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Art: Vintage Minis
‘Great art has dreadful manners…
…The hushed reverence of the gallery can fool you into believing masterpieces are visions that soothe, charm and beguile, but actually they are thugs. Merciless and wily, the greatest paintings grab you in a headlock and proceed in short order to re-arrange your sense of reality.’ In inimitable style, our greatest historian and master storyteller Simon Schama makes an irresistible case for the power of art and its necessary place in our lives, examining art through the prism of the troubling life and works of Italian master painter, and murderer, Caravaggio.
Selected from The Power of Art
VINTAGE MINIS: GREAT MINDS. BIG IDEAS. LITTLE BOOKS.
A series of short books by the world’s greatest writers on the experiences that make us human
Also in the Vintage Minis 'Great Ideas' series:
Religion by Karen Armstrong
Science by Ian McEwan
…The hushed reverence of the gallery can fool you into believing masterpieces are visions that soothe, charm and beguile, but actually they are thugs. Merciless and wily, the greatest paintings grab you in a headlock and proceed in short order to re-arrange your sense of reality.’ In inimitable style, our greatest historian and master storyteller Simon Schama makes an irresistible case for the power of art and its necessary place in our lives, examining art through the prism of the troubling life and works of Italian master painter, and murderer, Caravaggio.
Selected from The Power of Art
VINTAGE MINIS: GREAT MINDS. BIG IDEAS. LITTLE BOOKS.
A series of short books by the world’s greatest writers on the experiences that make us human
Also in the Vintage Minis 'Great Ideas' series:
Religion by Karen Armstrong
Science by Ian McEwan
- GenresNonfictionArt
102 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 3, 2019
15 people are currently reading
140 people want to read
About the author
Simon Schama
80 books1,029 followersSir Simon Michael Schama is an English historian and television presenter. He specialises in art history, Dutch history, Jewish history, and French history. He is a Professor of History and Art History at Columbia University.
Schama first came to public attention with his history of the French Revolution titled Citizens, published in 1989. He is also known for writing and hosting the 15-part BBC television documentary series A History of Britain (2000—2002), as well as other documentary series such as The American Future: A History (2008) and The Story of the Jews (2013).
Schama was knighted in the 2018 Queen's Birthday Honours List.
Schama first came to public attention with his history of the French Revolution titled Citizens, published in 1989. He is also known for writing and hosting the 15-part BBC television documentary series A History of Britain (2000—2002), as well as other documentary series such as The American Future: A History (2008) and The Story of the Jews (2013).
Schama was knighted in the 2018 Queen's Birthday Honours List.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
March 6, 2021
Reflections and lessons learned:
‘“Looks can kill, the painting says to us” so judgemental and fearing with the face of confidence’
As a child as my lack of artistic talent became unfortunately obvious, the wannabe librarian in me meant that I had access to an inherited set of art history magazines. I also had a set of oils which I was pretty useless with (although mixing with the linseed oil was great fun) - these smells will always be so reminiscent and comforting. However, it was artists such as Cezanne and Manet that I enjoyed - anything Baroque or dripping with religious iconography was not for me...
So, when I opened this book and it only featured 2 chapters - the first a mere 20 pages in length, and then the second, which was 85% of the content of the book, entitled Caravaggio, my heart sank. I did not anticipate how sexy Simon Schama could make it though. Everything he said made complete sense (he should try doing this art commentary thing for a living...), especially why Baroque hadn’t appealed and why it might not be relatable to children - particularly Caravaggio - the bulky bodies, the direct staring down looks, the inclusion of scared and somber looking children and the single light (religious connotations) illumination of the terrible acts being committed. All this requires a wider understanding of the good and bad in the world (“the light that makes Caravaggio’s art possible and gives hope of a redeemed life to the sinner”). I’m still not racing to find a Caravaggio for the dining room, but I’m interested in learning more about the pieces from this, and reading more from Schama. And who knows, possibly one day I’ll have a Baroque themed study?
“Picasso (who was not allergic to beauty) put it most trenchantly and self-righteously when he said that ‘paintings are not done to decorate apartments; they are weapons of war’”
‘“Looks can kill, the painting says to us” so judgemental and fearing with the face of confidence’
As a child as my lack of artistic talent became unfortunately obvious, the wannabe librarian in me meant that I had access to an inherited set of art history magazines. I also had a set of oils which I was pretty useless with (although mixing with the linseed oil was great fun) - these smells will always be so reminiscent and comforting. However, it was artists such as Cezanne and Manet that I enjoyed - anything Baroque or dripping with religious iconography was not for me...
So, when I opened this book and it only featured 2 chapters - the first a mere 20 pages in length, and then the second, which was 85% of the content of the book, entitled Caravaggio, my heart sank. I did not anticipate how sexy Simon Schama could make it though. Everything he said made complete sense (he should try doing this art commentary thing for a living...), especially why Baroque hadn’t appealed and why it might not be relatable to children - particularly Caravaggio - the bulky bodies, the direct staring down looks, the inclusion of scared and somber looking children and the single light (religious connotations) illumination of the terrible acts being committed. All this requires a wider understanding of the good and bad in the world (“the light that makes Caravaggio’s art possible and gives hope of a redeemed life to the sinner”). I’m still not racing to find a Caravaggio for the dining room, but I’m interested in learning more about the pieces from this, and reading more from Schama. And who knows, possibly one day I’ll have a Baroque themed study?
