The Painted Word

The Painted Word by Tom Wolfe
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Tom Wolfe, who taught us all how to write "The New Journalism" in the 1970s, has proven its worth with this book, written in that style nearly 40 years ago.  New Journalism was a factual story written with novelistic style. The Painted Word -- what a great title! -- is still readable -- a short, smooth (some might say facile, but not me) history of the first 75 years of 20th century art, with special skewering for Abstract Expressionism.

The cognoscenti already know most of this. But then, Wolfe points out, there aren't very many of Them, are there? Them being a few snobbish tastemakers who curate the art scene with their dollars. They are still doing it, with ever higher numbers.

Along the way I learned the succession of art tics of the last century. Yes, Op Art came before Pop Art. No, it's the other way around ... Wolfe made me think it doesn't matter too much. He led me to question originality and the very definition of art.

Wolfe is readable, and he counted me in. I like that.


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