Book Description

Rembrandt changed the course of art history not only as a painter but also as a draftsman and printmaker. His output of some 300 etchings and drypoints represents a lifelong commitment to printmaking unequaled by any other 17th-century painter and comparable only to Picasso in our own time. Rembrandt's Journey unfolds the richness and diversity of Rembrandt's career as an etcher in the context of his paintings and drawings. Illustrated with nearly 200 works in all three media, this book traces the remarkable evolution of Rembrandt's art over four decades, from the robust physical energy of his early productions to the breadth, simplicity and meditative beauty of his later work. It establishes new and important connections among these works and among the three media that the artist explored throughout his career. It encompasses the wide range of his vision, from the tragic and spiritual to the earthy and comic. And it gives full due to Rembrandt's narrative sensibilities, showing how he endowed his figures (particularly in biblical scenes) with unprecedented psychological nuance and vividness. Published to accompany the first comprehensive American survey of his work in decades, Rembrandt's Journey offers a fresh, authoritative view of this endlessly familiar, yet still unknown, artist. Essays by Clifford S. Ackley, Ronni Baer, Thomas E. Rassieur and William W. Robinson. Clothbound, 9.5 x 10 in./304 pgs / 80 color 0 BW160 duotone 0 ~ Item D20118 ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A Fascinating examination of Poussin's Late Landscapes
Being an Art History student, I've discovered you rarely come across clear and understandable "straight to the point" and not "all around it" writing. Art hostorians often tend to drift away with their associations. I am most grateful to the author of "Nicolas Poussin's Landscape Allegories" Sheila McTighe, for writing so clearly on such a difficult subject. That is not to say her book simplifies the subject in any way, or that she uses a shallow approach, but simply that it is easy to follow her line of thought even though she's dealing with some complex issues. The book examines Poussin's late landscape paintings, from around 1640, a point worth emphasizing - in case you're looking for a more extensive summary of his entire oeuvre - this isn't the book for you. McTighe chooses to concentrate on his later landscapes often referred to as "allegorical" or "ideal". I aplaud the choice since these are the more complex and thus interesting one's, in my opinion. Through those works she discusses many different issues like Poussin's stoic views and his connections with the French "Libertin Erudit" movement in a particularly fascinating chapter, for instance. She skilfully shows the influence of the artists and "thinkers" of his time (and not just his time) on Poussin. In conclusion, I would say this book was one of the better one's I've read during my years of studying art history. I would definitely recommend it to anyone with the slightest interest in art. ... Read more

Book Description

Ad Reinhardt is probably best known for his black paintings, whicharoused as much controversy as admiration in the American art world when theywere first exhibited in the 1950s. Although his ideas about art and life wereoften at odds with those of his contemporaries, they prefigured the ascendanceof minimalism. Reinhardt's interest in the Orient and in religion, his strongconvictions about the value of abstraction, and his disgust with thecommercialism of the art world are as fresh and valid today as they were when hefirst expressed them. ... Read more

Book Description

Man Ray (1890-1976) has long been considered one of the most versatile and innovative artists of the twentieth century. As a painter, writer, sculptor, photographer, and filmmaker, he is best known for his intimate association with the French Surrealist group in Paris during the 1920s and 1930s, particularly for his highly inventive and unconventional photographic images. These remarkable accomplishments, however, have tended to overshadow the importance of his earlier work-significant not only for comprehending Man Ray's future artistic development, but also for fleshing out our understanding of the visual arts in America during one of the most important and crucial phases of modernism's evolution.

The book, and the exhibition for which it serves as the catalogue, concentrate on Man Ray's production from 1907 to 1917. Conversion to Modernism is the first comprehensive, fully illustrated work to examine this artist's seminal years, beginning with his high school years in Brooklyn, his studies at the Art Students League and the National Academy of Design in New York, and the time he spent in life drawing classes at the more progressive Ferrer Center.

