http://www.painters-online.co.uk artistMarch 2020 75
ART BOOKS Reviewed by Henry Malt
Some of the books reviewed here can be purchased by our UK readers at
discounted prices from our online bookshop: http://bit.ly/pobooksJohn Ruskin – An
Idiosyncratic Dictionary
Michael Glover
John Ruskin was an extensive writer about
art and artists, but his prose can often be
heavy going and the trenchant nature of
some of his pronouncements more than a
little of-putting.
This highly accessible compilation attempts
a lighter interpretation and the dictionary
format allows quick and easy access to the
encyclopaedic range of topics the great man
was willing to tackle. Whether Ruskin was ever
as sprightly and amusing as the character who
emerges here is open to debate. However, if
you’re looking for a light-hearted approach to
an almost bewildering array of topics and a
diverting read, this is it.
Aesthetes, baby-language, badgers and
railway stations all fell under Ruskin’s aegis. He
had a view on the Renaissance and hated iron
railings, subjects which beneit considerably
from Michael Glover’s interpolations. Marcel
Proust gave him guarded admiration, but we
can enjoy a whistle-stop tour of his diversity
and eccentricity.
Lund Humphries £17.50, 160 pages (H/B)
ISBN 9781848223745
Paint Pouring Workshop
Marcy Ferro
If the editor hadn’t sent a request for an
extra review, you probably wouldn’t be
reading this. We’d both agreed that this
was one of those ‘out there’ experimental
books that look a lot better in the catalogue
than on the page. However, diving in (a not
inappropriate analogy), it turns out to be
really rather inspiring and a lot of fun.
The basic premise is what you would
expect – put down your brushes, roll up your
sleeves and get pouring your acrylic paint.
If I was being lippant (which I am), I’d say
it’s not so much happy accident as happy
car crash. The thing is, though, that you can
exercise quite a lot of control and the result
is some really rather stunning abstraction. I
can’t recommend you to rush out and buy it
but, if you see it, have a look. You might be
intrigued.
Lark £14.99, 120 pages (P/B)
ISBN 9781454711124Studio Lives: Art,
Architecture and Artist in
20th-Century Britain
Louise Campbell
Books about artists’ studios have a
tendency to be only for the super-fans.
The idea that you need to enter a creator’s
space in order to understand their oeuvre
fully is a bit of a tenuous connection
and a point all too often stretched to
somewhere near breaking point.
The thesis here, however, is that of a
narrative of the development and practice
of art in the 20th century and the way
that artists lived their lives within their
chosen spaces. Still not convinced? It
actually hangs together rather well and
tells a story that, being conined to a
single century and location (Britain), has
a proper beginning, middle and end. The
illustrations, so often in a book of this
kind an assemblage of what-we-can-get,
have been carefully chosen and ofer a
pithy counterpoint to the themes of the
narrative. All-in-all, it’s a worthwhile and
informative read.
Lund Humphries £35, 288 pages (H/B)
ISBN 9781848223134Refuge and Renewal: Migration and British Art
Peter Wakelin
Removed from their accustomed milieux, creative minds express not only what they have
lost, but also what they have gained or are attempting to understand. This frequently results
in striking pieces that not only highlight diference and separation, but also afect the
direction of the art of their adopted territory. With the question of immigration uppermost
in our minds, this book and its accompanying exhibition have never been more timely.
From Holbein’s Tudor portraits to paintings from Sarajevo, Peter Wakelin explores beauty,
tragedy and triumph in a variety of works that demonstrate the point of view of the émigré
as well as those who felt the impact of their arrival. Huguenot Marcellus Laroon gave
identity to the people he found himself among in Cryes of London, while Helmut Herzfeld
laid bare the excesses of Nazi Germany. This is a fascinating study that will satisfy both the
art and social historian.
Sansom & Co £20, 112 pages (P/B), ISBN 9781911408543