Sketches, Paintings, and Illustrations
By Emily Zach
Such a beautiful and inspiring book, full of the artist's works, along with some photos and texts that shed light on her life. It was nice to remember some of the information mentioned here from the Linda Lear's Potter biography, and even nicer to get further insight into each illustration or piece art provided. [non-fiction, 255pp.]
By Dr. Edith Eva Eger
The story of a young dancer and gymnast who was sent to Auschwitz at the age of 16. Together with her sister she survived a year of horrors, and after the war she moved to the US to become, many years later, a renowned psychologist who helped many to overcome their horrific pasts. Most of the book revolves around her life, and incorporates stories of some of her patients, and how they also helped her heal herself. [333 pp. | Hebrew translation]
By Olga Tokarczuk
This is the story of an old lady who lives in a remote Polish village year-round, while most of its resident only stay there for the summer. She takes care of the "abandoned" properties during winter, and teaches English at the local school, though prior to that she was a civic engineer, building bridges in various countries. She is also a very sensitive woman who loves the poetry of William Blake (hence the title of the book), and quite eccentric, staunchly believing in the powers of astrology and in the evilness of hunters (especially those who stage feeding areas only to kill the approaching animals).
When hunters start dying out in mysterious ways, nobody believes her when she claims it was the acts of vengeful of the animals. [Hebrew translation; 263pp.]
By Émile Zola
This book took a long time to read, even if I did read other books at the same time. Some chapters just went on and on, and were not easily flowing. Anyway, each chapter presents a period in the life of Nana, an actress/celebrity/prostitute in Paris of the 1860s/1870s, from the times she first revealed to society until her untimely death. Through her we also get a good critical look at the society that embraces/makes fun of/objects to her. [386 pp., including notes, not including introduction.]
By Sebastian Smee
Exploring significant relationships and mutual influence between pairs of contemporary artists: Lucian Freud and Francis Bacon; Edouard Manet and Edgar Degas; Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso; and Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning.
Each one of these artists were influential in the art world, and would have probably not have created the same art if not for their meeting their counterparts. Their stories are shared in an easy to follow sequence of events in the lives of each painter in the pair, the effects they had on each other once they met, the struggles and jealousies, as well as deep love and/or admiration for each other's art. [nonfiction, 390pp.]
Favorite quote:
The creative process is a little like the act of making love. It can be as violent as fucking, like an orgasm or an ejaculation. The result is often disappointing, but the process is highly exciting.
-- Francis Bacon
By Sue Roe
[finished reading it around May 12]
This book was definitely interesting to read, and I did learn a lot from it. However, at time, it was a bit overwhelming with information, and it was not always easy to keep track of all the names mentioned. [nonfiction, 368pp.]
By Nils Büttner
This book was not an easy read. It requires more concentration than I afforded it. I believe it is divided into chapters in a way that makes sense, and there are some enlightening descriptions of some of the paintings (and color reproductions of them are included, sometimes with enlarged details). But it often feels too scholarly for a lay reader. I did enjoy the artwork and especially seeing the sketches Bosch made (see below). [non-fiction, 208pp. including references and index]
