He was the son of a citizen in comfortable circumstances; and had been; in Vasarirsquo;s words; ldquo;instructed in all such things as children are usually taught before they choose a calling.rdquo; However; he refused to give his attention to reading; writing and accounts; continues Vasari; so that his father; despairing of his ever becoming a scholar; apprenticed him to the goldsmith Botticello: whence came the name by which the world remembers him. However; Sandro; a stubborn-featured youth with large; quietly searching eyes and a shock of yellow hair ndash; he has left a portrait of himself on the right-hand side of his picture of the Adoration of the Magi ndash; would also become a painter; and to that end was placed with the Carmelite monk Fra Filippo Lippi. But he was a realist; as the artists of his day had become; satisfied with the joy and skill of painting; and with the study of the beauty and character of the human subject instead of religious themes. Botticelli made rapid progress; loved his master; and later on extended his love to his masterrsquo;s son; Filippino Lippi; and taught him to paint; but the masterrsquo;s realism scarcely touched Lippi; for Botticelli was a dreamer and a poet.Botticelli is a painter not of facts; but of ideas; and his pictures are not so much a representation of certain objects as a pattern of forms. Nor is his colouring rich and lifelike; it is subordinated to form; and often rather a tinting than actual colour. In fact; he was interested in the abstract possibilities of his art rather than in the concrete. For example; his compositions; as has just been said; are a pattern of forms; his figures do not actually occupy well-defined places in a well-defined area of space; they do not attract us by their suggestion of bulk; but as shapes of form; suggesting rather a flat pattern of decoration. Accordingly; the lines which enclose the figures are chosen with the primary intention of being decorative.It has been said that Botticelli; ldquo;though one of the worst anatomists; was one of the greatest draughtsmen of the Renaissance.rdquo; As an example of false anatomy we may notice the impossible way in which the Madonnarsquo;s head is attached to the neck; and other instances of faulty articulation and incorrect form of limbs may be found in Botticellirsquo;s pictures. Yet he is recognised as one of the greatest draughtsmen: he gave to lsquo;linersquo; not only intrinsic beauty; but also significance. In mathematical language; he resolved the movement of the figure into its factors; its simplest forms of expression; and then combined these various forms into a pattern which; by its rhythmical and harmonious lines; produces an effect upon our imagination; corresponding to the sentiments of grave and tender poetry that filled the artist himself. This power of making every line count in both significance and beauty distinguishes the great master- draughtsmen from the vast majority of artists who used line mainly as a necessary means of representing concrete objects.
#1250795 in eBooks 2015-10-15 2015-10-15File Name: B016VGHPKE
Review
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful. The Finest Treatise of Any Singer I Have Ever ReadBy Kindle CustomerScrupulously researched and written in clear and expressive style. Professor Guys seminal study of the performance art. vocal technique and stagecraft of the late soprano Beverly Sills will be appreciated not only by fans of the coloratura soprano but by all those interested in late 20th Century performance practices and opera lovers everywhere.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. On the face it may look like a biographyBy B from MarylandOn the face it may look like a biography. but it isnt. While it does chronicle phases of her career. this books unique perspective is to examine what gave Sills her appeal as an artist. an object of fandom. and beloved public personality. I havent seen an examination of "star quality" in quite this way before. Kudos to Nancy Guy for a very interesting work.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Bubblicious!....a must-read for opera fansBy Elise CurranWow. what can I say that has not already said about Beverly Sills and Nancy Guys excellent book? Ms Guy covered areas that Ive never seen in any other book on the great singer. and was an extremely interesting read. Even if you are not an opera singer who views Sills as your mentor. as I do. you will enjoy reading this book and getting insight on what artistry in opera really is.
