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Fabritius and the Goldfinch
The painting from the massive bestseller The Goldfinch flies from its frame and the page in this true story, with piercing insight into the passion, and the tragedy, that went into creating an iconic work of art.
Donna Tartt's Pulitzer Prize-winning, #1 New York Times bestselling novel, The Goldfinch, introduced millions of readers to a painting that becomes a lifelong obsession. Painted in 1654 by Carel Fabritius, the work is of a small bird, chained to its perch. This mysterious portrait, a masterpiece of the Dutch Golden Age, has been lost and found, adored and abandoned, for nearly four centuries.
Now more famous than ever, this painting is the subject of its own book—a look behind the scenes at its creation and the tumultuous life of its creator. This gripping, true story of adventure, romance, and artistic fervor has never before been told and will enthrall readers of the now famous novel.
Set against the vibrant backdrop of Holland in the seventeenth century, when it was the economic capital of the world, the book is populated by a glittering crowd of the wealthy and young, high society with appetites for success and excess. Holland was the center of the art world as well, boasting both Rembrandt, (Fabritius' mentor), and Vermeer (his rival). And there is Carel Fabritius himself—handsome, talented, hell-bent on greatness, but unable to escape tragedy. Yet through The Goldfinch, he achieves immortality.
Deborah Davis is the author of the best-selling Strapless: John Singer Sargent and the Fall of Madame X, Party of the Century: The Fabulous Story of Truman Capote and His Black and White Ball, Gilded: How Newport Became the Richest Resort in America, and the prize-winning Guest of Honor: Booker T. Washington, Theodore Roosevelt, and the White House Dinner that Shocked a Nation.
Cover design by Adil Dara
Donna Tartt's Pulitzer Prize-winning, #1 New York Times bestselling novel, The Goldfinch, introduced millions of readers to a painting that becomes a lifelong obsession. Painted in 1654 by Carel Fabritius, the work is of a small bird, chained to its perch. This mysterious portrait, a masterpiece of the Dutch Golden Age, has been lost and found, adored and abandoned, for nearly four centuries.
Now more famous than ever, this painting is the subject of its own book—a look behind the scenes at its creation and the tumultuous life of its creator. This gripping, true story of adventure, romance, and artistic fervor has never before been told and will enthrall readers of the now famous novel.
Set against the vibrant backdrop of Holland in the seventeenth century, when it was the economic capital of the world, the book is populated by a glittering crowd of the wealthy and young, high society with appetites for success and excess. Holland was the center of the art world as well, boasting both Rembrandt, (Fabritius' mentor), and Vermeer (his rival). And there is Carel Fabritius himself—handsome, talented, hell-bent on greatness, but unable to escape tragedy. Yet through The Goldfinch, he achieves immortality.
Deborah Davis is the author of the best-selling Strapless: John Singer Sargent and the Fall of Madame X, Party of the Century: The Fabulous Story of Truman Capote and His Black and White Ball, Gilded: How Newport Became the Richest Resort in America, and the prize-winning Guest of Honor: Booker T. Washington, Theodore Roosevelt, and the White House Dinner that Shocked a Nation.
Cover design by Adil Dara
73 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 14, 2014
28 people are currently reading
244 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
September 14, 2014
Like many readers (myself included) author Deborah Davis was intrigued when she read Donna Tartt’s third novel, “The Goldfinch,” which is named after a painting which features in the book. She wondered whether it was an actual painting and, on discovering that it was, found the story of The Goldfinch interesting enough to merit a book of its own. This, then, is the story of the artist Carel Fabritius and the history of his work, The Goldfinch.
Fabritius lived in Holland during its Golden Age, when art was a popular business to be in. Davis gives us the life story of this artist, who studied under Rembrandt and suffered a fair amount of tragedy; including losing his wife when he was only twenty one and his only living child a year later. However, things improved when he made a new start in the beautiful town of Delft. Although not financially rich, he was working and known as a modern and daring artist. Although commissioned to work on a portrait of a Sexton from the Old Church, he wanted to paint the portrait of a bird – specifically a goldfinch.
