An extraordinary collectionmdash;hawk-eyed and understandingmdash;from the Man Booker Prizendash;winning; best-selling author of The Sense of an Ending and Levels of Life. As Julian Barnes notes: ldquo;Flaubert believed that it was impossible to explain one art form in terms of another; and that great paintings required no words of explanation. Braque thought the ideal state would be reached when we said nothing at all in front of a painting . . . But it is a rare picture that stuns; or argues; us into silence. And if one does; it is only a short time before we want to explain and understand the very silence into which we have been plunged.rdquo; This is the exact dynamic that informs his new book. In his 1989 novel A History of the World in 10frac12; Chapters; Barnes had a chapter on Geacute;ricaultrsquo;s The Raft of the Medusa; and since then he has written about many great masters of nineteenth- and twentieth-century art; including Delacroix; Manet; Fantin-Latour; Ceacute;zanne; Degas; Redon; Bonnard; Vuillard; Vallotton; Braque; Magritte; Oldenburg; Lucian Freud and Howard Hodgkin. The seventeen essays gathered here help trace the arc from Romanticism to Realism and into Modernism; they are adroit; insightful and; above all; a true pleasure to read.From the Hardcover edition.
#220262 in eBooks 2014-10-22 2014-10-22File Name: B00RZU43Q0
Review
2 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Should have hired an editor.By eldoradoPoorly written with horrible illustrations. The author kept using a clumsy analogy of English language grammar to illustrate the componentry of bridges. If there is one thing shrouded in greater mystery than the structure of bridges; it is the structure of the English language. I was able to leap the hurdles of bad writing; and horrible illustrations; and finish the book; only because the subject is deeply interesting to me.A book about bridges should have many large clear beautiful photographs; and drawings of bridges. This book has a few small grainy photographs; and the few very simple drawings are used only to illustrate points of engineering.This book has the distinct feel of a self published work that was choked by a lack of money.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Eye-OpeningBy Tritia JamesI sometimes read books on a subject in which I dont feel any particular interest and know very little about; just to deepen my understanding of the world; and to see if perhaps it is an interesting subject once you take the time to consider it. That is why I picked up this book; along with several other books about bridges. This is the book that caught my imagination. It was so fascinating! I love how this author was able to take what could be a lot of dry facts about physics; materials; and construction and weave them into such a beautiful "story" about the who/what/where/when/how of bridges. No; I didnt understand every one of the physics concepts; but it didnt take away from the enjoyment of the book. Also; there were many concepts that I did understand thanks to the wonderful analogies the author used to illustrate them. I also saw that the physics of a bridge is a huge part of what makes a bridge a thing of beauty and wonder. I would suggest reading this book while simultaneously looking at a book of well-done color photographs of the bridges that are discussed in this book. Up till now; Ive never even considered the bridges Ive crossed. But now that I have a basic understanding of bridges; I will certainly notice them. And knowing how to look at them; I will certainly see their brilliance and beauty. Any book that increases my sense of wonder at some aspect of our world gets five stars!0 of 7 people found the following review helpful. GoodBy Muge KuleliThe product arrived on time safe and sound. The product was covered against any kind of damage. Thanks for the good work!
