Fabric of Vision

by Anne Hollander

This book examines how artists have used clothing and drapery - real and imagined, sacred and secular - as elements in their paintings to give emphasis and emotional force to their figures.
Drawing on works by artists over a span of six centuries as well as fashion plates, photographs and film stills, the author shows how drapery in painting evolved in the period following the Renaissance, becoming ever more flamboyant and theatrical, before the revolution of taste at the end of the eighteenth century saw a return to Neoclassical ideals of simplicity in art and dress.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Fashion, History, Art History, Fashion History

192 pages, Paperback

First published June 12, 2002

About the author

Anne Helen Loesser Hollander was an American historian whose original work provided new insights into the history of fashion and costume and their relation to the history of art. She published numerous books on the history of fashion, modernity, and the body including Seeing Through Clothes and Sex and Suits.

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Useful in as much as it shows some good examples of drapery in art

[M Jay D M · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful book.

[Magpie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sumptuous - informative - loved it 5*****