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Beatrix Potter 1866 - 1943: The Artist and Her World
Full-color and b&w illustrations.
224 pages, Paperback
Published May 1, 1988
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 18, 2022
I am more intrigued by Beatrix Potter and her art than I am by her stories. This book is well-done; I'm surprised that it doesn't have more reviews.
December 29, 2021
Why I Read This Book: Since I thoroughly enjoyed reading Beatrix Potter's books as a child, I thought it would be interesting to learn more about her.
Format: Paperback, borrowed from Henrietta Public Library.
Synopsis: This book was compiled for an exhibition about Beatrix Potter. Four authors contributed to the work; because of this several chapters had overlapping or repeated information. Beatrix Potter: The Artist and Her World contains biographical accounts of Beatrix's life, commentary about her artistic methods and how they changed over time, and details about the printing and publications of her various books. There were a lot of photos, some of Beatrix, her family and friends, and photos she and her father had taken. Most pages had drawings, illustrations, paintings or watercolors by Beatrix.
What I Thought: Generally I find biographies to be boring and dry. This was anything but boring! Should I ever need to write a report on Beatrix Potter, this is probably the only resource I would need. Every aspect of Beatrix's life is covered, from how wealthy her parents were and their resulting social standing to how she was treated growing up, her menagerie of pets, to her tragic romance, eventual happy marriage, how she started writing books, the struggles she had getting her books printed and distributed, eventually allowing her books to be published and distributed in America, and what she did after she stopped writing books. Her artistic abilities are examined from several angles, including how she was introduced to art, famous artists she knew or met, and how she eventually ended up with the method and style of watercolor pictures in most of her books. Many of her books are discussed individually as well, from her inspiration, to writing the story, illustrating, and getting (or trying) to get her stories published and distributed.
The Bottom Line: This is a fantastic book for anyone who wants to learn more about Beatrix Potter.
Format: Paperback, borrowed from Henrietta Public Library.
Synopsis: This book was compiled for an exhibition about Beatrix Potter. Four authors contributed to the work; because of this several chapters had overlapping or repeated information. Beatrix Potter: The Artist and Her World contains biographical accounts of Beatrix's life, commentary about her artistic methods and how they changed over time, and details about the printing and publications of her various books. There were a lot of photos, some of Beatrix, her family and friends, and photos she and her father had taken. Most pages had drawings, illustrations, paintings or watercolors by Beatrix.
What I Thought: Generally I find biographies to be boring and dry. This was anything but boring! Should I ever need to write a report on Beatrix Potter, this is probably the only resource I would need. Every aspect of Beatrix's life is covered, from how wealthy her parents were and their resulting social standing to how she was treated growing up, her menagerie of pets, to her tragic romance, eventual happy marriage, how she started writing books, the struggles she had getting her books printed and distributed, eventually allowing her books to be published and distributed in America, and what she did after she stopped writing books. Her artistic abilities are examined from several angles, including how she was introduced to art, famous artists she knew or met, and how she eventually ended up with the method and style of watercolor pictures in most of her books. Many of her books are discussed individually as well, from her inspiration, to writing the story, illustrating, and getting (or trying) to get her stories published and distributed.
The Bottom Line: This is a fantastic book for anyone who wants to learn more about Beatrix Potter.
October 9, 2012
I was in the mood for a good movie and one of my librarian-friends recommended the 2008 movie about Beatrix Potter. After sequestering myself in front of my DVD player for a few hours, I emerged with two goals: to read everything I could about Beatrix Potter and, to hope, that the next time around, I could come back and BE Beatrix Potter!
This book, the companion to the Pierpont Morgan Library exhibition "Beatrix Potter: Artist and Storyteller" is a charming, inspirational tribute to a woman who was ahead of her time in so many of her accomplishments. I loved the illustrations and, of course, drank up the details of Potter's amazing life as if I was drinking a bottle of Pouilly Fuisse - in my humble opinion, a superlative French wine! At first glance, you may wonder what French wine, especially this French wine, has to do with an English woman who lived in the 19th century...I would tell you that Beatrix Potter, her life and her contributions to England and to the world, are very much like a fine wine that has its own, enviable and timeless place in the world.
This book, the companion to the Pierpont Morgan Library exhibition "Beatrix Potter: Artist and Storyteller" is a charming, inspirational tribute to a woman who was ahead of her time in so many of her accomplishments. I loved the illustrations and, of course, drank up the details of Potter's amazing life as if I was drinking a bottle of Pouilly Fuisse - in my humble opinion, a superlative French wine! At first glance, you may wonder what French wine, especially this French wine, has to do with an English woman who lived in the 19th century...I would tell you that Beatrix Potter, her life and her contributions to England and to the world, are very much like a fine wine that has its own, enviable and timeless place in the world.
August 2, 2024
This was an interesting read, with a general biography of Beatrix Potter as well as more specific details about her work and inspirations. The book jumped around a bit since the chapters were organized thematically instead of chronologically, but it was encouraging as an artist to see the range of work that she did from loose practice sketches and journal entries to her more polished illustrations and watercolor pieces.
April 16, 2023
I loved that the first quarter of the book tells you the story of her life. The remainder dives deeper into the backstory of the books, drawings, etc. She was really interesting. So bright and driven even into her 70s. The illustrations throughout are so beautiful and sweet.
February 20, 2016
Delightful. A book published to coincide with an exhibition in 1988. Emphasis is on her art but there is quite a bit about the text of her books too, and also a lot of biographical information with supporting illustrations. The illustrations are lovely and I like the use of the distinctive font of the titles of her books for the chapter headings.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews