Described as "the best talker on art since Lord Clark gave us Civilization", Sister Wendy takes a fresh look at Europe's most famous art treasures. With over 60 reproductions, she examines both Old Masters and contemporary artists from Rubens' Angelica and the Hermit to Manet's The Balcony. Full color.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
After the great success of her PBS series, Sister Wendy's Odyssey, here Sister Wendy takes a grand tour of 10 of Europe's great cities and capitals of art. Her passion for art has led her--with the readers of this book firmly in tow--to Goya and Velázquez in Madrid; Donatello and Botticelli in Florence; Caravaggio and Raphael in Rome; Van Gogh, Rembrandt, and Vermeer in Amsterdam; and Kandinsky and Rubens in St. Petersburg. She also makes pilgrimages to artworks in Vienna, Berlin, Paris, Venice, and Antwerp. Sister Wendy offers lucid, compassionate, and articulate commentaries about each of the cities and their great masterpieces--primarily paintings, although some sculptures are also examined. The tour concludes with a brief biographical section outlining the lives of each of the artists discussed. In the end, Sister Wendy doesn't set out to tell us which paintings are good and which are bad, she simply wants to share with us the art that she loves. This is art appreciation at its finest.
From Library Journal
Sister Wendy Beckett lives in a Carmelite monastery in Norfolk, England, and proselytizes extensively about art, seeking to broaden popular appreciation. Following the success of the TV series Sister Wendy's Odyssey and the book of the same name, PBS recently began broadcasting Sister Wendy's Grand Tour. This accompanying book briefly summarizes her trips to several European cities, and the overall impression is of a whirlwind tour. Each city receives only a one-page overview facing a crowded montage of pen-and-ink views of its major monuments. Sister Wendy discusses four to ten works of art in each city and expresses frustration at having to leave out so many. Each work is illustrated in color, and a final section contains short biographies of the 47 artists. Although this volume is perhaps a good overview for personal collections, libraries probably have broader and deeper works. Public libraries might want to consider for patrons who enjoy Sister Wendy's insights.?Anne Marie Lane, American Heritage Ctr., Laramie, Wy.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
54 of 56 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Thoroughly Absorbing Book for the Lay-Person,
By A Customer
This review is from: Sister Wendy's Grand Tour: Discovering Europe's Great Art (Hardcover)
In a world where so many things compete for one's attention, the world of fine art is often overlooked for more contemporary and, as we often see it, more relevant media. This book opened up a whole new world for me as I read it, on an eight hour flight home to my native Britain from the US. I've since taken several art history courses and read a great deal more. Sister Wendy has had her critics in the art world, invariably from those elitists who would use art as a means to promote themselves, and perhaps don't wish to see any kind of knowledge or familiarity of great art trickle down to the person in the street. Sister Wendy, far from popularizing art in the trendy sense, individualizes it, not by personalizing it, but by humanizing it. While some of her interpretations may not always coincide with the the received criticism, she does something far more important and far more indicative of the true Christian nature of the woman; she humanizes it for us and thereby makes it accessible. What once looked like a painting of some people from the past on a balcony is now a comment on ourselves and our society, as relevant today as when it was painted, and that is the great truth Sister Wendy gave me: that art is not something to be afraid of but, like the great literature and music of the ages, with which many of us are infinitely more familiar, art is as important and as rich a source of the human experience, its moments and its continuity, as is any novel or symphony. I used to think that it was only given to a few people to really understand art, and that "I must not have a very visual mind" but I failed to see what is, in retrospect, quite stunningly obvious. Art was always, after all, meant to be seen, and with a little work to understand the references in a work, which viewers of the time would have often have immediately understood, and by not being afraid of it or thinking it obscure, one can find every bit as much satisfaction and humanity in a work of art as one can in literature. For me literature was always my habit, now, thanks to Sister Wendy, I have an art habit (all accusations of a very poor nun pun there are denied in the strongest possible terms). To be honest, I wasn't even all that interested in art. I knew nothing about it and didn't try to find out with any seriousness of intent, mostly because I thought it was all too terribly serious in itself and the arty people I knew all took themselves way too seriously. So, to her critics, I say, Sister Wendy has done more than anyone or anything I have encountered to truly bring art to the people, where it is meant to be. She does not jealously guard her knowledge of art, only to be shared with an elite few but, in true Christian spirit, is spreading an appreciation of it to those who might not otherwise care all that much, and gently opening up whole new amazing worlds for them. I thoroughly recommend this book to everyone.
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