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Title: Rubens A&I (Art and Ideas)
ISBN: 0714834122
Author:
Kristin Lohse Belkin
Publicate Date: 1998-10-22
Publish: 1998-10-22
List Price: $19.95
Average Customer Rating: 4.5
Format: Paperback
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $10.53
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $5.69
Amazon Merchant Price: $15.96
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| Customer Review: |
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1: Best history book I have ever read!
Being in an art history masters program, I have read many books. However, this Rubens book as well as any other book by the same press seem to capture attention through clever stories about the artist as well have great pictures. I would recommend this book to anyone.
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2: How much of this work is original?
The blurb on the back of this book calls Kristin Lohse Belkin a "Rubens specialist," and the book itself, lively and informative, does seem to be the work of someone who knows her subject. Why, then, would she have to copy a book written thirty years ago? On page 60 of the Time-Life volume The World of Rubens, 1577-1640, by C. V. Wedgwood (1967), we find the following description of the painting "Prometheus Bound":
"According to Classical legend, Prometheus stole the secret of fire from the gods and gave it to man. To punish him for this misdemeanor, Zeus bound him to a rock where he was to be tormented for all time by a devouring eagle. In painting his larger-than-life-sized picture, Rubens created a powerful effect by showing Prometheus with massive foreshortened limbs and by having the eagle's wings span the captive giant in a great predatory arc."
On pages 129 and 132 of Belkin's book, we find the following:
"According to classical legend, the demigod Prometheus stole the secret of fire from the gods and gave it to man. To punish him, Zeus, the ruler of the gods, bound him to a rock where he was to be tortured for all time by an eagle who fed on his liver. In this larger-than-life picture, Rubens created a powerful effect by showing Prometheus in strong foreshortening, his massive thighs drawn up in pain. The eagle's wings are spread wide so that they span the captive giant in a victorious arc."
One hopes the copying is unique and unconscious (the Wedgwood book, by the way, appears in the bibliography at the back of Belkin's book), but it doesn't inspire confidence in the author's originality.
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3: A Wonderful Introduction
I read this book for an upper-level college art history class and loved every page. I was actually sad that I finished the book! Few art history books combine the stunning visual images and masterful prose that this one does. A very interesting and informative book that will introduce you to one of the most under-appreciated artists - the genius Peter Paul Rubens.
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