The Upside-Down World - Meetings with the Dutch Masters

Twenty years ago, Benjamin Moser followed a love affair to an ancient Dutch town. In order to make sense of this new place, he threw himself into the Dutch museums. Soon, he found himself unearthing the strange, inspiring and sometimes terrifying stories of the artists who shaped one of the most luminous moments in the history of human creativity, the Dutch Golden Age.

As he explored the hidden world of the Dutch Masters (and one Mistress), Moser met a crowd of fascinating personalities: the stormy Rembrandt, the intimate Ter Borch, the mysterious Vermeer. Through their art, he got to know their country, too: from Pieter Saenredam''s translucent churches to Paulus Potter''s muddy barnyards, and from Pieter de Hooch''s cozy hearths to Jacob van Ruisdael''s tragic trees. Over the years, Moser found himself on increasingly intimate terms with these centuries-dead artists, and found that they, too, were struggling with the same questions he was. Why do we make art? What is art, anyway - and what is an artist? What does it mean to succeed as an artist, and what does it mean to fail?

The Upside-Down World is an invitation to ask these questions, and to turn them on their heads: to look, and then to look again. It is a brilliant, colourful and learned book for anyone, whether lifelong scholar or curious tourist, who has ever felt the lure of the Dutch galleries. It shows us art, and artists, as we have never seen them before.<>

About the author

Benjamin Moser is the author of Why This World: A Biography of Clarice Lispector, a finalist for the National Book Critics' Circle Award. His work bringing Clarice Lispector to international prominence was recognized with Brazil's State Prize for Cultural Diplomacy. His most recent book, Sontag: Her Life, won the Pulitzer Prize. He lives in Utrecht, in the central Netherlands.

Report

Moser writes with insight and sympathy about his 18 painters and their pictures, many of which are handsomely reproduced in his pages The Times

Product details

• Authors: Benjamin Moser, Moser Benjamin
• Publisher: Penguin Books Uk
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback
• Released: 24.10.2024
• EAN: 9781802060829
• ISBN: 978-1-80206-082-9
• No. of pages: 400
• Dimensions: 128 mm x 198 mm x 20 mm
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Art > General, dictionaries; Non-fiction book > Art, literature > Art: general, reference works; Social sciences, law, business; Theory of art, European History, ART / Individual Artists / General, HISTORY / Modern / 16th Century, HISTORY / Modern / 17th Century, ART / Criticism & Theory, ART / Techniques / Painting, Netherlands, Philosophy: aesthetics, 17th century, c 1600 to c 1699, Biography: arts and entertainment, C 1600 To C 1700, Paintings and painting, Later 16th century c 1550 to c 1599, Small-scale, secular & domestic scenes in art