This short book explains that goldfinches were popular pets; admired as gracious songbirds and their ability to perform tricks. She muses on why Fabritius wanted to paint the goldfinch and what the work of art meant. She also discusses the artists sudden death and the amazing survival of the painting through disasters; passing through the hands of art collectors and museums and on to its appearance in Tartt’s novel. This is a fascinating little gem of a book and will appeal not only to those who enjoyed Tartt’s book, but art lovers, or those just interested in a good story.
Fabritius lived in Holland during its Golden Age, when art was a popular business to be in. Davis gives us the life story of this artist, who studied under Rembrandt and suffered a fair amount of tragedy; including losing his wife when he was only twenty one and his only living child a year later. However, things improved when he made a new start in the beautiful town of Delft. Although not financially rich, he was working and known as a modern and daring artist. Although commissioned to work on a portrait of a Sexton from the Old Church, he wanted to paint the portrait of a bird – specifically a goldfinch.
This short book explains that goldfinches were popular pets; admired as gracious songbirds and their ability to perform tricks. She muses on why Fabritius wanted to paint the goldfinch and what the work of art meant. She also discusses the artists sudden death and the amazing survival of the painting through disasters; passing through the hands of art collectors and museums and on to its appearance in Tartt’s novel. This is a fascinating little gem of a book and will appeal not only to those who enjoyed Tartt’s book, but art lovers, or those just interested in a good story.
October 15, 2019
The Goldfinch by the artist Fabritius has been brought to life by Donna Tarot’s book, which I loved, and a new movie that is out. However, what is known about the artist. This book tells about Carel Fabritius: his struggles, his accomplishments, tragedies and more. Artist lives were not easy. Fabritius’ fate left us with The Goldfinch. We are lucky.
December 18, 2015
A short Kindle Single that gives some really interesting background history about Fabritius and his painting "The Goldfinch." This is the painting upon which the book The Goldfinch is based. It was fascinating to read about Fabritius' history and the several remarkable similarities between his life and a couple of incidences in Donna Tart's book. This is a short read. You can finish it in one evening. However, it's much more interesting if you've read Donna Tart's book first.
March 24, 2015
A decent little biography about an artist of which I knew very little. Davis puts a lot of information into this slim book, ranging from what Dutch culture was like when the painting was made to the symbolic history of the European goldfinch. I'd seen "The Goldfinch" in Den Haag this December and was charmed by the little painting. Looking at the rest of Fabritius's work, I'd say it was his best, and I appreciate it all the more knowing what I learned from this book.
August 3, 2014
Don't know anything about Ms. Davis's research credentials but if what she unearthed about this painter and his masterwork is true, it adds a lot to the backstory of the Donna Tartt novel and gives interesting insight to the era of Fabritius, Vermeer, and Rembrandt.
March 25, 2019
Aardig boekwerkje over het korte leven van de kunstschilder Carel Fabritius (1622-1654), zijn jeugd in Middenbeemster, zijn jonge jaren in Amsterdam als leerling van Rembrandt, het tragische verlies van zijn jonge kinderen en zijn eerste vrouw Aeltje, en daarna zijn jaren in Delft, waar hij op 12 oktober 1654 a.g.v. de buskruitontploffing van het wapenarsenaal om het leven kwam. Ook de omzwervingen van Fabritius' schilderijtje 'Het puttertje', dat hij net vóór zijn onverwachte dood had voltooid en dat tussen de zwaar gehavende restanten van zijn atelier onvindbaar was, komen aan bod.
December 26, 2017
Se trata de un ensayo en donde no solo explican la vida del pintor Fabritius, sino que también se ofrece un estudio sobre la sociedad de la época. El libro está escrito con sencillez y claridad, por lo que es recomendable para un público mayor de 12 años. La autora ofrece una enorme cantidad de información a lo largo de las pocas páginas que componen este ensayo, pero su estilo en redacción ayuda a comprenderlo todo sin sentirse desbordado por tantas fechas y nombres propios.
