- Hardcover: 368 pages
- Publisher: Abbeville Press Inc.,U.S.; 2Rev Ed edition (8 Nov 2001)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0789207370
- ISBN-13: 978-0789207371
- Product Dimensions: 33.9 x 29.1 x 4.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,766,460 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
| ||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
This book has long satisfied the ever-growing passion for American Impressionism. It is the definitive study of the subject, filled with information and insight garnered through many years of far-ranging research. All the masterworks are here, from Childe Hassam's sun-drenched gardens to John Twachtman's snow-silenced landscapes, from Edmund Tarbell's coolly elegant ladies in dim, luxurious parlors to Frederick Friseke's voluptuous, sun-dappled nudes. Documentary photographs of the artists and quotations from their private letters and journals complement the text and provide a vivid sense of their lives and times. The fascinating text is now updated and expanded with a new chapter discussing in detail the themes particular to the American artists of the Impressionist movement. Twenty-five new illustrations have been added, nineteen in color. Three hundred entries have been added to the bibliography, bringing it up to date with the most current research in the field.
About the Author
Recognized as the leading authority on American Impressionism, Dr. William H. Gerdts has written extensively on that and many other topics in American art. His numerous books include these from Abbeville Press: Childe Hassam. Impressionist; William Glackens; California Impressionism; and Impressionist New York.
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This impressive volume has much to recommend it; well written the very readable text is both illuminating and interesting and the high quality reproduction of the paintings is a delight. The author divides the text into four sections: Prelude, to 1886; Rising Perceptions 1886-1893; The Years of Truth 1893-1898; and The Impressionist Establishment 1889-1915.
It concludes with an extensive general and artist specific bibliography.
The illustrations run with the text, and as is often the cases in such publications the text and the illustration to which it refers rarely appear on the same page. A large number, but by no means all, of the images are reproduced in colour; and they vary in size from little more than thumb-nail to the impressive full page. In some cases the photography is superb, and the reproduction vividly conveys the richness of the original along with the brush work and texture of the paint, but the standard here is not consistent and some reproductions appear flat by comparison, and the black and white images are not inspiring. It is a well laid out book with good typography, and it certainly has a feel of quality.
American Impressionism is a fine most valuable volume, but put alongside the recently revised Soviet Impressionist Painting by Vern G Swanson, ISBN 0789207370, the quality and consistency of the reproductions is shown to be lacking.
It concludes with an extensive general and artist specific bibliography.
The illustrations run with the text, and as is often the cases in such publications the text and the illustration to which it refers rarely appear on the same page. A large number, but by no means all, of the images are reproduced in colour; and they vary in size from little more than thumb-nail to the impressive full page. In some cases the photography is superb, and the reproduction vividly conveys the richness of the original along with the brush work and texture of the paint, but the standard here is not consistent and some reproductions appear flat by comparison, and the black and white images are not inspiring. It is a well laid out book with good typography, and it certainly has a feel of quality.
American Impressionism is a fine most valuable volume, but put alongside the recently revised Soviet Impressionist Painting by Vern G Swanson, ISBN 0789207370, the quality and consistency of the reproductions is shown to be lacking.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
6 reviews
34 of 35 people found the following review helpful
Wonderful Impressionism on THIS side of the Atlantic
20 Aug 2001
Format:Hardcover
All too often when we think of "The Impressionists," or "Impressionism," we immediately think of the French Impressionists, awesome as they are, and perhaps simply leave it at that. Yet what about the American Impressionists? Hold onto your hats, folks! I am here to tell you about a group of artists as every bit as awesome as their fellow French artists, and they are all lavishly presented in this huge, incredible book. If you have a passion for art in general, or for Impressionism, and history too, you will cherish this book. There are over 400 paintings beautifully reproduced within the pages by 125 artists, along with the very fascinating text Dr. Gerdts has written about them all. Don't think this book can only be grasped by art scholars and is for them. The well written text is easy to grasp, and certainly will be enjoyed. The book begins by focusing on painting as it was in the mid-1800's, the very roots of Impressionism. Now then, for those who have never really thought about exactly WHAT Impressionism is, the name comes from a painting exhibited by Claude Monet in 1874, entitled "Impression Sunrise," and the rest is history, however, the meaning has to do with the play of light upon a scene at that VERY moment, while the artist is painting it. In Monet's own words: "a spontaneous work rather than a calculated one." Anyway, Dr. Gerdts then presents the relationship between the American and French Impressionists, and gives wonderful anecdotes about the American artists' adventures as they flocked to Giverny to study with Monet. From here, we learn how the critics attacked the artists here, as they did the French artists abroad. But they soon triumphed during the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. From there, we follow their progress, until eventually, Impressionism was replaced by Cubism and Surrealism. Some of the most well known American Impressionists are Childe Hassam, J. Alden Weir, Philip Hale, John Twachtman, Willard Metcalf, Edmund Tarbell, William Merritt Chase, and Frank Benson, to name a few. The book focuses upon more though, oh, so much more. This is a splendid book, and well worth having. I highly recommend "American Impressionism."
