Spreading the Word, Sharing the Message of Art
The Story of Drawing by Susan Owens (Yale University, 250 pages, $39.95)
Italy In the Footsteps of the Great Artists by Nick Trend (Thames & Hudson, 352 pages, $65.00)
The Manuscripts Club by Christopher de Hamel (Penguin/Random House, paperback, 624 pages, $26.00)
By Ed Voves
So many books! Each year a lifetime's worth of reading is published, so much that even experts in a particular discipline of study struggle to keep-up with the tsunami of printed works in their field.
So many images! Never in history has there been such a constantly re-stocked supply of paintings, drawings, photographs, films and digital art as today. As if that were not promise and danger enough, the potential for good and evil of AI has yet to be addressed.
Is there cause of alarm? Are there ways for creative individuals to stay focused and remain optimistic in such bewildering circumstances? In this Art Eyewitness post, I will offer some suggestions of notable recent books which will hopefully encourage and inspire art lovers in the years ahead.
Anne Lloyd, Photo (2025)
Paul Cézanne's Mont Sante-Victoire on view in the Paris to Provence exhibition at the Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia.
Encourage and inspire to what end? Well, to better appreciate works of art conceived in human minds and crafted by human hands. But, even more so, to recognize the wonder of the indelible fingerprint of life in each person we encounter.
But first, to gain some perspective on the challenges of our times, let's take a quick look at the portrait of a notable figure from France's Belle Epoque of the late 1800's. During that not very tranquil era, this gifted individual found ways to combine action and contemplation in a life rich in achievement.
The elderly gentleman in the painting by Édouard Vuillard which introduces this essay is Théodore Duret. Clutching his cat, Duret looks apprehensive, even a bit overwhelmed. The stacks of books on chairs and tables give the room an atmosphere of creative disorder, taken to the extreme. The mass of manuscripts on Duret's desk seems to be engulfing him and his feline companion like a rising tide.
a.jpg)
Edouard Vuillard, Théodore Duret (detail),1912
Not to worry! Théodore Duret (1838-1927) was one of the most influential art writers in France during the Belle Epoque and well into the twentieth century. Travelling to Spain in 1865 as a salesman for his family's cognac company, he met Manet in the galleries of the Prado. This chance encounter marked the start of a life-long friendship with the French artist who was then coping with the fallout from his notorious 1863 painting, Olympia.
Like Manet, Duret was an iconoclast at heart. It was Duret who coined the term avant garde and he was one of the first and most resolute defenders of Impressionism. Duret's book, Manet and the French Impressionists (English translation,1910) is still required reading for art scholars.
An intrepid traveler, Duret visited Japan during the 1870's. While there, he commenced a study of ukiyo-e prints and wrote an influential biography of Hokusai.
Edouard Manet, Portrait of Théodore Duret,1868
Un homme formidable, as the French say! But is it possible for us today to chart a creative course through life in this age of information overload? Can we mix action and innovation with study and reflection like Duret did a century ago?
What follows is a discussion of three recent books on various aspects of art which recall the character traits of Théodore Duret: reliance on observation rather than grand theories, love of travel, interest in unconventional subjects and an openness to life.
That these books would make great gifts for loved ones or fellow art enthusiasts is also an important consideration. However, as I addressed this intimate form of sharing the joy of art in a 2023 post, I won't repeat myself on that score. Instead, the emphasis here is on art appreciation as a dynamic process, with focused reading as a key component of the endeavor.
The first volume on our reading list was selected as book of the year for 2024 by Apollo, the prestigious art journal. It was a very, very, very good choice.
The Story of Drawing: an Alternative History of Art, written by Susan Owens, deals with a subject that many regard as a matter of "preliminary sketches", first drafts of important works of art which will follow in due course. Experienced artists know better.
"Draw Antonio, draw Antonio," Michelangelo wrote to his assistant in 1522, "draw and don't waste time."
Susan Owens, formerly a curator at the Victoria & Albert Museum, took Michelangelo's counsel to heart. In less than two hundred pages of incisive text, complemented by a authoritative glossary, Owens surveys the various forms of drawing, from the ancient Egyptian ink "doodles" on flakes of limestone known as ostracon to the use of high-tech instruments like the rotring pen.
