Comprehensive, authoritative, highly readable and generously illustrated, Herbert Read's text has been rightly acknowledged as "by far the best introduction to the subject" (Alan Bowness) and "throughout, lively and closely packed" (Hugh Casson). Here is modern painting from its roots in the work of Cezanne, through Cubism, Futurism, Surrealism and Dada in the early decades of the twentieth century and on to Abstract Expressionism in the 1950s. The works of Frank Stella, Richard Hamilton, Andy Warhol and Robert Rauschenberg, amongst many others, are discussed and analyzed by Caroline Tisdall and William Feaver in a lively final chapter that brings us up to present times and points to exciting new developments. 500 illus., 118 in color. Read summarizes modern art (focusing on painting of course) beginning with its very origins with Cezanne, all the way up to the 70s/80s. He is systematic, well-versed and highly descriptive/illustrative (both literally - using pictures - and metaphorically - through his analyses of the chosen examples).