This illustrated book is a celebration of the image of the sunflower in art and literature: in the work of the Symbolists and the British aesthetic movement, and in Realist and Impressionist paintings. It offers an examination of the flower's significance from pre-Columbian times to the early 20th century, and the particular significance of the sunflower in Van Gogh's work is explored by Debra Mancoff. This volume is published to coincide with the Art Institute of Chicago's exhibition of work by Van Gogh and Gaugin. The brief essays and reproductions survey the chronology of representations of the sunflower and create a context for Van Gogh's work. Debra Mancoff develops the image of the sunflower as a lasting emblem of the artist.
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Behold the sunflower. Immortalized by van Gogh during a seminal period in his creative development, the bucolic blossom has an artistic eminence that predates Columbus and persists into the twenty-first century. Although the sunflower remains most closely associated with van Gogh in the vernacular mindset, in actuality it has served as a motif for artists, a symbol for royalty, and a religious icon since the sixteenth century. Mancoff's captivating monograph glorifies the lofty heritage of this lowly New World plant as it ignited the artistic, scientific, literary, and religious communities of the Old World through celebrated images, commencing with early botanical texts and climaxing with the British aesthetic movement. As Mancoff thoughtfully examines the sunflower's myriad contributions to profound effect, exquisite reproductions from nearly every artistic movement reveal the depth and breadth of its many incarnations. From German romanticism to contemporary surrealism, from Besler's botanicals to van Gogh's golden affirmations, Mancoff pays fitting tribute to the sunflower's enduring and diverse cultural ancestry through legend and lore, art and artifact. Carol Haggas
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
About the Author
Debra Mancoff has written monographs on Burne-Jones, Jane Morris, Mary Cassatt and other artists, and is the author of Van Gogh's Flowers.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sunflower stories worth sharing.,
By Con (Davenport IA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Sunflowers (Hardcover)
I first ran across this book last summer when looking into the history of sunflowers when designing a quilt featuring them. I was familiar with Faith Ringgold's quilts and Van Gogh's paintings, but was interested in how they had been depicted in other art. Mancoff does an excellent job researching her topic, writing essays that are engaging to non-art history buffs, and matching it with wonderful photographic reproductions. A beautiful book I am proud to have in my library.
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