The Art Of Rivalry. Four Friendships, Betrayals, And Breakthroughs In Modern Art

Cover Type: Softcover
Book Condition: As New
Jacket Condition: None Issued
Publisher: Text Publishing
Publisher Place: Australia
Publisher Year: 2016
Edition: First Edition

Description: 390 pages. Book appears to have hardly been read and is in As new condition throughout.

Publishers Description: Shortlisted for the 2017 Prime Ministers Literary Award for Non-Fiction "Genius, friend, rival: this is the story of four pairs of artists whose intense relationships spurred and shaped their art. Matisse and Picasso. Manet and Degas. Bacon and Freud. De Kooning and Pollock. Eight of the most significant modern artists; four pairs linked by friendship and a shared spirit of competitiveness. But in each case the relationship had a flashpoint, a damaging psychological event that seemed to mark both an end and a beginning, a break that led to audacious creative innovations. Absorbing, informed and provocative, Sebastian Smees The Art of Rivalry takes us to heart of each of these relationships. It offers revelatory insights into the ways in which these major artists influenced and changed each other:and into their ultimate quest to be unique, original, inimitable; to acquire the solitude, the singularity, of greatness." Review by Caroline Baum Australian Pulitzer prize-winning art critic Smee examines four pairs of the most fascinating visual artists of the 19th and 20th century, looking at how professional competition affected their work and tested their friendship. The success of this project lies in Smees intention of aiming to restore the intimacy to art history that he finds lacking in the textbooks. In other words, the personal stuff. Which is what brings these stories of genius to life: turns out that artistic titans are as base in their desires as we are, as insecure, venal, and preoccupied with money, sex and fame. Burdened with legendary reputations, competition gives their friendships an edge which manifests in tensions large and small over everything from their partners, the originality of their work, their techniques and source of inspiration, the patrons who court them, the dealers who represent them, the pictures they swap as mutual peace offerings. Each essay scratches away at the pigment on the canvas to reveal concealed layers of colour. The result is an enriching, lively and essential read for anyone interested in modern painting.

ISBN: 9781925240351