Synopses & Reviews
A beautiful anthology of Impressionist paintings by a dazzling roll-call of artists. One of the world's best-loved art historians, Sister Wendy Beckett combines her deep knowledge of art history with her unique powers of observation to create a personal anthology of over 50 Impressionist masterpieces. Led by visionary artists such as Manet, Monet, and Pissarro, the Impressionists sought to capture the brilliant colors of nature and the ever-changing effects of light on a scene. Sister Wendy invites us to immerse ourselves in the colorful, energizing , and revolutionary paintings of this late 19th-century movement. Gallery of Great Artists: From Bonnard and Cezanne to Toulouse-Lautrec and Vuillard, all the artists are presented alphabetically, and each is represented by one or two key works. Here you will find the leading French Impressionists including Degas, Renoir, and Signac. Also represented are Singer Sarget, and Whistler, American artists who trained in Paris and knew and worked alongside the Impressionists. Sister Wendy also includes Mary Cassatt and Berthe Morisot, female Impressionists whose paintings captured the intimacy of domestic life. Sister Wendy invites us to take a fresh look at Impressionism. Seen through her eyes, each of the paintings in her wide-ranging selection weaves its magic around you when you follow her lead.
Review
In the nun's simple language, the most arcane paintings suddenly seem to convey real stories. (The New York Times)
About the Author
Born and raised in England, Sister Wendy Beckett entered the Roman Catholic order of the Sisters of Notre Dame at the age of 16. After her novitiate, she graduated with highest honors from Oxford University. Utilizing her degree in English literature, she moved to South Africa to become a teacher and, later, university lecturer. She was Reverend Mother of her convent when she was stricken with epilepsy. Granting her wish to lead a less hectic life, her order allowed Sister Wendy to return to England to live in seclusion under the protection of the Carmelite Order. From her cloister, Sister Wendy led a life of contemplation and prayer, taking on translation projects to pay the bills. After completing a five-volume collection of translated medieval Latin sermons, she asked to study art with the idea of producing a book which would help bring in some money to the Order. She began her study with library books and postcards of art works donated by various museums, eventually publishing a book of art history. A BBC producer stumbled across her writing and thought her "bizarre wit and contemplative insights" would come across well on television. She was invited to be the art critic for a documentary on London's National Gallery. In Sister Wendy's words, "...from that wretched book, it was downhill all the way." Sister Wendy's Odyssey proved to be a smash hit. There followed a journey to Europe's finest galleries in Sister Wendy's Grand Tour. Finally, her magnum opus, Sister Wendy's Story of Painting, and her companion art book caused a sensation on both sides of the Atlantic. She has since written more than a dozen books on art, prayer, love, and meditation. Sister Wendy currently lives in a trailer on the grounds of a Carmelite monastery in Norfolk, England, where she continues to live a secluded and disciplined life of prayer and contemplation in which art plays a major role.