Amazingly in so brief a space, Owens manages to include vivid character "sketches" of artists known for their skill as draftsmen - or draughtsmen, if your're English. Generally, one important or representative drawing, selected with great care by Owens, illustrates the oeuvre of these great masters. In the case of a select few, Michelangelo, Dürer and Rembrandt, multiple images are included, demonstrating their versatility.
Michelangelo, Studies for the figure of Adam for
The Creation of Man, Sistine Chapel c. 1511;
Christ on the Cross with the Virgin and St. John, c. 1560-64
Drawings are the first impressions of artists and, like the old saying, first impressions often are the most lasting. Drawing is how artists record the world, the actual physical reality before their eyes. It is also the means by which they connect with spiritual and emotional resources within themselves.
In her discussion of the German Renaissance-era artist, Albrecht Altdorfer, Owens writes on the ultimate determinant of successful drawing: imagination.
Ink and watercolour, pens and brushes: all could be tools for recording and understanding the natural world. But they could also be a means by which the world could be experienced in ways that had more to do with the imagination than with objective reality.
Some artists continued to devote themselves to "exactitude" in drawing, just as others emphasized the rules of perspective. But the human imagination has a "mind" of its own.
In a key passage of her book, Owens discusses how Paul Cézanne came to question the canons of Western art, creating in the process his own "hard-won grammar" of drawing.
Paul Cézanne, Still Life with Carafe, Bottle and Fruit, 1906
Owens writes of Cézanne's efforts to "discover how to express the solidity of objects and their essential truths."
Pencil or brush in hand, Cézanne grappled daily with these mysteries of surface and form. As a result, his drawings are not always easy to look at: they can be messy, fractured and full of broken contours ... It is as though he were inventing a new visual language with which to express what he felt needed to be said about the world. We, the viewers, have to get to grips with it too - but are rewarded by getting to play our part in Cézanne's thought process.
This concluding remark, "getting to play our part", is essential not just in appraising Cezanne's art but all art and all artists. Without our active appreciation, most drawing would be as intelligible as time-worn inscriptions on old tombstones. Owens does such a fantastic job facilitating our participation in the process of keeping art alive, that it was with real regret that I finished reading The Story of Drawing.
John Constable, Elm Trees in Old Hall Park, East Bergholt, 1817
Owens is following-up the success of The Story of Drawing with a soon-to-be-published biography of John Constable, who is represented in the present volume with his astonishing drawing, Elm Trees in Old Hall Park, East Bergholt, 1817. Constable so loved the trees and fields of his native land that he never ventured from England. In fact, he seldom traveled far from home even in that "tight little island."
Théodore Duret, our avatar in this essay, was an enthusiastic world traveler, almost a character out of a Jules Verne novel. Travel, while not an absolutely essential element of art, does widen the field of vision and extend the range of our imagination, as it certainly did for Duret.
The second of our suggested titles does both, without even requiring that readers stir from their armchairs.
Piazza dei Signori, Verona. Photo by Bjorn Agerbeek
Italy in the Footsteps of the Great Artists is the first in a new series from Thames & Hudson, with future titles slated for visits to France, Japan and the U.S. If this premier effort is any indication, the "Art of Travel" series will go far to redefine the category of deluxe "coffee table" book.
Yes, Italy in the Footsteps of the Great Artists is a big book - measuring 9.8 x 12.5 inches and weighing over 5 pounds. Yes, it's lavishly illustrated with stunning photos and several sprightly page spreads which recall vintage copies of Holiday magazine.
A map of museums, churches and other historic sites in Florence,
Urbino and Rome, related to Michelangelo and Raphael.
Map created by Cassandre Montoriol
The classic coffee table book was meant to be seen, admired for its design and, maybe, given a quick perusal. Italy in the Footsteps of the Great Artists won't be spending much time on the proverbial coffee table.
The sheer size of the illustrations of great paintings, though many are cropped and shown in detail, is one of the most notable features of this book. Even a trip to the Ufizzi in Florence could not provide an opportunity to examine the Ognissanti Madonna "up-close and personal" to the same degree that you can with this magnificent Thames & Hudson volume.
Giotto, Detail of the Ognissanti Madonna altarpiece, c. 1300
The text of Italy in the Footsteps of the Great Artists, engaging but also authoritative, was written by a veteran travel writer, Nick Trend. Usefully organized for those planning a trip to Italy, the book carefully notes where the major works of great artists can be found in situ in churches and in museums.
