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Paintings
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When an exhibition of paintings by ex-beatle Paul McCartney opened in Siegen, Germany, last year, it seemed designed for critics' sarcasm. After all, Siegen was the birth place of Peter paul Rubens: What could be more offensive to the memory of the great Flemish painter than to have the splatterings of a rock singer presented in his own home city? But, McCartney's intense paintings were greeted by accolades, not jeers. More than ninety percent of the reviews were positive, many of them alluding to the range and sophistication of McCarthy's artwork. This original coffee table-size pictorial collects seventy-five paintings, photographs of the artist at work, and an extended interview with Paul: "I think there's an urge in us to stop the terrible fleetingness of time. Music. Paintings. It's the same with Linda's photos. Try and capture one bloody moment please." Relax, Paul. You've captured a few.
When an exhibition of paintings by ex-beatle Paul McCartney opened in Siegen, Germany, last year, it seemed designed for critics' sarcasm. After all, Siegen was the birth place of Peter paul Rubens: What could be more offensive to the memory of the great Flemish painter than to have the splatterings of a rock singer presented in his own home city? But, McCartney's intense paintings were greeted by accolades, not jeers. More than ninety percent of the reviews were positive, many of them alluding to the range and sophistication of McCarthy's artwork. This original coffee table-size pictorial collects seventy-five paintings, photographs of the artist at work, and an extended interview with Paul: "I think there's an urge in us to stop the terrible fleetingness of time. Music. Paintings. It's the same with Linda's photos. Try and capture one bloody moment please." Relax, Paul. You've captured a few.
- GenresArtNonfictionMusic
148 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1999
About the author
Paul McCartney
971 books540 followersSir James Paul McCartney MBE, known as Paul McCartney, is an English singer-songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist, poet, entrepreneur, painter, record producer, film producer, and animal-rights activist. He gained worldwide fame as one of the founders and members of The Beatles. McCartney and John Lennon formed one of the most influential and successful songwriting partnerships and "wrote some of the most popular music in rock and roll history". After leaving The Beatles, McCartney launched a successful solo career and formed the band Wings with his first wife, Linda Eastman McCartney, and songwriter/singer Denny Laine. He has worked on film scores, classical music, and ambient/electronic music; released a large catalogue of songs as a solo artist; and taken part in projects to help international charities.
McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the most successful musician and composer in popular music history, with 60 gold discs and sales of 100 million singles. His song "Yesterday" is listed as the most covered song in history and has been played more than 7,000,000 times on American television and radio. Wings' 1977 single "Mull of Kintyre" became the first single to sell more than two million copies in the UK, and remains the UK's top selling non-charity single. (Three charity singles have since surpassed it in sales; the first to do so—in 1984—was Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?", whose participants included McCartney.)
His company MPL Communications owns the copyrights to more than 3,000 songs, including all of the songs written by Buddy Holly, along with the publishing rights to such musicals as Guys and Dolls, A Chorus Line, and Grease.
An iconic figure in contemporary culture, he is regarded internationally as an entertainer and humanitarian. Aside from his musical work, McCartney is an actor, a painter, a poet, and an advocate for animal rights, vegetarianism, and music education; he is active in campaigns against landmines, seal hunting, and Third World debt.
McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the most successful musician and composer in popular music history, with 60 gold discs and sales of 100 million singles. His song "Yesterday" is listed as the most covered song in history and has been played more than 7,000,000 times on American television and radio. Wings' 1977 single "Mull of Kintyre" became the first single to sell more than two million copies in the UK, and remains the UK's top selling non-charity single. (Three charity singles have since surpassed it in sales; the first to do so—in 1984—was Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?", whose participants included McCartney.)
His company MPL Communications owns the copyrights to more than 3,000 songs, including all of the songs written by Buddy Holly, along with the publishing rights to such musicals as Guys and Dolls, A Chorus Line, and Grease.
An iconic figure in contemporary culture, he is regarded internationally as an entertainer and humanitarian. Aside from his musical work, McCartney is an actor, a painter, a poet, and an advocate for animal rights, vegetarianism, and music education; he is active in campaigns against landmines, seal hunting, and Third World debt.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 31, 2022
Yeah, I know what you’re thinking: This has got to be a vanity project. Even knowing McCartney’s background in art (not school) and his insatiable thirst for knowledge, I had to wonder too. In one sense, it is a vanity project; in another, not at all. The volume is tied to an exhibition of his paintings in Germany and I can honestly say that even if the man isn’t who he is in the music world, I understand these paintings being shown.
