Ingres

Finberg, A. J. (Alexander Joseph), 1866-1939Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.4

Word count: 54K words
Chapters: 6

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Ingres by A. J. FinbergAuthor: Finberg, A. J. (Alexander Joseph), 1866-1939,Language: English, Class: ND: Fine Arts: Painting, Release Date: Apr 21, 2013

Editor's review

This short study of Ingres by A. J. Finberg is a typical specimen of early popular art-historical writing: modest in length, yet it offers a commentary on the life and work of the French Neoclassical painter Ingres. Its value lies in the viewing perspective it preserves from the early twentieth century, letting readers see how critics of that time understood Ingres's line, drawing, and classical taste, rather than offering the systematic argument of a modern scholarly monograph. The Project Gutenberg edition makes it easy to search for the painter's name and titles of works, and it serves well as supplementary reading alongside an introduction to art history. Read it as a historical document, noting the author's judgments and phrasing, and compare them with reproductions of the paintings to form your own view; the evaluations in the book need not be taken as final.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers interested in French painting and Neoclassicism
Art lovers curious about the style of early art criticism
English learners seeking a short English-language art history text
Those consulting material on Ingres who want an added historical-critical perspective

Not a good fit for

Art specialists seeking detailed visual analysis and high-quality plates
Readers expecting a systematic treatment within a contemporary scholarly framework
Beginners impatient with nineteenth-century critical prose

Reading tips

Read alongside reproductions of Ingres's major works, looking at the paintings while following the text.
Treat it as a historical piece of criticism: note the author's stance and the limitations of his era rather than accepting everything.
It is short enough to read in two or three sittings; after each, note one or two works you want to look into further.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book illustrated?

The Project Gutenberg edition is primarily text; whether it includes plates depends on the specific file. It is advisable to have images of Ingres's works on hand for comparison while reading.

Who was the author, Finberg?

A. J. Finberg was a British art critic and art historian writing in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This book is his commentary on Ingres; for biographical details, consult reliable reference works.

Is it suitable for readers with no background in art history?

It can serve as supplementary reading, but it is not a systematic textbook and lacks a full art-historical context. Complete beginners should first read a general survey of art history, then use this book to add a historical perspective.

Comments

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About the author

Finberg, A. J. (Alexander Joseph), 1866-1939 Author · British · 1866–1939

Alexander Joseph Finberg (A. J. Finberg, 1866–1939) was a British art historian best known for his studies of the English painter J. M. W. Turner, to whose works he made important contributions in cataloguing and attribution. Because public information is limited, the details of his life cannot be described in full; yet the work held in this catalogue and the existing introduction confirm that his writing served the practical needs of art-historical research and connoisseurship, emphasising the examination of sources and the attribution of works rather than general appreciative commentary. The catalogue includes his book Ingres, which shows that his interests were not confined to Britain but extended to major painters of continental Europe. Such monographic studies are typically grounded in solid material and clear questions, and remain useful to later readers seeking to understand the painters concerned and their periods.