-
The Painted Word
- Narrated by: Harold N. Cropp
- Length: 2 hrs and 6 mins
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Publisher's summary
No one skewers the popular movements of American culture like Tom Wolfe. In 1975, he turned his satirical pen to the pretensions of the contemporary art world - a world of social climbing, elitist posturing, and ingeniously absurd self-justifying theorizing. From the fuliginous flatness of the 50s to the pop op minimal 60s, right on through the now-you-see-it-now-you-don’t 70s, Tom Wolfe debunks the great American myth of modern art in an incandescent, hilarious, and devastating blast.
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The works of Thomas Wolfe cemented his legacy as one of the very best of the American Southern writers. Wolfe's largely autobiographical novel features Eugene Gant, who pines for a more expansive life after being born to a father whose bouts of maniacal raving are fueled by a prodigious appetite for drink.
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One Of The Gret Novels Of The 20th Century
- By Eric on 02-22-09
By: Thomas Wolfe
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The Pump House Gang
- By: Tom Wolfe
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
- Length: 8 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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A collection of non-fiction essays about the counter-culture of the 1960s that dives deep into the issues that marked the era: female empowerment, increasing freedom around sexuality, vibrant subcultures, and the rise of psychedelic drugs. In this sprawling work, Wolfe profiles Playboy founder Hugh Hefner and compares him to Jay Gatsby, interviews one of the first women to get breast implants, and hangs out with freewheeling surfers (aka The Pump House Gang).
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a glimpse into the Mod Life of the sixties
- By john on 05-09-24
By: Tom Wolfe
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The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby
- By: Tom Wolfe
- Narrated by: Oliver Wyman
- Length: 11 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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"An excellent book by a genius”, said Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., of this now-classic exploration of the 1960s from the founder of New Journalism and author of such influential works as The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test and The Bonfire of the Vanities. Tom Wolfe explores the style and culture of the 1960s in this dynamic collection of essays - originally stand-alone pieces, many of which were published in Esquire magazine - written in his unique, free-flowing style.
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Tom Wolfe the Astute Observor
- By J. Kinkley on 08-29-23
By: Tom Wolfe
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The Bonfire of the Vanities
- By: Tom Wolfe
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 27 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Tom Wolfe's best-selling modern classic tells the story of Sherman McCoy, an elite Wall Street bond trader who has it all: wealth, power, prestige, a Park Avenue apartment, a beautiful wife, and an even more beautiful mistress - until one wrong turn sends Sherman spiraling downward into a humiliating fall from grace. A car accident in the Bronx involving Sherman, his girlfriend, and two young lower-class Black men sets a match to the incendiary racial and social tensions of 1980s New York City.
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Big mistake
- By karen on 08-31-14
By: Tom Wolfe
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How to See
- Looking, Talking, and Thinking About Art
- By: David Salle
- Narrated by: Eric Michael Summerer
- Length: 7 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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How does art work? How does it move us, inform us, challenge us? Internationally renowned painter David Salle's incisive essay collection illuminates the work of many of the most influential artists of the 20th century. Engaging with a wide range of Salle's friends and contemporaries - from painters to conceptual artists such as Jeff Koons, John Baldessari, Roy Lichtenstein, and Alex Katz, among others - How to See explores not only the multilayered personalities of the artists themselves but also the distinctive character of their oeuvres.
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Not for the novice
- By Denise on 04-14-20
By: David Salle
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The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test
- By: Tom Wolfe
- Narrated by: Luke Daniels
- Length: 13 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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Tom Wolfe - one of the 20th century’s foremost voices in cultural criticism - went from local news reporter to international icon in 1968, with the publication of The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. Now voiced with vivacity and vigor by Audible Hall of Fame narrator Luke Daniels, the non-fiction swan-dive delves into the world of hippies, hedonism, and everything in between.
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Maybe it resonated with a different time and place
- By S. Phillips on 04-11-19
By: Tom Wolfe
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Hooking Up
- By: Tom Wolfe
- Narrated by: Tom Wolfe, Ron Rifkin
- Length: 6 hrs and 51 mins
- Abridged
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America's maestro reporter/novelist gives America an MRI at the dawn of a new age. Tom Wolfe scrutinizes everything from the sexual manners and mores of teenagers to the reasons why no one is celebrating the second American Century. Hooking Up is a chronicle of the here and now. Browse more Wolfe.
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Terrific!
