Customer Reviews

Masters of Art: Ingres

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Whether you have a casual interest in the life and/or works of Ingres or you are a dedicated admirer, you are sure to find yourself enjoying this book. There are approximately 40 pages of text mingled with relevant b/w illustrations, some by Ingres, some by a variety of other artists including Picasso, Raphael, Poussin, Delacroix, Courbet, and Matisse. The author compares Ingres to Picasso because of his ability to take on many forms in his artwork while remaining true to himself. He also discusses the tension between Ingres and Delacroix over visible brushstrokes and the use of color. Ingres is described in this book as being "one of the greatest draftsmen of all time" and it is easy to understand why when examining the colorplates. There are 151 illustrations in all with 40 plates in color. Included in the colorplate section are _Bonaparte as First Consul_, _Bather of Valpincon_, _Oedipus and the Sphinx_, _The Turkish Bath_, _The Dream of Ossian_, and _Grande Odalisque_, among others. Each colorplate comes with an extensive commentary by the author that includes historical background and an analysis of the work's artistic merits. This is absolutely a great buy for *anyone* interested in Ingres.

This is a mediocre overview of Ingres' work, but, unfortunately, the only one available on the market right now (besides the lilliputian taschen pamphlet). About half of the reproductions are good, the other half are washed out or badly printed. Most irritating is that a considerable number of the precious few color plates are given to the work of other artists... those are the ones that really should've been in black and white.

UPDATE!!
There is now a much better Ingres book available by Andrew Shelton... more reproductions, better quality, good price. Don't even bother with this one!