Rubens

Samuel Levy BensusanProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.8

Word count: 50K 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.Rubens by S. L. BensusanAuthor: Bensusan, S. L. (Samuel Levy), 1872-1958,Language: English, Class: ND: Fine Arts: Painting, Release Date: Dec 3, 2012

Editor's review

This short life of Rubens by S. L. Bensusan belongs to an earlier tradition of artist biography: it does not aim at a catalogue-style chronology of works, but seeks to understand the painter within his time and city life. For Chinese readers its value lies not in offering the latest art-historical conclusions, but in showing how the early twentieth-century English-speaking world introduced this Baroque master to general readers—the narrative is unhurried and essayistic, suitable as a first door into Rubens the man and his art. It is best read as an "old-fashioned guide": first build an overall impression of the painter's life and main creative directions, then compare with art albums or museum collection catalogues for a more solid gain. The electronic edition is a public-domain text, plainly typeset, without color plates; readers must supply their own images.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in Baroque painting and European art history who want an introductory short biography first
Visitors preparing to see a Rubens exhibition or related museum who wish to learn the background in advance
Readers who like the old-style art essay tone and do not mind the text's period feel
Readers with adequate English reading ability willing to use a public-domain book to practice art-related English

Not a good fit for

Researchers needing the latest scholarship, detailed work authentication, and annotations
Readers expecting high-resolution color plates and a picture-led album
Beginners seeking a systematic art-historical framework rather than a biography of a single figure

Reading tips

Read through once to build an impression, then pick chapters of interest and read alongside online museum collection images
Note down work titles and locations mentioned in the book as you read, then verify and view the images afterward
Use it as preliminary reading before an exhibition, then go see the originals with questions in mind
If English is difficult, read a Chinese introduction to Rubens first, then return to this book to appreciate the tone of old-style biography

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

Does this book have color illustrations?

No. It is a public-domain electronic text from Project Gutenberg, mainly text, with no color plates. When reading, it is better to prepare an art album yourself or search museum websites for the works mentioned in the book and look at them as you read.

Are the art-historical views in the book still authoritative today?

It is an earlier popular biography and should not be cited as the latest research. Its value lies in understanding how the early twentieth-century English-speaking world introduced Rubens to the general public, and in its unhurried essayistic narration. For research, consult contemporary academic works instead.

How difficult is the English, and is it suitable for reading practice?

Overall it is a biographical style aimed at general readers; the sentences are not very difficult, but there are period expressions and many personal and place names. Readers with some English foundation who are willing to look up words can use it as extensive reading material in art-related English.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Samuel Levy Bensusan Author · British · 1872–1958

Samuel Levy Bensusan (1872–1958) was a British writer, art historian and chronicler of rural life, born in Deptford, London. He worked early on as a music and drama critic, and later contributed painter biographies to the "Masterpieces in Colour" series, covering artists such as Velázquez, Rubens and Murillo. In clear, concise prose he sketched each painter's life and artistic character, bringing Western painting to general readers. His interests also ranged to distant places and literary landmarks, yielding books on Morocco and on Shakespeare's homes and haunts. In later years he settled in Essex, where he devoted himself to writing about country life and dialect in a plain, gentle style. Twelve of his works are held in this collection, some classified under inspirational growth.