What is Painting? Representation and Modern Art

Julian Bell is a painter and author of Bonnard (1994). His latest book explores the whole question of what painting is, and what has become of ideas about “the imitation of nature” and “representation” in the context of the massive “diversification” of practice over the last 200 years. He develops his position over six chapters, entitled “Images and marks”, “Sight and knowledge”, “Form and time”, “Expression”, “The word art”, and “Representation”. In a section headed “Sources and resources” he comments on writings he has found stimulating. Among 158 illustrations are a cartoon from Viz magazine and a work entitled Reversed...