From Publishers Weekly
By combing through libraries and archives in Paris and New York, Lipton ( Looking into Degas ) hoped to reconstruct the life of Victorine Meurent and prove that this mysterious 19th-century woman, an artist in her own right as well as the model for the famous nudes of Manet's Olympia and Dejeuner sur l'herbe, was more than the pathetic alcoholic who appears in academic studies by male art historians. Even though the results of her quest were meager--she found little about Meurent's life and was unable to locate any of her paintings--Lipton's account of her search is as exciting as a good detective story. Using reminiscences of her own troubled childhood as a catalyst and projecting her feelings and desires onto her elusive subject, she fleshes out the story and constructs a highly original portrait of Meurent, for whom she invents colorful monologues. The model emerges as a strong and independent woman who defies all efforts by traditional scholars to patronize and degrade her. Lipton's iconoclastic, feminist approach is refreshing and intriguing.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --Ce texte fait référence à l'édition Relié .
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --Ce texte fait référence à l'édition Relié .
From Library Journal
Haunted by the steadfast gaze of the nude peering from the canvas of Manet's controversial "Olympia," art historian Lipton ( Looking into Degas: Uneasy Images of Women and Modern Life , Univ. of California Pr., 1986) documents her relentless effort to unravel the model's life. Lipton's scant archival findings indicate that, in marked contrast to the lowly, depraved, alcoholic figure depicted by writers and artists, model Victorine Meurent was a recognized painter and a member of a distinguished society of artists. In the course of her research, Lipton imagines the thoughts of Meurent in some beautifully moving passages, and her own life begins to take on new meaning. She raises disturbing questions about the validity of much art historical scholarship concerning the role of women. A mesmerizing narrative recommended for women's studies, art history, and general collections.
- Joan Levin, MLS, Chicago
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --Ce texte fait référence à l'édition Relié .
- Joan Levin, MLS, Chicago
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --Ce texte fait référence à l'édition Relié .
