Tintoretto

Samuel Levy BensusanProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.5

Word count: 51K 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.Tintoretto by S. L. BensusanAuthor: Bensusan, S. L. (Samuel Levy), 1872-1958,Language: English, Class: ND: Fine Arts: Painting, Release Date: Apr 14, 2013

Editor's review

This is a critical biography of Tintoretto by the British writer Samuel Levy Bensusan, a work in the fine arts category (Class ND), released by Project Gutenberg as an English-language electronic edition. Tintoretto was a major painter of the Venetian school, and this book discusses his life and painting career with the flavor of early twentieth-century art writing: it addresses both the appearance and composition of the works and the painter's place in the Venetian art world. For readers who want an initial acquaintance with this painter without starting with a heavy art album, it is a convenient entry point. The English original is moderate in length, suitable as supplementary material for reading in art history and convenient for quickly building background impressions before or after visiting a museum. Note that it is not a contemporary iconographic study and its analysis of individual works is limited in depth; for specialized research, newer art albums and scholarly articles are still needed.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Beginning readers interested in the Venetian school and Renaissance painting
Museum visitors who want a quick background on Tintoretto before or after a visit
Art or English majors who need English-language art reading for practice
General readers who enjoy lightweight artist biographies and can read in spare moments

Not a good fit for

Professional art researchers who need high-resolution plates for comparison with details of works
Readers expecting contemporary iconographic analysis or the latest research findings
Readers of Chinese only who would have marked difficulty with the English original

Reading tips

Search for images of the works mentioned in the book as you read, comparing the text with the pictures.
Read the biographical section first to establish a timeline, then return to the chapters on individual works for a clearer thread.
Use the book as preparatory reading before visiting an exhibition of the Venetian school, then go see the originals with questions in mind.
When encountering the author's period-specific judgments, note them and compare them with the views of contemporary art history works.

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 contain color illustrations?

According to the available information, this is an English electronic text released by Project Gutenberg, primarily presenting text, and it is not stated to include color plates. To compare with the actual works, readers are advised to search for images of the paintings mentioned in the book or to read alongside an illustrated art album, which will work better.

Can I read it directly without knowing anything about Tintoretto?

Yes. This is an introductory critical biography that narrates the painter's life and work and does not require prior expertise. If you spend a few minutes learning the basic background of the Venetian school first, it will be easier to form impressions of the names and works mentioned in the book.

Is this book suitable for academic citation?

It is not very suitable as a primary source for academic citation. The author, Bensusan, wrote in the early twentieth century, and the book bears the characteristics of art writing of that era; neither its analysis nor its sources meet contemporary research standards. For specialized research, treat it as background reading, and base core arguments on newer scholarly albums and articles.

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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.