The Culture Vulture: A Guide to Style, Period, and Ism

By Carol Dunlap

The Culture Vulture A Guide to Style, Period, and ISM Can you tell pop art from dada? Are baroque and rococo, or existentialism and minimalism, all Greek to you? Would you like to be able to differentiate a Georgian manor house from a Tudor mansion, a Meissen cup from a Delft saucer? Anyone who reads is constantly coming across more or less arcane references to period and style. Even television has gotten into the act. One episode of the former series "Miami Vice" caught a character describing the upscale taste of a burglar: "This guy knows the difference between Baccarat and Lalique." Once museums were largely deserted and wonderfully peaceful places in which to browse. Now you must get a ticket and sometimes stand six deep to see a popular exhibit. Who are all these people? They are the culture vultures, and you, and perhaps the person next to you, are among them. Now The Culture Vulture, the book, brings more than 250 terms to your fingertips. No longer will you be in the dark wondering how a Biedermeier chair relates to a Victorian couch or what the difference is between a Bokhara and a Baluchi rug. Based on scholarly sources, this guide provides a readable and amusing synthesis of all those things you learned in school and forgot, with suggested readings should you care to delve further. The Culture Vulture is for the true dilettante (from the Italian dilettare, meaning to delight, charm), or one who finds pleasure in knowledge. We may not have the time or ability to become scholars, but we want to know more.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0471144231
• ISBN13: 9780471144236
• Release Date: May 1994
• Publisher: Wiley
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.8" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

Great Reading and Reference

I have loved this book since purchasing it back in 1995. Don't worry, it's not outdated now in 2001 (I still refer to it often), rather it will keep you abreast of all things, existential, minimal, and help you determine the difference between a Bokhara and a Baluchi rug. Makes anyone knowledgeable about all historical things that have once again become trendy.

This book is THE ultimate art resource for the novice!

It doesn't matter whether you know nothing about art or have a PhD in Art History--you will find the Culture Vulture an excellent resource. In this book, general art history concepts are discussed at length as well as lesser-known styles and movements. Descriptions of art styles, terms, and concepts are easy to read, yet highly informative and accurate. No pictures or illustrations, but each entry (listed in dictionary format) has references after it. Nice summaries of other cultures' art. This BFA/MFA artist gives it a full 5 paintbrushes!