Tate British Artists: Samuel Palmer [Paperback]

Timothy Wilcox (Author)

Book Description

Series: British Artists | Publication Date: December 1, 2005

Samuel Palmer (1805-1881) is one of the best-loved but least understood figures in British art. A romantic at heart, he lived through most of the Victorian age, increasingly at odds with the world around him, yet sustained by his belief in the abiding values of beauty, poetry, and landscape. This book is the first to critically examine Palmer's career, and to present his work within the artistic and cultural context of his times. It explores the visual and literary sources of his early pastoral drawings and reveals how Palmer's later work engaged with the burning controversies of the day.

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About the Author

Timothy Wilcox is an associate lecturer at the University of Surrey, England, and a specialist in 18th- and 19th-century British art.

Product Details

• Paperback: 80 pages
• Publisher: Tate (December 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1854375636
• ISBN-13: 978-1854375636
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 8 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #542,667 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A visionary artist, September 27, 2007

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This review is from: Tate British Artists: Samuel Palmer (Paperback)

This slim volume is an excellent introduction to the life & work of Samuel Palmer. Beginning as a disciple of sorts to William Blake, he pursued his own quietly pastoral vision, creating works of luminous beauty. His sensitivity to Nature, to the realm of the Spirit, is obvious in all he did; and his belief in a life of beauty & rich personal meaning is all the more relevant today.

His work glows with a golden inner light, drawing the viewer into its Edenic landscapes. Yet it's far from ephemeral escapism - Palmer is drawn towards something extraordinary, seeking to capture some portion of it in tangible form, rather than simply running away from everyday life. The unearthly peace that suffuses his work is anything but tranquilizing - if anything, he wants us to awaken & see what he sees, feel what he feels. More than any other artist, I think, he shows us the world described in the poetry of the English Romantics.

If you haven't experienced his evocative & transporting work yet, this is the place to start!