Immagine dell'autore.

Frances Borzello

Autore di Seeing Ourselves

14+ opere 234 membri 4 recensioni

Sull'Autore

Frances Borzello writes on the social history of art. She lives in London, England.

Comprende il nome: FrancesBorzello

Fonte dell'immagine: Photograph of author Frances Borzello.

Opere di Frances Borzello

Opere correlate

Mirror Mirror: Self-Portraits by Women Artists (2001) — Collaboratore — 38 copie

Etichette

Informazioni generali

Sesso
female
Nazionalità
UK
Istruzione
University College London
Attività lavorative
art historian, women’s studies

Utenti

Recensioni

This richly diverse exploration of female artists and self-portraits is a brilliant and poignant demonstration of originality in works of haunting variety. The two earliest self-portraits come from 12th-century illuminated manuscripts in which nuns gaze at us across eight centuries. In 16th-century Italy, Sofonisba Anguissola paints one of the longest series of self-portraits, spanning adolescence to old age. In 17th-century Holland, Judith Leyster shows herself at the easel as a relaxed, self-assured professional. In the 18th century, artists from Elisabeth Vigee-Lebrun to Angelica Kauffman express both passion for their craft and the idea of femininity; and in the 19th the salons and art schools at last open their doors to a host of talented women artists, including Berthe Morisot, ushering in a new and resonant self-confidence. The modern period demolishes taboos: Alice Neel painting herself nude at eighty, Frida Kahlo rendering physical pain, Cindy Sherman exploring identity, Marlene Dumas dispensing with all boundaries. The full verve of Frances Borzello's enthralling text, and the hypnotic intensity of the accompanying self-portraits, is revealed to the full in a completely revised edition of this inspiring book.… (altro)
 
Segnalato
petervanbeveren | 1 altra recensione | Apr 15, 2023 |
In April 2021 I must have been distracted. I barely remember this one.
 
Segnalato
mykl-s | 1 altra recensione | Feb 21, 2023 |
As the title indicates this is an art history book of the interior in art with lovely illustrations of some memorable interior domestic scenes and people at home and in quiet reflective moments, There are 160 such illustrations and you are given the opportunity to be a voyeur into the loves and lives of past eras mainly in England , Russia and Europe. There are many examples of works from the Victorian and Edwardian era though Borzello goes back into the 18th century and earlier and brings the history closer to the present, though the modern section of the book is weakest and least complete. Produced by Thames and Hudson , printed and bound in Singapore (2006) this is an art book to delight and please with an erudite and interesting text. Interior scenes are a much neglected genre but the effort of gathering this fine selection from galleries , and museums around the world plus from private collections is rich and rewarding. The rooms portrayed are often filled with details closely observed by the artists, with the people not done as portraits but as integral to the room . Space, perspective and light are keys to success. Ask which spot in the room draws your attention; then look away and thereafter come back to the room and repeat the exercise, and you will find your eye shifting . The figure almost fades into the proportions of the room the pictures are like jigsaw puzzles, The interiors belonged to affluent people who could afford to furnish their homes well . Fine ornaments, good silver, heavy brocades and fabrics, stylish furniture, desirable china and decorative pictures provide clues to the period, and the social status of the owners. . The Van Gogh bedroom of 1888 is the simplist but is almost iconic. Sometimes interiors tell of high moment of domestic drama (the adulterous wife) or the ceremonial tea ceremony (the Mary Cassatt). Often people look out of windows on to city streets ... What are they thinking or who is expected ? Why did the artist choose to paint the picture ? How often was it a commission? There is the narrative and domestic moment captured on canvas. In summary the author has attempted to rescue a type of painting that has been lost or ignored and neglected. He has done an excellent job in finding these paintings and putting old favourites together with others to interpret and renew our sense of pleasure and a new way of looking at the art. I enjoyed this book and will return to it in the future.… (altro)
 
Segnalato
Africansky1 | May 9, 2013 |
Francis Borzello considers the role of the nude through the 20th and 21st Centuries taking in the art of a "wide range of international artists creating contemporary nudes". Through seven illustrated chapters she develops her theme, the book includes notes to the text, a selected bibliography, a detailed list of illustrations and an index. Her chapters are entitled: The Recycled Nude; The Nude: Its Life, Death and Resurrection; Body Art: The Journey into Nakedness; The Changing Room: Female Perspectives; Forgive Me, I'm a Painter; The Naked Portrait; After Rodin, Is There Anything Left To Say; Going To Extremes.

Borzello quickly differentiates between the the idealised nudes represented in the past and the "grittier" (ie unflattering or uglier) nudes produced by artists today. A quick flick through the paintings and other works chosen to illustrate her book very quickly confirm this, her argument being that the serious art world today rejects the beautiful, the perfect form of the human body in favour of the more realistic approach. This no doubt explains the omission of a number of artists from her survey, artists such a Michael Leonard, Delmas Howe et al would contradict her theory, but I am surprised to find no mention of especially David Hockney, or perhaps Euan Uglow with his meticulous and honest approach to his work. Obviously in such a relatively short study there are limitations, but some omissions seem odd or just convenient, depending on your point of view.

That said this is a very readable text, and Borzello's argument is backed up by comments in the of the artists' own words; an obvious advantage when discussing contemporary art is access to those artists one way or another. It is this inclusion of the thoughts of so many of the artists discussed that makes this particularly enlightening.

The book is well illustrated, 130 illustrations of which 116 are in colour and most of which are of a good size with many full page and some covering two pages. However as is often the case in such a study the chosen works simply illustrate the text and are not in themselves discussed beyond the what the captions offer. At least in most cases there appear close to the relevant text.

This is a well designed and produce book as one would expect from Thames & Hudson, and the quality or reproduction of the images is very good. Notwithstanding my comments above Borzello's text is interesting and thought provoking, the range of works chosen within her remit to illustrate her book fascinating with many not so familiar; it all makes for a worthwhile read; but keep an open mind.
… (altro)
1 vota
Segnalato
presto | Oct 24, 2012 |

Potrebbero anche piacerti

Autori correlati

Statistiche

Opere
14
Opere correlate
1
Utenti
234
Popolarità
#96,591
Voto
4.0
Recensioni
4
ISBN
23
Lingue
5

Grafici & Tabelle