Ben Nicholson: Slike

The book is part of the popular Yugoslav series Small Art Encyclopedia (volume 45), which brought accessible monographs on modern artists in a small pocket format (11 pages of text plus 14 color reproductions). The text is written by Sir Herbert Read (1893–1968), a distinguished British critic, poet and promoter of modern art (author of classic works such as "Education through Art").

The book provides an introductory essay on the life and work of Ben Nicholson (1894–1982), a key British abstract painter and constructivist of the 20th century: from early influences (Cubism, Mondrian neoplasticism, primitive art), through white reliefs (reliefs) of the 1930s, geometric compositions, play with transparency and layers, to landscapes and still lifes with abstract elements. The emphasis is on Nicholson's clean, reductionist aesthetics, the harmony of form and color, and the connection with British modernism (Unit One group, St Ives school).

The illustrations are in color, with a selection of representative images and reliefs. It is intended for a wider audience, art students and fans in socialist Yugoslavia, where Western modern art became popular. Today it is a rare retro edition, ideal as an introductory survey of Nicholson's work from the 1960s, before his later major retrospectives.