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Title: Sister Wendy's American Collection by Wendy Beckett, Associates Toby Eady ISBN: 0-06-019556-8 Publisher: HarperCollins Pub. Date: 01 November, 2000 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $40.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4 (5 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: A HEAVENLY, ARTFUL APPROACH
Comment: She's getting to be a habit with us, this Sister Wendy Beckett, renowned daughter of Christ, art historian and hostess of a widely-acclaimed small-screen series. Her heavenly philosophy - that there is something for everyone to love when it comes to art - is what has allowed her to become an icon for the great unwashed masses who don't know their beans about Goya. This thick tome, the companion volume to the upcoming PBS series of the same name, focuses on six American museums (including New York City's Metropolitan and Boston's MFA), from whose collections Sister Wendy has judiciously culled her own "American collection." Here, she shares her keen knowledge and indomitable enthusiasm and humor, demystifying art history while educating about style and technique. Quite the artful angel
Rating: 5
Summary: Wonderful!
Comment: First- the positive: This is a fresh look at art works that run the gamut from silver bowls to statues to paintings and more.
I particularly like the little side squares giving a little big of information about the artist. It might be a story, some facutal information, or information about other art made by this person.
In very limited space (one to two pages) Sister Windy is able to convey to the reader what it is she likes about each particular piece of art she included in her book. The brief history she gives about the painting only adds to the understanding of each artwork.
I also liked the fact that she didn't spend a lot of time analyzing the paint strokes, chisel marks etc. She didn't spend a lot of time discussing what the artist was trying to say or the political ramifications of each piece. She wrote clear, concise explanations about what she liked about each piece, what each piece was about, a short history of the time and the artist and the art work and left it at that. There are other books that you can buy about each artist, their work, their genre of work etc. if you want a more in depth look and more information that you will never remember.
Her enthusiasm for each piece she chose to place in this book is wonderful.
The pictures are glorious.
The negative: Proofreading. Two or three times I'd take a second look at the picture of the art because what was said in the text didn't match the words. (For example, in one she talks of the lady pulling the man's beard and as far as I can see it's his hair!)
Overall, this is a wonderful book. I found it very educational and enhlightening.
Rating: 1
Summary: Beware...
Comment: While Sister Wendy's intentions are admirable in her enthusiastic description of the best art to be found in American galleries, her interpretations often completely miss the point. For example, in talking about Seurat's "Sunday Afternoon at La Grande Jatte" (Art Institute of Chicago), she does not even mention it's companion work "Bathers at Asnieres", and so gives an extremely basic interpretation that completely undermines Seurat's socialist intentions in these two paintings. Anyone with more than a very fleeting interest in Art in general should steer well clear of this book, and if you're a student of Art History (like me), run a mile.
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