Recommended by Michael Barr<\/p>\n
In one of Delaware\u2019s antique stores I recently stumbled on a lived-in copy of Herbert Read\u2019s \u201cThe Meaning of Art\u201d that seemed worth my $1.25. Read, who was a Fine Arts scholar in the first half of the 20th century touches on various movements, elements, and figures in a way that isn\u2019t daunting for those who, like myself, aren\u2019t quite proficient in its language. He does so by disregarding the idea that a historical work should be purely factual, stepping in every so often with his own, now humorously dated but nonetheless incisive language that thinks about the Surrealists as those in pursuit of capturing how \u201ca human being drifts through time like an iceberg.\u201d His eloquent style makes abstraction approachable by highlighting how artistry reverberates far beyond its common conception, into a myriad of making or doing processes. Whenever I discover a link between various forms of the arts and humanities I\u2019m struck with the realization of how little I know, though in this case, I am given a roadmap with greater detail, and a well-worn cover.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"