From 1913 to 1915, Man Ray lived in a small artists' colony in Grantwood, New Jersey. It was here, studying with Samuel Halpert (a former student of Matisse), that he began to become the artist we know today. Throughout this period, Man Ray's work developed methodically, in a gradual but certain evolution to abstraction. This progression culminated in 1916 with the publication of a remarkably early and important formalist tract, wherein the flat planar surface is established as a common vehicle of expression for all the arts: music, literature, dance, architecture, sculpture, and painting. The last section of the book includes recently discovered photographs and other works influenced by the emergent Dada movement. Here is Man Ray in recognizable form just before he leaves the country for France in 1921. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Cliff Notes on Pollack is a good introduction
The author gives us the fundamentals on Pollock, the man, the painter, the influences, the critics, contemporary painters, plus Pollock's wife Lee Krasner and other supporters. I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Interesting, but unfortunately, annoying
Um...Like...underline...superficial...as if! This book is cute but it's so simple and silly, it made me feel like I was hearing the story of a great and influential artist, being told by a pretentious poser. The points it covers really are interesting and important but I think this book is a bit annoying.

Teaches and Entertains!
This book is a great first step in learning about the artist's life and understanding his work. It is a quick read, and you will learn much about Pollock and how his style was developed without overloading you on unneccessary detail. Um...Like...Buy The Book!!!

Totally great book!
Wow, now I GET what this guy's all about. Who knew? Can't wait to go to New York and see the Pollock exhibition now. It's very cool that he was sometimes so drunk he used the palm of his hand to "sign" his paintings! ... Read more

Book Description

What makes a masterpiece? John Pope-Hennessy, the preeminent expert on Italian Renaissance art, examines the works of master Piero della Francesca, painting by painting and fresco by fresco. The author discusses the stories the works portray, their meticulous composition, the questions they raise, and their place within the artistic context of the time. This volume includes the famous Aldous Huxley essay “The Best Picture,” which inspired Pope-Hennessy to seek out the enigmatic works that now constitute the pilgrimage known as the Piero della Francesca Trail. 56 full-color photos are featured. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A compact delight
One of the pleasures of a small book is the ability to savour the author's writing. This volume combines Huxley's essay (which makes the startling claim that Piero's Resurrection is the best painting in the world) with Pope-Hennessy's lucid descriptions of Piero's works. The plates are wonderful and well arranged. PH's swipes at Kenneth Clark and John Mortimer would seem churlish in a larger, more ponderous volume, but are merely charmingly opinionated here. A lovely way to spend an hour or two.

