Lovers in Art

by Sabine Adler

Drawing on five centuries of artistic expression, this lushly illustrated and beautifully designed celebration of romance is the perfect keepsake for lovers young and old. How many ways can you paint a kiss? Ask Picasso, Lichtenstein, Toulouse-Lautrec, Klimt, and Fragonard. Rediscover mythology's great love stories through the works of Botticelli, Correggio, Titian, and Canova. Meet ordinary and extraordinary couples in paintings by Kahlo, Van Eyck, Rubens, Rembrandt, Freud, and Rossetti. These are just some of the bounty of artists collected in this glorious book, featuring brilliantly colored reproductions and love-inspired writings. Organized to show the progression of love from first meeting to marriage, this exquisite volume travels the centuries through various artistic traditions. The stories these artists tell are as varied as the works sentimental, tragic, intellectual, ironic, sensual, and comic. For lovers of art, or just lovers, this book gloriously illustrates the endless facets of love.

Genres: Nonfiction, Art

95 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2005

Reviews

[Pholsten · Rating 3 out of 5]

pre-read review: just glancing through this already confirms what I thought would be the case--lack of racial diversity. Lovers in Art is a wonderful theme to explore, and yet, the glaring omission of Black love in particular, and other diverse voices in general, makes me wonder why the publishing industry does not push back more. It is exhausting to both enjoy art and at the same time seethe with these constant erasures. One would think in the 21st century that this would have been more inclusive to reflect a global reality, equity, and social justice.

post reading: I found myself disagreeing with how love was being defined (such a complex emotion, and making sweeping assertions just did not work). Once the book moved into the individual reflections for the many selected art representations, some were quite interesting, and I did discover more information about certain artists that peaked my interest to learn more about. I think this book is a good way to just expand with learning about artists vs. using the art to defend the premise of love.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting read- follows the development of the concepts of marriage and love in society via art. One to read on a slow day.