Auf ein Miniaturbild klicken, um zu Google Books zu gelangen.
Lädt ... The Vanishing Man: In Pursuit of Velazquez (Original 2016; 2016. Auflage)von Laura Cumming (Autor)
Werk-InformationenThe Vanishing Velázquez: A 19th Century Bookseller's Obsession with a Lost Masterpiece von Laura Cumming (2016)
Lädt ...
Melde dich bei LibraryThing an um herauszufinden, ob du dieses Buch mögen würdest. Keine aktuelle Diskussion zu diesem Buch. This was absolutely maddening for the most part. I still have no idea what portrait John Snare found and became so obsessed with, or what actually happened to it, or if it even exists in any form. There are pictures of many of the Velazquez works discussed, which is good, but because neither the original nor any reproductions of the portrait are known to exist, there is no representation of the portrait that was the entire subject of the book. This author also seems to have never met a Velazquez she didn't like. I understand having a favorite artist, and a favorite piece (Las Meninas in this case) but this went way beyond that. Not that Velazquez wasn't a great artist (and I don't think that's really in dispute), but surely he must have had some artistic weaknesses, or perhaps a few portraits that just didn't turn out well. It almost looks like she's got an obsession of her own, both with Velazquez in general and with Las Meninas in particular. The book wasn't even supposed to be about Las Meninas, but she kept on talking about it in almost every chapter anyway. It was to the point that I think she should have just written a book about Las Meninas instead. Loved the account of the trial(s), though, and it was easy to get caught up in John Snare's story. This was absolutely maddening for the most part. I still have no idea what portrait John Snare found and became so obsessed with, or what actually happened to it, or if it even exists in any form. There are pictures of many of the Velazquez works discussed, which is good, but because neither the original nor any reproductions of the portrait are known to exist, there is no representation of the portrait that was the entire subject of the book. This author also seems to have never met a Velazquez she didn't like. I understand having a favorite artist, and a favorite piece (Las Meninas in this case) but this went way beyond that. Not that Velazquez wasn't a great artist (and I don't think that's really in dispute), but surely he must have had some artistic weaknesses, or perhaps a few portraits that just didn't turn out well. It almost looks like she's got an obsession of her own, both with Velazquez in general and with Las Meninas in particular. The book wasn't even supposed to be about Las Meninas, but she kept on talking about it in almost every chapter anyway. It was to the point that I think she should have just written a book about Las Meninas instead. Loved the account of the trial(s), though, and it was easy to get caught up in John Snare's story. The author obviously has a great love for the works of Velaquez, a Spanish artist of the 19th Century. This book, however, focuses on one man, John Snare who was a minor book dealer and printer. Snare comes upon a work which he believes to be an original Velaquez and pays a small sum for it. This in itself was unusual due to the fact that he was not of the social class to own such a painting. From there on, the book gets complicated as Snare sets up showings of the art which was a portrait of Charles I. After some recognition, the members of the family that once apparently owned the painting accuse Snare of stealing the painting. Once he wins the case and counter sues for compensation for lost income. Then the family wanted to devalue the painting as a fake. In reality, much of the book was a bit too much "art appreciation" of Velaquez, but still very interesting. I did find her writing a bit hard to follow at times. keine Rezensionen | Rezension hinzufügen
AuszeichnungenPrestigeträchtige Auswahlen
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A Wall Street Journal Top 10 Nonfiction Book of 2016 "As compelling and entertaining as a detective novel" (The Economist), the incredible true story--part art history and part mystery--of a Velázquez portrait that went missing and the obsessed nineteenth-century bookseller determined to prove he had found it. When John Snare, a nineteenth century provincial bookseller, traveled to a liquidation auction, he found a vivid portrait of King Charles I that defied any explanation. The Charles of the painting was young--too young to be king--and yet also too young to be painted by the Flemish painter to whom the piece was attributed. Snare had found something incredible--but what? His research brought him to Diego Velázquez, whose long-lost portrait of Prince Charles has eluded art experts for generations. Velázquez (1599-1660) was the official painter of the Madrid court, during the time the Spanish Empire teetered on the edge of collapse. When Prince Charles of England--a man wealthy enough to help turn Spain's fortunes--proposed a marriage with a Spanish princess, he allowed just a few hours to sit for his portrait, and Snare believed only Velázquez could have been the artist of choice. But in making his theory public, Snare was ostracized and forced to choose, like Velázquez himself, between art and family. A thrilling investigation into the complex meaning of authenticity and the unshakable determination that drives both artists and collectors of their work, The Vanishing Velázquez is a "brilliant" (The Atlantic) tale of mystery and detection, of tragic mishaps and mistaken identities, of class, politics, snobbery, crime, and almost farcical accident that reveals how one historic masterpiece was crafted and lost, and how far one man would go to redeem it. Laura Cumming's book is "sumptuous...A gleaming work of someone at the peak of her craft" (The New York Times). Keine Bibliotheksbeschreibungen gefunden. |
Aktuelle DiskussionenKeineBeliebte Umschlagbilder
Google Books — Lädt ... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)759.6The arts Painting History, geographic treatment, biography Spain and IberiaKlassifikation der Library of Congress [LCC] (USA)BewertungDurchschnitt:
Bist das du?Werde ein LibraryThing-Autor. |
The author is obviously a huge fan of Velázquez. Her praise for the artist occasionally overshadows the story of the bookseller. Few details are available about the ultimate disposition of the painting, which leaves the ending a bit unsatisfying. I enjoyed learning about John Snare, a relatively unknown person of history and the artwork of Diego Velázquez. I think it requires an interest in art or art history to fully appreciate it. The writing is not quite as accomplished as I was expecting but I am glad I read it.
3.5 ( )