This Trail is worth finding
This small volume (fewer than 60 pages of text) is well worth tracking down through the 'out-of- print' mechanisms. Originally a lecture, the book introduces Piero della Francesca as a "reclusive, silent, rather taciturn friend", but a friend nonetheless. Mr Henessey's rounded analysis and warm descriptions of both the painter and his paintings certainly allow the reader to establish a relationship with Piero. Depsite the author's slightly disparaging remark about "tourists in their rented Fiats" following the Piero della Francesca trail, I urge travellers (Fiat driven, armchair or others) to increase their knowledge, appreciation and sheer enjoyment of Piero by slipping this volume into their luggage or onto the bookshelf. The book is usefully illustrated. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Rodin and the Fragmented Form
"Rodin: A Passion for Movement" by Dominique Jarrasse is an objective exploration of Rodin's major works based on three dimensions; movement, (as the title suggests), light and shade and the fragmented figure. These elements are explored through articulate text and beautiful, high-resolution photographs and drawings. The focus of the book is on Rodin's motivation and his alchemist method of modeling his figures to achieve the exact postures, which would give the sculpture a sense of movement. He paid an enormous amount of attention to the interplay between light and shade, taking from the masters, most notably Michelangelo. However, a great deal of controvesy surrounded Rodin's work based on his constant rejection from the academic community. In spite of his mastery, Rodin wasn't accepted because of his affinity for the fragmented figure, which he saw as a finished piece of work. This notion was affirmed by his quote, "I will never again make anything complete. I will make only antiques."(P. 46) The book begins with an analysis of "The Burghers of Calais", a monument to the six martyrs who surrendered the keys to the city of Calais to King Edward III during the Hundred Years War. The author explores the psychological undertones of each of the six men and Rodin's efforts to exact the pain and distress felt by these heroic men. Rodin paid close attention to the facial expressions of each of these figures in an effort to personify the different emotions these men and this monument symbolize. He chose a circular composition to depict the moment where these men were walking to the town hall, to meet King Edward and to meet death, creating a sense of eternal movement. Rodin established himself in the art world at the age of forty with a commission for the Musee des Arts Decoratifs. He found inspiration for this grandiose work from Dante's "Inferno", which he titled "The Gates of Hell." This work became "essentially an ode to sculpture" (p. 53) and took over twenty years for him to create. He reused fragments from other works that he created and many of his more famous works are found in this sculpture. At the top sits "The Thinker", which was Rodin's depiction of Dante. Rodin said, "His head on his fist, he wonders. Fertile thoughts slowly rise in his mind. He is not a dreamer. He is a creator." (p.90) Rodin was constantly studying and revising his fragmented forms. In Rodin's opinion these fragments were the essence to his work. Gustave Kahn explained, "The fragment is beautiful in itself, and the study of the fragment, a useful and legitimate thing." (p. 210) Throughout the book, the author includes a variety of photographs, however it would have been more informative had the author included many more of these studies and variations on each work.

Superb collection of photographs
This large-format book really does justice to Rodin's work, with a very large number of photographs covering all his major works, often from several perspectives.

Good descriptions of Rodin's pieces
This book depicts most of his major works with many color photographs. Likewise, a short narrative accompanies each photo describing the artist's inspiration, background and overall effect of each piece. A good book to accompany any novice wanting to learn more on Rodin. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The Best Coffee Table Book to Own
I bought this book while at the Vatican so I could understand all the paintings I was about to see. It was an outstanding help and I have since shown it to numerous people who have fallen in love with all the pictures and explanations. In fact, I am ordering a copy for my mother-in-law for fear that she will not be able to relinquish my copy! One of the best parts of the book is that it shows you fold outs of the entire fresco and then spends many pages with close up pictures describing in detail what is included in the large frescos. ... Read more

Book Description

From the bestselling author of Beethoven's Hair comes a stirring narrative account of the bombing of the town that inspired one of the world's most celebrated and controversial works of art, the painting Guernica's profound impact on the politics and culture of the twentieth century, and the artist whose immense passion and artistic vision are unequaled in modern history.

On April 26, 1937, in the late afternoon of a busy market day in the Basque town of Gernika in northern Spain, the German Luftwaffe began the relentless bombing and machine-gunning of businesses, homes and villagers to test a new type of warfare waged from the air at the request of General Francisco Franco and his rebel forces. Three-and-a-half hours later, the village lay in ruins, its population decimated. This act of terror and unspeakable cruelty the first intentional, large-scale attack against a nonmilitary target in modern warfare outraged the world, and compelled a Spanish painter to respond with artistic fury. Pablo Picasso, an expatriate living in Paris, reacted immediately to the devastation in his homeland by beginning work on the canvas that would become his testament against the horrors of war.

Guernica has become widely considered the greatest artwork of the twentieth century in the sixty-five years since its creation, and has been claimed as a powerful symbolic image first by the embattled government of Republican Spain and then, over time, by the international communist party, American artists opposing the war in Vietnam, international peace organizations, Basque separatists, survivors of the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, and people everywhere.

