Secret Knowledge: Rediscovering the Lost Techniques of the Old Masters (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "This book is in three parts..." (more)
Key Phrases: optical base, chemical photography, optical scientist, Los Angeles, National Gallery, David Hockney (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

British painter David Hockney, well known for his cool and lovely paintings of California pools, has taken on the new role of detective. For two years Hockney seriously investigated the painting techniques of the old masters, and like any admirable sleuth, compiled substantial evidence to support his revolutionary theory. Secret Knowledge is the fruit of this labor, an exhaustive treatise in pictures revealing clues that some of the world's most famous painters, Ingres, Velázquez, Caravaggio (just to mention a few) utilized optics and lenses in creating their masterpieces. Hockney's fascination with the subject is contagious, and the book feels almost like a game with each analysis a "How'd they do that?" instead of a whodunit. While some may find the technical revelation a disappointment in terms of the idea of genius, Hockney is quick to point out that the use of optics does not diminish the immensity of artistic achievement. He reminds the reader that a tool is just a tool, and it is still the artist's hand and creative vision that produce a work of art. (296 pages, 460 illustrations, 402 in color.) --J.P. Cohen

Review

When looking at pictures, one can have no more stimulating and provocative companion than Hockney. -- The Times Literary Supplement, London --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 296 pages
• Publisher: Studio; 1 edition (October 25, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670030260
• ISBN-13: 978-0670030262
• Product Dimensions: 12.2 x 9.8 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (69 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #113,665 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #46 in	Books > Arts & Photography > Instructional & How-To > Painting
  #100 in	Books > Arts & Photography > History & Criticism > Regional > European

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

126 of 144 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow!, November 6, 2001

By	R. Hettinger (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Great book. Reads like the denouement of spell-binding mystery novel with the visual and textual evidence mounting piece by piece until the conclusion seems inevitable. As a working artist, Hockney teases out clues that may have eluded art historians. The book itself is a piece of artwork with excellent reproductions, skillful layout and beautiful typography.

There is one sore spot. Historical and scientific types will quickly notice that Hockney reached his conclusions BEFORE his two year search for evidence and that weaknesses in the argument and evidence are not fully considered. The examples appear selective and are possibly not representative. Looking at the sample artwork, you can see his point but would not be suprised to hear valid alternative explanations. Though not proof positive, the work is persuasive, enlightening and more than a little revolutionary.

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hockney's Evidence is Thought-Provoking, Verifiable/Falsifiable, March 26, 2007

By	Evan M. Dudik (Vancouver, WA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Critics and reviewers who have rated Hockney's Secret Knowledge low seem to me to overlooks some major points. Some of these I find more persuasive than the the issue of alleged perspective misjudgment which seem to attract the greatest heat.

1. H points out that a huge majority of portraits in the period show the model as left handed--some 80%. This is consistent with use of lenses and inconsistent with the frequency of left-handedness in the population. Now, here is a verifiable fact. Are H's numbers right--or are they not?

2. H is not claiming that everyone 1400-1650 was a poor draftsman. At least in what I've seen so far, he doesn't claim e.g. that Rembrandt used optics. Part of his evidence is however that some artists who were great painters were not great draftsmen--their painting exceeds in accuracy their draftsmanship. Now this appears to me again something that is verifiable by a third party. (The question of H's own draftsmanship abilities is totally irrlevant. I don't like his art much myself).

3. In a highly competitive art market, where realism counted, what is the likelihood that artists would >not< use devices that helped them both with accuracy and speed? Even if the great Ren artists could paint and draw realistically without optics (and their education certainly was thorough), throughput and competitive concerns surely would have pushed them in that direction.

4. To my knowledge, no one has responded to H's claim that the change in light to very strong with dark shadows from about 1400 (light is flat) to 1500 is very consistent with use of optics. Yes, that is not the only possible explanation. But from a philosophy of science perspective, this phenomenon and the phenomenon of increased accuracy need to be explained. H at least offers an explanation. The burden of an alternative explanation is on the critics. H's hypothesis could be falsified by showing that in fact strong lighting was used before this period and flat lighting afterwards.

5. Another phenomenon for which H has an explanation but for which I haven't seen alternatives is the fact that in many realistic paintings, depth of field is evident. An example is the famous Vermeer milk pitcher painting. H has an explanation of why the foreground breadbasket is out of focus, while the background basket is (oddly) in focus. If a critic doesn't like H's explanation, he/she should provide an alternative.

6. H shows that in some cases extremely precise scaling is evident--scaling that would be very difficult to do by hand. Prof Falco, the optics and superconducting physicist who collaborated with H., has done the math and claimed that obtaining such accuracy by hand is very difficult since the error is (as I remember) under 2%). Doing anything by hand with under 2% error is quite a feat--including reconciling bank statements :)-- never mind drawing. Here is another phenomenon in which either the factual statements by H and Falco can be easily verified/falsified or need an alternative explanation should be provided.

On an ad hominem note, I think it is worth pointing out that art historians have a built-in motive for rejecting H's hypothesis: They didn't find it! I took an amateur to notice the discrepancies. Finally, personal experience suggests that some people have a lot more difficult time with accuracy/obtaining a likeness than others. For H to be correct, he does not need to support the claim that everyone who was accurate used optics, only that some did and these raised the bar for the art community as a whole.

Thanks for reading.

23 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars See the Old Masters through a New Lens, October 18, 2002

By	John P. Stamper "A Searcher" (Central Florida) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

For centuries, it seems that art history has taught us that the "Old Masters" had special divine powers and were given gifts from God to create such works of genius. It would also seem that most serious art critics, art teachers and artists alike agree that these old works of art are like miracles and the creators are to be worshipped.

David Hockney has wriiten a book that shines a new light on the Old Masters and their more scientific techniques, while not taking away any of their abilities as artists.

Secret Knowledge is a book detailing his theory that around 1430, some artists began using optics to project their subject onto the canvas, thus maing it easier to create stunning realism. Some people would hear this idea and say "Oh, he is saying that they were not geniuses... that they were cheating!"

Not so.

While making a rather persuasive argument through words and pictures that lenses and mirrors were almost certainly used, he maintains throughout the book that it still takes a talented artist to create a masterpiece. The optical devices did not replace the artist, they only enhanced his ability to create more stunning realism.

I found his arguments interesting and enlightening... and if you are a student of art, or have any interest in the history of fine arts, I think you would enjoy this Book for its ideas and its many beautiful reproductions of artwork. Get this one today and See the "Old Masters" through a "new lens".