Description
Book SynopsisFilled with wit and insight, this is a fascinating tour of Venice from an artist's perspective. The city of Venice has always provided an almost irresistible lure for both writers and artists. Henry James loved it, as did Ruskin, Browning, Pound, and Brodsky. For artists, it has been a compulsory magnet since the time of Bellini and Canaletto. By the 19th century there was hardly an artist of note - Whistler and Turner, Sargent and Prendergas - who was not seduced by the city's charms, history, and aesthetic heritage. For the depiction of Venice by artists, it's a high bar that's been set, but Adam Van Doren, grandson of the Pulitzer prize-winning poet Mark Van Doren, convincingly confronts the competition in this charming memoir, a verbal and visual account of his love affair with the city. His story is personal; like all other artists, he sees the city through his own eyes, but he is also well-informed historically, lacing his tour with information, opinion, and wit.
Trade Review“Architect and artist Van Doren offers a love letter to Venice in this elegant and slender volume, and he sings his praise to the city through majestic prose and 23 beautiful watercolor paintings of Venice.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Van Doren pulls off the not-inconsequential feat of conjuring some of the best-known views of the world with fresh eyes.”—The Wall Street Journal
