Category: Book Reviews

The Rhetoric of Perspective: Realism and Illusionism in Seventeenth-Century Dutch Still-Life Painting - Hanneke Grootenboer Warning, do not think this is a light Sunday read! So this book is a dense one, with a lot of reinterpretation of language to draw connections between disparate writings of art historians and philosophers. However, as I've been fascinated with the 17th century Flemish still life painter Clara Peeters, and it had a picture of a dutch still life painting on the cover, I had to commit to read this book fully. I over-ran my renewals at the library on this one but I made it. Essentially she goes through many convoluted arguments to prove that painting is a form of thought. Well duh, I thought, ask any artist and you will get that…

The Pop Object: The Still Life Tradition in Pop Art - John Wilmerding This is a book produced by the curator for an eponymous exhibition at Acquavella Galleries. As such it is a big beautiful glossy refutation of the perception of still life painting as a skill building exercise or a safe way to explore new techniques. Of course there is text here, but the focus is really on the pictures, which makes it a relatively easy read compared to more theory based books. The book starts by exploring an apparent art historical blindspot in the analysis of the Pop Art movement: the legacy of still life art and its influences on or in Pop art. Chapter one covers the origins of the still life genre and documents the parting…