jjares reviewed Biographies of Artists: Vincent van Gogh, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo Buonarroti, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Pablo Picasso on + 3270 more book reviews
Five important artists are included in this bundle by Hourly History. They lived in a variety of timeframes and regions.
VINCENT VAN GOGH -- 5 stars
Vincent is the poster boy for the title, "starving artist." He definitely suffered for his art. At 16, he quit school and went to work as an apprentice in the company of Parisian art dealers. His brother Theo followed him to the same company but eventually worked in Brussels, while Vincent worked in London.
After Vincent quit working with the art dealers, he had a religious conversion. When he repeatedly failed at getting a ministerial position, his father suggested putting him in a lunatic asylum. That caused a break between father and son. The story, as told in this book, shows that Vincent had severe mental health issues. He seemed to exhibit behaviors of manic-depressive illness.
Throughout this story, I am in awe of Theo, the younger brother who so lovingly took care of Vincent. Theo must have been devastated when Vincent died, by his own hand, at 37. This is a tragic story, told eloquently.
LEONARDO DA VINCI -- 5 stars
When people talk about the Italian Renaissance, they are talking about the one man who embodied it, Leonardo da Vinci. Although a poor academic student, he became a revolutionary artist, in oils, sculpture, line drawings, and so much more. He was constantly inquisitive and moved about with a notebook at hand. He filled over 13,000 pages of material (in a time where papers were expensive).
This book emphasized the breadth of da Vinci's studies, art, engineering, inventions, etc. Surprisingly, da Vinci invented contact lenses and taught that the world had to be far older than the 4000 years believed (at that time). He was an incredible human being who had profound effects on all of our lives.
PABLO PICASSO -- 5 stars
If you can believe it, Pablo was declared an art prodigy at the age of 2! Obviously, that went to his head because he didn't seem to think he could learn from anyone else. Picasso comes across as a thoroughly unlikeable character, having an ego with no bounds. He was an atheist and a communist (because he saw it as the only workable antithesis to Fascism). Of the absolutely thousands of his paintings, Picasso stars in an incredible number.
One interesting insight was the fact that Picasso rarely took a commission; he assumed people would pay for whatever he painted. His granddaughter admitted that Picasso was difficult to be around because he 'demanded human sacrifices' (used people and overwhelmed them with his needs). His work includes over 13,000 paintings, 100,000 engravings,34,000 illustrations, 1228 sculptures, and 2880 ceramics. He left 45,000 pieces of art for his extended family to fight over, after his death.
MICHELANGELO BUONARROTI -- 3.5 stars
After reading the other Hourly History books about famous painters, this one lacks the depth of the others (particularly Renoir). This is just a flat retelling of Michaelangelo's life, with little info about his relationships and possible rivalry with da Vinci. I was disappointed.
After reading this, I have no more idea about what drove the man to create his masterpieces. It is a marvel that Michaelangelo finished the Sistine Chappel in only 4 years! One of the more interesting aspects of this book was the high degree of instability in the city-states of Italy at the time. It is surprising to see how many popes Michaelangelo outlived and served.
PIERE-AUGUSTE RENOIR -- 5 STARS
The strength of this book is that it shows how Renoir was driven to create beauty. It must be what separates artists from the rest of us. It is hard to imagine that someone can 'see' something that others can't and is driven to pursue that dream beyond what mere mortals can imagine.
Renoir created in spite of notable handicaps. He was abysmally poor; so poor he couldn't always afford the paints to pursue his craft. He was crippled by severe arthritis for many years. The author of this book got into the psyche of the artist. We see the grief he must have experienced by having to give up two early children because he was just too poor to support them.
VINCENT VAN GOGH -- 5 stars
Vincent is the poster boy for the title, "starving artist." He definitely suffered for his art. At 16, he quit school and went to work as an apprentice in the company of Parisian art dealers. His brother Theo followed him to the same company but eventually worked in Brussels, while Vincent worked in London.
After Vincent quit working with the art dealers, he had a religious conversion. When he repeatedly failed at getting a ministerial position, his father suggested putting him in a lunatic asylum. That caused a break between father and son. The story, as told in this book, shows that Vincent had severe mental health issues. He seemed to exhibit behaviors of manic-depressive illness.
Throughout this story, I am in awe of Theo, the younger brother who so lovingly took care of Vincent. Theo must have been devastated when Vincent died, by his own hand, at 37. This is a tragic story, told eloquently.
LEONARDO DA VINCI -- 5 stars
When people talk about the Italian Renaissance, they are talking about the one man who embodied it, Leonardo da Vinci. Although a poor academic student, he became a revolutionary artist, in oils, sculpture, line drawings, and so much more. He was constantly inquisitive and moved about with a notebook at hand. He filled over 13,000 pages of material (in a time where papers were expensive).
This book emphasized the breadth of da Vinci's studies, art, engineering, inventions, etc. Surprisingly, da Vinci invented contact lenses and taught that the world had to be far older than the 4000 years believed (at that time). He was an incredible human being who had profound effects on all of our lives.
PABLO PICASSO -- 5 stars
If you can believe it, Pablo was declared an art prodigy at the age of 2! Obviously, that went to his head because he didn't seem to think he could learn from anyone else. Picasso comes across as a thoroughly unlikeable character, having an ego with no bounds. He was an atheist and a communist (because he saw it as the only workable antithesis to Fascism). Of the absolutely thousands of his paintings, Picasso stars in an incredible number.
One interesting insight was the fact that Picasso rarely took a commission; he assumed people would pay for whatever he painted. His granddaughter admitted that Picasso was difficult to be around because he 'demanded human sacrifices' (used people and overwhelmed them with his needs). His work includes over 13,000 paintings, 100,000 engravings,34,000 illustrations, 1228 sculptures, and 2880 ceramics. He left 45,000 pieces of art for his extended family to fight over, after his death.
MICHELANGELO BUONARROTI -- 3.5 stars
After reading the other Hourly History books about famous painters, this one lacks the depth of the others (particularly Renoir). This is just a flat retelling of Michaelangelo's life, with little info about his relationships and possible rivalry with da Vinci. I was disappointed.
After reading this, I have no more idea about what drove the man to create his masterpieces. It is a marvel that Michaelangelo finished the Sistine Chappel in only 4 years! One of the more interesting aspects of this book was the high degree of instability in the city-states of Italy at the time. It is surprising to see how many popes Michaelangelo outlived and served.
PIERE-AUGUSTE RENOIR -- 5 STARS
The strength of this book is that it shows how Renoir was driven to create beauty. It must be what separates artists from the rest of us. It is hard to imagine that someone can 'see' something that others can't and is driven to pursue that dream beyond what mere mortals can imagine.
Renoir created in spite of notable handicaps. He was abysmally poor; so poor he couldn't always afford the paints to pursue his craft. He was crippled by severe arthritis for many years. The author of this book got into the psyche of the artist. We see the grief he must have experienced by having to give up two early children because he was just too poor to support them.
