retrospective Exhibitions 33 Examples: Ten Important American Painters 35 Museum Collections 40 Museum Exhibition 42 Measuring Careers 44 CHAPTER 3: Extensions 47 The Spectrum of Approaches 47 Can Artists Change? 56 Anomalies 61 CHAPTER 4: Implications 67 Masters and Masterpieces 67 The Impressionists'Challenge to the Salon 71 Masterpieces without Masters 73 Contrasting Careers 80 Conflicts 82 The Globalization of Modern Art 86 CHAPTER 5: Before Modern Art 94 CHAPTER 6: Beyond Painting 111 Sculptors 111 Poets 122 Novelists 134 Movie Directors 149 CHAPTER 7: Perspectives 162 Portraits of the Artist as an Experimental or Conceptual Innovator 162 Portraits of the Artist as a Young or Old Innovator 166 Psychologists on the Life Cycles of Creativity 171 Understanding and Increasing Creativity 177 Seekers and Finders 185 Notes 187 Bibliography 207 Index 223
