Summer Reading Series
It’s going to be a long, hot summer in North Texas. I can think of nothing better than sitting in the shade (okay – the air conditioning) with a good book. For the next several weeks I will be blogging about books that are in some way relevant to our collection, available from the Fort Worth Public Library (my second favorite place in the summertime,) and recommended by our staff.
First, let’s talk about the ladies…
Strapless: John Singer Sargent and the fall of Madame X. Davis, Deborah. New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin Group, c2003.
Many people on our staff have read this account of the scandal that rocked the art world in the late 1800s. Talk about a wardrobe malfunction! This book is a fun and informative look at this wonderful artist and the nineteenth-century glitterati that supported and frustrated him. Be sure to check out Alice Vanderbilt Shepard, another portrait by Sargent that is part of our permanent collection.
The Peabody Sisters: Three Women who Ignited American Romanticism. Marshall, Megan. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2005.
Three remarkable women helped to shape the way people thought about philosophy, literature, art, and the status of women in the latter half of the nineteenth century. Elizabeth, Mary, and Sophia Peabody moved among the great thinkers in America and helped to define American Romanticism in a time when women had few creative outlets. Be prepared – this is a long book.
Recommended by: Katherine Moloney (Education Department)
The Girl with the Gallery: Edith Gregor Halpert and the Making of the Modern Art Market. Pollock, Lindsay. New York: Public Affairs, c2006.
It is 1926 and Edith Halpert, much like the Peabody sisters, is flying in the face of a male-dominated art world and opening her own gallery dedicated to modern art. If you are like me and don’t know much about modern art, this is a good book to dig into.
Recommended by: Polly Keffer (Docent)
Why a Painting is Like a Pizza: A Guide to Understanding and Enjoying Modern Art. Heller, Nancy. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 2002.
Since you are already reading about modern art, this might be a good addition to your nightstand stack. Art and food – an analogy I can really understand. (For all of you sticklers out there - this is by a lady instead of about a lady.)
Recommended by: Katherine Moloney (Education Department)
I THINK THIS PIECE IS A EXQUISIT AND NEEDS MORE FORMALIZATION AND NATURALISTIC PERSEPTION IN THE BACKGROUND
— MARCO GONZALEZ, October 9, 2008, 12:54 p.m.