Library Books at Home 2
Last Sunday afternoon I sat down and had a look at my new books from the library.
Do you know the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum in Boston? If you do you'll understand why I was excited to discover a book called Furnishing a Museum: Isabella Stewart Gardner's Collection of Italian Furniture at the Reference Library. I went straight to the on-line catalogue and put my name in for a circulating copy.
In the first years of the 20th century Gardner built herself a Venetian-style palace in Boston — it's now a public museum. The photographs by Sean Dungan are first-rate — this one really communicates the Venetian feel of the museum and its contents. These doors lead out into an open Italian-style courtyard.
Gardner bought seven of these chairs from the Palazzo Borghese in Rome. How amazing is that?
Alan Chong a former curator at the Gardner Museum tells us about when "Isabella proudly showed off the chairs to Henry James, a guest that summer. James wrote: 'the little lady is of an energy! She showed me yesterday, at Carrer's her seven glorious chairs (the loveliest I ever saw); but they are not a symbol of her attitude — she never sits down.'"
I don't know if I would like a book about 18th century furniture, but the stuff is so great. I love this mid-18th century Venetian sofa. Can't you see yourself sitting on this?
Or in this Pozzetti armchair, Venice, mid-18th century?
Aren't these putti wonderful? They're at the top of an ornate mirror in her collection.
I wish I had the space to show you many more details from the book and more pictures of whole rooms. Here's The Titian Room. That's Titian's Rape of Europa, 1560-62, given pride of place on the red wall.
Here is Duggan's portrait of Gardner's unforgettably lush "Long Gallery" spread over two pages. One of my favourite rooms in the museum. So nice to be reminded of it.
That was a wonderful experience. I need to just sit a moment and catch my breath.
Let's have a look at Van Gogh Up Close It's the catalogue from a show organized by the National Gallery of Canada and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The works appeared first in Philadelphia and then in Ottawa in the spring of this year. I missed this show completely.
I've never seen this Japanese influenced painting of cherry blossoms before. It is gorgeous.
I'm going to skip ahead in the book to show you this ravishing detail spread across two pages.
Look at how the spiraling brush strokes give a sense of the branches growing.
The book consists of beautifully illustrated medium-length essays by different Van Gogh experts.
Jennifer A. Thompson quotes from Van Gogh's letters to bring us his reaction to Delacroix's "Barq du Christ" (Christ Asleep During the Tempest), 1853, — "these waves are claws, the boat is caught in them, you can feel it." Yikes! And there is Christ serenely not helping.
I hadn't known that Van Gogh was strongly influenced by Dürer and that he treasured Dürer's etchings. The text says that there is no evidence Van Gogh saw this particular Dürer: the Great Piece of Turf, 1503
but it is hard not to see an echo in these Irises of 1889, which the book displays across the page.
Van Gogh hated photography. He found photographs flat and harsh. Yet it's fascinating to see this photograph of his mother next to his painted portrait. I hadn't thought about Van Gogh being influenced by photography before.
I'm so pleased to find all these Van Goghs that I've never seen before. Bench in the Park of the Asylum at Saint-Rémy, 1889, was painted the year before he died. Can't you feel the relentlessly snaking energy? It never left the artist alone.
Let me show you just one more – Almond Tree in Blossom, 1888. It's thrilling to see what Van Gogh did with his idea of Japanese art. This book made me wish I had gone to Ottawa to see this show.
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6 thoughts on “Library Books at Home 2”
I’m ordering these books pronto! An irresistible presentation you have enticed us with.
You won’t be disappointed, Shelley. Glad you liked the post!
I saw the show in Philadelphia and was quite smug going in because I thought I had seen most of Van Gogh’s major works. But the show presented an entirely different side of Van Gogh —-I got the feeling that he had a great love for nature, and found pleasure in even the smallest events. Now I must get the book! Thanks for sharing this!!
Diane, I thought I’d seen most of Van Gogh’s works, too — but this book set me straight. It was wonderful to see so much “new” work. I have to admit I was eyeing the book in a shop this afternoon. Tempting. One thing I love about the library is that I sometimes find books of outstanding quality and then I feel justified in splurging.
I luckily saw the show in Philadelphia. Wonderful!! The cherry blossoms painting was a gift from Van Gogh to his new nephew (from Theo his brother). It closed the show.
Thanks for your review. I put a copy on hold.
Anita, lucky you to see the show in Philidelphia. I like to think of the cherry blossoms closing the show. Thanks for telling me. Hope you enjoy the book!