Seurat and the Bathers /

Smith (art history, Univ. of Bristol) argues here that Seurat's works can be seen both ideologically and aesthetically and that the "meaning" will therefore depend on the point of view. He thoroughly reviews Seurat's enterprise, drawing heavily on contemporary theory and criticism. He presents informed discussions on color theory, line, subject-matter, art movements, and politics, and he elucidates the visionary aesthetics based on Richard Wagner in the making of Seurat's paintings and the role of ideas therein. The ideas are complex and, as with much contextual art history, demand much prior knowledge on the part of the reader; but the book is well organized and the writing is clear. For advanced and specialized collections. Curator Leighton and scholar Thomson offer the catalog of a single-painting exhibition at London's National Gallery. Again, it is very clearly written, with background on Seurat's work leading up to his 1884 masterpiece, "Bather at Asnières"; detailed exposition on the technical aspects of the painting; and an accessible discussion of the artistic context for the work‘including informative illustrations and comparisons with contemporary bather subject pictures. Narrower in focus than Smith's book, but aimed at a broader audience, Seurat and the Bathers succeeds on both the popular and the scholarly level and is recommended for all collections.‘Jack Perry Brown, Art Inst. of Chicago Lib. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.