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"Richly detailed and informative, ›this biography| exposes the character of an artist who maintained a sharply defined duality between his public and private personas" (Philadelphia Inquirer and "grants us a far deeper understanding of why ›Manet's| paintings outraged so many of his peers" (Booklist, starred review). 70 halftones. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

An EdouardManet Fan
In my opinion...one of the best books written on Edouard Manet.Well researched and enjoyable to read.Any Manet reader cannot pass this book up!!

hype
a disappointing read.

if you likespeculation unsupported by the facts, then this is the book for you.

A must-have for Manet lovers!!!
Beth Archer Brombert's Edouard Manet: Rebel in a Frock Coat is a must-have for anyone who loves 19th century art, especially that of the great Manet.Brombert has clearly done her research; not only does she critically examine the works of past art historians, she also analyses primary documents.Brombert writes well, clean and concise.The book is fresh and intriguing.I am a graduate student working on Manet's art and this book was a delight to read. ... Read more

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Over 120 color photos. 9 1/4 x 12 13/16. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Should be in any art lover's collection!!
This is a GREAT BOOK!!!! You do not have to know anything about art history to be able to appreciate and admire Manet's paintings. Lallemand is a wonderful author.He portrays his subject in an honest way without condemning or praising him, letting the reader decide. The thing I like about the books that Lallemand writes--3 that I know of--is that they are these oversized coffee table books (144 pages), filled with info on the artist, and best of all, IN COLOR PAINTINGS ON EVERY PAGE. This is not like other art books, where the majority of paintings are in black and white, rather the reader gets to savor every picture because they are in color. Plus, there are details and close ups of some of the more famous paintings. And there are over 100 paintings. (Not tiny pictures either, whole pages, two pages even, are used to show the paintings.) [...] I hope everyone who enjoys art owns this book.It is a joy to look through and see the artistry and mastery of Manet. ... Read more

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This illustrated work takes a look at the wonderful world of post-impressionism through the eyes of Manet (1832-1883), painter and graphic artist. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Terrific introduction to Manet
Gilles Néret has written a very entertaining, insightful book on the artistic life of Edouard Manet.It's not a complete catalog of all of Manet's paintings, but it does show his most important works and places them into their cultural and art historical contexts.

The book is a lot of fun to read.Néret clearly knows the subject well, and his prose is fluid and witty.(The translation from the French suffers very few problems.)The author gives the reader a lot of credit, presenting art history details in a way that the casual reader can ignore while someone with greater exposure to the artists who influenced Manet can delve into more deeply.

Taschen has done a fine job reprinting the paintings, too.In short it's a great little book.

Excellent Value
This great little book has all of Manet's paintings in it.If the text discusses it, then the picture is in there.It includes enlargements of selected areas of critical paintings and even includes paintings by others if a comparsion is made.The scholarship is excellent including placing Manet in context, except for mistaking the American Revolution for the Civil War.For $10, one cannot beat this book.Highly recommended, I couldn't put it down. ... Read more

Product Description
Widely recognised as the most influential artist of his generation and the leader of the group that become known as the Impressionists, this elegant Parisian from a conventional background, nonetheless expressed startlingly liberal views in such masterpieces as DEJEUNER SUR L'HERBE and OLYMPIA. Despite the furore over these paintings, Manet continued to challenge the Salon with his warmly human models, fascinating compositions and inimitable use of colour. He continually insisted that his art had to be seen 'whole'. In this unique volume, the artist's previously unpublished letters and verbatim records of conversations are combined with almost 240 beautiful colour reproductions of his work. From an early age, Manet revealed his powers of observation and his commitment to radical, progressive views in his letters, which convey the hopes and fears, the activities and amusements, and the successes and disappointments of this most mercurial and influential of artists. ... Read more

