Manet: Portraying Life

With only one Amazon review perhaps I should have known there would be nothing remarkable about this catalog and flipping through its pages one is immediately aware 80% of the reproductions are disturbingly flat - almost as if the (Belgian) printer had run short of ink. In many cases blood seems to have been drained from the faces of Manet's sitters. Particularly ironic as the title of the exhibition is "Portraying Life".Naturally this is more obvious in his best known masterpieces which one can compare with copies in 3 Musee D'Orsay catalogs from 1998, 2001 and 2011. To prove the point I'll upload side-by-side comparisons to show how the French always go to trouble and expense to ensure "their man" is perfectly reproduced whereas sadly it appears no one on the Royal Academy team felt the same sense of responsibility.The catalog's designer must also be held partly to blame. Is there some unwritten rule saying large paintings have to spread across 2 pages - making it impossible to enjoy the full composition? Especially as the bigger they get the weaker the imprint. Why include full-page enlargements if they do nothing more than repeat the same inaccurate flesh tints of the smaller version? Paradoxically not one close-up of Manet's pioneering brushwork is included - despite this being a key element which made his early work so controversial and "moderne". And still remains modern 150 years later.Lastly, were some paintings "enhanced" using a computer? For instance details of Victorine Meurent's bonnet in "The Railway" are uniformly sharp. Whereas the cover of a 1998 Musee D'Orsay catalog shows it was very loosely painted. Plus it presents a perfect example as to how Manet managed to bring her very distinctive features "to life" with a few minute dabs of pigment.Obviously I'm ignoring all the curatorial expertise that's gone into writing at length about every aspect of Manet's portraiture - official and otherwise. Also included are many less familiar paintings and pastels for which one is grateful. But by modern standards this Royal Academy of Arts catalog is a desultory effort which can safely be ignored until it is remaindered.

Beautifully illustrated catalogue of an outstanding exhibition on display at the superb Toledo Museum of Art (the only American venue), and to be exhibited in the Royal Academy in London. Includes a collection of excellent essays, full-page color illustrations, and a fine catalogue of all the work. The paintings, photographs, and pastels are drawn from a wide range of collections, so the catalogue and exhibition provide a close look at works that, normally, are very widely dispersed. The exhibition and catalogue join a select handful of very significant efforts devoted in the last half century to Manet and the birth of modernism!

The book is of the portrait paintings of the great Manet. He paints his friends and the people of Paris in his time. And in his time he was radical, painting the real people in a fresh, direct way. While understanding the classical foundations of painting, he breaks with the rigid classical traditions of grandiose or mythalogical subjects. He is of his time and place. He is truly the father of modern art. As such these protraits feel vital and alive in our time.

Images are a little off in color and depth -- but overall a really nice book

Oh, I cherish this book! Excellent condition;thank you!

a very interesting catalogue with excellent reproductions. Very well curated and shows a very inspiring aspect of Manet's masterful work.

Great book. fast delivery.

I'm not an art critic but I saw the exhibit at the Royal Academy in London early last month and thought it to be extraordinary. I didn't buy the book then because it was too heavy for my luggage. I have been lusting after it ever since in order to relive my experience. Edward Manet, one of the greatest artists of the 19th century. "Portraying Life" was fascinating.

This is a book about Manet's relationship with the Parisian Modernism of the late 1800's. It illustrates how his hallmark deployment of the enigmatic is prompted by his deliberate mixing of genre types and his deployment of modern symbols such as fashion, music and industry (informed by the work of his colleague Baudelaire). The book is also very illuminating on the influence of photography on Manet's work and his relationships with his models. It is a catalog of an exhibition that ran at the Royal Academy in London and is somewhat marred by over-exposed reproductions. There is, however, a lot to learn here.

This book is totally riveting if you are interested in art at all. I had just been to the Exhibition held at the Royal academy, but could not carry the book home as it was too heavy! Amazon was selling it cheaper too!! I would recommend this to any art lover, I am a member of NADFAS which is a national art appreciation society and when I get a moment at the next meeting (one a month) I shall ask around to see if others went to the exhibition and indeed would like a 'coffee' table book which is so fantastic, the pictures and the text just perfect.

Excellent quality - pretty near new!

I thoroughly enjoyed the book, especially after seeing the Manet exhibition "Portraying Life." There are so many excellent reproductions of the paintings that it's practically like seeing the exhibit again.I highly recommend this title.