Dictionary of Artists' Models [Hardcover]

Jill Berk Jiminez (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2001 | ISBN-10: 1579582338 | ISBN-13: 978-1579582333

The Dictionary of Artists' Models is the first extensive reference work to identify and contextualize the lives and art history of individual artist's models. It provides a much-needed body of research to serve both as a reference tool and as a springboard for further study of this frequently neglected subject. The Dictionary provides information on some 200 artists' models, from the Renaissance to the present day. Most entries are illustrated and consist of a short biography, a selected list of works in which the model appears, suggestions for further reading, and a signed interpretive essay. Each essay includes information about the model's life and the artists for whom they sat, and discusses their specific contribution to the artist's work. Written by experts in their field, these essays, on models as diverse as Costanza della Sommaia Doni, Andr? Utter, and Elizabeth Hollander, will give the reader a richer understanding of the model's relevance to art history. Introductory essays focus on themes such as the experience of modeling, the model in literature, and the model as artist. The Dictionary includes an Appendix that gives brief biographical details of lesser-kn models and an extensive index of artists and works. The Dictionary of Artists' Models will prove an invaluable reference work for art historians, librarians, museum and gallery curators, as well as students and researchers.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Models may be the heart and soul of much art, but in the literature they have long been relegated to the footnotes. With this well-researched, well-written, and absorbing dictionary definitely the first of its kind they finally get the attention they deserve. Not only is the subject matter compelling, but the book itself is an exemplary reference work. It begins with several essays including an intriguing piece on how a model experiences the process of art that place the concept of the artist's model in its historical and epistemological context. The entries themselves are nicely detailed, with each containing an interpretive essay, biographical information, a selection of the model's works, and a bibliography. Extensive cross-referencing allows readers to find models who have pseudonyms or alternative names, and an index to artists helps connect them with their models. The contributors are curators and historians with impressive credentials whose appreciation of art and its process makes for enjoyable reading. The articles are written primarily for scholars and researchers, but they are not beyond the scope of the art lover or advanced lay reader. An exciting and much-needed addition to the history of Western art; highly recommended for large public and academic libraries. Manya Chylinski, Ctr. for Business Knowledge, Ernst & Young, Boston

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

Well-researched, well-written and absorbing. definitely the first of its kind.... Not only is the subject matter compelling, but the book itself is an exemplary reference work.
–Library Journal

A unique book that is more than a reference source.... Generously illustrated, this book is highly recommended for all collections, especially art libraries.
–Choice

The Dictionary of Artists' Models is the first work on its subject and is in many respects an exemplary and accessible work of significant scholarship.... It belongs in all academic libraries supporting research in art history.
–ARBA

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 624 pages
• Publisher: Routledge (August 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1579582338
• ISBN-13: 978-1579582333
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 7.1 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,115,752 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)