Weaving themes of conflict and redemption, doom and transcendence, and featuring some of the century's most memorable and infamous figures, including Adolf Hitler, Eleanor Roosevelt, George Orwell, Jackson Pollock, Lillian Hellman, and Picasso himself, Martin follows this renowned masterwork from its fevered creation through its journey across decades, from many countries of Europe to America and finally and triumphantly to Spain. Picasso's War is a book that vividly demonstrates how vital art is to human lives and how sometimes it even transfigures tragedy, a story that delivers an unforgettable portrait of an artistic genius whose visionary rendering of the terrible wounds of war still resonates profoundly today. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Great Book for a Light Read On Picasso
The book as a whole was rather well written, and, if someone asked me for a good nonfiction book about Picasso, there is a good chance that I would point them to this book. The book had good descriptions throughout, it was written for so that people who had very little understanding previously could understand what was going on, and the book was written so that it didn't have to be read all in one sitting. So, while I probably wouldn't pass it onto others, I feel that it was a good experience to read it.

Good discussion - Visuals lacking
Picasso's War untangles much of the criticism of the artist during WWII for remaining in France. It is an excellent discussion of Guernica--the paintings beginning as rough sketches to the final product. The tragedy at Gernica is discribed vividly, putting the reader at the scene. Martin's take on Picasso is balanced--his outstanding talent and chauvenism toward his many women are discussed. My criticism of the book lies with the total lack of illustrations. As an artist I wanted to see pictures of the initial sketches, the painting in process and a good reproduction of Guernica, not just what was on the cover. The lack of illustrations makes the book much less effective for a visual person, artist or art historian.

Great Read -- Great History?
Russell Martin has taken the history of the Spanish Civil War and a single work of art an woven them together into an entertaining and enlightening book. I am disturbed, however, by the author's Bibliographical Note, which begins "This narrative is intended for general readers rather than scholars, and for that reason I have chosen not to cite sources in the text or in accompanying notes. But I will be pleased to answer queries directed to me through the publisher about specific sources...." The author claims a great deal of detailed knowledge, from time to time stating with authority how Picasso felt in particular situations. It would be nice, even for a general reader, to know whether these conclusions were based on letters or interviews or the author's supposition...

Guernica-- et la Guerre
Brisk biography of a great apparition, Picasso's meditation on war, and the atrocity of the bombing of the Basques. Detached,almost remote from politics Picasso is suddenly drawn into a protest against the fascist tide in the period of the Spanish Civil War, the outcome the masterpiece one once saw many times at Moma--the author recounts the return of this orphaned msterpice to Spain after its long years of exile and rejection by Franco's spain. Well told, important story.

A Historic Painting's Biography
In a small village of Spain, it was market day on 26 April 1937, with farmers bringing in harvest. The village within the Basque region of northern Spain was without any serious strategic import, but it was less than twenty miles away from Bilbao, a Basque stronghold, and Francisco Franco wished to threaten the Basques. At the request of Franco's rebel army, Luftwaffe planes poured bombs, percussion and incendiary, onto the village for three hours, and strafed the people trying to flee. The event was to inspire possibly the most famous painting of the twentieth century, and the painting was to sear the events in Guernica into the world's memory. The story of the history that made the painting and the painting that made history is dramatically told in _Picasso's War: The Destruction of Guernica, and the Masterpiece that Changed the World_ (Dutton) by Russell Martin. It is a great story of art and history, and it is told here with earnest verve.

Picasso didn't like the idea of a commission for a big mural, and although he fully supported the Spanish Republican forces in their efforts against Franco's fascism, he was not interested in making what he knew would be a piece of propaganda. He had never visited the Basque country, but once he heard of the attack, he began sketches for the commission. It was not immediately accepted as a masterpiece, although the partisans of the Spanish Republican cause were, of course, enthusiastic. It wound up at the commencement of World War II in New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it would be a showpiece for more than forty years. Picasso made clear that the Spanish Republican government had paid for the painting and it thus belonged to the people of a democratic Spain, but he stipulated that democracy and freedom had to be restored before it returned. After Franco's death, and after serious legal tangles, possibly because the museum wanted to hold on to the painting as long as possible, the painting was sent to the Prado museum in Madrid in 1981. The national newspaper had the headline THE WAR HAS ENDED.

