Portraits by Ingres: Image of an Epoch [Hardcover]

Gary Tinterow (Editor), Phillip Conisbee (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1999

Published to accompany an international exhibition, this is a study of the portraits by the French painter Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres. They were created over the first seven decades of the 19th century and were described by a critic in 1855 as "the most faithful image of our epoch". The book brings together a wide range of original-source materials, including letters, critical reviews, biographical documents and photographs. The major portraits are discussed and reproduced, and more than 100 portrait drawings and many preparatory studies are also included.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This catalog of the portraits of the 19th-century painter Ingres is a companion volume to the traveling exhibition sponsored by the National Gallery in London, the National Gallery in Washington, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. In the first major study on this subject, five scholars chart the chronology of Ingres the portraitist and seek to place this aspect of his oeuvre within the context of his career and, more broadly, within 19th-century European society and the history of portraiture. Chief influences in the portraits of Ingres include the classical tradition of his teacher, David and that of Renaissance artist, Raphael. Beautiful color and black-and-white reproductions illustrate both Ingres's oil paintings and graphite drawings. Recommended for academic art collections and for all specialized art libraries.ASandra Rothenberg, Framingham State Coll. Lib., MA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 608 pages
• Publisher: Metropolitan Museum of Art; First Edition edition (1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300086539
• ISBN-13: 978-0300086539
• Product Dimensions: 12.5 x 9.4 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,370,219 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Book About Ingres You Have Been Waiting For!, February 10, 2000

By 

Richard (Laguna Niguel, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Portraits By Ingres Image of an Epoch (Hardcover)

I have been waiting for a first-rate work on Ingres portraits for many years and now it is finally here! This book is a MUST HAVE for anyone who admires Ingres. The book was published in conjunction with the wonderful exhibition of Ingres portraits which played in London, New York, and Washington DC. I attended the exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum in New York and this book does justice to what I saw in person. Since not every work of art was seen at each venue, the book provides reproductions of several works which were not made available for viewing in the United States (such as the great Rothchild portrait). I have the books on Ingres by both Robert Rosenblum and Georges Vigne. Although both of those books were good, this new book surpasses them due to the quality of the writing and the superb reproductions. There are enlightening essays by both the exhibition curators together with outside experts such as Rosenblum and Vigne. The reproductions are plentiful and very good quality. In addition to the oil paintings, there are dozens of high quality reproductions of the superb portrait drawings. Each portrait is accompanied by an essay together with the provenance and exhibition history of the work. The book also deals with the thorny issue of collaborators. Although the book is fairly expensive, it is well worth the money. Perhaps one day we will have similar books published on other great portrait painters such as Holbein, Moroni, and Bronzino. Anyone in the museum or publishing world listening?

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ingres was the master of line and sensuality, November 6, 1999

By 

Ward J. Lamb (slate hill, new york United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Portraits By Ingres Image of an Epoch (Hardcover)

I saw the exhibit in NY today, and had a chance to review the book as well. It's been a long time waiting for a book of this magnitude depicting these great portraits.The uncluttered detail of this neo-classical giant is staggering.His ability to paint cloth is incredible. He and Sargent rank as my personal favorites. His teacher David would be proud to see his treatment of the human being with pristine classical beauty combined with personal insights into an individuals character. His later portraits including the last two self portraits reveal the soul of this devoted artist. The volume traces fashion and history, and the many greats he depicted. Essays are excellent. Ingres is beauty truth and human elegance.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Favorite Painter!, January 23, 2001

By 

Dana Keish (Ohio, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Portraits by Ingres: Image of an Epoch (Hardcover)

Always my favorite painter, I was lucky enough to see an exposition of his work at the National Art Gallery in London in 1999 and his more famous works on constant display the Louvre in 2000. While his historical and allegorical paintings are impressive, his talent with portraiture is unmatched. I am particularly struck by the detailed imagery. It feels like you are looking at a photography, the realism is so intense. Yet as the book demonstrates, numerous studies were done before each painting, trying to determine how best to capture the subject.

The book is a large format, with numerous full color, full plate images. Personally, I did not find the accompanying essays particularly interesting but thought that the notes on each specific work more compelling. The choices of artwork included in the book is primarily restricted to portraits, but not only paintings but paper drawings and minatures also.