Barthes was an important French philosopher who lost his mother in 1977 and wrote this journal to capture his feelings about the event. Having lost myBarthes was an important French philosopher who lost his mother in 1977 and wrote this journal to capture his feelings about the event. Having lost my mother several years ago, I could understand his bewilderment. But, it is a very short book with typically one or two sentences per day. I have read other more impactful books about mourning (The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion in particular), so I didn't feel this one was as relevant. But, naturally, your mileage may vary....more
Jacques Le Goff's compilation of short biographies of important men and women of the Middle Ages was a great read. It has been criticised by many by tJacques Le Goff's compilation of short biographies of important men and women of the Middle Ages was a great read. It has been criticised by many by treating the characters too superficially. However, given the breadth of time covered by the book - nearly 1000 years - and the wealth of minor characters described (for whom we have scarce knowledge), I think it still hits the mark. He divides the book up into four periods and then talks about the primary mythologies which arose during this period. I particularly enjoyed the minor characters that I had never heard of or only who had been occasionally mentioned in other texts on this period. There is also an excellent bibliography for those who wish to dive deeper. ...more
I love Daniel Arasse’s work, but I prefer his more tongue-in-cheek style like in We Can’t See Anything (On N’Y Voit Rien). This book is more the erudiI love Daniel Arasse’s work, but I prefer his more tongue-in-cheek style like in We Can’t See Anything (On N’Y Voit Rien). This book is more the erudite France Culture / BAC+13 version of Arasse, but still a good read. He analyses the work of Leonardo classified into his writing, his court entertainment pieces, and, of course, his drawing and painting. Most folks are familiar with his notebooks (some of which are owned by Bill Gates if memory serves) and his painting, but fewer I suspect are aware of the entertainment he designed for the various courts he served (the Sforzas, the Medicis, the French royalty) including articulated lions and lavish spectacles with music and revolving stages (yes, he did this before Rush’s Neil Peart!) This book is a great reference for art critiques of Leonardo’s oeuvre and full of insights....more
In this classic French text, Asian specialist René Grousset analyses some of history's most enigmatic Uber-leaders: Pericles, Alexander the Great, JulIn this classic French text, Asian specialist René Grousset analyses some of history's most enigmatic Uber-leaders: Pericles, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Charlemagne, Frederick II, Charles V, Louis XIV, Napoleon I, Bismarck, Kublai Khan, and Akbar. Each is show in their greatest accomplishments in furthering their empires, but also with their fatal flaws which ultimately led to the fall of all that they built with in generations after their death. It is a fascinating panorama of human history and makes for toothy, but interesting reading. I certainly learned a lot, for example: - Pericles, despite having been spectacularly victorious over Darius and the Persians in the Medic Wars made the error of becoming cocky and treating the islands of Greece in an imperial fashion which led them all to side with Sparta over Athens in the Peloponnese Wars leading to Athens rapid demise - Alexander was driven by his ego beyond the lines of his supply and obsessed with this man-god status. This led to being unprepared for the further reaches of his conquests and the impreparedness of those who followed him to maintain his vast empire. - Julius Gaias was brilliant but never convinced the aristocracy of his legitimacy before taking the title of Caesar and was, despite his brilliant military successes in Gaul, murdered by jealous Senators much too early. The precedent of his ego certainly wore off on Augustus and left a stain on the string of Roman emperors that followed as well as an atmosphere of violence...more
Jacques Le Goff is one of France's primary experts on the Middle Ages and this is one of his classic exposés on the Middle Ages in Europe. Eminently rJacques Le Goff is one of France's primary experts on the Middle Ages and this is one of his classic exposés on the Middle Ages in Europe. Eminently readable and interesting, it starts with his own fascination with the "Dark Ages" and his research into this period which reveals that it was a polychromatic, exciting and vibrant period of history that got a bad rap from 19c historians. He sets out to demonstrate why this period is so fascinating, and in this humble reader's opinion, he succeeds. Not sure if this one is translated into English, but if so, definitely recommended....more
This is a classic study of art during the Bubonic Plague and how the social issues and tragedy caused by this catastrophe impacted art in Florence andThis is a classic study of art during the Bubonic Plague and how the social issues and tragedy caused by this catastrophe impacted art in Florence and Siena. It is quite academic and does not bring a ton of new insights and was a bit of a bear to read. Nonetheless, it does have cover some of my favorite artists of the period - particularly Ambrogio Lorenzetti and was helpful when I visited Siena and Florence this year in understanding some of the art that I saw. I felt that Panofski and Brown's coverage of this period in their respective books (see my reviews here on GR) on the origins and influences of Italian primitive art on the more well-known Renaissance art made for more interesting reading....more
Nice overview of Angkor civilization in a beautifully illustrated 120 pages. This is definitely not a guide book, however. I will be using Michel PetrNice overview of Angkor civilization in a beautifully illustrated 120 pages. This is definitely not a guide book, however. I will be using Michel Petrotchenko’s Focusing on the Angkor Temples for my initiation visit to Siam Reap and Angkor Wat, etc.
