The Nude: A Study in Ideal Form

From the art of the Greeks to that of Renoir and Moore, this work surveys the ever-changing fashions in what has constituted the ideal nude as a basis of humanist form.

Customer Reviews:

Kudos to Amazon.com for keeping an important book available!

By Grady Harp - April 7, 2004

THE NUDE: A STUDY IN IDEAL FORM, a classic investigation and summation, is one of scholar/historian Kenneth Clark's finest works - and that is high powered praise in view of all of his contributions to literature. Few writers inform with such dignity of prose, style, and warmth as Clark and THE NUDE is no exception. This handsome and illuminating volume dates back to 1953 and is based on six lectures given by Clark for the A. W. Mellon Lectures in Fine Arts at the National Gallery in Washington, DC. Clark opens his book with a lyrical treatise "The Naked and the Nude" in which he not only introduces his manner of examining the use of the nude as pictorial image for artists from ancient Greece through the Renaissance to the present, he wraps his scholarly information with personalized psychosocial commentary that is uniquely his own and allows the reader to settle in for the exploration ahead.
Approaching first the male nude ["Apollo"] from the Kouros of 600 BC through the vases,... read more

A well thought out discussion of the Western tradition

By A Customer - June 4, 1997

Whether you are a student of the arts, religion, history, or life you will learn from this work. Mr. Clark speaks with the authority of an educated and thoughtful expert on the subject and with the voice of a formidable author as well.
His work is as densely packed with meaning as you might expect to find in the writings of Reinhold Niehbur yet is possessed of a wonderfully literary mask. The writing is so well done, one might accidently read right over the meaning in the haste of seeing what will come next.
If you're the highlighting or underlining type, I'd recommend saving such marking for the second read as more of the true significance bubbles to the fore. Put aside your expectations of a "typical" art history text and prepare for an incredible enlightenment.
Enjoy!

A Classic Investigation and Summation

By Grady Harp - April 1, 2004

THE NUDE: A STUDY IN IDEAL FORM is one of scholar/historian Kenneth Clark's finest works - and that is high powered praise in view of all of his contributions to literature. Few writers inform with such dignity of prose, style, and warmth as Clark and THE NUDE is no exception. This handsome and illuminating volume dates back to 1953 and is based on six lectures given by Clark for the A. W. Mellon Lectures in Fine Arts at the National Gallery in Washington, DC. Clark opens his book with a lyrical treatise "The Naked and the Nude" in which he not only introduces his manner of examining the use of the nude as pictorial image for artists from ancient Greece through the Renaissance to the present, he wraps his scholarly information with personalized psychosocial commentary that is uniquely his own and allows the reader to settle in for the exploration ahead. Approaching first the male nude ["Apollo"] from the Kouros of 600 BC through the vases, sculptures, reliefs, and paintings... read more