That might have been so, but controversy over the painting and the locale it deserves has not ended. It was moved to another Madrid museum, probably its permanent home, but many Basques believe that it needs to be closer to the rebuilt Guernica village. Hope for such a move peaked when the Bilbao museum was built. The architect, Frank Gehry, even showed the Spanish king and queen the wall on which _Guernica_ should be installed. Having the painting return to Spain helped to heal the years of repression, and perhaps sending it to Bilbao would heal the wounds between Basques and Spaniards; it is not impossible that the famous painting still has work to do. But Martin reminds us that Picasso said, "Wars end, but hostilities endure forever." Martin was researching his fine book, and looking at the painting himself, when other museum visitors hinted that as an American he ought to get to a television. It was 11 September 2001, and the world has not fully learned _Guernica_'s lesson. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

True Life
Christopher Finch has captured Norman Rockwell's magnificent and intriguing use of art to compile a work of American History. Each painting featured in the book is an amusing, yet truthful look at American life in the early 1900's and on. This book is a must to have in any home library! ... Read more

Book Description

Film director Jean Renoir was the son of the great impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir. In this delightful memoir, he tells the story of his famous father, capturing the artist's unpretentious and engaging personality. The author describes his father's early years as a painter of fans and porcelain, evolving thoughts about the effect of light on paintings, and relationships with such luminaries as Monet and Cezanne. Affectionately rendered through the eyes of a loving son, this work is a charming double portrait of both artists. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Beautiful
Impressionism is my favorite style of painting so I was really enchanted with this biography. Written by Renoir's middle son, Jean, Renoir, My Father not only gives us an intimate look at the life of Auguste Renoir, it gives us an intimate look at the Paris of Renoir's day as well.

As we get to know Renoir we get to know his contemporaries, too. Jean Renoir writes about Monet, Cezanne, Manet, Sisley and many other great artists. We learn many "little known" facts, such as Monet's penchant for lace and his "artful" way with the ladies.

Paris really comes alive in this book. Many of the places Renoir writes about still exist and can be visited today. This book makes any art lover's trip to Paris more meaningful whether he's a Renoir fan or not.

When reading this book, one must remember that this is not a "run of the mill" biography. This is a son writing about the father he adored. The portrait we are given is very intimate, detailed and loving. It's obvious that Jean Renoir adored his father, just as Auguste Renoir adored his family.

Ultimately, this book is a beautiful tribute from a loving son to a father who was one of history's consummate artists. If you have any interest at all in art, this is one book you simply must not pass up. The last page alone will break your heart.

A Vivid Portait
Renoir was far more than one of the world's greatest artists. He was an adventurer, a family man, a man who held interesting views on just about every subject under the sun, and finally, in his later years, a martyr to life. Although this book was written by Renoir's middle son, Jean, it is as vibrant and alive as if Renoir, himself, had just written the words in his own hand. Through this book we learn how the Renoir family left its roots in Limoges and moved to Paris. We read of Renoir's early years as a painter of porcelain and how and why he became an artist, more specifically, an Impressionist. We learn of Renoir's marriage to Aline Charigot of Essoyes, the birth of his three sons and his move to the south of France. Some of the most interesting sections of the book deal with Renoir's feelings about the effect of light on a painting and why he needed to paint in a "natural" setting. Also, most interesting are the chapters on the birth of Impressionism and Renoir's relationships with the other artists of the time, such as Monet, Manet, Sisley and Cezanne, just to name a few. Lovingly and charmingly written, this book truly brings Renoir to life and makes him accessible to all. Absolutely a must for anyone with even a passing interest in art or artists!

Therapy
We adopted "Renoir, My Father" as bedside reading while my wife was recovering from hip surgery, and (aside, perhaps, from "Goodnight, Moon,") I can't imagine better therapy. This is odd, in a way: Claude was an old man (and in pain) when Jean got to know him, and Jean was an old man when he finally brought his recollectios together. You might expect cranky, but nothing of the sort: it's a book full of sunny afterglow. Every parent would hope to be rememnbered so well.

