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Name: The Power of Art: Schama, Simon: Amazon.com: Books
Rating: 4.7 (113 reviews)

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The Power of Art Hardcover – November 7, 2006

by Simon Schama (Author)

4.7 113 ratings

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"Great art has dreadful manners," Simon Schama observes wryly at the start of his epic and explosive exploration of the power, and whole point, of art. "The hushed reverence of the gallery can fool you into believing masterpieces are polite things; visions that soothe, charm and beguile, but actually they are thugs. Merciless and wily, the greatest paintings grab you in a headlock, rough up your composure, and then proceed in short order to re-arrange your sense of reality. . . ."

With the same disarming force, The Power of Art propels us on an eye-opening, breathtaking odyssey, zooming in on eight extraordinary masterpieces, from Caravaggio's David and Goliath to Picasso's Guernica. Jolting us far from the comfort zone of the hushed art gallery, Schama closes in on intense make-or-break turning points in the lives of eight great artists who, under extreme stress, created something unprecedented, altering the course of art forever.

The embattled heroes—Caravaggio, Bernini, Rembrandt, David, Turner, Van Gogh, Picasso and Rothko—each in his own resolute way, faced crisis with steadfast defiance, pitting passion and conviction against scorn and short-sightedness. The masterpieces they created challenged convention, shattered complacency, shifted awareness and changed the way we look at the world.

With vivid storytelling and powerfully evocative descriptive passages, Schama explores the dynamic personalities of the artists and the spirit of the times they lived through, capturing the flamboyant theatre of bourgeois life in Amsterdam, the passion and paranoia of Revolutionary Paris, and the carnage and pathos of Civil War Spain.

Most compelling of all, The Power of Art traces the extraordinary evolution of eight "eye-popping" world-class works of art. Created in a bolt of illumination, such works "tell us something about how the world is, how it is to be inside our skins, that no more prosaic source of wisdom can deliver. And when they do that, they answer, irrefutably and majestically, the nagging question of every reluctant art-conscript . . . 'OK, OK, but what's art really for?'"

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Schama presents eight remarkable artists who created their masterworks against a backdrop of personal and professional distress. From politically charged commentaries (David, Picasso, Turner and Rembrandt) to intensely personal visions of the world (van Gogh and Rothko) and the reinvention of the divine (Bernini and Caravaggio), Schama takes these masters' hallowed works off the museum wall and drags them through in the mud and muck that went into their creation: Bernini's savage attack on his mistress with a razor, Caravaggio's rapacious gutter lifestyle, Turner's hands-on (and more) approach to painting, David's willingness to follow his political allegiances no matter the cost. Schama's approach succeeds admirably in breaking away from conventional art history; throughout, he comes across like a cool British uncle talking about art late into the night. He renders these canonical works and their creators immediate and hip, conveying what it might have been like to be shocked by their audacity and sheer newness. This book should be of great value in a classroom, making an enormously appealing introduction for students encountering these artists for the first time. Though professional art historians will not find much new here in the way of research and analysis, anyone even remotely interested in art will find much to enjoy.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Simon Schama is University Professor of Art History and History at Columbia University in New York. His award-winning books include Scribble, Scribble, Scribble; The American Future: A History; National Book Critics Circle Award winner Rough Crossings; The Power of Art; The Embarrassment of Riches: An Interpretation of Dutch Culture in the Golden Age; Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution; Dead Certainties (Unwarranted Speculations); Landscape and Memory; Rembrandt's Eyes; and the History of Britain trilogy. He has written and presented forty television documentary films for the BBC, PBS, and The History Channel, including the Emmy-winning Power of Art, on subjects that range from John Donne to Tolstoy.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Ecco (November 7, 2006)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 448 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0061176109
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.46 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.75 x 1.25 x 10.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #494,459 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,491 in Arts & Photography Criticism
- #2,463 in Art History (Books)

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4.7 113 ratings

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Simon Schama

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Simon Schama is a professor of art history and history at Columbia University, and is the author of numerous award-winning books; his most recent history, Rough Crossings, won the National Book Critics Circle Award for nonfiction. He is a cultural essayist for the New Yorker and has written and presented more than thirty documentaries for the BBC, PBS, and the History Channel, including The Power of Art, which won the 2007 International Emmy for Best Arts Programming.

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russell marra

spectacular works of art

Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2018

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Unbelievably good. The photography is beautifully done and the artwork itself, especially the renaissance masters, is heartbreakingly beautiful. I have studied art all of my life, and there wasn't much here that I hadn't already seen, but there is seeing and then there is seeing. These works were made by men. Men are not perfect. How then could they have produced such perfection? The section on Caravaggio is sometimes shocking - even today. Bernini is spectacular. Turner is spellbinding. Fabulous. All of it.

Schama does not just showcase their artwork. There is enough biographical material here to see that some, at least of these characters were not very nice people. In Caravaggio's case, here was violent to the point of murder. Such was the state of Italian politics of the high renaissance. Be that as it may, the artwork will leave you in awe. I am well into my 60's and have been an artist all of my life, but I have never produced anything even close to these. They are sublime.

Simon Schama could only show us a few pieces of any one artist. There is nothing like a complete collection of any of their works. It will leave you hungry for more.

14 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

great series

Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2024

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This is a great series and I had to get the book to compliment it.

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Suzi

The Power of Art Married to the Power of Fine Writing

Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2012

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As an artist, I've read dozens and dozens of books and monographs about artists. This book stands out from the vast majority. You are 'there', transported to the artist's world as surely as if you'd lived down the street from him. The discussion of individual works of art is scholarly - the great works I saw many years ago in churches and museums, I saw again, with greater insight - and no-less-excitement. Story-telling and art appreciation at their finest.

4 people found this helpful

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thebstt

Art

Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2007

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The photography is beautiful. It would be a really interesting text if I hadn't seen the TV series first - it is almost verbatim.

7 people found this helpful

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S. Lawrence

Why Can't Textbooks Be This Lively?

Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2008

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It's difficult to decide what's more gorgeous, the full-color reproductions (wonderful, quality paper, by the way) or Simon Schama's prose. I did not see the tv series in its entirety so what's in the book is all new to me. He's a passionate intellectual and his enthusiam is a delight. I'm only at the Caravaggio essay now but already am thinking, How soon can I get back to Rome...?

9 people found this helpful

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Juana

Power of Art - Wow

Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2020

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Simon Schama is one of my favorite authors and he hits it out of the ballpark with this one. Very nice book, light wear, great price, fast delivery. Thank you.

One person found this helpful

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MariaT.

A beautiful book. I have so far read about the ...

Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2017

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A beautiful book. I have so far read about the art and personality of Caravaggio. I am looking forward to learn more about the masterpieces of the remaining seven artist, their lives, and the spirit of the times they lived through.

3 people found this helpful

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A. Hunter

Informative

Reviewed in the United States on December 21, 2012

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I found this book in my local Art Museum and upon looking at the book and its detail, I instantly went on my phone and used Amazon to buy the book at a much cheaper price. I couldn't be happier with it. The content is detailed yet fairly simple to read. I would recommend this to other art/art history lovers.

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