“Picasso (who was not allergic to beauty) put it most trenchantly and self-righteously when he said that ‘paintings are not done to decorate apartments; they are weapons of war’”
May 6, 2024
I really liked reading this short book. The first essay that focuses on the purpose of art was interesting although not revolutionary. However, the long essay on Caravaggio was absolutely fascinating. Schama manages to explore perfectly the painter’s troubled career while giving a clear insight on religious art during the renaissance. He places Caravaggio as an independent figure who used religious imagery in a provocative way, creating some of the most mysterious paintings ever made. I felt that reading this book completely altered my vision of the painter’s work as the author analyzes his paintings in a light that was unfamiliar to me. In the end, Caravaggio appears as the definition of a troubled artist: a genius ahead of his time but also as a reckless criminal and murderer. There is a reason why he became one of the most famous painter of all time, his talent heightened by the ugly truth behind some of his paintings, creates a form of morbid curiosity for his legacy.
June 27, 2024
A nice analysis. Unexpected find at a bookshop in Berlin
May 9, 2020
Brilliant. He managed to describe the genius of Caravaggio perfectly, showing how the rebel, the murderer created art that was new and unconventional for the age. For sure will reread numerous times.
November 13, 2019
Schama uses broad swathes of romantic language that often obscure and exaggerate the truth - sometimes to questionable proportions, eg.
'Caravaggio's artist mates...were no angels themselves, quick to get out their blades and constantly in trouble with the shirri, the papal police. The whole gang of them liked to hang out with working girls, who themselves fought like street cats over territories, customers and the affection of their pimps.'
Yikes.
Throughout the text there is a flippancy to other art historians' criticisms of overuse of romantic language, as if his using it is a renegade, or sensible, act, that historians are determined to undermine. 'Beware romantically reading the art from the life, or vice versa', he writes to demonstrate a typical statement. I think Schama is confused in this. I agree with him that there IS a great romance to art, and to write about it in poetic terms is dead useful if mediated properly.
Schama can write incredibly evocatively, emotionally, and effectively on some of the great baroque masterpieces, such as when discussing Caravaggio's Madonna of Loreto -
'The Virgin's own baletically turned white foot balancing on its heel only serves to emphasise the grimy ones of her devotees, all corns and calluses. Presented to us so graphically that we can smell them, those feet are the kind of detail meant to be edited out of art, especially art dedicated to higher devotion. But for Caravaggio there can be no higher devotion than the reverence of the footsore.'
Whilst undoubtedly disturbing men, the first quote makes caravaggio and his cohorts out to be sexy bad boys - later he talks of caravaggio's burning stare as he cuts about in black velvet or s/t - semi-inventing a character from court documents and letters. THIS quote utilises the emotional quality of the piece discuss, and extracts/contextualises the romantic that is already present.
What art historians broadly have a problem with is bad history, not romance. Schama here writes Caravaggio as though he is writing the screenplay for a bad T.V. film; blending fact and fiction, skirting around some of the more depraved and horrid acts of this man, but utilising the ones he does talk about to conjure up the age-old-singular-genius-tortured-soul artist. this man owned slaves and had sex with children.
When he writes about the ART, it comes alive, and bounces off the page, and is an absolute joy to read.
The art and the life ARE interlinked. But it doesn't give you agency to subjectify the life the way you subjectify the art.
'Caravaggio's artist mates...were no angels themselves, quick to get out their blades and constantly in trouble with the shirri, the papal police. The whole gang of them liked to hang out with working girls, who themselves fought like street cats over territories, customers and the affection of their pimps.'
Yikes.
Throughout the text there is a flippancy to other art historians' criticisms of overuse of romantic language, as if his using it is a renegade, or sensible, act, that historians are determined to undermine. 'Beware romantically reading the art from the life, or vice versa', he writes to demonstrate a typical statement. I think Schama is confused in this. I agree with him that there IS a great romance to art, and to write about it in poetic terms is dead useful if mediated properly.
Schama can write incredibly evocatively, emotionally, and effectively on some of the great baroque masterpieces, such as when discussing Caravaggio's Madonna of Loreto -
'The Virgin's own baletically turned white foot balancing on its heel only serves to emphasise the grimy ones of her devotees, all corns and calluses. Presented to us so graphically that we can smell them, those feet are the kind of detail meant to be edited out of art, especially art dedicated to higher devotion. But for Caravaggio there can be no higher devotion than the reverence of the footsore.'
Whilst undoubtedly disturbing men, the first quote makes caravaggio and his cohorts out to be sexy bad boys - later he talks of caravaggio's burning stare as he cuts about in black velvet or s/t - semi-inventing a character from court documents and letters. THIS quote utilises the emotional quality of the piece discuss, and extracts/contextualises the romantic that is already present.
