Manet: The Still Life Paintings by George Mauner
Manet: The Still Life Paintings
Being that 90% of my painting time is dedicated to the still-life genre, I spend a lot of time looking at books that focus on still life.
Where many books focus on Édouard Manet’s contributions to the 19th century art movements in France, this book only focuses on Manet’s use of still life in his paintings.
What I loved about this book is that it did not discount his figurative pieces that contained elements of still life as part of the composition, but instead took time to analyze how these elements helped strengthen the paintings.
And a large portion of the book was dedicated to look closely at the stand alone still-life paintings, with great detail images of some of the pieces. The enlarged images are good enough that you can really analyze his brushstrokes and paint application.
Something I really love to do.
In fact it was this painting with the Melon that made me realize how you alter your paint thickness when working in the areas of light versus shadow. This linen table cloth is something to behold…
One aspect of Manet’s artistic life I had never before considered was his private correspondence and how he would embellish them with drawings and watercolors. The pages that share his letters are some of my favorites because I think you really get a sense of who he was a private person.
Overall this book is a delight.
Manet: The Still Life Paintings
