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Laurence Des Cars
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Jean Léon Gérôme
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Jean-Leon Gerome Paperback – August 17, 2010

4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 11 ratings
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An overview of Gérôme’s oeuvre from his sources of inspiration to his influences on others. The public perception of Jean-Léon Gérôme has changed greatly over the past decades. Long stigmatized as an emblem of sterile academicism, he is now considered one of the nineteenth century’s great image makers. This catalog highlights and analyzes his bountiful expression of a visual grammar that takes illusionist obsession to the limits of the bizarre and establishes a resonance with all visual arts, including prints, photography, and cinema. In particular, it will make it possible to propose new approaches to such diverse issues as Gérôme’s place in the French painting of his time, his theatrical conception of historical themes, his complex exoticism, his use of polychrome in sculpture, his role as a teacher, his relationship with historical models, how the figure of this artist galvanized the anti-academy clash at the end of the nineteenth century, and lastly, the singular American destiny of his works. The catalog sets out to explore, beyond the immediate seductive qualities and accessibility of Gérôme’s oeuvre, its double identity, both erudite and popular, which now renders it so precious to art historians and to the general public.
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  1. Print length
    374 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Skira
  4. Publication date
    August 17, 2010
  5. Dimensions
    9.6 x 1.34 x 11.28 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    8857207021
  7. ISBN-13
    978-8857207025
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Laurence des Cars is chief curator and director of the France-Museum agency. Dominique de Font-Réaulx is chief curator at the Musée du Louvre. Edouard Papet is chief curator at the Musée d’Orsay.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Skira (August 17, 2010)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 374 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 8857207021
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-8857207025
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 5.03 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.6 x 1.34 x 11.28 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 11 ratings

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  1. Laurence Des Cars

    Laurence Des Cars

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  2. Jean Léon Gérôme

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Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
4 out of 5
11 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Vitorio
5.0 out of 5 stars This book is beautifully illustrated
Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2013
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This book is beautifully illustrated. The profuse (nearly every other page) mostly full page color reproductions of paintings were of a uniform high quality. The accompanying text was a perfect combination of historical and cultural context and pictorial analysis without being overly didactic. I found it very readable (and what a great way to introduce a young person to painting this would be) Anyone who loves representational art at it's technical and romantic apogee will find this a pleasure to look at and read over and over again.
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Joe R. Parker
5.0 out of 5 stars Jean-Leon Gerome
Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2011
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An exhaustive study of the life, career and works of Jean-Leon Gerome. Beautifully illustrated. Fascinating insights on the influence of early photography on Gerome's work and his popularity in the United States. Some of the essays on certain aspects of Gerome's art by various scholars veer toward the abstruse - and translation may be the problem here - but this volume can be enjoyed by experts and admirers alike.
10 people found this helpful
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Craig Banholzer
4.0 out of 5 stars Long Awaited, Much Appreciated
Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2013
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Although I would have been happier if this exhibition had managed to book a venue where I could have actually seen it, this catalogue is a nice consolation prize. Most of Gerome's best-known paintings and sculptures are well-reproduced, and the text is full of useful information. My only qualm has to do with a kind of sneering condescension that tends to creep into most, but not all of the contributing scholars's essays. I could only wonder why an art historian would want to write about an artist for whom they would seem to have so little respect. I missed Gerald Ackerman's more sober and balanced approach.
9 people found this helpful
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Rob
2.0 out of 5 stars Way too much text
Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2010
I was at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and looking at the Gerome paintings which are great. I then saw this book in the museum book store and had a chance to look through it before buying it here (cheaper) on Amazon.com. I'm glad I looked before buying. There are two types of art books. One is the scholarly type with tons of text and then, two, the type that has a few pages of information in the front and then the "Color Plates" with little or no text. I much prefer the latter. I know what I like and I don't need an art scholar mumbling away in the driest words imagineable. I want sizeable pictures, color and detail. I want to look at art first and read about it second. Unfortunately this book is all about the text and the index of the paintings. Many of the pictures are reduced in size to accommodate the endless text... Too bad. Not buying this one.
106 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Phil
5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible paintings by a very talented man
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 27, 2019
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I've always been impressed by artists who can create photo-realism. Yes I know painting is supposed to be spontaneous and convey emotion and passion, but to me an image that's not only evocative and beautiful but also delicately finished with detail you can examine, is well worth studying. Gerome reminds me of Alma-Tadema and his spectacular movie-like images - quite unbelievably real. I love this book. It conveys Gerome's skill and dedication through beautiful images.
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DVD/OCD
5.0 out of 5 stars Gerome Triumphs!
Reviewed in Canada on February 19, 2011
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This is an epic volume that really does justice to the amazing art of 19th century French master painter Jean-Leon Gerome. The book is actually the 'catalogue' for a ground breaking exhibition of Gerome's work at the Getty Museum and it presents both the paintings and sculptural works of the artist in great detail and a format worthy of his splendid imagery. As one learns through the well written text - Gerome was an extremely successful artist in his day who painted dramatic visions based on exotic and historic subject matter with great technical virtuosity. He worked during the period when photography and mechanical reproduction technology was just beginning and utilized both effectively in his creative pursuits. Like many of the late 19th century realist/romantic painters his work was severely denigrated by the modernist abstract movement - to the point that he was almost forgotten by the present age. This book and the exhibition it represents may do much to rekindle interest and appreciation for the works of this remarkable artist. The book offers a broad sampling of Gerome's work (which was apparently prodigious!) and presents it beautifully in large full color plates (with many detail blow-ups) and also presents a goodly amount of background material and images to show his influences. This book may have been a long time coming, but it was worth the wait - highly recommended.
2 people found this helpful
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Seán
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 30, 2014
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brilliant
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