Secret Knowledge: Rediscovering the lost techniques of the Old Masters: Rediscovering the Lost Technique of the Old Masters

David Hockney

ISBN 10: 0500600201 / ISBN 13: 9780500600207

Published by Thames & Hudson, 2009

About this Item

Most items will be dispatched the same or the next working day. A copy that has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Seller Inventory # wbs1888088222

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Secret Knowledge: Rediscovering the lost techniques of the Old Masters: Rediscovering the Lost Technique of the Old Masters
• Publisher: Thames & Hudson
• Publication Date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0500600201
• ISBN 13: 9780500600207
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: Very Good
• Weight: 300 grams

About this title

Synopsis

A story of how some of the great works of Western art were created with the help of mirrors and lenses and how the optical look came to dominate painting attracted major media attention around the world and generated intense debate in the fields of science and art history.

Review

British painter David Hockney, well known for his cool and lovely paintings of California pools, has taken on the new role of detective. For two years Hockney seriously investigated the painting techniques of the old masters, and like any admirable sleuth, compiled substantial evidence to support his revolutionary theory. Secret Knowledge is the fruit of this labor, an exhaustive treatise in pictures revealing clues that some of the world's most famous painters, Ingres, Velázquez, Caravaggio (just to mention a few) utilized optics and lenses in creating their masterpieces. Hockney's fascination with the subject is contagious, and the book feels almost like a game with each analysis a "How'd they do that?" instead of a whodunit. While some may find the technical revelation a disappointment in terms of the idea of genius, Hockney is quick to point out that the use of optics does not diminish the immensity of artistic achievement. He reminds the reader that a tool is just a tool, and it is still the artist's hand and creative vision that produce a work of art. (296 pages, 460 illustrations, 402 in color.) --J.P. Cohen