Customer Reviews

Live Forever: Elizabeth Peyton

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

 

 

The catalogue for the current Elizabeth Peyton mid-career show at the New Museum in NYC, this book's main asset is the quality of the reproductions. From the first paintings in the early nineties (of friends, rockers and English royalties) to the latest portraits of celebrities (her dealer Gavin Brown, Matthew Barney...)the illustrated works give a fair idea of the artist's evolution, qualities as a colorist and swift brushstrokes, to which one must now add an ability to capture the mood of her model, a quality that, I think, she did not possess in her early works. However, nothing being perfect in this world, the accompanying text, which tries to portray Elizabeth Peyton as a "conceptualist" (through her relationship with her ex-husband, the artist Rirkrit Tiravanija, and the supposedly shared recurring themes between the two of love and community), is somewhat far-fetched, if not pompous (thence the four stars instead of five...).

Recently I viewed Elizabeth Peyton's solo show in NYC and was completely blown away! did not expect the vibrancy of her palette to pop off the canvas as it had as well as her expressive manner of painting to evoke the complexities and the subtle beauty that I experienced that day at her show. So I was completely inspired to purchase her book.
The book is a reminder for me of the show in NY so I absolutely love it. The only caveat is that the printed pages can never quite replicate the actual paintings themselves but it's still a fantastic and comprehensive catalog of her work that I am quite thrilled to incorporate in my library of art books.

American artist Elizabeth Peyton specializes in gripping portraiture techniques in watercolor, oil and drawings. "Live Forever" blends influences from the fashion and arts worlds alike, providing stunning techniques. Ideal for any college-level art library strong in modern painters.

Peyton's brushwork and authority are impressive, not to mention the strong intelligent character of the images. Something to strive for.

Re the book itself, very high quality reproductions and a unique binding making it easy to keep the pages open.