From Library Journal
Murphy and her coauthors share an enormous amount of art curatorial and writing experience, and the latest result of their labors is another superb art exhibition catalog, filled with fine art historical scholarship. An illustrated 30-page introductory essay and detailed catalog annotations discuss both the influence of Millet's most famous paintings (e.g., The Gleaners, c. 1857) and, more importantly, the qualities inherent in many of his influential but little-known and unappreciated drawings, studies, and paintings. Each of the 87 entries is illustrated and annotated with information about the work's provenance and selected references to books and journal articles. Anyone fortunate enough to view the exhibition at the Clark Art Institute (in Williamstown, MA), the Frick Art and Historical Center (Pittsburgh), or the Rijksmuseum Vincent van Gogh (Amsterdam) should have a marvelous experience. Recommended for all art collections.AP. Steven Thomas, Central Michigan Univ. Lib., Mt. Pleasant Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.


Card catalog description
Few artists of the nineteenth century created works as subtly evocative, as socially poignant, and as artistically influential as Jean-Francois Millet did. This book examines Millet's technical and creative achievement, focusing on his rarely seen pastels, watercolors, and drawings, and considering them as independent works of art, as procedural steps toward paintings, and as important elements in his finished pictures.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Few artists of the nineteenth century created works as subtly evocative, as socially poignant, and as artistically influential as Jean-Francois Millet did. This book examines Millet's technical and creative achievement, focusing on his rarely seen pastels, watercolors, and drawings, and considering them as independent works of art, as procedural steps toward paintings, and as important elements in his finished pictures.

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal