paedagogue

Very sweet, Sep 15 2004

love story, with a magic realist edge. A pattern of coincidences resonating with the principal characters' long-buried pasts, brings them together in the present. It's Literature with a capital "L," so the narrative is often oblique, and the adventure is largely an internal one. New Orleans is as big a protagonist as the two beautiful women who meet there. I hope to hear more from this captivating writer--it worries me that her earlier publications seem unobtainable.

Don't be misled by opinionated review!, Nov 11 2003

"Ann Arbor" is way off the mark, and did not read the Tintoretto chapter carefully, as it celebrates the depth of the artist's religious imagery. This book is a classic! Gracefully written, deeply learned yet unassuming, and deserving the most attentive close reading you can spare. The introduction is the best, most concise treatment available anywhere of the outstanding contributions of Venetian Renaissance painting. Rosand is possibly the most distinguished scholar now writing about this marvelous topic. Note that the 3 "artist" chapters are not meant to produce a SURVEY of Venetian painting--each has a different THEME that is traced in the art of the master best… Read more

superb introduction to renaissance painting, Jun 15 2003

We are used to looking at "old Master" painting as if it were just a matter of style, but the truth is that Renaissance art was in important respects the product of a revolution in the use of binding media (water and egg yolk for tempera; oils) for pigments, and in the prepared surfaces (wood panels, paper, canvas) to which these pigments were applied. This wonderfully illustrated book distills the knowledge gained by the restorers of the National Gallery in London, from decades of well-documented, cutting-edge restorations of the outstanding Italian and northern European Old Master paintings in their care. It is much, much more than a technical handbook. Historical essays… Read more