Review by Choice Review
This excellent exhibition catalog of paintings by Jean-Baptiste-Simeon Chardin (1699-1779) updates the catalog to the 1979 exhibition of Chardin's works (Chardin, 1699-1779: A Special Exhibition...., CH, Jan'80). Pierre Rosenberg (President-Directeur, The Louvre) wrote the introductions and catalogs to both exhibitions. Since approximately 80 of the paintings in the new catalog were also discussed in the 1979 catalog, Rosenberg now rightly summarizes and simplifies, at times to the point of terse vagueness, rather than merely repeating, much material from the older book. Rosenberg has changed his viewpoint, from examining the artist within the context of the 18th century to seeing Chardin as a subversive, whose paintings undermined the traditions of French art and foretold modernism. Of the five additional essays, those by Katie Scott (Courtauld Institute of Art, London) and Colin Bailey (deputy director and chief curator, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa) are the most useful and informative. Scott examines the idea of imitation in Chardin and reproductive printmaking. Bailey critically surveys approaches to Chardin in scholarly studies published since 1979. The catalog is not a second edition; rather, it is a welcome supplement that is a most valuable addition when used in conjunction with the earlier book. Undergraduates through faculty. J. Houghton; Muskegon Museum of Art
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Rosenberg's concise pk analysis of the 18th-century Parisian painter Jean Baptiste Simeon Chardin, known predominantly for his harmonious still lifes, is appreciative yet fair-minded. Chardin, born in 1699, apprenticed at the studios of the artists Cazes and Coypel, beginning in 1718. Admitted to the Royal Academy in 1728 on the basis of his highly regarded still lifes The Skate and The Sideboard , the painter owed little, according to Rosenberg, to the Academy's ``official precepts,'' showing ``small inclination to be trained as one of those painters of historical scenes then considered to be the only real artists.'' The author touches upon Chardin's ``special contribution'' to the genre of still life--``a subtle interplay of light and shade, a softening of the outlines,'' and the famous ``thick and clotted brushwork''--and examines the painter's ``incapacity to paint from the imagination,''p. 47 relying instead on keeping his subject right before his eyes. Rosenberg's informative text is accompanied by handsome illustrations of Chardin's work, including many of his figure paintings. The author also includes critical comments from artists and writers, such as Diderot, van Gogh and Malraux. Rosenberg ( Laurent de la Hyre ) is head curator of the Department of Painting for the Louvre. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
This catalog of the paintings of the beloved 18th-century French artist Jean-Baptiste-Simon Chardin accompanies an exhibition already seen in Paris, Dusseldorf, and London and just arriving at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. As a whole, this volume provides a comprehensive evaluation of the work of the artist. Rosenberg, the director of the Louvre and a noted expert on Chardin who curated the exhibition, contributes the preface and lead essay preceding contributions by six other curators and academics. Scholarly discussions include the sources for the different kinds of glass and porcelain used in Chardin's still lifes, the modern and subversive nature of the artist's subject matter, and the prints made after Chardin's paintings. A particularly excellent essay is that of Colin B. Bailey, chief curator of the National Gallery of Canada, who in clear and lucid writing examines how the methodologies of the new art history have elucidated our understanding of the artist and his relation to 18th-century culture. In the catalog section, beautiful plates are accompanied by detailed entries. Highly recommended for both academic and art libraries as well as for general book collections.DSandra Rothenberg, Framingham State Coll. Lib., MA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Choice Review
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Review by Library Journal Review
