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The American landscape painter George Inness (1825-1894) was one of the most thoughtful and inventive artists of his generation.George Inness and the Visionary Landscape presents both a concise overview of Inness's life and work and a focused examination of his philosophical and religious preoccupations. It shows how Inness, inspired by the ideas of the scientist-mystic Emanuel Swedenborg (1688- 1772), devised a new artistic vocabulary to convey his understanding of the personal visionary experience. Moreover, it reveals commonalities between Inness's prescient work and efforts by the psychologist- philosopher William James (1842-1910) to validate mystical states of mind. It explains for the first time how Inness treated landscape painting as a form of philosophical inquiry that could communicate his holistic belief in the unity of nature and spirit. Full-color and black-and-white reproductions throughout ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Wonderful Book!
A delight and pleasure to read in every way. Bell's George Inness and the Visionary Landscape is a model art book: highly informative, extremely well researched, and intelligently written. The text is divided between a lengthy introductory chapter and then several sections--such as "Science, Art, and the Visionary in Italy," "The Rhythm of the Working Hand," and "The Anonymous Figure"--that contain shorter texts describing various aspects of Inness's work and splendid color reproductions. Bell writes beautifully and reflects her obvious love of the subject. At the end, you want to go out and see all of Inness's work for yourself. A highly recommended publication!

Good but not Great.
Hungry for everything I could get my hands on regarding the great Hudson River artist George Inness, I spotted this book in Borders bookstore and immediately bought it.It will be one that I visit from time to time, but not for the text.It does have several reproductions of works I had not seen previously, and they are printed excellently (albeit radically reduced in size) on very thick stock.

This is where the quality stops.One has to wonder why the size is so diminutive, especially for a color repro book.In several places, it takes a magnifying glass to view the works at their best.Why publishers skimp on size (and in many places, using black and white over color reproduction) is beyond me, and I would imagine that art lovers everywhere would agree.

Rather than give a history of the artist in full, Bell concentrates on the spiritual or religious history of the artist and does so with great detail - but includes possibly too much unecessary history of other luminaries of that era.Copious notes are in the addendum for those who love to pour over these types of things as well as list of works presented in the book (although I'm not sure why this is done in these types of books, especially when the same information is present by each piece.It's an outdated form that keeps existing long after it's usefullness.)

One rather bothersome point is how the work is not in chronological order.This is done to concentrate on several suppositions of Bells for which there is a notable lack of evidence.

One example of this is Bell's dissection of Inness' Lake Nemi work, where it is supposed that the painting is made up of triangles.I would argue that nearly any landscape could be sliced in such a manner, and there are no notes from the artist or any of his contemporaries to support this rather loose idea.Bell waxes prosaic and over-flowery on the picture descriptions throughout as well, making supposition her over-stated trademark.

If you are interested in the Swedenborgian school of thought, this is the book for you and while it may have been a great influence on Inness, Bell aims her focus on it to the point of dreariness.

I found the book rather dry to read but the imagery faithfully reproduced, although it would have been worth my money to see more and larger imagery with less text - unless the text was more about his life and techniques instead of his philosophy, regardless of the book's subtitle.

However, since there is so little of his work published and/or written about, I'll take what I can get and I am thankful this book was produced, however weak the result may be.At the very least, the paintings are there to speak for themselves, regardless of Bell's perfume-veiled mendacity. ... Read more

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Winner of the 2008 Henry-Russell Hitchcock Award given by the Victorian Society in America.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest American landscape painters, George Inness worked professionally for fifty years, from his first appearance at the annual exhibition of the National Academy of Design in 1844 to his last in 1894. That half century saw tremendous transformations in the political, social, and cultural climate of the country, and in the art world. Art historians have always recognized that Inness s work evolved considerably alongside these broader changes. Yet, until now, the literature on his work has not recognized the full extent to which this artist pushed himself in new stylistic and technical directions. Inness himself once said, "I do not care about being a cake; I shall remain dough, subject to any impression which I am satisfied comes from the region of truth." As it turns out, the variety and malleability of his work is far greater than anyone has acknowledged.

For the first time, a complete and coherent picture of Inness s career is available in this elegant collection of 1,154 of his paintings and sketches. Michael Quick, who is considered one of the two foremost George Inness authorities in the country, provides a detailed look at the artist s long career. He includes scholarly commentary on individual works, as well as Inness s stylistic and thematic development, his subjects, mediums, working method, and relationships among his paintings. The analysis considers likely motives for changes in his style, including the influence of other artists such as Asher B. Durand, Elihu Vedder, and James Whistler, as well as the less obvious impact of changes in his patronage and financial situation.

