Barnes Foundation

Art catalogs often sound like fawning love letters from people one hardly knows, and this one is no exception. Particularly bothersome are the descriptions of the painting on the opposite page ("she is turned nearly full-face, her long, elegant hands crossed with great composure on her lap." [p. 112]) as if you couldn't see that yourself. I also disliked the usage of the word painterly, which is a perfectly valid descriptive term in art history but which also sounds made-up and silly.

The book has reproductions of some impressionist/ post-impressionist/ modern works of art that I've never seen, despite having been to a fair sampling of art museums. Apparently this collection was not open to the public for a long time, and was never lent out. The Renoir, Cezanne and Matisse collections are extensive, and all probably unfamiliar.… (mais)