Conversation Pieces. A Survey of the Informal Group Portrait in Europe and America book by Mario Praz

Mario Praz

ISBN 10: 0271001321 / ISBN 13: 9780271001326

Published by Alan Wofsy Fine Arts, 1990

About this Item

Immediate dispatch from Somerset. Nice older book in good condition. Plates bright and vivid. Older book, a few marks on page block edge but overall good. Hardcover. English. See images for condition. About the book >.>.> The "conversation piece", an intimate group portrait usually of small dimensions, is a genre which arose in the Low Countries, flourished in 18th-century England, and declined with the invention of photography. Professor Praz does not confine himself to tracing its history. He shows its close con- nection with the rise of the middle class, follows the different patterns and themes adopted by the artists, takes into account the various national developments; he explains why, for instance, the Italians mostly con- fined themselves to groups portrayed only down to the waist, while the Dutch and English invented the typical dramatic form of the conversation piece in which the back- ground is no less important than the sitters -hinting, as it does, at the importance of the people concerned, their possessions, and the sources of their prosperity. Certain peculiarities of the genre are here described for the first time, for example, portraits of families includin.

Seller Inventory # Batch-FM494-G-10923

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Conversation Pieces. A Survey of the Informal Group Portrait in Europe and America book by Mario Praz
• Publisher: Alan Wofsy Fine Arts
• Publication Date: 1990
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0271001321
• ISBN 13: 9780271001326
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: Good
• Seller catalogs:
  • All Things Art
  • Art Painting and Paintings

About this title

Synopsis

The first comprehensive study of the fascinating genre of painting known as "conversation pieces," or group portraits usually of small dimensions whose subjects are depicted at a more or less informal moment. The author defines the various types of conversation piece: the family portrait, the group, indoor and outdoor scenes, sporting and musical conversations, etc., and analyzes them in the light of the cultural and social milieux which produced them. Beautifully illustrated, with many important paintings rephotographed especially for this publication.

Language Notes

Text: English, Italian (translation)