» The Rhetoric of Perspective: Realism and Illusionism in Seventeenth-Century Dutch Still-Life Painting

The Rhetoric of Perspective: Realism and Illusionism in Seventeenth-Century Dutch Still-Life Painting Reviews

Customer Rating:
Summary: A Book Worth Reading for Serious Painters
Comment: This is not a book for light beach reading, but it is a book worth reading for anyone interested in painting in general or still life specifically or Dutch still life very specifically. Actually, I quoted it in my M.F.A. thesis. Put simply, the author discusses painting as a way of thinking and 3-dimensional perspective (or the lack thereof by extrapolation, I suppose) an expression of painting as a way of thinking--all placed in the context of Dutch Still Life. That was worth the price of the book to me. As a painter, this idea led me to deeper exploration of the connection between my ideas and the vehicles I choose to present my ideas; i.e., oil paint, linen, brushes, 3-D modeling, color schemes, etc.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Insights for Still-Life Painters
Comment: As a painter of still-life, I purchased the book for obvious reasons. The text is for a more academic audience; this is not a light read. Some familiarity with post-modern analysis is helpful. Fortunately the writing is not too dense. As an artist I was able to gain some insights into how some intellectuals would interpret my own work and to a lesser extent made me aware of some of my own unchallenged assumptions.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Interesting, Synthetic text
Comment: Grootenboer takes a fresh and captivating look at Dutch Still Life and its philosophical implications, touching on many fields and ways of seeing. This book is dense, yet Grootenboer's voice leads the reader through its density towards a whole new way of experiencing this specific, fascinating genre. I was excited to read someone appropriately synthesizing postmodern theories and ideals into a new way of looking at Dutch art, which in my opinion lends itself perfectly to these heady ponderings. Buy the book and more importantly read it, like the great artworks it discusses, Rhetoric of Perspective may change your overall "perspective."

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