Synopses & Reviews
This multifaceted book reviews the vast range of types of printmaking that flourished in France during the 19th century. Studies of this periodandrsquo;s printmaking tend to be confined to histories of individual processes, such as lithography or steel engraving. This study surveys the field as a whole and discusses the relationships between the various media in the context of an overall andldquo;visual economy.andrdquo;
Lithography, etching, and engraving are all examined through new research on noteworthy artists of the period, including Hyacinthe Aubry-Lecomte, Landeacute;opold Flameng, Ferdinand Gaillard, Aimandeacute; de Lemud, Nadar, and Charles Waltner. Rather than simply tracing the rise of Modernism in the 19th century, Distinguished Images reconstitutes the periodandrsquo;s cultural milieu through a series of case studies written with an eye to overarching forces at play. The result is the most original analysis of printmaking to appear in many yearsandmdash;a striking new account of a system in which printmaking, printmakers, and art critics played heretofore unrecognized or misunderstood roles.
Review
and#39;A truly great read for anyone interested in how popular imagery has been disseminated into the public consciousness.and#39;andmdash;Art and Antiques
Review
and#39;This is. . .an invigorating book, intelligently and attractively realised by the Yale editorial team. It is in every sense a work of distinction, enabling us to see the particular strengths and challenges of printmaking more clearly, touching on everything from the minute cuts and hatchings to the widest cultural ambitions.and#39;andmdash;Tom Stammers,
Apolloandnbsp;
Review
andlsquo;Throughout his career, Stephen Bann has presented perhaps the greatest challenge to traditional historical interpretations of printmaking in nineteenth-century France. His thorough and innovative analysis of prints has complicated and revised the earlier assumption that the medium moved from being chiefly a means of reproduction of images which became obsolescent after the invention of photography, but finally triumphed as an original medium.andrsquo;andmdash;Britany Salsbury, Burlington Magazine
Synopsis
This elegant book offers a striking new panorama of the forces at work behind French 19th-century visual culture.
About the Author
Stephen Bann is emeritus professor and senior research fellow, Bristol University, United Kingdom.