Beginning with Giotto in the 1300's and extending to Canaletto and Tiepolo in the 18th century, Trend also stresses the lives and accomplishments of the great women artists of the Baroque period. Artemisia Gentileschi, Sofonisba Anguissola and Lavinia Fontana are given equal treatment - judicious analysis and lavish illustrations - to their male counterparts.
Fontana Maggiore, Perugia, photo by Frank Krautschick;
Prato della Valle and Basilica di
Santa Giustina, Padua, photo by Andrea
Trend also extends the same kind of balanced coverage to Italian cities which do not figure on the itineraries of most tour groups. Off-the beaten-path, Arezzo, Verona, Mantua and Cremona have artistic treasures to share, which are all the more memorable for being seldom seen.
By carefully juxtaposing images of Italy's great art works with evocative photos of their places of origin, Trend enables us to grasp an important fact. These masterpieces were painted or sculpted, for the most part, in small city states. Communes, as they were called, were the epicenters of Italian creativity.
Rome, seat of the Catholic Church, possessed abundant wealth for commissioning works of art and building imposing churches. Venice, technically a republic, was able to devote considerable revenue from its maritime trade to do the same. But most of the vast array of art so brilliantly surveyed in this impressive volume originated in the city-states of a country which was not politically unified until the Risorgimento,1848-1871.
A street in Arezzo, photo by Bjorn Agerbeek; Piero della Francesca's Mary Magdalene (detail), fresco painting for the cathedral of
Santi Pietro e Donato in Arezzo, c. 1460
Italy, during the Renaissance and Baroque centuries, was a divided, tumultuous realm. But in the terms of its art, it was a case of "small is beautiful."
In such an atmosphere, highly-motivated individuals, risk-takers ambitious for success, can find plenty of scope for their talents. In our third recommended book, that is exactly the cast of characters whom we encounter.
Detail from a printed edition of Aristotle, 1483, purchased in 1919
at the sale of the Yates Thompson collection for the Morgan Library
In The Manuscripts Club, just published in paperback, Christopher de Hamel returns to the rarefied world of medieval manuscripts which he brilliantly, illuminated in his Meetings with Remarkable Manuscripts. Where that acclaimed work dealt with the provenance of some of the most precious, hand-copied books ever created, The Manuscripts Club focuses on people behind the literary scene, individuals who usually remain hidden from public scrutiny.
Ed Voves (Photo 2023)
The Lindau Gospels, c. 880, manuscript from St. Gall, Switzerland
The Manuscripts Club presents the life-stories of patrons, artists, collectors, museum officials, "wheelers-and-dealers" in the book trade and one charismatic, savvy librarian.
De Hamel begins with a bona fide saint, Anselm (1033-1109) who as a youth "was already wearing himself out in studying manuscripts that he decided to become a monk." Anselm went on to become one of the great scholars of his age, rising to the rank of Archbishop of Canterbury. This promotion embroiled him in bitter church vs. state politics with the Norman kings of England. No wonder, Anselm so loved the company of books!
From the not-so Dark Ages to the twentieth century, de Hamel narrates the lives of these "bookmen" with an intimacy and insight that almost seems like he knew them personally, which in a way he does.
Illuminated page from the Beatus Manuscript of Las Huelgas de Burgos, 1220, purchased by Belle Greene in 1910; Portrait of Belle da Costa Greene,1929, by Mattie Edwards Hewitt
The final member of de Hamel's "club" is a familiar face in Art Eyewitness. I recently reviewed the spectacular exhibition at the Morgan Library devoted to Belle da Costa Green. Beginning as a "bachelor girl" librarian, eventually rising to the directorship of the Morgan Library, Belle Green also managed to "pass for White", thus evading the racial prejudice which would otherwise have barred her from the extraordinary success which she achieved.
The manuscripts which Belle Green acquired for the Morgan Library are notable for their stunning, hand-painted illustrations. Yet, it is words which ultimately matter in books, just as deeds do in human lives. De Hamel notes, in his chapter on the seventeenth century Jewish book preserver, Rabbi David Oppenheim, that the degree of use of a sacred book of Judaica is what counts in Jewish culture.
Alluding to his years of working as the medieval manuscripts expert for Sotheby's, de Hamel writes of the attitude of Jewish book collectors.
