Children of Mercury - The Lives of the Painters

Following "the seven ages of man" from infancy to death, an innovative retelling of the lives of premodern painters both famous and forgotten.

Children of Mercury is a bold new account of the lives of premodern painters, viewed through the lens of "the seven ages of man," a widespread belief made famous in the "All the world's a stage" speech in Shakespeare's As You Like It. Spike Bucklow follows artists' lives from infancy through childhood, adolescence, and adulthood, to maturity, old age, and death. He tracks how lives unfolded for both male and female painters, from the famous, like Michelangelo, through Artemisia Gentileschi and Mary Beale, to those who are now forgotten, like Jehan Gillemer. The book draws on historic biographies, the artists' writings, and, uniquely, the physical evidence offered by their paintings.

About the author

Spike Bucklow is the author of numerous books on artists, and their materials and methods, including Children of Mercury: The Lives of the Painters (Reaktion, 2022). He was previously Professor of Material Culture at the University of Cambridge.

Summary

A bold new account of the lives of pre-modern painters.

Product details

• Authors: Spike Bucklow, Bucklow Spike
• Publisher: Reaktion Books
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 30.06.2022
• EAN: 9781789145236
• ISBN: 978-1-78914-523-6
• No. of pages: 192
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Art > Art history; Collected biographies, ART / Individual Artists / General, ART / History / General, History of art / art & design styles, History of Art