Four pairs of renowned artists who were at the same time friends and rivals grew in their own skills and visions of art through the influence each had on the other. Smee's book does an excellent job of detailing the personal relationship each artist had with the other while also elaborating on the impact the thinking and work of one artist upon that of the other. Along the way, Smee also helps the reader understand what makes each artist's work outstanding and even helps the reader learn how to look at more than just the surface images created by the artists.
The artists Smee selected to discuss helped redefine "art" in various ways, establishing new norms, styles and unique visions of artistic production.The work of each of these creators explored new ground, broke old rules and paved new paths that both opportuned and challenged new artists toward new means of expression.
Each artist Smee discusses achieved his fullest potential largely through the influence of his friendship with the other, friendships which ultimately ended, sometimes bitterly, as each artist grew and explored his own genius.
Personally, I love art galleries, art museums and artistic creations in general, but I have no great understanding of the art I so often admire. Smee's deep understanding of the elements of art and artistic production helped me learn a great deal about art and a more thorough understanding of the elements that combine to make artistic production so rich and engaging that they are admired and appreciated for ages. ( )

Four pairs of renowned artists who were at the same time friends and rivals grew in their own skills and visions of art through the influence each had on the other. Smee's book does an excellent job of detailing the personal relationship each artist had with the other while also elaborating on the impact the thinking and work of one artist upon that of the other. Along the way, Smee also helps the reader understand what makes each artist's work outstanding and even helps the reader learn how to look at more than just the surface images created by the artists.
The artists Smee selected to discuss helped redefine "art" in various ways, establishing new norms, styles and unique visions of artistic production.The work of each of these creators explored new ground, broke old rules and paved new paths that both opportuned and challenged new artists toward new means of expression.
Each artist Smee discusses achieved his fullest potential largely through the influence of his friendship with the other, friendships which ultimately ended, sometimes bitterly, as each artist grew and explored his own genius.
Personally, I love art galleries, art museums and artistic creations in general, but I have no great understanding of the art I so often admire. Smee's deep understanding of the elements of art and artistic production helped me learn a great deal about art and a more thorough understanding of the elements that combine to make artistic production so rich and engaging that they are admired and appreciated for ages. ( )

This was a page-turner. Smee is a magnetic writer. I found the Pollock / de Kooning "rivalry" (if we're to call it that) particularly compelling. ( )

The story of the relationship and rivalry between 4 pairs of contemporary artists - Freud and Bacon, Degas and Manet, Picasso and Matisse, De Kooning and Pollock. Fascinating book, although for me it really didn't take off until the Matisse-Picasso story, which is spellbinding, it was real artistic rivalry, pushing each other in a frenzy of artistic expression which was both exhilarating and painful for each of them, unlike the others which tended to be personal spats. I would have liked to have seen some earlier rivalries, Da Vinci and Michelangelo obviously, perhaps Constable & Turner, but still a great book and a worthy addition to art history. ( )

This book takes four pairs of artists and shows how their paired friendships and struggles with each other affected their ability to create well-remembered art. These were the Londoners Lucian Freud vs Francis Bacon, the Parisians Manet vs Degas, the Matisse vs Picasso (in Paris), and Pollock vs de Kooning in the New York area. This book does not set out to get underneath the styles of each artist but rahter their relationships, and how they may have affected their creative impulses. This is not a story of love, but one of struggle, rivalry, and variable personalities. ( )