The book might take a bit of getting used to: Jean has his own pace and his own way of telling his story. We did it in small doses and I'm not certain yet that I quite catch the rhythm. None of the rough edges have been smoothed off which, come to think of it, is just as Claude would have wanted: Jean speaks with his own voice. You have to listen well, but you know that the voice is nobody else's.

I suppose it helps to know a bit about the Impressionists to enjoy it all, but I can't say I know all that much, and I didn't feel impaired. Anyway, God bless Google: more than once, when Jean talked about a painting or a subject, I key-clicked my way to an image and completed (as it were) the picture.

Kudos also to NYRB (this time) for producing what it does not always produce: a finished physical specimen The paper feels like quality; the binding is sturdy, and there is a small but satisfying selection of pictures, both colored and black-and-white. There is even an index of sorts (I assume from the original translator) but it is patchy and incomplete. That last is a shortcoming, but forgivable in light of the book's other virtues. In the NYRB firmament, this is surely a star.

A good book on Renoir; a good book too, about Paris
Not only is this a book about Renoir, whose tableaux peer out of every other art store on every mall in North America (what a curious fate!), it is also a book about Paris. Born in 1841, Renoir was older than most of the other Impressionists with whom he grew friendly later. He also had the chance to see Paris as it was before the Commune and the war of 1870. He lived a good part of his life on the Butte in Montmartre and it is hard now to recapture the atmosphere up there among the hordes of tourists. Yet early on Sunday mornings with a light rain playing on the umbrellas of the artist's stands in the Place du Tertre, you can wander freely among the memories of the rue Lepic and elsewhere, and catch glimpses of Renoir (and others) as you pass through the old streets. Reading this book first will help.

Jean Renoir is a very famous artist in his own right, having made numerous films and become one of the most acclaimed directors in French cinema history. Here he has taken great pains to paint a fine portrait of his renowned father, this time with a pen. He has succeeded admirably.

Charming
This book presents a very touching portrait of Auguste Renoir. The recollections of his son, Jean, are wonderful to read and bring the artist alive, both as a man and as an aritst. And if you read the book, you will see why "The Cork" preferred never to be referred to as an "artist," a title he certainly deserves! ... Read more

Book Description

As a great master of the early Renaissance, Piero della Francesca created paintings for ecclesiastics, confaternities, and illustrious nobles throughout the Italian peninsula. Since the early twentieth century, the rational space, abstract designs, lucid illumination and naturalistic details of his pictures have attracted wide audiences. Piero's treatises on mathematics and perspective fascinate scholars in a wide range of disciplines. This Companion brings together new essays that offer a synthesis and overview of Piero's life and accomplishments as a painter and theoretician. ... Read more

Book Description

Piero della Francesca, one of the greatest painters of the fifteenth century, was also anaccomplished mathematician. This book--the first to study and integrate Piero's work as a mathematician and painter-explores the connections between his two activities and enhances our understanding of both his paintings and his scientific writings.

J.V. Field begins by describing Piero's education, family background, and training as a painter. She then considers the strong sense of three-dimensional form shown in his art and the abstract solid geometry discussed in his writings. Field next deals with Piero's treatise on perspective and with art works that exemplify the prescriptions it provides, and she assesses the optical or pictorial "rules" Piero followed as a painter. Hailing Piero as an exemplar of a learned craft tradition, she concludes by considering the historical significance of that tradition and its links to the scientific revolution that emerged in the next century. Piero's mathematics is revealed to be as highly accomplished as his painting, and he is shown to exemplify-as does his younger contemporary Leonardo da Vinci-some of the important changes that the Renaissance made in the development of the sciences and in the arts.

