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Balthus [Hardcover]

Jean Clair (Author)
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

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Balthazar Klossowski, known as Balthus, is largely regarded as one of the twentieth century's most important painters-- as well as the most scandalous. His dreamlike canvases populated with pubescent girls in provocative poses garnered him both praise and scorn from artists and critics alike. This volume, edited by renowned scholar Jean Clair, includes more than 400 color plates and includes essays by the premier experts on Balthus's work and life as well as recollections of the artist by his colleagues and friends.

Since the beginning of his seventy-five year career, he was admired for his extraordinary ability to straddle tradition and modernity, as is evident with his references to Renaissance masters such as Piero della Francesca. His work also revealed ties to early modernism as his first apprenticeships were guided by Claude Monet, Emile Bonnard, and André Derain. Nonetheless, by 1926, the year of his first solo exhibition in Paris, the exceptional "newness" of his work had garnered him a distinguished following including major French intellectuals such as Georges Bataille, Albert Camus, and Antonin Artaud.

This volume, which accompanies the largest exhibition to date of the artist's work, traces every stage of Balthus's career including an essay devoted to his early life and influences as well as a chapter devoted to the influence of Chinese paintings on his landscapes. A portion of the book is devoted to recollections by his friends who shed light on the elusive painter's life. The volume is complete with an extensive catalogue of his work which includes paintings, drawings, sketches for theatre sets as well as scores of photos of the artist taken by major photographers.

About the Author

Jean Clair is a noted curator and scholar having organized scores of exhibitions throughout the world on major twentieth-century artists such as Pablo Picasso and Giorgio de Chirico, among many others. The author of the catalogue raisonné on Balthus, he is currently director of the Musée Picasso in Paris.

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3 Reviews
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4.7 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A solid collection of studies, Jan 15 2004
This review is from: Balthus (Hardcover)
This book is really a must for anyone who wishes to know everything there is "available" to know about the painter's work and position vis-a-vis modern art in relation to the traditional canon of European painting.
A job of this size would have been simply too much for any one author to handle alone with the degree of thoroughness that was attempted here; and so it was not. Many scholars have come together to shed light on various facets of Balthus' work: reference, method, technique, and influence. Here you will find a rich collection of obscure sketches, out-takes, doodles, and comparisons / parallels with Master paintings.

In addition to the essays and studies, every Balthus painting collected in this volume is examined individually but concisely: text on one page with the painting on the other so that one can understand what is being described, and appreciate the work at the same time.

HOWEVER, the color reproductions are less than 5 stars. Leans too much to brown/red. If color accuracy is important to you, Claude Roy's is the best so far. So if you love B's work, get both: I did. For the richness of the analyses, this one is hands-down superior, and indispensible.

Guy Davenport did some amazing analysis of B's work -- collected in his _Bathus Notebook_ This wonderful work is cited on several occasions and deservedly so. Study B's work better and you will avoid the meretricious vulgrity of applying adjectives like "perverse" to B's work, or "nubile" to speak of nudes, as if the word were synonymous with 'erotic,' or 'slim.' The question of nubility (marriageability) is simply irrelevant, and this book will reward the thoughtful reader by disabusing her of the banality of art-talk cliches and solecisms.

If you are more than just an "art appreciator," then this volume will help to enrich your understanding of art beyond just Balthus'.

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5.0 out of 5 stars All about Balthus, Jan 12 2003
By 
A. Sebastian Catala "Chany Catala" (Wallingford, CT United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Balthus (Hardcover)
The painter Balthus, nee Balthazar Klossowski, is one of the most original and disturbing of European modern painters.He is something of a cult. I am happy to have received, promptly, this rather smart, large book dedicated entirely to his enigmatic work. This is the capricious plastic world of the elusive painter Balthus, where females endlessly appear, like succubus, gracing an artistic landscape that's both alluring and repulsive. One cannot help but compare some of the imagery in the Interpretation of Dreams by Freud, to the visions depicting Balthus sexual agonies. Look up Balthus 'La Chambre' on page 329, perhaps one of the most inspired and perverse canvases, ever. There is no other painter like him. Like Picasso he shocks, but with a much more simple and personal vocabulary. There is something of El Greco here, the angst. He is limited like Modigliani though soon his ouvre becomes very telling. A persistent parade of pictorially enticing nubiles that is both delicious and repellent. The book by Rizzoli is a treasure almost 500 pages in all. Part art book part encyclopedic tome. Many color pages. In this book by Jean Clair there are, along the many art pages, also photographs, sketches, private correspondence, etc. A lot of personal information offered us fascinated by Balthus. It's a big book that can double as an object d'art. I'm more than pleased with it.
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4.0 out of 5 stars Death of a master, Jan 27 2002
By A Customer
This review is from: Balthus (Hardcover)
The French artist Balthus, considered one of the world's greatest realist painters, has died at the age of 92.

Balthus, whose full name was Balthasar Klossowski de Rola, died on February 2001. He was known for his disturbing and erotic works of girls on the verge of womanhood. In the early 30s, he held exhibitions displaying his paintings of young women, groups of people and scenes from both the town and countryside.
Balthus inspired and influenced the art world for more than six decades but remained a mystery to all but a handful of intimate friends.
He also agreed to publication of photographs of a lavish fancy dress party for his 92nd birthday, where guests included actor Tony Curtis and U2's Bono.

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