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
A broad overview of American impressionism
22 Aug 2006
Format:Hardcover
This large volume may have the broadest coverage of the American impressionists of any book in print. So, if this topic interests you, I would heartily recommend this book. Gerdts attempts the ambitious job of presenting works, many in color, of hundreds of artists. He covers the major American impressionists pretty thoroughly. Cassatt, Robinson, Metcalf, Hassam, Bunker, Sargent, Twachtman, Chase, Weir, etc. are described in reasonable depth and the examples selected to illustrate their bodies of work are well chosen. Second and third tier artists, however, are usually covered in a very cursory fashion and with greater variability in the quality of the works selected for illustration. J. J. Enneking, for example, gets a few sentences of text and, although there are reproductions of two of his paintings, the one titled "The Brook, North Newry, Maine" could hardly be considered one of his best works. On the other hand, several very mediochre artists are covered too thoroughly. Some fairly significant artists, like Charles Hawthorne are left out entirely. In summary, I do like the book and I am glad to own it, but for all but the most famous twenty or so artists in the book, it can not be relied upon for significant information or for depicting the best examples of their work.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Impressive
4 Jan 2008
Format:Hardcover
This impressive volume has much to recommend it; well written the very readable text is both illuminating and interesting and the high quality reproduction of the paintings is a delight. The author divides the text into four sections: Prelude, to 1886; Rising Perceptions 1886-1893; The Years of Truth 1893-1898; and The Impressionist Establishment 1889-1915.
It concludes with an extensive general and artist specific bibliography.
The illustrations run with the text, and as is often the cases in such publications the text and the illustration to which it refers rarely appear on the same page. A large number, but by no means all, of the images are reproduced in colour; and they vary in size from little more than thumb-nail to the impressive full page. In some cases the photography is superb, and the reproduction vividly conveys the richness of the original along with the brush work and texture of the paint, but the standard here is not consistent and some reproductions appear flat by comparison, and the black and white images are not inspiring. It is a well laid out book with good typography, and it certainly has a feel of quality.
American Impressionism is a fine most valuable volume, but put alongside the recently revised Soviet Impressionist Painting by Vern G Swanson, ISBN 0789207370, the quality and consistency of the reproductions is shown to be lacking.
It concludes with an extensive general and artist specific bibliography.
The illustrations run with the text, and as is often the cases in such publications the text and the illustration to which it refers rarely appear on the same page. A large number, but by no means all, of the images are reproduced in colour; and they vary in size from little more than thumb-nail to the impressive full page. In some cases the photography is superb, and the reproduction vividly conveys the richness of the original along with the brush work and texture of the paint, but the standard here is not consistent and some reproductions appear flat by comparison, and the black and white images are not inspiring. It is a well laid out book with good typography, and it certainly has a feel of quality.
American Impressionism is a fine most valuable volume, but put alongside the recently revised Soviet Impressionist Painting by Vern G Swanson, ISBN 0789207370, the quality and consistency of the reproductions is shown to be lacking.
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