Damage was evidence of past study, shared by others in a long tradition of a manuscript's usefulness. A flawless and untouched Hebrew manuscript, admired by mainstream collectors in my world, would be deemed unloved, unused and somehow less desirable... The purpose of a Jewish manuscript was to be used."
Here, then, are three recommended books to help you navigate the uncertain times in which we live. These three will, I trust, help shield you from the Hokusai-like "great wave" of information and misinformation which daily inundates us all. Hopefully, they will inspire us to chart our own course of exploration, as we share the message of art.
***
Text: Copyright of Ed Voves, all rights reserved Original photography, copyright of Anne Lloyd and Ed Voves
Book cover illustrations are by courtesy of Yale University Press, Thames & Hudson and Penguin/Random House. The map of Renaissance art sites in Italy In the Footsteps of the Great Artists is © of Cassandre Montoriol and courtesy of Thames & Hudson.
Introductory Image (and below) :
Edouard Vuillard (French, 1868–1940) Théodore Duret, 1912. Oil on cardboard on wood: 95.2 x 74.8 cm (37 1/2 x 29 7/16 in.) Chester Dale collection, National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.
Anne Lloyd, Photo (2025) Paul Cézanne's Mont Sante-Victoire on view in the Paris to Provence exhibition at the Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia.
Edouard Manet (French, 1868–1883) Théodore Duret, 1868. Oil on canvas: 46.5 x 35.5.cm. Collection of Petit Palais, Museum of the Fine Arts of the City of Paris
Michelangelo (Italian, Florence, 1472–1564) Studies for the figure of Adam for
The Creation of Man, Sistine Chapel c. 1511. Red chalk over stylus underdrawing. © British Museum; Christ on the Cross with the Virgin and St. John, c. 1560-64. Black chalk and white
heightening | 38.2 x 21.0 cm (sheet of paper). © Royal Collection Trust, UK
Paul Cézanne (French, 1839-1906) Still Life with Carafe, Bottle and Fruit, 1906. Watecolor and graphite on pale buff paper, 48 x 62.5 cm. © Henry and Rose Pearlman collection, New York.
John Constable (English, 1776-1837) Elm Trees in Old Hall Park, East Bergholt, 1817. Graphite, with slight grey and white washes, 59.1 x 49.5 cm. Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
Piazza dei Signori, Verona. Photo by Bjorn Agerbeek. Italy In the Footsteps of the Great Artists, courtesy of Thames & Hudson
Cassandre Montoriol (Map, 2025) Illustrated map showing museums, churches and historic sites in Florence, Urbino and Rome, relating to Michelangelo and Raphael. Courtesy of Thames and Hudson.
Giotto Detail of Ognissanti Madonna altarpiece, c. 1300. Ufizzi Gallery, Florence. Image is modified: from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Giotto,_1267_Around-1337_-_Maest%C3%A0_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg
Fontana Maggiore, Perugia, photo by Frank Krautschick. Italy In the Footsteps of the Great Artists is © of Cassandre Montoriol and courtesy of Thames & Hudson
Prato della Valle and Basilica di Santa Giustina, Padua, photo by Andrea. Italy In the Footsteps of the Great Artists is © of Cassandre Montoriol and courtesy of Thames & Hudson
Street in Arezzo. Photo by Bjorn Agerbeek. Italy In the Footsteps of the Great Artists, courtesy of Thames & Hudson
Piero della Francesca's Mary Magdalene (detail), fresco painting for the cathedralSanti Pietro e Donato in Arezzo, c. 1460. https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Magdalena_(Piero_della_Francesca)
Detail from a printed edition of Aristotle, 1483. Illustrated by Girolamo da Cremona. Courtesy of the Morgan Library and Museum
Ed Voves Photo (2023) The Lindau Gospels, c. 880. Manuscript from the Monastery of St. Gall, Switzerland. Collection of the Morgan Library and Museum.
Illuminated page from the Beatus Manuscript of Las Huelgas de Burgos, 1220, purchased by Belle Greene in 1910 for J.P. Morgan
Ed Voves, Photo (2024) Photograph of Belle da Costa Greene, 1929, by Mattie Edwards Hewitt (for Bain News Service), c. 1929, Photographic print: 7 x 5 in.(17.8 x 12.8 cm., Bain Collection, Library of Congress.
