Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Since its beginnings in the early part of the 20th century, Western abstract art has fascinated, outraged and bewildered. Anna Moszynska shows here how abstract art originated and evolved, placing it in its broad historical and cultural context. She traces the paths to abstraction forged by artists such as Balla, Kupka and Delaunay, and examines the pioneering work of Kandinsky, Malevich and Mondrian. She discusses the Russian Constructivists, the De Stijl group and the Bauhaus artists, and contrasts the geometric tendencies of the 1930s and 1940s with the post-War emphasis on personal expression that culminated in Abstract Expressionism in the United States. Finally, she considers the work of "Post-Painterly," Op, Kinetic and Minimal artists and examines the revived abstraction practised by NeoGeo and other artists of the 1980s. Book jacket.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Preface (p. 7)
• Chapter 1 Observing the World: Paths to Abstraction 1910-14 (p. 11)
• Chapter 2 Looking Inwards: Investigations 1912-20 (p. 45)
• Chapter 3 Social Ideals: Constructing the Future 1920-39 (p. 71)
• Chapter 4 Abstractions in Europe: 1939-56 (p. 119)
• Chapter 5 Focus on Expression: USA 1939-56 (p. 141)
• Chapter 6 Objective Approaches: Abstract art since 1956 (p. 173)
• Afterword (p. 219)
• Bibliography (p. 230)
• List of Illustrations (p. 233)
• Index (p. 238)

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Booklist Review

In a wide-ranging survey of abstract art, British critic Moszynska traces the developmental phases of the movement from its early twentieth-century European sources to post-World War II fruition into abstract impressionism and beyond. The author explains both the general philosophy of abstractionism and the approaches of many individual artists to the form. Paintings and sculptures are featured, as are examples of graphic design and architecture, in the numerous color and black-and-white illustrations. Another fine addition to the World of Art series. Bibliography, list of illustrations; index. --John Brosnahan

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Anna Moszynska has written books and contributed to journals, including Tate Etc., Apollo, ArtReview, Times Literary Supplement, and Art Monthly.