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'The execution of Emperor Maximilian of Mexico, in 1867, was the subject of a quartet of paintings by the French Impressionist and early Modernist Edouard Manet. These works are rarely shown together, and in fact cannot be seen in their entirety, since one of them exists only in fragments, but the three intact paintings and the surviving elements of the fourth are reproduced in this publication, and will be shown at The Museum of Modern Art’s exhibition in the fall of 2006. Maximilian's death was an event of great public interest in France, in part because French policies shared the responsibility for it. A European aristocrat of the Hapsburg family, Maximilian had been installed in 1864 after a trio of European powers, led by Napoleon III of France, mounted an invasion of Mexico to reclaim debts upon which the Mexican government had suspended payment. But Napoleon soon withdrew, abandoning Maximilian to his fate at the hands of a resurgent Mexican army. As news! of the execution reached Paris, Manet reacted with a group of works synthesizing the information as it came to him and drawing heavily on an earlier painting inspired by violent political events, Goya's The Third of May. In addition to analyzing and documenting the creation of these works, John Elderfield, in his text, clarifies their historical importance in the context of modern art, and in so doing, offers a capsular history of the place of current events in art. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

New perspective on history--old and new
Every art history student is familiar with Manet's painting of the Execution of Maximillian.Most have read of the history.This book is the record of a wonderful exhibition at MOMA that has brought together most of the collection--studies, lithos, sketches.You will follow the development: from Goya's inspiration through the original concept of Mexican soldiers administering the execution. Then, the different versions of the final painting in which Manet substitutes French soldiers for the Mexicans, blaming Napoleon for the death because he deserted Maximillian.Manet's politics, influenced by his parents and the injustice and error-ridden actions of Napoleon III, led him to make a statement with his art.(Those events in Mexico remind me of the mess in Iraq.)Make it to the show if you can--in any case this volume should be in every art historian's library.

Manet & the Execution of Maximilian
The author interestingly hints that Manet explains, through his paintings, why Maximilian was offered the throne of Mexico, and later abandoned, by Napoleon III. This interpretation provides a historical perspective, different from the generally accepted. ... Read more

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Manet, a founding father of modernism, is one of the towering figures of nineteenth-century art. In this absorbing book, Carol Armstrong looks closely at Manet's works to uncover a novel and compelling view not only of the artist but also of modernity itself. As she places his art within frameworks of color, the feminine Other (the "Manette" in "Manet"), and consumerism, Armstrong greatly expands and revises our understanding of this artist as a painter of modern life.

Surveying most of Manet's diverse output, the book addresses along the way his methods of self-presentation, his exhibition strategies, the relation of his etchings and paintings, the significance of his relationships with the model Victorine Meurent and the painter Berthe Morisot, the painterly construction of identity and gender difference, and much more. At the same time, the book considers contemporary writings by Baudelaire, Zola, the Goncourts, and others who dealt with issues relating to artistic identity and modernity, painting, the model, and femininity. Armstrong concludes that Manet's work demonstrates consistent preoccupations with defining and contradicting his own signature style of painting and with the gendering of costume, color, and the making of his art. These preoccupations, she shows, suggest a new understanding of Manet's oeuvre. ... Read more

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Edouard Manet is an infamous painter in 19th century Paris.Emily Porterfield is a conservator of paintings in 21st century Chicago.He made her fall in love with art when she was nine years old and yet Emily was the muse of Edouard's greatest artwork 150 years before she was born.Their story begins with a letter. While x-raying a painting for an upcoming Edouard Manet exhibition at the Art Institute, Emily stumbles upon a hidden letter painted in lead white beneath the layers of oil and varnish.Through the mysterious properties of the letter, Emily is raptured to the past where she becomes the muse who influences Manet's greatest works.As their relationship grows between each new letter and she discovers that his confusing iconography can finally be explained through their story, an underlying plot of murder and art forgery is uncovered in the present.With the exhibition gala approaching, a connection between the murderer and the forgeries reveals itself and Emily is forced to ask how their love can withstand the test of time when only a few letters remain. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Something for everyone
This book truly had it all!One book managed to satisfy my love of reading adventure, mystery, fantasy, and love stories.I crave books that can wrap me up in their pages so that I never want to put it down, and The Muse of Edouard Manet had me completely absorbed until the very end.M. Clifford created and intriguing story to explain the mysterious symbolism used in Manet paintings.His main charachter, Emily, goes back to the 1860's and becomes deeply entangled in Manet's life, art, and heart.I love how M. Clifford meshes fact with his glorioulsy imaginative storytelling in such a way that I want to believe that it is the truth.I highly recommend reading this novel! I also look forward to reading more in this series, as well as more by this author.

