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Powell's Q&A, Q&A | December 10, 2009

Sam Stephenson: IMG Powell's Q&A: Sam Stephenson

1 comment By Sam Stephenson

Describe your latest book/project/work. I've been studying the life and work of photographer W. Eugene Smith for 13 years. My first book (Dream... Continue »
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    The Jazz Loft Project: Photographs and Tapes of W. Eugene Smith from 821 Sixth Avenue, 1957-1965

    Sam Stephenson and W. Eugene Smith
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Luncheon of the Boating Party

by Susan Vreeland

Luncheon of the Boating Party Cover

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

A vivid exploration of one of the most beloved Renoir paintings in the world, "done with a flourish worthy of Renoir himself" (USA Today)

With her richly textured novels, Susan Vreeland has offered pioneering portraits of artists' lives. Now, as she did in Girl in Hyacinth Blue, Vreeland once again focuses on a single paintingAuguste Renoir's instantly recognizable masterpiece, which depicts a gathering of Renoir's real friends enjoying a summer Sunday on a cafterrace along the Seine. Narrated by Renoir and seven of the models, the novel illuminates the gusto, hedonism, and art of the era. With a gorgeous palette of vibrant, captivating characters, Vreeland paints their lives, loves, losses, and triumphs so vividly that "the painting literally comes alive" (The Boston Globe).

Review:

"Vreeland's most ambitious book yet."

The Philadelphia Inquirer

"If a trip to Paris is a bit outside of your price range, Vreeland's new novel is the next best thing."

Parade

"A masterwork."

The San Diego Union-Tribune

"Exquisitely wrought . . . this summer's most satisfying historical novel."

The Seattle Times

"Vreeland takes the big bold brush strokes of Renoir's personal and artistic oeuvre and displays them with her usual vividness in this eponymous novel. . . . Sensual and provocative."

The Baltimore Sun

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About the Author

Susan Vreeland is the internationally renowned author of five books, including Girl in Hyacinth Blue.
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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
katknit, April 4, 2009 (view all comments by katknit)
What goes through an artist's mind during the act of creating a painting? Susan Vreeland makes that question the theme of Luncheon of the Boating Party. Generally agreed to be one of Renoir's masterpieces, Luncheon is a huge canvas depicting fourteen people enjoying a repast at an inn along the River Seine. Renoir is depicted at the pivotal point in his career when he was struggling to decide whether to persist with the impressionist genre, or to incorporate more formal techniques and styles. Provoked by a critical comment from Emile Zola, he embarks upon a quest to produce a work to serve as the definitive rebuttal.

Vreeland immerses her readers within the heart of Montmartre and the romantic Parisian ideal of "modern life". A joyous commingling of street scenes and cafe society, artists and models, dealers and yachtsmen, Luncheon is an earthy, incandescent evocation of one of the art world's most momentous eras. Enjoy!
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780143113522
Author:
Vreeland, Susan
Publisher:
Penguin Books
Subject:
Historical - General
Subject:
Impressionism (art)
Subject:
Painters
Subject:
Historical
Subject:
Painters -- France.
Publication Date:
March 2008
Binding:
Paperback
Language:
English
Illustrations:
Y
Pages:
434
Dimensions:
9.00x5.00x1.00 in. 1.00 lbs.
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