Book Description

A richly revealing document offering many telling insights into the mind and heart of a giant of 20th-century art. "Engrossing as a novel... throws a clear white light on one of the most spectacular artists of our time"—Chicago Sunday Tribune. "There is no lack of exciting material. A lover at nine, a cannibal at eighteen, by his own account, Rivera was prodigiously productive of art and controversy in his 70 years of life."—San Francisco Chronicle. 21 halftones. Index. Appendix.
... Read more

Reviews (2)

Fact and Fiction
This book is a mixture of fact and fantasy, the real real and imagined world as conjured by the mind of Diego Rivera as told to Gladys March. The invention of facts, the fabrication of the bits of truth to create a colorful story are the result of a newspaper interview that flourished into a series of interviews over many years. Beginning in 1944 and continuing until his death in 1957 Gladys March spent several months each year collecting over 2000 pages of notes that eventually formed the basis of this book. As another customer reviewer stated this is not the place to start when you reading about the life of Rivera since the lines between fact and fiction are blurred at best. A more accurate picture can be found in "dreaming With His Eyes Open" by Patrick Marnham. If you have a foundation in the life and times of one of the great Mexican artists than this book reflects a colorful and imaginative mind. The brillance of his art aside Diego reveals himself and makes no excuses for the parts of his pesonality that are less than desireable. He talks about his experiment in cannanbilsm, witchcraft, his blaphemous treatment of religion and the church, the communist party, his relationships with world leaders, artists and women, his advetures in Europe, the United States and Mexico, his troubles and ills , including his bout with cancer of the penis and in general the things that made his life as large as his physical presence. A very entertaining book that is easy to read because each small chapter deals with an extensive period of his life. All in all this is a good book to compliment other books on Rivera to get an even more accurate but distorted view of his brilliance. Included are several pictures and paintings from throughout his life. The man , the myth and the artist are here for you to decipher the truth and paint your own picture.

Strictly Fantasy
If you have not yet read anything about the life of Diego Rivera, don't start with this book. While Rivera's re-imagining of his life is riveting, it is merely one more tall tale. Rivera is known for many talents, however, sticking to the truth is not one of them.

If you already have a solid background in the artists life, then by all means read this book to get a sharper insight into his mental inner-workings! ... Read more

Book Description

Rousseau's series of jungle painitngs are widely seen as the pinnacle of his achievement.The artist's work was and still continues to be the subject of controversy.This book answers many of the questions surrounding Rousseau's importance as an artist, reproducing in high-quality color his jungle paintings and examining them in a wider art-historical context. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A very good survey of Rousseau's art
The layout and color reproductions are quite good, considering the book's modest size. Werner Schmalenbach comments on the artist's charming paintings, their historical background and influence on comtemporaries, as well as key events in his life. The text is illuminating, lively, and unpedantic-- as Rousseau would have liked it. Also, the price is right. .... Get it! (Even though the book is out of print, I have seen several copies in art museum shops.)

Congratulations to Prestel, the publisher, for making Pegasus Library books available to the wide public-- great art books which are kind to the wallet. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Small but comprehensive
Although largely biographical, it covers most of his important pieces and their impact on his life and the art of that era. But, what I love about the book are the beautifully written prose of (the poet) Rainer Maria Rilke and his commentary about particular pieces, that can't be found in print elsewhere. Particularly striking is Rilke's commentary on Rodin's The Burghers of Calais in the first several pages, which gives a dynamic piece its true emotional content. This is what makes this small book unique. Coffee table sized books on Rodin will give more satisfying visual reproduction of Rodin's works and probably provide more critical commentary on the meaning of individual works, but this small book does have rather unusual content. It has sections in the back on the lost wax technique and excerpts of letters and interesting photographs of Rodin at work in his studio and imposing his enormous ego over the works that made him one of the most important sculptors since antiquity.

very biographical but not criticle enough!
A very interesting biography on rodins work and his personel life and how this, through the path of time reflected in his work. Although laking in criticle views and historical context of what his influenses were (apart from that of Michelangelo)it did mention the possible influence that Camille Claudel had on him.

