Customer Reviews

Lives of the Artists: Masterpieces, Messes (and What the Neighbors Thought)

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"It's not what an artist does that counts, but what he is" - Picasso, p. 56

The book contains 16 Chapters on the following 17 artists in birth year order: Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564), Peter Bruegel (1525?-1569), Sofonisba Anguissola (1532-1625), Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669), Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849), Mary Cassatt (1845-1926), Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890), Kathe Kollwitz (1867-1945), Henri Matisse (1869-1954), Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), Marc Chagall (1887-1985), Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968), Georgia O'Keeffe (1887-1986), William H. Johnson (1901-1970), Salvador Dali (1904-1989), Isamu Noguchi (1904-1988), Diego Rivera (1886-1957) & Frida Kahlo (1907-1954), Andy Warhol (1928-1987).

It contains a variety of gossipy tidbits about the artists' lives. The cross selection of artists is an interesting combination. Krull introduced me to three artists of which I was not familiar (Anguissola, Kollwitz and Johnson). As a result Krull has whet my appetite and I will now seek out further information. Hewett"s illustrations are entertainly and cleverly done. I am especially particular to her rendition of Hokusai (he is wearing a kimino with both "The Wave" and "Mt. Fuji" on it).

I'm not convinced that the book is intended for young readers (ages 9-12). The gossip is on occasion adult in content. No actual prints of any of the artist's paintings are included, which was a surprise given the high cost of the book. This proves cruelly aggravating given that Krull references select paintings with accompanying notes.

Additional tidbits missing from the book: Dali did the dream sequence in Alfred Hitchcock's "Spellbound" starring Gregory Peck and Ingrid Bergman. Chagall's "The Dead Man" was the inspiration for the title of the Broadway play "Fiddler on the roof." Rivera caused a scandal when he painted the portrait of Lenin in a Rockefeller Center mural in '33. In addition, he used his clout to enable Leon Trotsky to live in Mexico. Two years later Kahlo introduced Trotsky to her friend, a Stalinist agent, who killed him with an ice-axe.

What a sin that this marvelous series is positioned as "children's literature." As a 40-year-old lifetime student of art, I stumbled across this title in a gift shop. It brings life and personality to artists that surpasses any biography I've read. *Anyone* who is interested in art would love this charming, insightful, and delightfully anecodotal work. I immediately went to Amazon.com and bought the other two in the series. I told myself that I would give them as gifts, but I can't part with them. Enjoy!

I have mixed feelings about this book. I enjoyed it because it puts some of the humanity back into a subject many of whose personalities have been so lionized that they have become icons, non-people. However, I'm not certain to whom I might recommend it.

To begin with, the book has the direct, simple style of books written for children, grades 4-8. The language is a little too complex for those under age 8, the style a little too simple for those over age 13. Since I occasionally read children's books anyway, this did not stop me as an adult from reading the book and taking satisfaction from doing so. Nor would I have had any problem with recommending the volume for a school or public library, except....

I enjoyed the book primarily because I had already had a rather extensive exposure to art of all types through my mother, who was a working artist herself. Our house was littered with books about artists and their art works, and I started visiting museums in her company from the age of six. When Lives of the Artists: Masterpieces, Messes (and What the Neighbors Thought) discussed Rembrandt, I already possessed a pretty clear impression of his style and of some of his more famous works. The possibility that the he did not paint Man with a Golden Helmet surprised me, because I have a very clear picture of the work-one of my favorite Rembrandts-in my head. Someone who didn't would find it difficult to care; it would be just another bit of free-floating information.

In short, the book fails to fulfill a goal as a vehicle of teaching young people-or any people-about art because there are no illustrations of it. While there are entertaining anecdotes about a nice selection of famous people who perform a variety of styles of art, they might be anyone with eccentric behavior.

I'm not certain where the fault for this glaring defect lies. Perhaps it arises from an attempt to produce an interesting and attractive book that is still affordable, especially for children. Perhaps it was a matter of inability to procure a right to reproduce a work of art belonging to someone who has exclusive rights over it. Still, I find it difficult to believe that the museums of the world would be unwilling for their masterpieces to be represented in a book on famous art, especially for children, if only because it represents free publicity for their establishment. Certainly if any given museum is unwilling, there are other works of art from which to choose: therein lies a certain degree of leverage.

Whatever the reason for the lack of art in an art book, I can only suggest this book to schools that provide a thorough grounding in the subject. An art teacher might give lectures on periods of art, their characteristic works and personalities, and suggest that this book might be fun to read. For a young person who has been prepared, this might return "great" art once again to the realm of human endeavor.

