Ingres /

Studies of the 19th-century French academic painter Ingres appear infrequently--which should help this book find an audience. Ingres is particularly known for subtle anatomical distortions inspired by Italian Mannerism and his position as classical foil to Eugene Delacroix's concurrent Romanticism, inspiring contemporary critics to choose sides. Shelton (Ohio State Univ.) provides a tightly written chronological overview of the artist's career, which mirrors the structure of George Vigne's Ingres (CH, Apr'96, 33-4310) but lacks the conceptual freshness of Patricia Condon's 1985 exhibition catalogue, Ingres: In Pursuit of Perfection, which remains the definitive study. The illustrations in Shelton's book are uneven in quality; many plates lack the brilliant color found in Vigne's text. Unique to Shelton's work is an epilogue considering the alternating disdain and appreciation for Ingres as reflected in the work of Pablo Picasso and even more recently, Cindy Sherman and Kurt Kauper. Collections that have either Condon or Vigne's books will not need to add this one, which is designed primarily for a general audience. Readers will find Shelton's writing engaging, however, and those who want further information will find the partially annotated bibliography useful. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower- and upper-level undergraduates; general readers. E. K. Mix Butler University

A conservative classicist working at the advent of industrialization, consumerism, and photography, Ingres felt himself to be out of step with his times. Shelton (art history, Ohio State Univ.; Ingres and His Critics) writes that the art historian's job is not to determine whether Ingres was "a classicist, a realist, or a modernist," but to help us understand Ingres as a product of the "social, political and cultural schizophrenia of the age in which he lived." Shelton traces Ingres's career chronologically, finishing with Ingres's influence on subsequent artists including unlikely candidates such as Man Ray and Cindy Sherman. With 160 color and 20 black-and-white illustrations of both drawings and paintings, this book offers an introduction to Ingres's art in an easy-to-read style. Including a time line, brief biographies of Ingres's contemporaries, and a glossary, this is a good value for public, academic, and specialized libraries.-Nancy J. Mactague, Aurora Univ. Lib., IL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.