A Literary Work of Art!
A conservationist at The Art Institute of Chicago, Emily Porterfield has always been attracted to the works of pre-Impressionist painter Eduoard Manet. When a Manet exhibit is scheduled to display at the Art Institute, Emily x-ray's one of the paintings and discovers a hidden letter written in lead white paint beneath the artist's scene. The discovery could change her career, but her life is even more drastically altered when, upon falling asleep after reading the letter, she is mystically transported to Paris in the 1870's and meets the artist himself.

Swept up in the amazing impossibility of time travel while dreaming, Emily finds herself getting to know, and falling in love with, the man whose work she would adore a hundred fifty years in the future. However, in the present, she faces the discovery of three "new" Manet paintings, seemingly lost during World War II. Whether the paintings are real or forged is a secret that someone might just be willing to kill to keep.

M. Clifford's work is a stunning blend of genres - science fiction and history, romance and mystery. The details of Edouard Manet's life and work are as intricate and precise as the expertly researched descriptions of modern day art authentication and preservation. Sweetly romantic, action-driven, emotional, with a mix of information, humor and suspense, The Muse of Edouard Manet is a literary work of art!

The book tells a succinct story with a satisfying conclusion, but with writing this vivid and characters so enjoyable, readers will be eager for the soon to be released second and third books in The Time Chronicles of Emily Porterfield!

Unique among books on Manet
REVIEW:
THE MUSE OF EDWARD MANET:

M. Clifford's The Muse of Edouard Manet is unique among books on Manet. Clifford has very successfully woven a fictional tapestry, that is part love story, part playful yet accurate art history account, and part intriguing crime mystery. This absorbing book has brought to life the character of the man who was Manet. Manet is often credited with capturing 'modern life', and Clifford's book brings a completely new twist to that concept. The beginning of each chapter is place and time dated making it easy to know if you are in 21st century Chicago or in 19th century Paris.

A young museum conservator, Emily Porterfield, finds letters beneath the paint when x-raying Manet's paintings and is fated to fall in love with Manet. Upon falling asleep, Emily time travels back to 19th century Paris and becomes Manet's muse. Their common search for beauty is what links this muse to her artist.

As she is transported back in time, she slowly manifests into solid form. Here is an excerpt (page 205) from when she appears, dressed in her modern jeans, in a Paris fruit market:
"...C'est un scandale," one of the women said, in a haughty French tone. In the sweet tang of fresh pears, Emily looked down at her hands. They were still invisible. "Il est idiot, ce Manet", another woman said, to Emily's alarm."

Much of the book deals with the hidden iconography in Manet's paintings. Emily's loyal friend, Garrett, helps her make detailed analyses into the enigmatic details within each painting and explains why they are there and what those details actually mean. Together they delve into each painting's mystery, for example the psychological 'modern' detachment in paintings such as Bar at the Follies Bergere. Emily's last time trip is on October 27, 1873, just in time for the masked ball at the Opera. The last chapters bubble up with fast action in sword fights and fires, but are filled also with tales of art forgery and riddles. Reading M. Clifford's novel on Manet is a chance to enter into the footsteps of time and be delightfully absorbed. ... Read more

Product Description
Edouard Manet was one of the first artists who can truly be called "modern," combining a highly individual and fresh vision with tremendous technical virtuosity. Together with the sumptuous color plates, the text by Manet specialist Pierre Courthion offers an unforgettable view of the glories of this artist's work. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