I had the privilege to have had the author of The Empire of the Khmer Kings for my classes on Indian Art (including about 90 min on Angkor) and it was amazing. His writing in this book is engaging and technical without being overwhelming....more
Albeit very academic, Delumeau’s classic about the Civilization of the Renaissance makes for interesting reading and provides huge insights into what Albeit very academic, Delumeau’s classic about the Civilization of the Renaissance makes for interesting reading and provides huge insights into what makes this period so fascinating and critical to understanding how European culture morphed from the Middle Ages to the Modern Age. Comprehensive, he covers the changes in religion, technology, economy, and daily life....more
This is a LONG book about the origins of Christian Iconography from the Paleochristian period (from 33 AD to roughly 800 AD) through the Middle Ages (This is a LONG book about the origins of Christian Iconography from the Paleochristian period (from 33 AD to roughly 800 AD) through the Middle Ages (both in the Byzantine Empire and Gothic art). As it is a rather complex subject, the book itself is quite erudite amd heavy going. In fact, this book is considered as one of the most important works on the subject. It was written back in 1979, so I may need to read something else more current, but my teacher at the Ecole du Louvre said most of his analysis remains accurate.
During the period after the legendary death of Christ, there exist almost no written, painted or sculpted references that we have found until about the 3rd century around when Emperor Constantine converted and made Christianity a legal faith in the empire. Well, more accurately, it was never illegal before Constantine, but, like all other Roman citizens, Christians were expected to respect the Roman cults (particularly that in favor of the emperor) and the refusal of some led to the infamous persecutions under many Roman emperors, most notably Nero and Diocletian. During this period, and starting roughly 200 or 300 AD (dating is quite complex), the Christians in Rome and elsewhere took to hiding in underground catacombs and it is the parietal (wall) paintings from that period that are the first visual evidences we have of their faith. There are a number of codes that were developed by borrowing from imperial signs and adapting them to burgeoning Christian theology. Initially, the preferred images were of loaves and fishes (references to Christ’s most famous miracles as well as the “fishers of men” quote) and images of the Good Shepherd. Christ is drawn (without a halo - that comes several hundred years later) with and without a beard without really a conscious effort at realism. At this point, the images were purely symbolic.
Important to note here is the reticence to represent “god” himself in the Israeli religion which conflicted with pagan traditions of idol worship.. When Constantine concerted, Christian images were allowed and gradually encouraged in the public sphere, but always faced this philosophical issue about representation.
After the fall of the iconoclast movement in 843 AD, in...more
The Italian Annonciation: A History of Perspective is an intensely detailed study of this pervasive theme in Renaissance art. Arasse is known for moreThe Italian Annonciation: A History of Perspective is an intensely detailed study of this pervasive theme in Renaissance art. Arasse is known for more accessible books such as "On n'y voit rien" ("We can't see anything") and "Histoires des peintures" (Stories about Paintings), however, this book is quite academic and extremely well illustrated. Arasse starts with Masaccio (or Masolino? the debate continues apparently in distinguishing these two masters like that of Giorgione and Titian) who painted one of the first Florentine Annonciations using perspective in the 1430s (lost unfortunately) which had an enormous impact on generations of artists that followed them. In parallel, Luis Battista Alberti wrote a fundamental text of art theory De Pictura in 1435 setting the mathematical basis for all Renaissance painting. In essence, the passage from relatively flat representations of biblical and greek mythological stories to rendering more realistic images with a representation of pictural depth was truly revolutionary and characteristic of the major contributions of the Italian Renaissance (albeit heavily influenced by the Flemish Primitives.)