A great little book
I have dozens of books on Rodin and this is one of my favorites. Great, though small, photographs, concise text and even a nifty section in the back of the book with copies of letters to Rodin as well as a thoughtful explanation of the bronze casting and transfer to marble processes. It's inexpensive and compact as well. Excellent! ... Read more

Book Description

Three Italian Renaissance artists—Jacopo da Pontormo, Agnolo Bronzino, and Alessandro Allori—were closely related personally and professionally anddominated Florentine art for almost a century. In this highly original study, ElizabethPilliod offers a reassessment of their lives, work, and artistic lineage, challenging theview that has prevailed since Giorgio Vasari wrote dismissively about them in hissixteenth-century Lives.

Pilliod compares information from documents she has discovered to Vasari's versions ofthe artists' lives and shows how Vasari manipulated their biographies—for examplesupressing any mention of Pontormo's status as a court artist, including his salary fromDuke Cosimo I—in order to diminish their reputations, to obliterate memory of thetraditional Florentine workshops, and to enhance the importance of the academy instead.She also discusses such subjects as the evidence for Pontormo's association with theMedici court; Pontormo's house and its place in the urban fabric of Florence; Bronzino'sand Pontormo's intimate association with poets and theatrical spectacles; and Allori'spainted challenge to Vasari's view of the artistic scene in sixteenth-century Florence. Thebook is a major revision of our understanding of Florentine art and society of thesixteenth century, a new way of looking at Vasari's Lives, and consequently a significantreconsideration of the historiography of Renaissance art. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Pontormo, Bronzino, Allori: Mission Accomplished
I learned a new word the other day, and through coincidence it seems to refer directly to Elizabeth Pilliod's "Pontormo, Bronzino, Allori." "Microstoria" is a term for historical information discovered through the analysis of documents that recount the daily activities of ordinary individuals. Though it's arguable that many of the individuals whose stories Pilliod weaves into "Pontormo, Bronzino, Allori" were anything but ordinary, microstoria is still her method, and her book demonstrates her mastery of it. The book is about the difference between the evaluation of the three eponymous painters in Giorgio Vasari's canonical "Lives of the Artists"-the 16th-century compendium that still shapes today's received ideas about the Italian Renaissance-and the actual facts about their lives, their interrelations, and their contemporary reputations, as painstakingly unearthed by Pilliod in the course of ten years of research. What she discovers-that Pontormo, Bronzino, and Allori held very different places in the art world and in the evaluations of their peers and patrons than the second-string status ascribed to them by Vasari and perpetuated by centuries of unquestioning acceptance of his work-should come as no surprise to anyone more familiar with the painters' works (scores of which are beautifully reproduced throughout the text) than with the traditional scholarship that has served to obscure them.

Pilliod's mission here is the rescue of these three great artists from an official history based on ancient, unreliable, and hostile opinion. In order to execute it successfully, she needed to be fluent in various versions of various languages from the 16th century to the present; adept at discovering, navigating, and mining myriad libraries, archives, collections, correspondences, museums, and middens; au courant with about 450 years of previous criticism; a skilled, sensitive psychohistorian; a fearless detective; and an x-ray-eyed connoisseur. Part of the treat of reading "Pontormo, Bronzino, Allori" is witnessing the author's command of all those skills and more, displayed in lucid and entertaining prose.

"Pontormo, Bronzino, Allori" may well mark a pivot point in our understanding not only of the artists it vindicates, but of the too-infrequently examined mechanisms of art history as well. Read it if you're an art lover; read it if you're an art historian; be sure to read it if you're a scholar of the period. ... Read more

Book Description

Maxfield Parrish is one of America's greatest twentieth-century illustrators. Parrish's works combine romanticism, stunning colors, dramatic lighting, and classical costumes to create images that seem to generate a light of their own, reflecting off each page, and the result is a feeling of warmth and exuberance. Here, in this spectacular horizontal calendar, his images are stunningly reproduced along with devoted curator and biographer Alma Gilbert's insights into his celebrated career.

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