Morandi: Paintings, Watercolors, Drawings, Etchings (Monographs) [Hardcover]

Giorgio Morandi (Author), Ernst-Gerhard Guese (Author), Franz A. Morat (Author)

Book Description

Series: Monographs | Publication Date: March 1999

In the history of 20th-century figurative art, the Italian painter Giorgio Morandi stands out as an individual artist, capturing the simple beauty of light on forms through deft brushwork and subtle coloration. This volume brings together some 110 of his most important works, executed in a variety of techniques. Morandi stood aloof from the intellectual turmoil and aesthetic experiments of the 20th century while other artists moved to Paris, Morandi rarely left his native Bologna. For his needs, a limited number of simple, everyday objects were sufficient. His initial fascination for Impressionism, Cezanne's still lifes and landscapes and Cubism, melted into a poetic world of his own. By concentrating on the same objects and subtly modifying the compositions and soft colours, he created delicate pictures and an abstract, almost dematerialised figurativeness. This volume encompasses his work, three essays and a biography of the artist.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: German

Product Details

• Hardcover: 168 pages
• Publisher: Prestel Publishing (March 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 3791320866
• ISBN-13: 978-3791320861
• Product Dimensions: 11.6 x 9.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,384,345 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Colour Reproductions disappoint, August 29, 2002

By 

M. I. Mcneill (New Zealand) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Morandi: Paintings, Watercolors, Drawings, Etchings (Monographs) (Hardcover)

The colour reproductions of Morandi's oil Paintings are very disappointing. The prints didn't "live " at all and have lost the subtlety of colour that characterises Morandi's work. There is little or no depth to the colour. Morandi's deep toned accents suffer and appear thin. Those marvellous flashes of apricot/orange are maddenly deadened. There is often an overbalance of a greenish ochre in the colour print. The textural quality of Morandi's brushwork is curiously flattened and lifeless.

Fortunately the Watercolours, drawings and etchings have not suffered to the same extent: although I cannot believe the grey cast that is given to what must have frequently been a variety of white papers.

Good text. Informative photographs but overall a disappointing purchase - especially in NZ dollars.

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The Reader's Digest Version, January 9, 2000

By 

J. L. Moriarty "John" (Arlington, VA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Morandi: Paintings, Watercolors, Drawings, Etchings (Monographs) (Hardcover)

If you have had the opportunity to see the (out-of-print) show catalogue (Giorgio Morandi: [catalogue of] an exhibition of paintings, water-colours, drawings and etchings) this skimpy overview will not only disappoint, it also will not whet your appetite for more of this insightful artist's oeuvre.

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The best Morandi title under $200.00, June 12, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Morandi: Paintings, Watercolors, Drawings, Etchings (Monographs) (Hardcover)

The great strength of this book is its inclusive nature and the quality of printing. Morandi, like many painters, worked out in drawing what would he would find later in the paintings, his best known medium. There are enough water-colors and etchings to enhance the understanding of his paintings by featuring his interests in color and tone in the former, shape and tonal areas in the latter. All these and clearer reproduction (especially of brush strokes, surface textures) make it a better buy than the also useful K. Wilkin book on Morandi. Morandi fans won't mind owning both books; even among the paintings there is not great overlap in particular works. Where there is a double, the differences help remind you of the limitations of reproductions, no matter what book they're in. (PS the Morandi Museum in Bologna, Italy is worth a trip to that city in itself.)