- By L. Adams on 02-17-04
By: Tom Wolfe
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Seven Days in the Art World
- By: Sarah Thornton
- Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert
- Length: 8 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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In a series of beautifully paced narratives, Sarah Thornton investigates the drama of a Christie's auction, the workings in Takashi Murakami's studios, the elite at the Basel Art Fair, the eccentricities of Artforum magazine, the competition behind an important art prize, life in a notorious art-school seminar, and the wonderland of the Venice Biennale. She reveals the new dynamics of creativity, taste, status, money, and the search for meaning in life.
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An artist who loved the book
- By David Cuzick on 05-07-15
By: Sarah Thornton
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The Age of Insight
- The Quest to Understand the Unconscious in Art, Mind, and Brain, from Vienna 1900 to the Present
- By: Eric R. Kandel
- Narrated by: James Anderson Foster
- Length: 16 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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A brilliant book by Nobel Prize winner Eric R. Kandel, The Age of Insight takes us to Vienna 1900, where leaders in science, medicine, and art began a revolution that changed forever how we think about the human mind - our conscious and unconscious thoughts and emotions - and how mind and brain relate to art.
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Worth the listen
- By Amazon Customer on 01-28-19
By: Eric R. Kandel
What listeners say about The Painted Word
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Evert
- 02-13-21
Spot On
Have always disliked and distrusted modern art. Wolfe gives substance and foundation for that dislike. He exposes the intellectual bankruptcy of the movement showing it to be the whited sepulcher that it is! "The uglier it is, the more you should like it." Give me a break!
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- Mica
- 06-11-15
As an art theorist this encapsulates the modernist and post modernist thought to a T
Having read the texts Mr Wolfe references I can say that he hits it spot on. Anyone following art theory writing and its current trend can vouch for it. His comments shine a light on the basic ideas and the writers who cast such a towering shadow over the art world and continue to do so in the universities to this day.
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5 people found this helpful
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- nancy
- 02-05-17
A joy to read and to listen
The sophistication of the book will elude many, but I have the education and attention to find the points he makes exquisite fun. The intellectual independence Wolfe often displays is often avoided by reducing the effort to fashion. This book examines fashion in a way that allows intellect to escape fashion and understand the voice of art rather than commerce. Commerce may decide what and how we value image, however, image must stand without that decision in intimate understanding. Wolfe seems to understand the predicament well.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Diego V
- 10-05-20
Wish It Was Longer
I really enjoyed the book, but wish it was more in depth. Maybe I just knew too little about modern art. I found myself stopping and research the artists, critics and patrons mentioned in the book.
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- Lance
- 07-14-13
Modern Art makes More Sense after this Book
What did you love best about The Painted Word?
Modern art is art because of the ideas it represents, rather than aesthetics. In fact, the lack of aesthetics is of primary importance in many forms of modern art. This lack of emphasis on the visual aspect of modern visual art may be the factor that differentiates modern art from its predecessors.
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5 people found this helpful
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- ellin todd
- 02-01-23
history art in america early 20th century
great perspective on modern art in america in the early 20th century. from one who lived it
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- Samuel K Osborne
- 05-27-23
A needed corrective to Modernist hubris
Wolfe in classic form vivisects the pretentious of the 20th century art world with razor sharp wit.
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- A
- 05-23-17
Amusing, yet incomplete.
I like Tom Wolfe. His writing never fails to be engaging, hilarious, and eye-opening all at once. This book was no exception, however; if the extent of your contemporary art education stops at "What Are You Looking At?" and thumbing through the New York Times Arts section occasionally - please, do yourself a favor and read a bit more before aligning with Tom's side of the argument.
He's well-researched, and presents an interesting idea, but gross oversimplification a run rampant throughout this book. He's exc
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1 person found this helpful
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- Suzanne
- 06-19-23
Thomas Wolfe Never Fails
You can always count on T. Wolfe to strip away snobbery and pretensions. He won't let you down with this book. Enjoyable read. Helps if you are familiar with modern art.
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- T & L
- 08-26-24
This was brilliant, concise, and hilarious. It is scathing and funny and spot on.
I’ve never really read Tom Wolfe, but this was absolutely brilliant. I will read more of his books! This was wry, concise, on point with the history of the art world particularly concerning the 20th century.
The narrator was fantastic, his inflection and tone made me think it was the author himself. If you have any interest in art or art history, or a student of art, or an artist, this should be top of your list to read. If you’ve ever been confused about modern art, this is also for you.
The one thing not covered in this book is one more truth: the art world and art itself is now a standalone industry.
I laughed a lot! What a great author. What a great narrator! Perfect pairing.
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