The Shape of Content

Reviews / Votes

The book is the clearest, most forceful statement on art by an artist of our time that I have read. -- Frank Getlein * New Republic * To find a lucid painter speaking lucidly of art is a thrilling discovery... [He traces] the formation of painting from idea to completion, both generally and specifically with a clarity of thought and a precise use of language which should be a very archetypal model for all critics and painters alike. * Virginia Quarterly Review * A remarkably interesting book, which puts the reader in rewarding contact with a questing mind and a humane spirit. * The Atlantic * [Shahn] sets forth his views on both the practice and the purposes of art with a clarity, cogency, and incisiveness that any professional writer might envy, and he manages to interweave with this a good deal of interesting material about his own development as an artist, as well as a running summary of his opinions on contemporary painting in general...the book is highly controversial...also highly stimulating. * New Yorker * Points made in the collection are pertinent, lucid and most readable. A valuable addition to the appraisal of the condition of the arts. * Kirkus Reviews *