Most people can name at least a couple famous artists and cite some examples of their best-known works. But have you ever wondered what's really behind all that painting, sculpting, and drawing? Kathleen Krull's book Lives of the Artists: Masterpieces, Messes (and What the Neighbors Thought) gives an in-depth view into the humor, tragedy, and mystery in twenty artists' lives, as well as the gossip inspired by their peculiar lifestyles. Carefully researched, this humorous biography travels throughout the centuries, offering basic facts along with interesting tidbits and anecdotes about artists from Leonardo Da Vinci to Georgia O'Keeffe and beyond. It also includes interesting backround information behind each one's artistic works as well as creative and eye-catching illustrations by Kathryn Hewitt. This entertaining book allows readers to get to know the world's greatest artists and their artworks through each one's unique and engaging story.
The book is well organized into chapters each focusing on the life of one individual artist. The author skillfully and humorously connects information about artists' personalities, preferences, and lifestyles with how they affected their most well known artworks. It recreates each one's position in history, telling how the artists were seen by the general population in their day, or even their reputation among curious or superstitious neighbors. Readers will be able to see for themselves that famous artists were real people who did mess up once in a while. The author explains a time when Leonardo Da Vinci decided to try out a new painting method, saying, "The technique resulted in disaster...(he hadn't read all the way through to the part that said "don't try this on walls")."
The author's voice helps compliment the content in several ways. Kathleen Krull's words strike a tone that is warm, chatty, and friendly, making you feel as if she were talking with you in the same room. Her gossip extends not only to the basic facts but also to many specific details abou the artists' lives. Showing the passion and tragedy in his life, she remarks about the artist Vincent van Gogh,"Van Gogh imposed a condition of near starvation on himself and would go for days without food so he could afford to buy art supplies." In addition, every sarcastic or humorous comment made on the part on the author helps readers to feel they are getting to know an actual person rather than a cold, vague historical figure.
The author also ensured that the book would appeal to an audience of both children and adults. The words and explanations are engaging and humorous and immediately capture your interest, yet the vocabularly is not too difficult for children. The full-page color illustrations are vivid, clever, and bring to life each artist for the young and old alike. Because the book gives more information about each artist than is generally known, it is sure to benefit and interest a wide range of audiences.
Readers of all ages will definitely become hooked on this fact-filled and entertaining biography. Lives of the Artists: Masterpieces, Messes (and What the Neighbors Thought) retells the one of a kind stories of each of the world's most famous artists, blending historical facts with humor and captivating details. Most importantly it allows readers to recognize each individual artist through an attractive mix of their achievements, lives, and unique personalities.

Reading a chapter from this book has become a bedtime ritual for my daughter and me. My daughter happens to be very interested in art and this book gives her an idea of what it's like to actually be an artist. Both the illustrations and text bring these artists to life more than any other childrens or adult book I have ever seen. This is one of the few books that we both enjoy reading over and over again. I wish the authors would do another volume of artists. Meanwhile I'm ordering another book by this author/illustrator combination.

I found this book while looking for a way to get my children more interested in art and famous artists from various periods. This book was exactly what I needed. It tells a little about each artist without being boring giving them a glimpse at each one. After reading this book to my 3 year old and then letting the 11 and 15 year old look it over, I was asked about various artists in the book which led us on hunts at the library for more information.

So this book makes a good introduction if you're wanting to just give your kids an idea of all the artists that have come and gone. I do agree with another reviewer that it would have been nice if they had included at least one piece of their artwork in the pages. Of course, that just means we will have to find them on our own which for us homeschoolers is part of the "thrill of the hunt".

I found this book in the children's section of the library, but this is not a children's book; although children might enjoy it. This book is very reminiscent of the "Politically Incorrect Bedtime Stories" series. It's a wonderfully campy little book full of facts about just how bizarre artists are. It would make a great coffee table book. I just loved it! I can't wait to read the companion book about musicians.

This book would make an outstanding addition to the reading list of any art lover. If you love finding out the gossipy trivia about some well-known and should-be-well-known artists, that this is the book you MUST buy. Really gorgeous illustrations by a fantastically talented artist herself, Kathryn Hewitt

If you have a child that loves art, you've got to get this book--for them as well as for yourself. I knew very little about many well known artists until I got this book. I shopped around for a book that would interest my daughter on famous artists and this one did it. For children as well as for adults, it captures your interests and makes you want to know more by telling you about the "quirks" of the artists' personalities. If you know very little about famous artists, this is a MUST.

This book would make an outstanding addition to the reading list of any art lover. If you love finding out the gossipy trivia about some well-known and should-be-well-known artists, that this is the book you MUST buy. Really gorgeous illustrations by a fantastically talented artist herself, Kathryn Hewitt