What art historians broadly have a problem with is bad history, not romance. Schama here writes Caravaggio as though he is writing the screenplay for a bad T.V. film; blending fact and fiction, skirting around some of the more depraved and horrid acts of this man, but utilising the ones he does talk about to conjure up the age-old-singular-genius-tortured-soul artist. this man owned slaves and had sex with children.
When he writes about the ART, it comes alive, and bounces off the page, and is an absolute joy to read.
The art and the life ARE interlinked. But it doesn't give you agency to subjectify the life the way you subjectify the art.
November 28, 2019
I read in English but this review is written in Bahasa Indonesia
Lukisan-lukisan mahal, yang dipamerkan di lingkungan eksklusif tertentu, sebenarnya apa sih yang membuat mereka mahal? Atau, pernah terpikirkan, kalau lukisan yang sulit untuk dipahami, sebenarnya ingin menyampaikan apa sih?
Dalam serial Vintage Minis yang berjudul "Art", Simon Schama setidaknya mencoba membuat pembaca menjadi paham. Selain adanya proses kreatif dan proses produksi yang tidaklah mudah (dan hanya bisa sekali saja dilakukan), ternyata kisah yang membuat karya juga bisa menjadi alasan mengapa sebuah karya seni dihargai begitu tinggi.
Art dibagi menjadi dua bagian. Yang pertama adalah penjelasan secara general fungsi "art" itu sendiri. Seperti kutipan di atas, lukisan yang sampai dijuluki sebagai sebuah "mahakarya" ternyata punya tujuan untuk membuat senitivitas kita berubah sebagai bentuk respon atas realita. Lebih dari itu, ada hal-hal yang rasanya menjadi sebuah ekspresi tidak terbatas dari seorang seniman. Bagian kedua, Art lebih fokus pada salah seorang seniman yang cukup kontroversial: Caravaggio. Seorang seniman yang salah satu karyanya menggambarkan bagaimana Medusa tampak begitu meneror. Simon Schama mencoba menjelaskan kepada pembaca bahwa di balik sebuah proses kreatif seorang seniman atau dalam hal ini adalah pelukis, ternyata membutuhkan banyak pertaruhan. Tidaklah mudah menjadi seorang seniman di zaman itu (Caravaggio hidup tahun 1571-1610). Ada sisi lain dari sebuah hasil karya seni yang masih belum diketahui orang banyak -- dan seringkali hal tersebut malah merupakan hal-hal kelam dari sang seniman.
Merciless and wily, the greatest paintings grab you in a headlock and proceed in short order to rearrange your sense of reality.
Lukisan-lukisan mahal, yang dipamerkan di lingkungan eksklusif tertentu, sebenarnya apa sih yang membuat mereka mahal? Atau, pernah terpikirkan, kalau lukisan yang sulit untuk dipahami, sebenarnya ingin menyampaikan apa sih?
Dalam serial Vintage Minis yang berjudul "Art", Simon Schama setidaknya mencoba membuat pembaca menjadi paham. Selain adanya proses kreatif dan proses produksi yang tidaklah mudah (dan hanya bisa sekali saja dilakukan), ternyata kisah yang membuat karya juga bisa menjadi alasan mengapa sebuah karya seni dihargai begitu tinggi.
Art dibagi menjadi dua bagian. Yang pertama adalah penjelasan secara general fungsi "art" itu sendiri. Seperti kutipan di atas, lukisan yang sampai dijuluki sebagai sebuah "mahakarya" ternyata punya tujuan untuk membuat senitivitas kita berubah sebagai bentuk respon atas realita. Lebih dari itu, ada hal-hal yang rasanya menjadi sebuah ekspresi tidak terbatas dari seorang seniman. Bagian kedua, Art lebih fokus pada salah seorang seniman yang cukup kontroversial: Caravaggio. Seorang seniman yang salah satu karyanya menggambarkan bagaimana Medusa tampak begitu meneror. Simon Schama mencoba menjelaskan kepada pembaca bahwa di balik sebuah proses kreatif seorang seniman atau dalam hal ini adalah pelukis, ternyata membutuhkan banyak pertaruhan. Tidaklah mudah menjadi seorang seniman di zaman itu (Caravaggio hidup tahun 1571-1610). Ada sisi lain dari sebuah hasil karya seni yang masih belum diketahui orang banyak -- dan seringkali hal tersebut malah merupakan hal-hal kelam dari sang seniman.
Looks can kill, the painting says to us. This one certainly did. The stagey genius of Caravaggio, the peerless virtuoso of shock-horror, makes sure we feel the lethal surprise, for when we look at the painting we are seeing exactly what Medusa saw: self-image as death warrant.
December 8, 2019
Very entertaining. The life of Caravagio is fascinating
April 3, 2020
Specially good if you're already familiar with the work and life of Caravaggio, splendid writing from Schama. Would recommend to see the documentary if you're not that related to the genius.
April 12, 2020
I didn't know much about Caravaggio, so this book was a great introduction into artist's life and work.
It was my very first book by art historian Simon Schama, but I loved his writing style
It was my very first book by art historian Simon Schama, but I loved his writing style
July 16, 2022
caravaggio the og problematic e-boy
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews