Life means getting curious about the lives of these most influential artists
Here is a short guide to several books that will paint a very good picture about the lives of the forefathers of realism, impressionism and post-impressionism.
Anyone who wants to know anything about art should start with Leonardo da Vinci and a good book about his life and his works is Sherwin Nuland’s Leonardo da Vinci.
The benefit of this book is that it portrays Leonardo not only as an artist but as an anatomist, architect, physician and engineer. You’ll learn about the artist’s personal interests, his obsession with the intricacies of objects, his discoveries preserved in priceless notebooks (the author employs a great narrative and plenty of references).
Next, I highly recommend you fully immerse yourself in the life of Michelangelo Buonarroti. Aside from Leonardo, no other artist more accurately portrayed the beauty of the human body as Michelangelo did. And no other book truly captures the spirit of Michelangelo than Irving Stone’s The Agony and the Ecstasy. Here, you’ll fall in love with Michelangelo’s character and talent as you follow the sculptor’s life from his early years as a student in the court of the Medici through his agonizing yet ingenious years of creating perfection (a great example is the statue of the Pieta). You’ll also find out how he came to carve the famous statue of David, the suffering he endured painting the Sistine Chapel and the Ecstasy he felt while designing St. Peter’s cathedral. This book has it all.
If you are curious about French art you should definitely plan to explore the world of realism and one of France’s forgotten painters, Ernest Meissonier. For a terrific study of the influence realism had on the early Impressionism, turn to Ross King’s book The Judgment of Paris. This book is the perfect source. You’ll learn about the life of late 19th century painters, about the political and economic picture of France that gave birth to Edouard Manet’s talent and the movement of the Impressionism.
You’ll never experience a more remarkable account of the life of Vincent Van Gogh than Irving Stone’s book Lust For Life. If I have to answer the question what book is at the top of my preference list, this one would be it (needless to say upon completing it, I signed up for a drawing class in a nearby community college). The beauty of this book is not only in its narrative, but the magic with which it captures every emotion sealed in the works of Van Gogh. The author traces Van Gogh’s personal struggle to uncover who he truly was, how to portray what he felt, and finally what drove him to insanity. Reading this book, one finds the true meaning of the word - art appreciation.
No collection would be complete without a painting from Gauguin, hence no book list would be whole without The Moon and Sixpence by W.Somerset Maugham. I was captivated by the life’s story of this exceptional post-impressionistic painter who left everything behind to pursue a life of dream and creativity in Tahiti (where he also died). This book answers a lot of questions about Gauguin’s paintings and in particular the reasons behind his brilliant use of color.
-by Simon Cleveland
Anyone who wants to know anything about art should start with Leonardo da Vinci and a good book about his life and his works is Sherwin Nuland’s Leonardo da Vinci.
The benefit of this book is that it portrays Leonardo not only as an artist but as an anatomist, architect, physician and engineer. You’ll learn about the artist’s personal interests, his obsession with the intricacies of objects, his discoveries preserved in priceless notebooks (the author employs a great narrative and plenty of references).
Next, I highly recommend you fully immerse yourself in the life of Michelangelo Buonarroti. Aside from Leonardo, no other artist more accurately portrayed the beauty of the human body as Michelangelo did. And no other book truly captures the spirit of Michelangelo than Irving Stone’s The Agony and the Ecstasy. Here, you’ll fall in love with Michelangelo’s character and talent as you follow the sculptor’s life from his early years as a student in the court of the Medici through his agonizing yet ingenious years of creating perfection (a great example is the statue of the Pieta). You’ll also find out how he came to carve the famous statue of David, the suffering he endured painting the Sistine Chapel and the Ecstasy he felt while designing St. Peter’s cathedral. This book has it all.
If you are curious about French art you should definitely plan to explore the world of realism and one of France’s forgotten painters, Ernest Meissonier. For a terrific study of the influence realism had on the early Impressionism, turn to Ross King’s book The Judgment of Paris. This book is the perfect source. You’ll learn about the life of late 19th century painters, about the political and economic picture of France that gave birth to Edouard Manet’s talent and the movement of the Impressionism.
You’ll never experience a more remarkable account of the life of Vincent Van Gogh than Irving Stone’s book Lust For Life. If I have to answer the question what book is at the top of my preference list, this one would be it (needless to say upon completing it, I signed up for a drawing class in a nearby community college). The beauty of this book is not only in its narrative, but the magic with which it captures every emotion sealed in the works of Van Gogh. The author traces Van Gogh’s personal struggle to uncover who he truly was, how to portray what he felt, and finally what drove him to insanity. Reading this book, one finds the true meaning of the word - art appreciation.
No collection would be complete without a painting from Gauguin, hence no book list would be whole without The Moon and Sixpence by W.Somerset Maugham. I was captivated by the life’s story of this exceptional post-impressionistic painter who left everything behind to pursue a life of dream and creativity in Tahiti (where he also died). This book answers a lot of questions about Gauguin’s paintings and in particular the reasons behind his brilliant use of color.
-by Simon Cleveland
posted by Simon Cleveland @ 4:03 PM
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