An intimate, enlightening look at an indispensable painter.
A biography of the pioneering English landscape painter.
In this vibrant text, cultural historian Hamilton, author of a biography of J.M.W. Turner, paints a unique portrait of John Constable (1776-1837). Born in Suffolk, Constable is renowned for his landscape paintings, particularly those inspired by the countryside where he spent his youth, now commonly known as “Constable Country.” As the author writes, “from innumerable boyhood walks in the country John began to bring home drawings. This was ominous, and began to cast its shadow.” While his parents wished for him to become a parson or perhaps carry on the family business, Constable had other aspirations. In his painting, he was “attentive to detail, spontaneous in gesture, brave in his use of colour, and so powerful an advocate for his native landscape that even after two hundred years his work is scrutinised for social and agricultural information.” As his skills developed, Constable became increasingly conflicted between painting portraits and painting landscapes. “There could be money in portraits; but for a young man drawn to landscape painting there was only struggle,” writes Hamilton, who also examines Constable’s experiences as an art student at the Royal Academy in London. While his time in London made an impression, he felt “artistic talent, his own and that in others, should be nurtured in tranquility,” further strengthening his connection to home. In addition to exploring elements of Constable’s personal life, Hamilton describes the rapid rise of his reputation in France and the effects this recognition had on his career. Through skillful use and analysis of Constable’s writings, Hamilton takes a deep look into his subject’s life, including his influences, challenges, and tragedies, as well as the misconceptions that have followed the man behind the paintings. The book includes a selection of four-color photos of Constable’s work.
An intimate, enlightening look at an indispensable painter.Pub Date: Nov. 8, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-63936-272-1
Page Count: 496
Publisher: Pegasus
Review Posted Online: Sept. 5, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2022
An engrossing and ominous chronicle, told by a master of the form.
Documenting perilous times.
In his most recent behind-the-scenes account of political power and how it is wielded, Woodward synthesizes several narrative strands, from the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection and Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel to the 2024 presidential campaign. Woodward’s clear, gripping storytelling benefits from his legendary access to prominent figures and a structure of propulsive chapters. The run-up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is tense (if occasionally repetitive), as a cast of geopolitical insiders try to divine Vladimir Putin’s intent: “Doubt among allies, the public and among Ukrainians meant valuable time and space for Putin to maneuver.” Against this backdrop, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham implores Donald Trump to run again, notwithstanding the former president’s denial of his 2020 defeat. This provides unwelcome distraction for President Biden, portrayed as a thoughtful, compassionate lifetime politico who could not outrace time, as demonstrated in the June 2024 debate. Throughout, Trump’s prevarications and his supporters’ cynicism provide an unsettling counterpoint to warnings provided by everyone from former Joint Chief of Staff Mark Milley to Vice President Kamala Harris, who calls a second Trump term a likely “death knell for American democracy.” The author’s ambitious scope shows him at the top of his capabilities. He concludes with these unsettling words: “Based on my reporting, Trump’s language and conduct has at times presented risks to national security—both during his presidency and afterward.”
An engrossing and ominous chronicle, told by a master of the form.Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2024
ISBN: 9781668052273
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 15, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2024
IN THE NEWS
PERSPECTIVES
A blissfully vicarious, heartfelt glimpse into the life of a Manhattan burlesque dancer.
A former New York City dancer reflects on her zesty heyday in the 1970s.
Discovered on a Manhattan street in 2020 and introduced on Stanton’s Humans of New York Instagram page, Johnson, then 76, shares her dynamic history as a “fiercely independent” Black burlesque dancer who used the stage name Tanqueray and became a celebrated fixture in midtown adult theaters. “I was the only black girl making white girl money,” she boasts, telling a vibrant story about sex and struggle in a bygone era. Frank and unapologetic, Johnson vividly captures aspects of her former life as a stage seductress shimmying to blues tracks during 18-minute sets or sewing lingerie for plus-sized dancers. Though her work was far from the Broadway shows she dreamed about, it eventually became all about the nightly hustle to simply survive. Her anecdotes are humorous, heartfelt, and supremely captivating, recounted with the passion of a true survivor and the acerbic wit of a weathered, street-wise New Yorker. She shares stories of growing up in an abusive household in Albany in the 1940s, a teenage pregnancy, and prison time for robbery as nonchalantly as she recalls selling rhinestone G-strings to prostitutes to make them sparkle in the headlights of passing cars. Complemented by an array of revealing personal photographs, the narrative alternates between heartfelt nostalgia about the seedier side of Manhattan’s go-go scene and funny quips about her unconventional stage performances. Encounters with a variety of hardworking dancers, drag queens, and pimps, plus an account of the complexities of a first love with a drug-addled hustler, fill out the memoir with personality and candor. With a narrative assist from Stanton, the result is a consistently titillating and often moving story of human struggle as well as an insider glimpse into the days when Times Square was considered the Big Apple’s gloriously unpolished underbelly. The book also includes Yee’s lush watercolor illustrations.
A blissfully vicarious, heartfelt glimpse into the life of a Manhattan burlesque dancer.Pub Date: July 12, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-250-27827-2
Page Count: 192
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2022
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