Luncheon of the Boating Party
by Susan Vreeland
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Book Reviews of Luncheon of the Boating Party
Book Review: Pretty Good Book - - Though Slow
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a pretty good book if you can get past the very slow start and the slow pace throughout. It is a historical novel about the creation of one of the world's most popular, lovely paintings as seen through the artist and the people represented in the painting. If you like Impressionism and a sense of history, you'll probably like this book. If you would like an idea of how a great piece of art comes to be, the thought-process, the techniques, this also is your book. If, however, you like fast-paced, dramatic action instead of a lot of drilling-down, this is surely not your book.
I was impressed by the atmospheric detail with which Susan Vreeland painted the people, place and time. Impressionism, representing a fleeting moment of time, was revolutionary and making its mark against the staid, traditional Salon paintings. The book, in fact, was written in an Impressionistic style, more about environment and mood than hard facts. It was interesting hearing the controversies surrounding the artists and their different camps. I also liked the author being able to create conversations and even thoughts in the principals. It's a great way to present a story - at least in my opinion. I enjoy Jeff Shaara's recounts of US history for the same reasons.
In a nutshell, if you like sauntering through a museum like I do, you might like to read this book. If so, and you have the chance, you also might like to go to the Phillips in DC to see this amazingly lovely painting; reproductions don't do it justice!
Book Review: Art as love
Summary: 5 Stars
What goes through an artist's mind while creating a painting? Susan Vreeland makes that question the theme of Luncheon of the Boating Party. Generally agreed to be one of Renoir's masterpieces, Luncheon is a huge canvas depicting fourteen people enjoying a repast at an inn along the River Seine. Renoir is depicted at the pivotal point in his career when he was struggling to decide whether to persist with the impressionist genre , or to incorporate more formal techniques and styles. Provoked by a critical comment from Emile Zola, he embarks upon a quest to produce a work to serve as the definitive rebuttal.
Vreeland immerses her readers within the heart of Montmartre and the romantic Parisian ideal of "modern life". A joyous commingling of street scenes and cafe society, artists and models, dealers and yachtsmen, Luncheon is an earthy, incandescent evocation of one of the art world's most momentous eras. Enjoy!
Book Review: Art and Life
Summary: 5 Stars
I am one of those people who knows art only by the most simplistic terms of genre, era, and what I like.
Vreeland's "Luncheon of the Boating Party" brings to life the story behind one of Renoir's most famous paintings as well as the story of painting itself. How the artist uses color, light, and line made sense to me in Vreeland's clear explanations.
The storyline of the characters, telling of their lives when not posing, was interesting and beautiful. La Vie Moderne brought to life in a Paris I now feel that I have visited.
"Luncheon of the Boating Party" will enrich your life.
Book Review: Engaging
Summary: 4 Stars
While not as quickly engaging as her previous volumes,Susan Vreeland's "Luncheon of the Boating Party" eventually takes the reader right into the era of the French painters of the 1920s. She has a great knack of balancing historical facts with a lively story that keeps you turning the pages. Those who aren't terribly familiar with this era in art history can still enjoy a well told tale of love, commitment and tragedy. Readers who do know something of the era will also enjoy having their knowledge rounded out by a combination of historical detail and the author's splendid imagination.Book Review: LUNCHEON OF THE BOATING PARTY
Summary: 5 Stars
BOOK WAS IN GREAT CONDITION. QUICK SERVICE BY AMAZON THANK YOU!
I ENJOYED THE BOOK VERY MUCH. BOUGHT A POSTER OF THE PAINTING ON THE COVER OF THE BOOK TO USE AS ATMOSPHERE FOR MY BOOK CLUB GATHERING IN OCT. LOOOKING FORWARD TO OTHER PEOPLES BOOK REVIEW. I THOUGHT THE IDEA OF BUILDING A STORY AROUND THE PEOPLE IN THE PAINTING WAS VERY CLEVER. YOU FELT THAT YOU WERE IN PARIS!