In the past, an artist's reputation was directly linked to their ability to faithfully transfer the real world onto canvas or paper. A portrait was expected to perfectly resemble the model, and a landscape painting to include all the details of the landscape. However, with the advent of photography, many artists stopped creating "realistic" paintings and began to seek ways to express their emotional states regarding the subjects they addressed. A simple line now replaced the details meticulously crafted by earlier artists. From the outset of this sudden shift in artistic passions, critics mocked these expressionistic works, likening them to the untrained efforts of children and confusing apparent technical "flaws" with a lack of artistic competence and skill.

In this delightful and thought-provoking book, Susie Hodge examines 100 modern artworks, from Marcel Duchamp to Paul Klee, Salvador Dali to Picasso, that faced critical hostility, and explains how they were inspired by the artistic ideas of their time.

A five-year-old child could create a "spin painting" like Damien Hirst's, but it would hold no significance for artists and historians as they would not understand the ideas behind the history of artistic creation efforts. In this work, Susie Hodge definitively and completely explains why modern art is not and will not be child's play.

Featuring visuals from Hans Arp's works to Warhol's, this book explains the works it discusses within their cultural context and offers a wonderful presentation of modern art. This will allow you to understand how modern art differs from the realistic works of previous centuries.
(From the Promotional Bulletin)