The Brothers Le Nain: Painters of Seventeenth-Century France (Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (Yale)) - Hardcover

Dickerson, C. D.; Bell, Esther; Bailey, Colin B.; Barry, Claire; Bowyer, Emerson; Barry, Claire M.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0300218885 ISBN 13: 9780300218886

Publisher: Yale University Press, 2016

Synopsis

Physical description; xv, 453 pages : illustrations (black and white, and colour) ; 29 cm. Summary "In France in the 17th century, the brothers Antoine (c. 1588-1648), Louis (c. 1593-1648), and Mathieu (1607-1677) Le Nain painted images of everyday life for which they became posthumously famous. They are celebrated for their depictions of middle-class leisure activities, and particularly for their representations of peasant families, who gaze out at the viewer. The uncompromising naturalism of these compositions, along with their oddly suspended action, imparts a sense of dignity to their subjects. Featuring more than sixty paintings highlighting the artists' full range of production, including altarpieces, private devotional paintings, portraits, and the poignant images of peasants for which the brothers are best known, this generously illustrated volume presents new research concerning the authorship, dating, and meaning of the works by well-known scholars in the field. Also groundbreaking are the results of a technical study of the paintings, which constitutes a major contribution to the scholarship on the Le Nain brothers." Subjects; Le Nain, Antoine 1588-1648 - Exhibitions. Le Nain, Louis 1593-1648 - Exhibitions. Le Nain, Mathieu 1607-1677 - Exhibitions. ART / Collections, Catalogs, Exhibitions / Group Shows. ART / History / Baroque & Rococo.

About this title

Product Description:

A beautiful volume that brings to light the forgotten Le Nain brothers, a trio of 17th-century French master painters who specialized in portraiture, religious subjects, and scenes of everyday peasant life In France in the 17th century, the brothers Antoine (c. 1598-1648), Louis (c. 1600/1605-1648), and Mathieu (1607-1677) Le Nain painted images of everyday life for which they became posthumously famous. They are celebrated for their depictions of middle-class leisure activities, and particularly for their representations of peasant families, who gaze out at the viewer. The uncompromising naturalism of these compositions, along with their oddly suspended action, imparts a sense of dignity to their subjects. Featuring more than sixty paintings highlighting the artists' full range of production, including altarpieces, private devotional paintings, portraits, and the poignant images of peasants for which the brothers are best known, this generously illustrated volume presents new research concerning the authorship, dating, and meaning of the works by well-known scholars in the field. Also groundbreaking are the results of a technical study of the paintings, which constitutes a major contribution to the scholarship on the Le Nain brothers.

Review:

"Renowned for their mysterious scenes of French peasant life, Antoine, Louis, and Mathieu Le Nain are the subject of a landmark exhibition. . . . The show's prodigiously illustrated catalogue . . . features insightful essays by curators [and] an array of distinguished scholars."--Jonathan Lopez, Wall Street Journal--Jonathan Lopez "Wall Street Journal "

About this edition

• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 0300218885
• ISBN 13: 9780300218886
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 400