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anomys_'s review against another edition
4.0
«Se segui un corso come questo», osservò Yseulte, «tutto quello che vedi nella vita diventa scultura».
«Oppure avviene l'opposto», ribatté Cynthia. «Vorresti che la scultura prendesse vita. In ogni modo la si guardi, nella vita c'è arte e le persone che campano senza rendersene conto si perdono la parte migliore».
Sette artisti, otto ritratti. Stavolta il “pennello” passa nelle mani delle mogli, delle amanti, dei figli, delle nutrici, di quelle persone che solitamente sono oggetto dei dipinti: ci raccontano uno scorcio di vita, uno schizzo, di quello che è stato l’uomo o la donna dietro l’artista.
Nella seconda parte del libro invece i protagonisti diventano quelle persone che con l’arte ci vivono, ci lavorano, o che semplicemente fa parte di loro.
L’ho trovato molto piacevole da leggere e mi sono divertita ad indovinare il protagonista del racconto prima ancora di leggere il suo nome. Mi è dispiaciuto il cambio di registro nella seconda parte, avrei preferito leggere molti più “ritratti d’artista”.
«Oppure avviene l'opposto», ribatté Cynthia. «Vorresti che la scultura prendesse vita. In ogni modo la si guardi, nella vita c'è arte e le persone che campano senza rendersene conto si perdono la parte migliore».
Sette artisti, otto ritratti. Stavolta il “pennello” passa nelle mani delle mogli, delle amanti, dei figli, delle nutrici, di quelle persone che solitamente sono oggetto dei dipinti: ci raccontano uno scorcio di vita, uno schizzo, di quello che è stato l’uomo o la donna dietro l’artista.
Nella seconda parte del libro invece i protagonisti diventano quelle persone che con l’arte ci vivono, ci lavorano, o che semplicemente fa parte di loro.
L’ho trovato molto piacevole da leggere e mi sono divertita ad indovinare il protagonista del racconto prima ancora di leggere il suo nome. Mi è dispiaciuto il cambio di registro nella seconda parte, avrei preferito leggere molti più “ritratti d’artista”.
book_concierge's review
3.0
Book on CD read by Karen White
Vreeland is best known for her historical novels focusing on various artists (Auguste Renoir, Emily Carr, Johannes Vermeer, etc). This is a collection of short stories that focus on art, but more on the people around the artist, rather than on the artist him/herself. The first half of the book is set in an historical time frame, the second half is contemporary.
We see a father’s eyes opened to his young daughter after August Renoir takes an interest in painting her. A woman who was befriended by Camille and Claude Monet (and would become the artist’s second wife), suffers through the rumors and gossip following her husband’s abandonment, and Camille’s death. A young woman hunts for clues about her father, Modigliani. A young girl is asked to water her neighbor’s plants while the neighbor is on vacation, and her eyes are opened to art she never imagined before. A teacher is faced with the possibility of miracles when a drawing by a student cannot be erased, and appears to cry. A mother recognizes that her son is growing into an adult when they both participate in a Tableaux Vivant.
I really liked some of these stories, and others left me feeling ‘meh.’
Karen White’s performance on the audio was adequate, but I never really connected to the work. I thought she did a better job on the contemporary stories.
Vreeland is best known for her historical novels focusing on various artists (Auguste Renoir, Emily Carr, Johannes Vermeer, etc). This is a collection of short stories that focus on art, but more on the people around the artist, rather than on the artist him/herself. The first half of the book is set in an historical time frame, the second half is contemporary.
We see a father’s eyes opened to his young daughter after August Renoir takes an interest in painting her. A woman who was befriended by Camille and Claude Monet (and would become the artist’s second wife), suffers through the rumors and gossip following her husband’s abandonment, and Camille’s death. A young woman hunts for clues about her father, Modigliani. A young girl is asked to water her neighbor’s plants while the neighbor is on vacation, and her eyes are opened to art she never imagined before. A teacher is faced with the possibility of miracles when a drawing by a student cannot be erased, and appears to cry. A mother recognizes that her son is growing into an adult when they both participate in a Tableaux Vivant.
I really liked some of these stories, and others left me feeling ‘meh.’
Karen White’s performance on the audio was adequate, but I never really connected to the work. I thought she did a better job on the contemporary stories.
mschrock8's review
2.0
I'm enjoying the art history in this book more than I thought I would.
Probably wouldn't have picked this book up if I knew it was short stories.
Probably wouldn't have picked this book up if I knew it was short stories.
toniclark's review
4.0
Liked all of these stores for the excellent writing and, especially, the emotional complexity.
sofiabruno's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
4.75
giorgiavegna's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
jodi_b's review
3.0
When I first started listening to the audio version of this book, I didn't like it. The reader's voice grated on my nerves. But as I listened (flipping channels on the radio can only be done for so many miles), I began to enjoy the stories of the everyday people in the lives of famous artists. By everyday people, I mean Monet's gardener, the Manet families' wet nurse, the little boy who threw a stone at Cézanne... Through these stories, art and artists come to life, but as side characters.
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