By: Susan Lawson Publisher: Chaucer Press Average Rating: Binding: Hardcover Label: Chaucer Press Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 192 Publication Date: July 06, 2006
Product Description: Painter, collector, diplomat, linguist and scholar, Rubens was one of the most successful and influential artists of all time. Internationally renowned and revered in his day, his immensely varied output is all too often eclipsed by his reputation as the painter par excellence of the voluptuous nude. However, this master of Baroque theatricality was acclaimed for his powerful religious altarpieces and his large-scale commissions for the courts of Europe, and could also turn his hand to small, privately executed landscapes and intimate portraits of family and friends. Putting into context Rubens’s absolutist politics and Catholic rhetoric, Lawson reveals how his painterly style and profound understanding of color, rhythm, scale and space have transcended his own times and circumstances. Anyone at all interested in painting cannot afford to overlook his legacy and Lawson suggests that the time is ripe for a fresh look at this Old Master.
"Rubens" is a strongly recommended study of meticulous scholarship that is as articulate as it is informative. Rubens, while best known today for his paintings, was also a collector, a diplomat, a linguist, a renowned scholar, and a master of Baroque theatricality who won acclaim for his powerful religious altarpieces and large-scale commissions for the royal courts of Europe. His profound influence on artists of future generations also rested on his superbly executed landscapes and intimate portraits of family and friends. Now the life and work of Rubens is superbly presented in an historical survey by Susan Lawson (Commissioning Editor in Contemporary Art and Visual Theory at I.B. Tauris Publishers) that put into context Ruben's politics, religious beliefs, and artistic mastery of brush and canvas. Superbly illustrated throughout, "Rubens" is divided into eight chapters ranging from his 'Life and Times', to 'Arcadia: Portraits and Landscapes', to 'Architecture and Theatre in the Mature and Late Styles', to 'Figures, Flesh, and the Rubenesque'. Enhanced with a recommended selection for further reading on the artist and his work and a core addition to any personal, academic, or community library Art History collection, "Rubens" is a strongly recommended study of meticulous scholarship that is as articulate as it is informative.
From a master art historian Kerry Downes was one of my professors at Reading University and was one of the most highly regarded art historians in the world. Although most of his work was specific to British architecture (Hawksmoor, Vanbrugh, Wren) he had a deep affection for the work of Rubens. The result was this highly accessible and deeply scholarly book on the Flemish master. Solidly informative this book is an absolute must for any art historian, or anyone with an interest in Baroque art.
Anything Goes Trivia
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