Description

Immediate dispatch from Somerset. Nice older book in good condition. Plates bright and vivid. Hardcover. English. See images for condition.

About the book >.>.> Poussin is regarded in intellectual and academic circles as one of the most important painters of all time. For the general public Poussin remains a mysterious figure lacking in visual appeal and inextricably bound up with the world of erudition. In this new study the author Christopher Wright considers that the artist’s real position as a great painter lies somewhere between the two extremes. With the majority of the paintings repro- duced in full colour the Author presents Poussin’s instinctive and poetic genius whilst at the same time maintaining scrupulous scholastic standards throughout. The introductory essay charts Poussin’s stylistic development in seventeenth century Rome from the experimental early pictures towards the final uncom- promising works of his last years. The violent contro- versies that surround debates on the authenticity of many of the paintings are discussed in the copious and detailed catalogue notes thus allowing the general reader to draw an interpretation of the artist’s life and work that is uncomplicated by the intricacies of academic opinions. In the catalogue section Christopher Wright succeeds in presenting all the arguments on authenticity and inter- pretation of the paintings in his usual lucid style including all the most recent research and theories on the corpus of Poussin’s work. This book will stand as a major contribution to art historical studies while at the same time opening up the magnificent achievements of this great painter to a wider audience. (MP)