OnlyAverage
This book is only average, at least as far as reproduction of the artist's paintings is concerned.Too many of the paintings are reproduced in black & white, and those in color do not look quite right--the colors (and depth of color) aren't as beautiful as they appear in some other books.If you are looking only for a general sense of Manet's work, this book might be fine for you, but you will not be getting the full sense of his works' beauty. ... Read more

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Bradford Collins has assembled here a collection of twelve essays that demonstrates, through the interpretation of a single work of art, the abundance and complexity of methodological approaches now available to art historians. Focusing on Manet's A Bar at the Folies-Bergère, each contributor applies to it a different methodology, ranging from the more traditional to the newer, including feminism, Marxism, Lacanian psychoanalysis, and semiotics. By demonstrating the ways that individual practitioners actually apply the various methodological insights that inform their research, Twelve Views of Manet's "Bar" serves as an excellent introduction to critical methodology as well as a provocative overview for those already familiar with the current discourse of art history. In the process of gaining new insight into Manet's work, and into the discourse of methodology, one discovers that it is not only the individual painting but art history itself that is under investigation. An introduction by Richard Shiff sets the background with a brief history of Manet scholarship and suggestions as to why today's accounts have taken certain distinct directions. The contributors, selected to provide a broad and balanced range of methodological approaches, include: Carol Armstrong, Albert Boime, David Carrier, Kermit Champa, Bradford R. Collins, Michael Paul Driskel, Jack Flam, Tag Gronberg, James D. Herbert, John House, Steven Z. Levine, and Griselda Pollock. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

its good!! !! i like it
if you wanna know about a Manet's specifics painting!
i recommend you to buy this book ! i am sure that you can get a good knowledge of art history!
especially graduate school students :)

Not Just An Art History Book
As a lawyer who has clients involved in the art world, and has Manet (reproductions) on his wall, I have actually recommended this book to people who are thinking about applying to law school.While this may not make immediate sense to a non-lawyer (and may turn you non-lawyers off about the book), the different methodologies, lenses, sensibilities and sometimes inflexible dogmas through which the art historians view this iconic and enigmatic painting find amazing parallels in the wildly divergent theories and perspectives in which legal philosophers, professors and judges view and interpret the complex combination of factors (cultural, societal, class-based, psychological, political, authoritarian, libertarian, scientific, agrarian, industrial, religious, racial, tribal, etc.) through which what we call "the law" develops.

Flee this Book
This is the sort of book that gives art history--especially the "new" art history--a black name. Most of the articles are written in deliberately inpenetrable prose, always hiding the the most inept questions and comments (i.e., "Did Manet really intend to paint the mirror that way?") Only Griselda Pollock's article shows any sign of intelligence. Another title for this book:"12 Ways to Kill any Interest in a Work of Art."

A Marvelous Example of the Many Approaches to Art History
This is one of those books that art history students should use to learn the complexity of the field and the many different approaches to art currently practiced by art historians.For lovers of Impressionism, thisis one of the deepest and richest studies of a single work-- and what awork!Manet's BAR is one of the most mysterious and gripping works ofwestern art, and it's hard to imagine a work more deserving of this deeptreatment. ... Read more

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This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's large-scale digitization efforts. The Library seeks to preserve the intellectual content of items in a manner that facilitates and promotes a variety of uses. The digital reformatting process results in an electronic version of the original text that can be both accessed online and used to create new print copies. The Library also understands and values the usefulness of print and makes reprints available to the public whenever possible. This book and hundreds of thousands of others can be found in the HathiTrust, an archive of the digitized collections of many great research libraries. For access to the University of Michigan Library's digital collections, please see http://www.lib.umich.edu and for information about the HathiTrust, please visit http://www.hathitrust.org ... Read more

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This Book Is In German. ... Read more

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Edouard Manet's controversial painting "Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe" is one of the best known images in French art.The subject of critical analysis for more than a century, it still defies singular interpretations. These essays, written specially for this volume by the leading scholars of French modern art, therefore offer six different readings of the painting, incorporating close examinations of its radical style and novel subject, relevant historical developments and archival material, as well as biographical evidence that prompts psychological inquiries. ... Read more