Painting the Difference

Charles Harrison is professor of the history and theory of art at the Open University, in the United Kingdom. He is coeditor of Art in Theory and the author of numerous books, including Essays on Art Language and Conceptual Art and Painting. He is a major contributor to the Modern Art Practices and Debates series and to the four-volume series Art of the Twentieth Century.

"Painting the Difference complicates routine assumptions about the sexism of male artists and viewers, and raises useful questions about the history of seeing." - Patricia Failing, Art News "Taken together these chapters serve to demonstrate how careful looking can provide new insight into the making and meaning of iconic works. Conceptually challenging and rich in detail, this is an attractive volume with a generous number of illustrations, both in color and black and white, that help to support the author's claims and argument." - Britta C. Dwyer, Women's Art Journal "To their advantage the book's arguments are patiently developed from perceptive reading of the treatment of materials and pictorial effect that is rare in art historians. One of the pleasures of reading it is to follow how the book's many insights about specific representations become based on evidence of the materiality of the paintings." - Mark Harris, Art Monthly"