An earnest artistic exposé that gives an old topic new life.
Novelist Cooke (Still Life, 2016, etc.) explores the relationships of six famous male painters and their lovers, and the art that their passions and partings inspired.
This book is more of an art appreciation than a formal art history text; by Cooke’s own admission, she wrote from “a genuine love for the works in question.” In her selections here, which include accounts of the tenuous affair of Pablo Picasso and Marie Thérèse Walter and of the one-sided devotion of Pierre Bonnard to Marie Bousin, she attempts to capture the variety of ways that a relationship can bring (or hold) two people together. The prose style of each section differs in order to better fit its theme—a particularly arresting passage, for instance, addresses readers in the second person from the perspective of Auguste Rodin’s future mistress, Camille Claudel—and the changing narration keeps the book’s formula fresh. The relationships also serve as nice introductions to each artist and effectively chart their artistic styles: one can watch, for example, as Amedeo Modigliani’s tortured marriage to Jeanne Hébuterne slowly distorts his representations of others, himself, and finally her. Cooke punctuates the developing stories of painters and their muses with brief quotations on the painters’ artistic practices, philosophies, and subject matter, and they successfully give readers a general sense of each artist. However, the tales might have been better served by the inclusion of letters between the pairs of lovers; it’s confusing to see only the painters represented in the quotes when the book’s aim seems to be to give voice to the women who worked and lived with them. By contrast, Cooke’s descriptions of the act of painting prove to be apt, as she doesn’t get caught up in the blurred mysticism of most art writing, but still manages to keep some of its poetry, as in her description of Paul Gauguin’s Nevermore: “All is sadness in this barbaric luxury of a painting, drenched in color.” Although the historical research sometimes feels a bit light, the book works well where it should, skillfully glossing the emotions embedded in oils and canvas.
An earnest artistic exposé that gives an old topic new life.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Dogged original research and superb narrative skills come together in this gripping account of pitiless evil.
Greed, depravity, and serial murder in 1920s Oklahoma.
During that time, enrolled members of the Osage Indian nation were among the wealthiest people per capita in the world. The rich oil fields beneath their reservation brought millions of dollars into the tribe annually, distributed to tribal members holding "headrights" that could not be bought or sold but only inherited. This vast wealth attracted the attention of unscrupulous whites who found ways to divert it to themselves by marrying Osage women or by having Osage declared legally incompetent so the whites could fleece them through the administration of their estates. For some, however, these deceptive tactics were not enough, and a plague of violent death—by shooting, poison, orchestrated automobile accident, and bombing—began to decimate the Osage in what they came to call the "Reign of Terror." Corrupt and incompetent law enforcement and judicial systems ensured that the perpetrators were never found or punished until the young J. Edgar Hoover saw cracking these cases as a means of burnishing the reputation of the newly professionalized FBI. Bestselling New Yorkerstaff writer Grann (The Devil and Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Murder, Madness, and Obsession, 2010, etc.) follows Special Agent Tom White and his assistants as they track the killers of one extended Osage family through a closed local culture of greed, bigotry, and lies in pursuit of protection for the survivors and justice for the dead. But he doesn't stop there; relying almost entirely on primary and unpublished sources, the author goes on to expose a web of conspiracy and corruption that extended far wider than even the FBI ever suspected. This page-turner surges forward with the pacing of a true-crime thriller, elevated by Grann's crisp and evocative prose and enhanced by dozens of period photographs.
Dogged original research and superb narrative skills come together in this gripping account of pitiless evil.Pub Date: April 18, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-385-53424-6
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Doubleday
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2017
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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