What does this have to do with the Annonciation? Well, this event, when the archangel Gabriel announces to the (sometimes surprised, sometimes abashed but usually reading) Mary that she will bear the Son of God and her simultaneous and miraculous impregnation (her body was never "broken" by either the insertion of foetus Jesus nor by his birth - hey, I did say this was mythology) is a challenging subject for artists because, well, it is a miracle so there is the idea of the infinite/God intervening in the affairs of man (in Mary's bedroom usually) and there is the question of how to explain the "virgin" birth as well. Over the Quattrocento (1400s) and the Cinquecento (1500s), many solutions were found and Arasse explores them in a profound and interesting way.
After discussing Florence, he goes back in time to the 13th century in Sienna where the Italians Primitives (Martini, Lorenzetti, etc) had started the transition from gilded paintings of the Middle Ages to the more realistic backgrounds that so dominated the art world after that. He then talks about the various symbols (vases (symbolizing Mary's capacity as a receptacle for foetus Jesus), the open window (centering the use of perspective and anchoring the works in the real world), trees (usually a dead on and a live one to symbolize Jesus and the Crucifixion), flowers (symbolizing the purity of Mary), etc). This carries on and evolves into Mannerism which reflects the violent conflicts in the church (Savonarola in Florence, Luther and the Reformation, the sack of Rome in 1530, the Anti-Reform and then Counter-Reform) and also changes some of the fundamental values. The critics brought by Luther about excesses of the Roman Church caused a disappearance of some of the more sumptuous aspects of the painting decor but reemphasized the literal storytelling of the paintings. The perspective is still used but the lines of perspective on the tiled floors for example tend to disappear and the characters take on more grandiose and fantastic appearances.
The book ends with a wonderful analysis of Venetian painting and the various Annonciations of Bellini, Titian, Tintoretto, and Veronese. It is interesting to note the massive differences between Florentine and Venetian painting - the former being more focused on the drawing and mathematical accuracy of the representation and being primarily rendered on wood whereas the latter focuses almost obsessively on color and light and, due to the humid climate in the City on the Lagoon, primarily used canvas. Despite these differences, Arasse points out the influence of Florence on Venetian painting and the further evolution leading up to the sixteenth century which was yet another rupture in art history.
I found the book a bit heavy sometimes (and, if I am being honest, even soporific), but still excellent. It definitely gave me an antsy feeling to go back to the Uffizio in Florence, to revisit Sienna and Venice, and to seek out some of the local museums in Bologna, Ferrara, and elsewhere....more
Frustratingly short, this book covers various aspects of Roman art from civil architecture to argenterie (silverware) to interior decoration and frescFrustratingly short, this book covers various aspects of Roman art from civil architecture to argenterie (silverware) to interior decoration and frescoes. His thesis is that Roman art, even if somewhat derived from Greek and Etruscan art is nevertheless special and memorable in its own right. Having taken a class about it, I can say I concur, but a longer book with more examples - particularly more about Roman sculpture would have made the argument more compelling. However, if you want a quick survey of Roman art leading up to (via the Roman Forum) and beyond the Vesuvius eruption of 79 AD (Pompeii and Herculaneum), this one may be for you. ...more
More of an absurdist philosophical text than anything else, in Myth of Sisyphus, Camus draws for us a sketch of his existentialist ideas - those whichMore of an absurdist philosophical text than anything else, in Myth of Sisyphus, Camus draws for us a sketch of his existentialist ideas - those which underpinned his masterpieces such as the inestimable La Peste (The Plague)....more
This is a light-hearted exploration of the author's relationship to Mozart's music in his life. An interesting but not essential read, it does howeverThis is a light-hearted exploration of the author's relationship to Mozart's music in his life. An interesting but not essential read, it does however include a CD with a sort of Mozart's Best Of for those that wish to skim over the profond depths of this monumental composer....more
This was an interesting book about an alternative future assuming Hitler had taken a different path. Admittedly, I read it years ago, but I remember iThis was an interesting book about an alternative future assuming Hitler had taken a different path. Admittedly, I read it years ago, but I remember it making an impression on me. Perhaps not as strong (and currently relevant) impact as The Plot Against America by Roth but nonetheless a curious reading of a puzzling what-if....more
I was underwhelmed by Désert and mystified at why Le Clézio got a Nobel prize rather than the more-deserving late Philip Roth. There are two intertwinI was underwhelmed by Désert and mystified at why Le Clézio got a Nobel prize rather than the more-deserving late Philip Roth. There are two intertwined stories here about North Africa. But I found the two stories of Nour and Lulla a bit wanting despite the beautiful language used to describe the desert....more
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