Cubism, Futurism and Constructivism

This book describes the genesis of Cubism, Futurism and Constructivism. The author presents the history of these isms in a way that is very readable. He presents not only the history of this art but also asides about how the artists felt about each other and emphasizes that Futurism was a reaction against Cubism and Constructivism a reaction against Futurism. These artists were not just reacting against the academic art of the time known as Academicism. However, the fact that they were united in their opposition to Academic Art, is shown by the artists themselves who would refer to their predecessors, when angry with them, as academicists. I feel that the author did a good job in describing the ideas behind each period of art. For example he shows some of the ideas the artists had, such as the Futurist emphasis on movement; "Nude Descending a Staircase" by Duchamp, which is pictured, in color, is a very good example of this preoccupation. The author gives glimpses into the artist's struggle to realize their ambitions as laid out in their frequently written manifestos. I found this to be the most interesting aspect of the book; as an aspiring artist myself, their alternate frustrations and eventual success rang a bell with me and gave me hope for my own work. If you happen to see this book at a used book store I recommend picking it up, you will not regret it.