- Hardcover: 176 pages
- Publisher: Watson-Guptill (April 1 2006)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0823004066
- ISBN-13: 978-0823004065
- Product Dimensions: 17.1 x 1.9 x 22.2 cm
- Shipping Weight: 386 g
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,953,413 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From School Library Journal
Grade 7 Up–In this rather gothic mystery, Rees introduces readers to a man who is frequently called the greatest American portrait artist. Sargent is the narrator of this eerie and unusual story. Early in his career, he is commissioned to paint Edward Boits four young daughters. But all is not well in the restless household. Iza Boit is known to be eccentric, and Sargent is bemused by her capriciousness and the daughters antipathy toward him. This odd scenario builds slowly and steadily into a macabre tale of spirits, demons, and possession, as the artist tries at first simply to fulfill his commission, then is drawn deeper into the dark mystery. Rees provides plenty of detail and insight into Sargents creative process as he paints this dark portrait of the four unhappy sisters. The story and the detailed reproduction of the painting on the books jacket are woven together with an atmosphere rich in foreshadowing and dread. Appendixes provide an excellent framework for the period in which Sargent painted, including a time line, a brief biographical sketch, and a list of additional resources. Readers should be sufficiently captivated to look up more information about the artist and his work.–Roxanne Myers Spencer, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
"Rees tells a fascinating, gripping tale that echoes Romeo and Juliet in its family feuds and ferociously determined young lovers....Teens with a taste for costume dramas will be fascinated by Giovanna's difficult choices and uncertain loyalties, while the well-defined scenes in Van Eyck's studio will interest teen artists."
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Courtesy of Teens Read Too,
By TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Janus Gate: An Encounter with John Singer Sargent (Hardcover)
THE JANUS GATE is a very different type of story. Part of the ART ENCOUNTERS series published by Watson-Guptill, it is at times a biographical sketch, a historical treatise, and a Victorian gothic story of the supernatural. THE JANUS GATE is a fictionalized account based on artist John Singer Sargent and, most specifically, his painting entitled The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit.In 1882, Sargent painted the Boit daughters - Florence, Jane, Mary, and Julia - along with Julia's very large, very ugly doll, P-Paul, or Popau. Mr. Sargent met the Boit family during Varnishing Day at the Palais d'Industrie in Paris, where he found himself explaining the meaning of a painting entitled The Janus Gate to Edward Boit and his daughters. When the young girls beg to be painted by Mr. Sargent, he eagerly seals the deal; a deal that, later, he will come to regret. If you've never seen a picture of The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit, you'll be surprised to learn that it is not a happy painting. The two eldest Boit daughters hide in shadow, one looks angelic yet defiant, and the youngest, with the grotesque doll, beseeches the artist with her large eyes. There has been, and probably always will be, controversy over this portrait done early in John Singer Sargent's career. How can this rightfully be called a portrait when two of the girls aren't even clearly pictured? Why is the doll in the painting at all? What did Mr. Sargent really see when he looked at the Boit girls? There is truth in the saying that life imitates art. Florence and Jane, the two oldest sisters who hid in shadow in their portrait, later went crazy. Popau, Julia's doll, had a major role in leading Mr. Sargent to the brink of his own Janus Gate. Although we'll never know exactly what the artist was thinking while painting this portrait, we can know that it probably wasn't at all pleasant. Douglas Rees has done a marvelous job of bringing art to life with THE JANUS GATE. At once a fictionalized account of a historical event and an eerie Gothic thriller, art history buffs and fans of historical fiction will all enjoy this look into the life of John Singer Sargent. Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
5.0 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews) 6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another turn of the screw!,
By LaCuerva "kromobile" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Janus Gate: An Encounter with John Singer Sargent (Hardcover)
This book certainly is for everyone! It's a brilliant combination of ghostly mystery and paean to the power of art. When I finished it, I didn't know whether to re-read it or start looking for John Singer Sargent prints.In a scant 176 pages Rees has created pictures and voices as indelible as Sargent's paintings. Rather that the stereotyped, cardboard characters of too many mysteries (and young adult books), Rees' characters stand out and remain long after the book is fnished. Each of the Boit girls is a jewel; even the sinister doll Popau is as sharply etched as a Goya drawing. What a wonderful introduction to a too-often-ignored artist. 5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Courtesy of Teens Read Too,
By TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Janus Gate: An Encounter with John Singer Sargent (Hardcover)
THE JANUS GATE is a very different type of story. Part of the ART ENCOUNTERS series published by Watson-Guptill, it is at times a biographical sketch, a historical treatise, and a Victorian gothic story of the supernatural. THE JANUS GATE is a fictionalized account based on artist John Singer Sargent and, most specifically, his painting entitled The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit.In 1882, Sargent painted the Boit daughters - Florence, Jane, Mary, and Julia - along with Julia's very large, very ugly doll, P-Paul, or Popau. Mr. Sargent met the Boit family during Varnishing Day at the Palais d'Industrie in Paris, where he found himself explaining the meaning of a painting entitled The Janus Gate to Edward Boit and his daughters. When the young girls beg to be painted by Mr. Sargent, he eagerly seals the deal; a deal that, later, he will come to regret. If you've never seen a picture of The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit, you'll be surprised to learn that it is not a happy painting. The two eldest Boit daughters hide in shadow, one looks angelic yet defiant, and the youngest, with the grotesque doll, beseeches the artist with her large eyes. There has been, and probably always will be, controversy over this portrait done early in John Singer Sargent's career. How can this rightfully be called a portrait when two of the girls aren't even clearly pictured? Why is the doll in the painting at all? What did Mr. Sargent really see when he looked at the Boit girls? There is truth in the saying that life imitates art. Florence and Jane, the two oldest sisters who hid in shadow in their portrait, later went crazy. Popau, Julia's doll, had a major role in leading Mr. Sargent to the brink of his own Janus Gate. Although we'll never know exactly what the artist was thinking while painting this portrait, we can know that it probably wasn't at all pleasant. Douglas Rees has done a marvelous job of bringing art to life with THE JANUS GATE. At once a fictionalized account of a historical event and an eerie Gothic thriller, art history buffs and fans of historical fiction will all enjoy this look into the life of John Singer Sargent. Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius" |
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