34. Dogs by Catherine Johnson
There wasn’t so much reading with this book, but it’s a lot of fun. This collection is really a study of the dog as friend and family member as expressed in (all black and white) photographic portraits and snapshots from the first half of the 20th century. They are arranged thematically to a certain extent, with the informal change of theme signified by a new quote about the relationships between people and their best friends. I especially liked the quote that said something like “Every puppy should have a boy,” but unfortunately I forgot to note down who said it.
35. The Essential Edward Hopper by Justin Spring
I have actually read at least part of this book before, as my father gave it to me a few years ago, after he visited a major Hopper exhibition in London, but I think I may have got more out of it. I’m a lot better informed about art now, because of work, than I ever used to be, and I’m appreciating the knowledge. I really should get to some of the galleries more often than I do. I’m spoilt for choice here, after all.
I don’t remember all the information about Hopper’s relationship with his wife Jo, so I can’t have read that far into the book before. It constantly reiterated that she was his only female model from the time of their marriage, and that she felt her art was overlooked in favour of his, but then didn’t actually show us any of her painting either! The reproductions of the paintings discussed are small, because of the format of the book, but I think they are big enough to give the sense of what is being discussed.
Tags: art, biographies, books, Catherine Johnson, Dogs, Edward Hopper, Jo Hopper, Justin Spring, painter, painting, photography, portraits, snapshots, The Essential Edward Hopper
Wednesday, 28 May 2008 at 12:46 am |
[...] have reviewed other artist biographies in this series before, but I especially like this one, despite some of the [...]