Whistler: A Life for Art's Sake
Category: Books,Arts & Photography,History & Criticism
Whistler: A Life for Art's Sake Details
Review "Immensely readable . . . a lively addition to the understanding of this difficult and important American artist."—Kirkus Reviews (Kirkus Reviews)"Sutherland's account. . .is unobtrusively scholarly and he is a sensible explainer of the work, accessible and illuminating to the general reader. We get three thick wodges of plates, so the paintings are on hand. He knew everybody, learned what he needed to learn and became singular. Sutherland deftly explains how." —Sam Leith, The Spectator (Sam Leith The Spectator 2014-02-22)“[Sutherland] has delved into the artist’s correspondence as well as scores of archives to forge a lucid account of what by any standards was an unruly, restless life. . . This biography does much to illuminate Whistler’s career, showing up the public man, the tireless self-promoter, with his rough-and-tumble engagement with the art world of his day.”—Mark Thomas, The Daily Telegraph (Mark Thomas The Daily Telegraph 2014-02-22)“This is the story of a true bohemian.”—Rachel Campbell-Johnston, The Times (Rachel Campbell-Johnston The Times 2014-02-22)“Sutherland wants to get behind the Whistler myth and reveal what he calls the ‘covert myth’ – that is, the inner life of this enigmatic man. In order to this, he has provided a well-written and dramatic story.”—J. B. Bullen, Apollo Magazine (J. B. Bullen Apollo Magazine 2014-03-01)“Daniel Sutherland, a professor of history at the University of Arkansas, has given us a warts-and-all portrait of Whistler, the man, the work and his times.”—A.N.Wilson, The Financial Times (A. N. Wilson Financial Times 2014-02-22)“The first comprehensive biography of Whistler in at least a generation . . . Sutherland skillfully captures Whistler’s ambition, tenacity, and insecurity and presents his life in a narrative that does justice to both his triumphs and his failures.”—Eleanor Jones Harvey, American Scholar (Eleanor Jones Harvey American Scholar)“[Sutherland] seeks to get behind the public Whistler . . . never judging or condescending to his subject . . . The portrait of Whistler that emerges is complex and mysterious . . . a measured and scholarly account of an extraordinary life."—Ruth Scurr, Wall Street Journal (Ruth Scurr Wall Street Journal)“The book is finely crafted and exhaustively researched. . .Sutherland is prodigiously well informed.”—Alex Danchev, New Statesman (Alex Danchev New Statesman 2014-03-07)“Sutherland’s illustrious, cradle-to-grave biography is nicely old-fashioned: it recounts Whistler’s career in chronological order, is generous with detail, and keeps psychological speculation to a minimum.”—Michael Prodger, The Mail on Sunday (Michael Prodger The Mail on Sunday 2014-03-16) Read more About the Author Daniel E. Sutherland is Distinguished Professor of History, University of Arkansas. The recipient of more than fifty awards, honors, and grants, he is best known for his acclaimed series of books chronicling nineteenth-century America. Read more
Reviews
Whistler is an American and European painting icon, and rightfully so. He was an interesting man and a brilliant painter. But this biography communicates little of each of those aspects of a very complicated man. This biography is full of the kind of academic minutiae that left me utterly disengaged. If you like biographies like that-this is a bio for you.
