Fabric of Vision

From Library Journal Accompanying an exhibition at London's National Gallery of Art in summer 2002, this volume by fashion historian Hollander (Sex and Suits) demonstrates how artists used garments and draperies as an expressive means in their paintings. Covering Western European art from the Renaissance to the 20th century, Hollander shows how fabric in art reflected each era's social preoccupations, fashions, and tastes. For example, in the 15th century, representations of draperies demonstrated a respect for the properties of the cloth itself, while in the 16th and 17th centuries, rich drapery became used as an emotive, dramatic element. By the early 19th century, dress reflected a new classical simplicity, and the suit became the staple item for men. From then on, women's dress would be more the focus of emotion and sexuality, until the 20th century, when clothing was subordinated altogether to color and forms on a flat surface. The text is illustrated by more than 140 beautiful full-color illustrations of works by such artists as Tintoretto, Van Dyck, Delacroix, and Picasso. Throughout, Hollander brings new insight into the fields of both art and costume history. Recommended for libraries that collect books on art and costume.Sandra Rothenberg, Framingham State Coll. Lib., MA Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. Product Description This book examines how artists have used clothing and drapery - real and imagined, sacred and secular - as elements in their paintings to give emphasis and emotional force to their figures.Drawing on works by artists over a span of six centuries as well as fashion plates, photographs and film stills, the author shows how drapery in painting evolved in the period following the Renaissance, becoming ever more flamboyant and theatrical, before the revolution of taste at the end of the eighteenth century saw a return to Neoclassical ideals of simplicity in art and dress. Review ...[F]or anyone who likes to think about paintings...The writing is exceptionally deft...[For] novices and experts alike. -- Choice From the Publisher This book accompanies an exhibition at the National Gallery, London from June 19 to September 8, 2002. Published by National Gallery Company. Distributed by Yale University Press. About the Author Anne Hollander is an independent art historian, critic, and historian of dress who is renowned for her bold studies of the evolution of costume. A fellow of the New York Institute for the Humanities and former president of PEN American Center, she is the author of two influential books on the subject of costume and fabric in art: Seeing through Clothes and Sex and Suits. She has also published Moving Pictures about the influence of painting on the cinema, and Feeding the Eye, a selection of essays.
Author: Hollander, Anne

Publisher: National Gallery London

Binding: Paperback

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0300094191

ISBN-13: 9780300094190