Customer Reviews

Art in Venice

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I found this book in my local library where I was looking for images that I might use in some way in a collage I'd started working on. I immediately knew that I must own it. Not the usual cofee table book of travel type photographs of Venice - but concentrating on the history, art and architecture of that fascinating city. Tho I've been there on two separate occasions, 30 years apart, this book has given me an irresistable longing to see the beauty that I somehow missed both times.

I am totally madly, deeply in love with Venice and its 15th and 16th century artists. After having spent a fortune on art books about Venice, I stumbled onto this book at London's National Gallery. I have probably seen everything in this book in the original Venetian locales, but they are photographed so superbly that some actually are better than live-and-in-person. For example, some of my favorite paintings by Bellini in the Accademia are deliberately kept in dimly lit rooms by the conservationists, and Tintoretto's famous ceiling at Scuola de San Marco are neck-cringing and dark. So, to study these and any of the other scores of paintings you need this book. Every single photo is in large format, sumptous color. This is easily the best book bargain I bought last year. And I paid twice what Amazon is offering for it now!

I bought this book while in Venice in 2006. It is a LARGE coffee table book that has over 500 beautiful color photos showing not only paintings, but architecture, and the principal Scholas and Churches; San Marco Basilica and the Doge's Palace. Architectural styles are in chronological order, and it also has extensive coverage of the works in the Academica all the way to the Peggy Guggenheim home (now a beautiful museum). If you are interested in what ALL of Venice contains; if you havve planned to visit, or if you are planning to visit, you will see that this book underlines that you cannot see Venice in even 7 days! You may be able to order it from Abrams Publishing; the ISBN code is 0-8109-4204-6; The Bar Code is 9 780810 942042.

I found this book at a street book fair near where I live in Mexico City! It was already at a give-away price, and the salesperson gave me an additional 15%. Amazing. I was in Venice years ago, but only briefly, on my first visit to Europe, and this volume brings back many, many memories. If you are a Venice-lover, and who isn't, this is a must-have book. Incidentally, when you visit Mexico City, you should by all means look for the book markets. You never know what treasures you will find, but be careful of quantity, because your suitcase can become very heavy very fast.