March 24, 2018
Chapter 8 was my favorite. I teared up towards the end.
January 6, 2022
Inhoudelijk leuk. Ook een mooi boek om op tafel te leggen.
March 4, 2016
Fabritius and the Goldfinch - Deborah Davis
4 stars
Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch should come with a ‘Read this First” arrow pointing toward this kindle single by Deborah Davis. Davis gives detailed, entertaining, art history concerning Fabritius and his few extant paintings. And, if you are reading on a compatible device, there are live links to many of the paintings that she describes in detail. In the last chapter, Davis discusses the recent interest in the painting that was created by Tartt’s best seller.
Davis is the author of Strapless, a book about another painting; this time by John Singer Sargent. It has been growing dusty on my list of books to be read. I feel encouraged to move it to the top of the list.
4 stars
Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch should come with a ‘Read this First” arrow pointing toward this kindle single by Deborah Davis. Davis gives detailed, entertaining, art history concerning Fabritius and his few extant paintings. And, if you are reading on a compatible device, there are live links to many of the paintings that she describes in detail. In the last chapter, Davis discusses the recent interest in the painting that was created by Tartt’s best seller.
Davis is the author of Strapless, a book about another painting; this time by John Singer Sargent. It has been growing dusty on my list of books to be read. I feel encouraged to move it to the top of the list.
January 26, 2015
Really interesting background if you have read the Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. Amazing that she wasn't aware of the real explosion that involved Fabritius and the Goldfinch when she came up with her explosion scene at the start of the book. Perfect if you are looking for a short overview of the artist and the painting that is central to the best-selling novel.
January 11, 2016
Like many I never heard about the Goldfinch before Tartt's novel. and being curious person as I am, I sat searching for information, and found this Kindle Single.
In spite of its short content, it is rich with information not only about the painting and its painter, but also about Dutch History and the Dutch Art.
Recommend to anyone looking for information.
In spite of its short content, it is rich with information not only about the painting and its painter, but also about Dutch History and the Dutch Art.
Recommend to anyone looking for information.
Read
September 13, 2014nice tie- in with the Donna Tartt novel. this is a short book about the , very little, that is known about Carel Fabritius and the few paintings known to be by him. lived in cleft, always broke ,killed in the gunpowder explosion in the city in 1654, the year the picture was painted
September 22, 2014
After reading The Goldfinch, it was really interesting to learn more about the painter, the Dutch art history, the actual goldfinch lore, and the author's fascinating journey in creating such a powerful book.
December 7, 2014
Kindle single, non fiction back story to work of Dutch artist Carel Fabritius, artist (contemporary/protege of Rembrandt and contemporary/mentor of Vermeer) who painted the Goldfinch (which inspired Donna Tartt novel).
January 15, 2015
I found this most helpful with background information on the artist: his personal life, his training, and his times. The text also includes the importance of the goldfinch as a household pet in the 1600's, and information about the explosion that killed him.
February 15, 2015
Very interesting information about Holland and Fabritius, along with Vermeer and Rembrandt and, of course, The Goldfinch. The author did a lot of research and presented it well without making it sound like a textbook.
August 1, 2014
Informative, clearly written and helpful from an art history perspective.
February 10, 2016
Kindle unlimited purchase
March 24, 2016
Great history lesson
Will definitely read more of her amazing history lessons
Will definitely read more of her amazing history lessons
December 30, 2014
Loved this...loved the history, loved learning about the painter who did The Goldfinch which I fell in love with after reading the book. A really quick read that is so worth the time!
July 16, 2015
Fascinating "slice of the life" of one young artist's endeavors to penetrate the elite circle of the fine artists of the time. Interesting factoid on the goldfinch bird.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews