Cezanne: Visions of a Great Painter (The Impressionists) [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

Henri Lallemand (Author)

Book Description

Series: The Impressionists | Publication Date: November 1, 1998

Over 150 color photos. 9 1/4 x 12 13/16.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Lallemand surveys three great French painters in these titles. All three books are similar in format, providing a biography in the introduction followed by four chapters that expand on the life and show its relationship to the art. The text is illustrated with many large, full-color details of the paintings and, at the end of each chapter, with more full-color plates discussed in the preceding text, making for an elaborate, involving study. The captions accompanying the illustrations are particularly informative. Also included are many reproductions from collections not often shown, such as the Barnes Foundation, a delight for even the connoisseur. During the latter part of his life, Manet, a conservative bourgeois who sought the approval of the French academy, explored some of the more modern ideas of the Impressionist painters. Lallemand discusses his development from his first salon entry, a portrait of his parents, through the scandal and scorn heaped on Olympia and Dejeuner sur l'Herbe, to a posthumous 1884 retrospective exhibition in which his work was acclaimed. While Manet considered himself a figure painter, Monet preferred working with landscape. The author describes the artist from his painting Impressionism-Sunrise, which ironically named the art movement, to painterly expressionism in his garden at Giverny in his eighties. Although never an Impressionist, Cezanne was a contemporary of both Monet and Manet. Lallemand takes us from Cezanne's early romantic, dark and gloomy paintings through his more realistic development aided by Pissaro and his love of Estaque to his later abstractions based on still lifes, card players, and groups of figures and Mount St. Victoire. In all three books, Lallemand's style is lucid and his subjects appealing. While many other titles have been published on these three artists, none provides so much value for the price. Recommended for most collections.
Ellen Bates, New York
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Book Description

These handsomely illustrated volumes offer insight into the lives and works of those few unique individuals whose extraordinary creative genius has affected suceeding generations of artists and altered the way we view the world around us.

Often called the Father of Modern Painting, Cezanne created luminous still lifes and hauntingly beautiful landscapes. This tribute showcases the timeless and transcendent beauty of his art.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: New Line Books (November 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1880908158
• ISBN-13: 978-1880908150
• Product Dimensions: 13.1 x 9.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,079,786 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Should be in any art lover's book collection!, July 25, 2001

By 

V. Garlock "Radical Feminist" (Sandusky, OH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cezanne: Visions of a Great Painter (The Impressionists) (Hardcover)

As this book will prove to anyone who doubts it, Paul Cezanne is definitely the Father of Modern Art. Of course, that is ironic because Cezanne was said to be against many of the principles of modern art.

That said, this book is a wonderful source for art history lovers like me. There are many beautiful reproductions of paintings in this book, spanning Cezanne's entire career, that are ALL IN COLOR. And that makes the book quite a gem on its own account. However, not only are the paintings in color, but also since this is a tall, wide book, the paintings take up a page, even a whole page, if need be. The book also explores Cezanne's personality--how it affected his art, as well as his life. It is not serious reading, by it will enable one to better appreciate his art more. This book, despite only being $..., is priceless. It will probably be worth much more in coming years. There is no excuse not to buy this book if you love art history--I know you'll enjoy it immensely!!!

4.0 out of 5 stars Good overall content but poor reproduction, June 15, 2011

By 

FFDR (Chicago, IL, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cezanne: Visions of a Great Painter (The Impressionists) (Hardcover)

This book used to be my favorate Cezanne until I got Cezanne and Beyond.

What I like:
- large format pictures (whole page)
- great selection of paintings -- landscape, still life, figures, all well represented. (note: it doesn't have water colors or the skulls)
- the text does a good job to explain Cezanne's life and artistic struggles and his style

What I don't like:
- color and contrast are hugely distorted. (for this, it should only worth 3 star). For example, white exposed canvas in the original is bright yellow in this book, strong purples that are not in the originals shows up in the reproduction. The original's dark muted blue is light turquoise green in this book. Initially, I liked its bright, fresh, intense colors and crisp outlines. So when I received Cezanne and Beyond, I was shocked to see its muted colors, less sharp outlines (edges) and weaker contrast. I was quite unhappy as C&B had such a high reputation. Then I did a head to head comparison between the two books against the pictures on the database of Met, Art Institute and the museum in Philadelphia. C&B's reproduction was true to the originals and won hands down!

In short, if you intend to use this book as a reference book to paint and to learn from the master, it can be very misleading and you'd be better off to spend your money elsewhere. But if you are interested in learning about Cezanne's life/art or want to get a beautiful coffee table book, then this one is not a bad investment. Now,I still use it for quick reference, but I definitely take it w/ a grain of salt.