Monday, March 29, 2010

BOOK REVIEW: GEORGE BELLOWS by Mary Sayre Haverstock

Book Review: GEORGE BELLOWS by Mary Sayre Haverstock.

(Merrell, 2007)
This artist’s biography is the most beautifully illustrated and presented book I’ve seen in years. The color images are rich with color and look as if they represent the artist’s paintings superbly. The story of Bellows’ life is engaging. Even more interesting are the shockingly honest portraits dotted throughout the book. There are also some elegant portraits, and I kept speculating that those in particular must have been commissions, in which the sitter had to be pleased with the results.

Probably the most characteristic of Bellows’ paintings are the boxing ring paintings, straining muscles recorded in paint. It’s hard to imagine how all that action could be captured with a painter’s painstaking brushwork.

A beautiful book, with pleasurable reading and thought-provoking paintings.

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