Artist and Public, and Other Essays on Art Subjects

A collection of critical essays explores the relationship between artists and their public, arguing that modern art diverged from earlier art through a rupture caused by social change, industrialization, and shifting patronage. Drawing on examples—analyses of Millet, Raphael, Saint-Gaudens, and considerations of the American school—these pieces examine issues of design, drawing, subject matter, classic versus modern viewpoints, and the illusion of progress. The author traces how loss of artisan traditions and new publics isolated artists, leading to stylistic fragmentation, and advocates for art that combines technical mastery with social understanding; numerous illustrations accompany the discussions.