From his beginnings in the first generation of the Hudson River School to the tonalist impressionism of his later years, this catalogue offers a more accurate chronological order of Inness s works than any previous publication. In addition, the discovery of more paintings from the 1840s and 1850s clarifies parts of his early career that have been obscured until now. A deserved tribute to an artist who stands as a central figure in the development of American painting during the late nineteenth century, this definitive collection will serve as the foundation for all future interpretations of this great artist s work, as well as an essential source for those interested in American landscape painting. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Best Book on Inness
This twin volume set is much more than a catalog. Instead of the dusty black and white photos from ancient sources used in most catalogues raisonne, Michael Quick provides us with a compendium of crisp black and white reproductions interspersed with a hundred beautiful color images. Initially I felt the color images were a little on the small side (usually two to a page) but after perusing the books awhile I found them more than adequate due to the exceptional quality of the film work and printing. The color sections have no text so the reproductions are afforded maximum space.

Equally unexpected is the clear and enjoyable writing. Michael Quick's confidence and profound knowledge of his subject matter allows him to forgo the usual academic verbosity that ruins similar volumes. Each painting is thoughtfully described, with a paragraph commenting authoritatively on painting style and technique, listing anomalies in Inness' procedures when present. Although I bought the catalog hoping for beautiful reproductions (which it has) I intend to read every comment on every painting in these massive volumes. I have a lot of enjoyable reading ahead of me.

An added bonus, small yet worth mentioning, is the linen slip-cover case which is a worthy addition to what is now the undisputed gem of my art library. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (3)

Expected more color plates
There were 21 color plates.Some of the color plates were not very large. It was my fault for not checking more, before I purchased the book.Lots of history to read, but I was more interested in seeing the paintings of George Inness. Many black and white photos, which are helpful, in seeing values in paintings. Perhaps by the time I read all of the book, I will be much happier with my purchase.

Both good and bad.
It is with no end of begrudging that I award five stars to this book. It is unconscionable that University of Chicago Press published this fabulous text on Inness' work, but included a mere twenty-one color prints, at that most of them two a page, and charges $50 for it! If you consider buying it, do so with the sure knowledge that Dr. DeLue's work is a classic, not to be missed, her analysis extremely depthful, her prose elegant. As for UofC Press, how greedy. For shame!

God's Landscapes
This is a terrific book, beautiful and thought-provoking, about one of America's best and most intriguing artists.The author shows how Inness' desire to help people see more deeply, to see God behind the landscapes, shaped his paintings.It is a delight to read how ideas have consequences in art; how deliberate Inness was in his project; and then to see how gorgeous his paintings are.

The only reason it does not get 5 stars from me?Not enough color plates.But it really is a fine book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A typical Abrams production
I bought this book, sight unseen, largely because of its high price--i.e., I assumed I would be getting high quality for the high price.I was disappointed.(I have seen Inness's works beautifully reproduced in another book, so I know it is possible to do.) In this book, too many of the reproductions are in black & white, and those in color are of merely average quality--all of which is inappropriate for a book of this price.I'm not saying this is a horrible book; if you need only a general sense about Inness's work, this might be the book for you (if you can get it relatively cheap).But if you want to really see the beauty of Inness's paintings, you won't get it here.(Unfortunately, I could make the foregoing comments about many of the art books I have seen published by Abrams.)

Landscape Fiction
From mentor Rene Francois Gignoux, GEORGE INNESS knew to paint "Sunshine and clouds" with a classic Dutch 17th-century straight horizon. As one of the greatest 19th-century landscape colorists, he preferred civilized nature to wilderness: "The Lackawanna valley" met nature and train, with the informally simple composition and lighter coloring influences of Barbizon school artists Corot, Daubigny, Diaz, Dupre, Jacque, Rousseau and Troyon. He colored emotions and ideas with the depth and richness earlier seen in Titian and with the arbitrariness later seen in Mark Rothko: popular and widely known "Autumn oaks"; "Lake Nemi," with 2 white birds above accenting the crater depth below; "Off the coast of Cornwall," as one of his rare coast and sea scapes. His style included organizing horizontal and vertical elements: "The brush burners" had the perfect balance later seen in Piet Mondrian; "The monk" showed Japanese-style flatness and occult balance; and architecturally detailed "St Peter's" contrasted darkly solid foreground with lighter distance. He started out faithfully finishing in the studio what he sketched in the field: "Landscape with fishermen" was an early exception, with a made-up water body near the very real Sharp Mountains rocks and trees. He ended making up his own landscapes: "October" was one of the clearest examples of this Synthetic style. Thanks to Harvard's Fogg art museum having "October noon" on a back stariway, Nicolai Cikovsky Jr went on to become recognized for his authoritative knowledge of the painter's work and to organize this book with fellow art curator Michael Quick. Readers might want to go on to James EB Breslin's MARK ROTHKO, Rudolf Herman Fuchs' DUTCH PAINTING, Hans Ludwig C. Jaffe's PIET MONDRIAN, and Filippo Pedrocco's TITIAN. ... Read more

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George Inness's key statements on ideas central to American social and cultural thought.

The writings of nineteenth-century American artists, such as Washington Allston, Asher B. Durand, and Thomas Cole, have long been considered essential expressions of the American creative perspective. Now, for the first time, the ideas of George Inness (1825-1894), one of America's greatest landscape painters, are assembled in one volume. George Inness: Writings and Reflections on Art and Philosophy reveals Inness to have been one of the most intelligent and knowledgeable public figures of his generation, an artist-philosopher not only deeply engaged with the history of art but also with ideas that resided at the center of American social and intellectual history.

In search of knowledge, Inness wrote and discoursed on evolutionary biology, science, mathematics, numerology, psychology, philosophy, and especially theology. This volume assembles the key sources, many hitherto unpublished, on Inness's ideas: his essays, poems, and letters; interviews and public debates with leading critics; comments in biographical profiles; and key passages from his biography, Life, Art, and Letters of George Inness. Together, these texts reveal Inness's discontent with the gradually diminishing authority of the divine from the story of human creation, a conflict at the center of nineteenth-century American religious and social thought and one that inspired Inness's own magnificent contributions to America's cultural heritage. 12 color illustrations, 10 in black and white. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Best written descriptions
This book is a compendium of interesting letters, articles, and essays concerning Inness, interspersed with a few reproductions. I don't recommend this book for the art but this is the best book for text. Of special interest is the essay by Inness' son about Inness' technique.

For the best reproductions I recommend George Inness: A Catalogue Raisonne (expensive but worth it if you are a hard core Inness enthusiast). ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Wonderful American artist
George Inness was a wonderful American artist.He had a special talent for working with greens.The photos of his paintings are beautiful.I also liked the description written about each painting.Well worth the money.I can spend much time looking at the photos of his paintings.

George was great!
A great way to see all George's paintings in one place. ... Read more

Product Description
Originally published in 1917.This volume from the Cornell University Library's print collections was scanned on an APT BookScan and converted to JPG 2000 format by Kirtas Technologies.All titles scanned cover to cover and pages may include marks notations and other marginalia present in the original volume. ... Read more

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This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process.We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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This is an OCR edition without illustrations or index. It may have numerous typos or missing text. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from the publisher's website (GeneralBooksClub.com). You can also preview excerpts of the book there. Purchasers are also entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subjects: Fiction / Classics; Literary Collections / General; Literary Criticism / General; ... Read more

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This work describes the concepts of Symbolist art used for this study and presents a sequence of the works and writings of five artists - Washington Allston at the beginning of the century, John La Farge and William Rimmer at mid-century, and George Inness and Albert Pinkham Ryder at the end. These five were selected after a lengthy survey of 19th and early 20th century American art. Although a broader selection might have been made, these particular artists successfully developed, at one point or another in their careers and with more or less clearly defined objectives, highly articulate visual art in the Symbolist mode, as well as writings about their Symbolist intentions (without using the term itself). In many instances, their words, as well as their art, recall those of artists like Paul Gauguin and Vincent Van Gogh, although predating the Europeans by several decades. The Symbolist works of these five Americans are analyzed along side their writings about art, as well as writings by the few major critics who understood their aesthetic intentions at the time, such as James Jackson Jarves, Charles de Kay, and Roger Fry.Not a survey, but rather a highly selective and suggestive study, this book was written with the intent of refining the historical concept of Symbolist Art in general, by extending the view further into American art. ... Read more

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This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishings Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the worlds literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

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General Books publication date: 2009Original publication date: 1917Original Publisher: The New York Zoological SocietySubjects: ZoologyJuvenile Nonfiction / Science ... Read more

Product Description
Originally published in 1922.This volume from the Cornell University Library's print collections was scanned on an APT BookScan and converted to JPG 2000 format by Kirtas Technologies.All titles scanned cover to cover and pages may include marks notations and other marginalia present in the original volume. ... Read more