Written in Water

“A rich, provocative work of inquiry and analysis. Anyone who is curious about what has happened to high art in the past couple of centuries, and about how we have arrived at a situation in which ‘it is hard to imagine that a classic can ever exist again as an exemplar for living artists and an agreed-on standard of taste,’ would do well to read Written in Water with the closest attention.”—Brooke Allen, Wall Street Journal Selected by Wall Street Journal for “12 Books To Read,” July 2024 “Rochelle Gurstein’s sensitive reconsideration of what we mean by a classic is a deeply personal and broadly relevant reflection on what we want from the concept when we wield it. This compellingly written study should be of interest to anyone who cares about beauty, the history of admiration, or about how cultural values change over time. It is bound to make an impact.”—Jonah Siegel, author of Overlooking Damage: Art, Display, and Loss in Times of Crisis “With elegant clarity and erudition worn lightly, Rochelle Gurstein masterfully reconstructs the vain quest for a timeless standard of classical transcendence in the visual arts. I was smitten from the beginning and approached every new chapter with great anticipation.”—Martin Jay, author of The Dialectical Imagination, Downcast Eyes, and Immanent Critiques “Rochelle Gurstein has asked an old question with fresh urgency: What is a classic? Her answer shows a real power of admiration, along with a rare sensitivity to the way epochal changes of taste may follow from accidental discoveries or disappointments. This is a work of cultural history that carries on every page the stamp of a restless and inquisitive mind.”—David Bromwich, Yale University