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The French sculptor Camille Claudel (1864-1943) once complained about "how much energy it takes to escape a primary and harmful influence" (qtd. in Bowyer and Desmas, p. 51). She was, of course, referring to Auguste Rodin (1840-1917), her teacher and lover, who had her produce some of the hands and feet of his sculptures. In straightforward prose and extensive full-page color reproductions, this impressive exhibition catalog recounts Claudel's artistic journey to effect an independent, expressive art full of movement by "turning the body inward," as artist Kiki Smith notes in her essay (p. 85). Editors Bowyer (Art Institute of Chicago) and Desmas (J. Paul Getty Museum) penned several of the essays. "Sketches from Nature," about Claudel's innovative tableaux and their correspondences with works by Vuillard and Gauguin, and "The Last Decade of Claudel's Career" stand out in their interpretative analyses. Six additional authors provide further biographical and institutional contexts as well as perceptive studies on individual works that demonstrate just how radical this "female genius" sculptor was. A product of decades of new research, this catalog includes an extensive chronology with many historical photographs, a helpful glossary on sculptural terms, an appendix of correspondence and reviews, and an exhibition checklist. Beautifully published.Summing Up: Essential. All readers.

This remarkable book by Rublack (history, Cambridge Univ., England) is among the most comprehensively informative studies on Albrecht Durer in recent years. The subtitle, Art and Society at the Dawn of a Global World, appropriately signals that it is about much more than a single lost masterpiece, the Heller Altarpiece, destroyed by fire in Munich's Residenz palace in 1729. Rather, the book reveals a wider world of artistry, patronage, social context, and artistic legacy. It is conveniently formatted into numerous, concise chapters that build on each other in well written and easily navigated prose. Rublack's deft narrative and expansive knowledge teach readers about the artist-patron relationship, the economics and materiality of art, Durer's personality and proclivities, the intellectual and political world he navigated, and the later dynamics by which he became Germany's most famous artist. Each of the four main parts, organized chronologically, features a central protagonist: from Durer (1471-1528) to international collectors and tastemakers Hans Fugger (1531-98), Philipp Hainhofer (1578-1647), and Thomas Howard, Earl of Arundel (1585-1646), who each significantly impacted Durer's legacy. Based on historical documents, this well-illustrated and heavily noted volume is an authoritative guide to Durer's art for students and scholars alike.Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers through faculty.

The quality of the reproductions of Munch's art and the coupling of Munch with scenes from Henrik Ibsen's plays make this a singular contribution to the history of art and theater. In the foreword, Koehler (Berlinische Galerie, Germany) tells the story of Munch's fame in Berlin after the abrupt closing of his first show in November 1892. Munch reveled in the bad publicity of that closing. As he wrote home, "That is, by the way, the best that can happen / I cannot get better advertising." In "Edvard Munch Magic of the North," Stefanie Heckmann focuses on such an entrance into "the depths of the soul in the human themes and mystically oppressive moods in the landscapes ... the specifically Northern quality of his art ... the soul of the Nordic human being a language of its own." The marriage of Ibsen's and Munch's art is perfect: "Munch will have had a particular connection to Ghost since 'in no other drama by Ibsen did Munch find his own family's fate of sickness, madness, and death as closely mirrored.'" This volume is a fine gift to scholars and newcomers alike.Summing Up: Highly recommended. Advanced undergraduates through faculty.

With its crisp writing, compelling images, smart attention to primary sources, and deeply original argument, Praying to Portraits should find a rapt audience far beyond narrow academic specialization. In a tightly structured introduction, four clear chapters, and a brief conclusion, Jasienski (Southern Methodist Univ.) addresses the production and reception of a type of painting that combines portrait intentions with religious iconography, which he describes as "sanctified portraiture" or "portrait a lo divino" (the latter term coined by Emilio Orozco Diaz). Sometimes described as allegorical or disguised portraits--and widely produced across Europe--such pictures present numerous challenges for modern viewers, in part, as Jasienski argues, because of modern categories and secular presumptions, both of which have assumed portraits and religious pictures are best kept apart. But that, of course, was not true of the Spanish empire. Engaging saints and royalty, elite and non-elite audiences, viewers in Spain and New Spain, the book emphasizes how flexible and complicated paintings could be, with deeply pious motivations often challenging official Church policies. Jasienski looks and listens well. Even better, he helps readers do the same.Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty; general readers.

Women Artists in Midcentury America is a timely and essential contribution to art historical knowledge of women artists and the wide variety of institutions that supported them with all-women shows from 1943 to 1962. Belasco (Al Held Foundation) chose 10 illuminating exhibitions for his book from about 50 he found during his research. One hopes his volume will encourage scholarship on the shows he was not able to include, even though a comprehensive list is not included and the bibliography does not feature archival materials. Organized chronologically by exhibition beginning with Exhibition by 31 Women at Peggy Guggenheim's Art of the Century Gallery and ending with the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum's 1962 exhibition Women Artists in America Today, each chapter uses its titular show as a springboard for exploring a different theme or artistic medium, including race, photography, education, women artists groups, and democracy. This inspired structure yields a wealth of contextual information about and analysis of the careers of now-canonical artists, such as Ruth Asawa, Margaret Bourke-White, and Elaine de Kooning. Importantly, it also puts many new artists, works of art, and exhibition venues on the scholarly radar.Summing Up: Highly recommended. Undergraduates through faculty.