Baudelaire's famous description of "the best criticism" as "entertaining and poetic, not coldly analytic," lives in the essays of Peter Schjeldahl. Schjeldahl self-consciously continues the modern tradition of art criticism crafted by poet-critics, providing a sharp perspective on individual artists, their work, art-world events, and new creative directions. He challenges established views, and his infectious passion for art continually engages the reader. In essays on Rothko, Munch, Warhol, Dubuffet, Nauman, Sherman, Salle, de Kooning, Guston, Ruscha, and Koons, Schjeldahl skillfully juggles theory and analysis in exploring cultural context and technique. His writings, free of the contortions of some critical prose and characterized by a sustained focus on works of art, map the contemporary art scene in New York (with occasional forays to Los Angeles and elsewhere), cataloguing the colorful personalities, cultural attractions, and ethical hazards of the art world. It's a fast, fun trip, with arguments that fold back upon themselves in surprising revelations and reversals of the author's opinion. There is never a dull moment for those with an eye on contemporary art.

 

"To read Schjeldahl is not to agree or disagree, but rather to enter the enchanting flow of a fertile imagination."

--Ken Johnson, Art in America

 

"Ranging from Manet to minimalism, these partisan, passionate writings . . . function as a savvy handbook on the current art scene."

--Publishers Weekly

 

"Here's art criticism that demonstrates the power of art to evoke art, in the form of some of the most lusciously written responses to visual beauty ever to hit print. . . . During a decade that defined art mostly through commerce, Schjeldahl consistently reminded readers of its necessary soul."

--Village Voice

 

"A shrewd and fluent critic, [Schjeldahl] has a masterly personal voice, flamboyant, witty, lyrical yet often precise; more important, he has an openhearted attentiveness to the subjects of his criticism and the imaginative spaces around them."

--Julian Bell, Times Literary Supplement

 

"Schjeldahl is the finest journalistic art critic at work today."

--Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times