Synopses & Reviews
Born in Bologna, Annibale Carracci (1564and#8211;1609) was one of the most revolutionary artists of the late Renaissance. Even before turning twenty, he rebelled against convention by investing his art with a sense of naturalism uncommon to paintings of the period. His early painting
The Butcherand#8217;s Shop, a cherished work in the Kimbell Art Museumand#8217;s collection, marks the beginning of Carracciand#8217;s artistic journey and remains one of his most powerfully naturalistic works.
This fascinating study explores the origins and significance of The Butcherand#8217;s Shop, placing it within the artistand#8217;s own career as well as the broader context of Italian painting. Detailing the uniqueness and vitality of Carracciand#8217;s style, C. D. Dickerson emphasizes the remarkable plein-air quality of the painting and explains how Carracci may have achieved this utterly novel effect, though in fact executing the work indoors in his studio. and#160;He also sets Carracciand#8217;s work in the tradition of butcherand#8217;s shop paintings in Renaissance Italy, analyzes the painting in relation to the reality of the occupation at the time, and investigates where in Bologna such a butcherand#8217;s shop might have stood.
Review
Selected as a Choice Outstanding Academic Title for 2013 in theand#160;Fine Arts Category.
Review
"Bernini: Sculpting in Clay . . . by Ian Wardropper and others is the catalog for a magnificent exhibition . . . focusing on the Italian master's use of hand-formed terracotta models as first drafts or sketches for his supremely refined marble sculptures of the human form, including the famed angels of the Ponte Sant' Angelo in Rome. These works, which still bear traces of Bernini's fingerprints in the clay, document the artist's acute powers of observation and profound expressive gifts, offering a peek into the creative process of a truly towering figure in Baroque art.and#8221;and#8212;Jonathan Lopez, Wall Street Journal
Review
and#8220;As a scholarly study of artistic process, the book is thorough and well organized, including equal shares of history and biography, art criticism, reception studies, historiography, and curatorial practice. As a catalogue of Berniniand#8217;s models, the book is equally as exhaustive, with enlarged photographs of key details, such as and#8220;striations from dry brush smoothingand#8221; or finger marks that indicate Berniniand#8217;s fast and free style.and#8221;and#8212;Publishers Weekly
Synopsis
A beautiful volume that brings to light the forgotten Le Nain brothers, a trio of 17th-century French master painters who specialized in portraiture, religious subjects, and scenes of everyday peasant life
In France in the 17th century, the brothers Antoine (c. 1598 1648), Louis (c. 1600/1605 1648), and Mathieu (1607 1677) Le Nain painted images of everyday life for which they became posthumously famous. They are celebrated for their depictions of middle-class leisure activities, and particularly for their representations of peasant families, who gaze out at the viewer. The uncompromising naturalism of these compositions, along with their oddly suspended action, imparts a sense of dignity to their subjects.
Featuring more than sixty paintings highlighting the artists full range of production, including altarpieces, private devotional paintings, portraits, and the poignant images of peasants for which the brothers are best known, this generously illustrated volume presents new research concerning the authorship, dating, and meaning of the works by well-known scholars in the field. Also groundbreaking are the results of a technical study of the paintings, which constitutes a major contribution to the scholarship on the Le Nain brothers."
Synopsis
The Lone Star State is home to a dazzling array of world-class artworks, many in private collections and rarely exhibited. Reflecting the Kimbell Art Museumand#8217;s own collecting strengths, this book focuses on the art of Europe and the ancient Mediterranean from about 700 B.C. to around 1950.and#160;Over 40 prominent collections are featured along with works that have been given to museums in Texas or have left the state through gift or sale. Among the artists included are Thomas Gainsborough, Paul Gauguin, Guercino, Henri Matisse, Piet Mondrian, Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Vincent van Gogh. The distinguished scholar Richard R. Brettell contributes a comprehensive essay on the importance of private collecting in Texas.
Synopsis
The brilliantly expressive clay models created by Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598and#8211;1680) as "sketches" for his works in marble offer extraordinary insights into his creative imagination. Although long admired, the terracotta models have never been the subject of detailed examination. This publication presents a wealth of new discoveries (including evidence of the artist's fingerprints imprinted on the clay), resolving lingering issues of attribution while giving readers a vivid sense of how the artist and his assistants fulfilled a steady stream of monumental commissions. Essays describe Bernini's education as a modeler; his approach to preparatory drawings; his use of assistants; and the response to his models by 17th-century collectors. Extensive research by conservators and art historians explores the different types of models created in Bernini's workshop. Richly illustrated, Bernini transforms our understanding of the sculptor and his distinctive and fascinating working methods.
About the Author
Richard R. Brettell is the Margaret McDermott Distinguished Chair of Art and Aesthetics at the University of Texas, Dallas. C. D. Dickerson III is associate curator of European art at the Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth.