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Synopsis
The author presents detailed theories on how some of Western art's famous masterpieces by such artists as da Vinci, Caravaggio, Velßzquez, and Van Eyck were actually created while discussing how his speculations have sparked worldwide anger and astonishment.
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Review
David Hockney's brilliant Secret Knowledge is the fruit of his practical and historical investigation into how artists from the 15th century onward produced such vividly realistic drawings and paintings. Hockney's conclusions are simple but devastating. He argues that, "from the early 15th century many Western artists used optics--by which I mean mirrors and lenses (or a combination of the two)--to create living projections". The results are extraordinary. Secret Knowledge carefully explains how Masaccio, Van Eyck, Holbein, Caravaggio, Vermeer and Ingres all used optical aids, as it carefully takes apart the paintings and recreates the instruments and techniques used by artists from as early as the 1430s.
Hockney concedes that his opinions have been attacked by the mainstream art world that has complained that "for an artist to use optical aids would be 'cheating'; that somehow I was attacking the idea of innate genius". As a practising artist himself, his response is persuasive: "optics would have given artists a new tool with which to make images that were more immediate, and more powerful". Hockney concludes that this does not "diminish their achievements. For me, it makes them all the more astounding". Hockney's evidence is compelling and convincing, and brilliantly conveyed in this beautiful book, complete with details, foldouts and over 400 illustrations in sumptuous colour. Secret Knowledge also contains a collection of primary evidence detailing artist's use of optical devices, and Hockney's correspondence on the subject over the last two years. This book will revolutionise how we look at the art of the past. As Hockney himself suggests, "exciting times are ahead". --Jerry Brotton
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`You will refer back to these precious books again and again'
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- PublisherPenguin Group USA
- Publication date2003
- ISBN 10 0142005010
- ISBN 13 9780142005019
- BindingPaperback
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Secret Knowledge: Rediscovering the Lost Techniques of the Old Masters
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Condition: Fair. Acceptable/Fair condition. Book is worn, but the pages are complete, and the text is legible. Has wear to binding and pages, may be ex-library. 3.25. Seller Inventory # 353-0142005010-acp
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Secret Knowledge: Rediscovering the Lost Techniques of the Old Masters
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Secret Knowledge: Rediscovering the Lost Techniques of the Old Masters
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Secret Knowledge: Rediscovering the Lost Techniques of the Old Masters
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Secret Knowledge: Rediscovering the Lost Techniques of the Old Masters
Seller: 369 Bookstore _[~ 369 Pyramid Inc ~]_, Dover, DE, U.S.A.
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Softcover. Condition: Good. 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, Vel?zquez, 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.). Seller Inventory # AMPLE0142005010
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Secret Knowledge: Rediscovering the Lost Techniques of the Old Masters
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Secret Knowledge: Rediscovering the Lost Techniques of the Old Masters
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Secret Knowledge: Rediscovering the Lost Techniques of the Old Masters
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Viking, New York, 2001
ISBN 10: 0142005010
ISBN 13: 9780142005019
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paperback. Condition: fine. First. With 460 illustrations, mostly in color. 296 pages. 4to, glossy pictorial wrappers. New York: Viking, (2001). First softcover edition. A fine copy. Seller Inventory # 250191
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Secret Knowledge: Rediscovering the Lost Techniques of the Old Masters
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