Newton Eric. European Painting and Sculpture

Penguin Books, 1956. — 308 p.The object of this book, which has now been
completely revised, is to provide a short account of
the development of the fine arts, and in particular
of painting, in Europe from the earliest times to the
present day. The author's aims have been three -
brevity, continuity, and a sense of proportion. He
has kept as close to the limits of justifiable compression
as possible. Important secondary artists
have been omitted: biographical details are absent.
But only by ruthless compression can continuity be
assured. Each artist or group of artists is treated
not as an isolated phenomenon but as a link in the
growing chain of tradition. The emphasis is rather
on the strength, the shape, and the direction of the
chain at each point in its evolution than on the
individual link.
As for a sense of proportion, that must ultimately
depend on the author's personal sense of what is
important, which, in its turn, is a reflexion of his
likes and dislikes. These he has not seriously
attempted to conceal, but the reader who does not
share them will not find the book invalidated on
that account.
In order to achieve brevity it is necessary to
begin with a point of view, otherwise fundamental
principles have to be stated and re-stated at every
crucial point of the story. The opening chapters,
therefore, contain a brief exposition of the author's
attitude to works of art in general and an explanation
of the characteristics of European art as a
whole.