Customer Reviews

Gustave Moreau: Between Epic and Dream

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It's got all the goods: scholarly essays, dossiers on Gustave's most important works, wide historical sweep, accessibility for those who are more casual art-lovers, tons of color plates, good details (for painters like me, looking for something to steal). Moreau was a super-important figure in the decadent years of 19th Century France. Not as well known as, say, Degas or Courbet, his schtick seemed pretty far out. Anticipating Surrealism as well as the the nascent Symbolist movement, Moreau made insanely detailed, obessive, jewel-like paintings whose time is just now arriving. Make your coffee table as swanky and plush as an old New Orleans hotel. Moreau knew how to mix it up but certainly has his own flavor. Super great book.

I had very high hopes when I bought this book, though afraid the text would override the images; however I wasn't disappointed. The sheer quality of the printing is nothing less than remarkable. All the images in this book meet the highest standards of the printer's profession. Books on the symbolist genius Gustave Moreau are extremely hard to come by, so Between Epic and Dream (the book's title) is a rare art book being the only large volume in print at the moment.
The text acompanying the lush pictures is very informative, not only on Moreau's life's work, but there are notes on each item underneath. There is a good balance between text and images and this makes the enjoyment of viewing or reading a particular delight. Moreau's watercolors are beautifully presented and so are the paintings with both large and medium reproductions. There are drawings and studies as well to give this book a usefulness to those who would study Moreau's methods of work.
This book is a great buy at a very reasonable price. You will only need Joris Karl Huysman's novel, Against Nature (describing the painting Salome on the cover), to dream away into sweet decadence.

I have not much more to add on the other reviews regarding the quality of text and reproductions. It is a real non-exhaustive "catalogue raisonné" of the most relevant Moreau's works (his "St. Sebastian" is mesmerizingly and ominously sublime) plus interesting essays.

Moreau is the flagship of French symbolist painting. Although he was a secluded artist he had interesting disciples, like Desvallières, in the circle of the so-called "peintres de l'âme" (painters of the soul). For them, he always was a reference, an idol, like his Semeles, Sphinxs and Salomés. Interestingly Moreau never took part in the Salon de la Rose-Croix (lead by "Sar" Péladan) or any other artistic movement. He was a perfect example of the Balzac's hero-painter in the famous novel "The unknown masterpiece": the never ending painting. Moreau's preciousness, craftmanship, genious, exoticism, decadence, mythological poetry, fin-de-siècle illness, all shape a world of his own, yet fanatically worshipped by his gallerists and collectors and, why not, by his contemporary academic popes.

If decadenticism, 19th century artistic atmosphere and fin de siècle appeal to you, this is your book.

The only thing I miss is more of Moreau's writings and letters. Probably you will find them in the books published by his museum-sanctuary in Paris. Remember his famous and evocative sentence: "I just believe what I cannot see".

Potential buyers of this book-- please be aware that the paperback is a different book altogether. Amazon should NOT be listing this on the same page as the hardcover that is shown. As indicated above, the hardcover is by Genevieve Lacambre, published by Princeton University Press, 1999, and is 320 pages with many color plates.

The paperback is by Julius Kaplan, 1974 1st edition Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The reproductions in this book are mostly black and white, with only four color images of mediocre quality. This paperback is essentially an exhibition catalog. Many of the reproductions are of developmental sketches for his paintings. These are in themselves interesting, but what is lacking is any significant number of actual finished paintings.

As you can imagine, I was pretty disappointed when I opened up the package that the book came in.

NOTE: I admit that ultimately, buying the wrong book was MY mistake. I normally look at the details of the listing a lot more closely. In this case, for some reason, I obviously did not. I don't think Amazon is intentionally trying to deceive anyone here, they probably just made an honest mistake in not listing these books separately. All I'm saying is if you order the paperback, just be aware that it is NOT the book that is shown.

I've been saving for this book for so long. It deserved it! It is great. Lovely. The photos are amazing because of their quality. I hadn't time to read the text but I know the writter is a very good one to do it.

Simply great.