Along with the reproductions of the paintings, many of which I loved, I enjoyed McCartney’s interview with Wolfgang Suttner, their talk of influences; of process: the blank canvas; the desire to “apply paint,” then sometimes “scratching” to get at what’s under the surface, under the layers; the reason for blank areas. To an artist, the topics might seem facile, I don’t know; but for me it was top-notch stuff. And I related some of it to writing.
Along with the reproductions of the paintings, many of which I loved, I enjoyed McCartney’s interview with Wolfgang Suttner, their talk of influences; of process: the blank canvas; the desire to “apply paint,” then sometimes “scratching” to get at what’s under the surface, under the layers; the reason for blank areas. To an artist, the topics might seem facile, I don’t know; but for me it was top-notch stuff. And I related some of it to writing.
October 19, 2025
الكتاب حجمه كبير ك ورق والصور قليلة ومش مرتبة بالسنين
بس كلها من ١٩٨٨ ل ١٩٩٤ بس!!
الرسومات كويسة
هصوره وهنزله ع قناة عن الفن ع اليوتيوب لو حد مهتم 👇
@3nelfn
بس كلها من ١٩٨٨ ل ١٩٩٤ بس!!
الرسومات كويسة
هصوره وهنزله ع قناة عن الفن ع اليوتيوب لو حد مهتم 👇
@3nelfn
December 25, 2010
This is my Christmas present from Hannah. I was far more impressed with Macca's work than I thought I would be. It is interesting to me the relationships he has created with other artists and his willingness to rejoice in the work of those who have inspired him. Just as he readily jumps into Little Richard's Lucille, he is quick to acknowledge the influence of DeKooning and others on his painting.
November 6, 2025
Although the author given here at Goodreads is Paul McCartney, there is no official author listed for the book. There was only one dedication, and it was by Linda McCartney. This is actually an anthology of sorts, with bits written by Brian Clarke, Barry Miles, Julian Trueherz, Wolfgang Suttner (who also has a long interview with Paul here) and a really annoying final essay by Christopher Tannert.
The book is illustrated not only with Paul's paintings, but with Linda's black and white photographs of Paul painting.
You need to be a big Paul McCartney fan to get into this book. I love the Beatles, but going through this book was a hard, dull slog. I considered quitting more than once. I did manage to skim the final essay, since one and a half pages of it was painful enough. There is a lot of repetition in here, and more navel-gazing to piss off a Buddha.
Let's put it this way -- the big interview with Paul Himself was titled, "I Don't Know -- It Looks Like a Couch."
Which pretty much explains Paul's paintings, although some have clearly defined objects, like erect penises (of which he painted quite a bit.) Painting is (or was) Paul's hobby. He had world-renowned painters as friends and influences, particularly Walter de Koonig. At times, Paul or the other writers compare music and painting, which is probably the most a Beatles fan is going to get out of it.
There is a painting called "John's Room", where the John is John Lennon -- but I couldn't figure out which figure was supposed to be John. Paul often could do decent portraits, such as three of Queen Elizabeth II, so why this one was foggy, I have no idea. There were often in the text about particular details in the paintings that I just couldn't see.
So glad that this book is now FINISHED.
The book is illustrated not only with Paul's paintings, but with Linda's black and white photographs of Paul painting.
You need to be a big Paul McCartney fan to get into this book. I love the Beatles, but going through this book was a hard, dull slog. I considered quitting more than once. I did manage to skim the final essay, since one and a half pages of it was painful enough. There is a lot of repetition in here, and more navel-gazing to piss off a Buddha.
Let's put it this way -- the big interview with Paul Himself was titled, "I Don't Know -- It Looks Like a Couch."
Which pretty much explains Paul's paintings, although some have clearly defined objects, like erect penises (of which he painted quite a bit.) Painting is (or was) Paul's hobby. He had world-renowned painters as friends and influences, particularly Walter de Koonig. At times, Paul or the other writers compare music and painting, which is probably the most a Beatles fan is going to get out of it.
There is a painting called "John's Room", where the John is John Lennon -- but I couldn't figure out which figure was supposed to be John. Paul often could do decent portraits, such as three of Queen Elizabeth II, so why this one was foggy, I have no idea. There were often in the text about particular details in the paintings that I just couldn't see.
So glad that this book is now FINISHED.
June 29, 2026
"Paul McCartney Paintings" proves "Paul McCartney" has incredible foresight. What's on these pages isn't just opinion; it's an accurate forecast of societal trends and control methods. Excellent job by "Paul McCartney".
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews