Amazons in the Drawing Room: The Art of Romaine Brooks

Rating:
Summary: A Good But Incomplete Job on Romaine Brooks
Review: This book presents itself as "comprehensive and definitive" on the art and life of Romaine Brooks but alas falls short of the goal. Sadly, if you've waited 25 plus years for a decent book on Brooks since the extemely inadequate "Thief of Souls" catalogue from the early 1970's and the wonderful "Between Me and Life" biography by Meryle Secrest, this new catalogue will disappoint. My problem with it is that while bragging that it reproduces "34 of the 40 nudes and portraits" Brooks painted-- why, oh why, couldn't they finish the job and reproduce the remaining six? Even if it is a catalogue to a touring show what harm would it have done to add 3 pages of color plates and include the portrait of Paul Morand, the 2nd D'Annunzio protrait, the Carl Van Vechten and so on? Additionally, the book's format lacks the grandeur of Brook's work as it has a small, blockly format. On the plus side the color reproduction is excellent for all but two of the pictures--the D'Annunzio has too much yellow in it, and "the Huntress" is too dark. How many years must we wait to see all of her work reproduced in one large format resplendent volume, preferably on mat paper, and, for some of the pictures, their frames included? Additionally, the two essays are fine but hardly "definitive" as both are heavily indebted to the Secrest biography which is still the most thorough job on Brooks and inexplicably still out-of-print after 25 years. Still if you love Brook's art this is a must have as there is nothing else. Don't miss the show!

Rating:
Summary: A Good But Incomplete Job on Romaine Brooks
Review: This book presents itself as "comprehensive and definitive" on the art and life of Romaine Brooks but alas falls short of the goal. Sadly, if you've waited 25 plus years for a decent book on Brooks since the extemely inadequate "Thief of Souls" catalogue from the early 1970's and the wonderful "Between Me and Life" biography by Meryle Secrest, this new catalogue will disappoint. My problem with it is that while bragging that it reproduces "34 of the 40 nudes and portraits" Brooks painted-- why, oh why, couldn't they finish the job and reproduce the remaining six? Even if it is a catalogue to a touring show what harm would it have done to add 3 pages of color plates and include the portrait of Paul Morand, the 2nd D'Annunzio protrait, the Carl Van Vechten and so on? Additionally, the book's format lacks the grandeur of Brook's work as it has a small, blockly format. On the plus side the color reproduction is excellent for all but two of the pictures--the D'Annunzio has too much yellow in it, and "the Huntress" is too dark. How many years must we wait to see all of her work reproduced in one large format resplendent volume, preferably on mat paper, and, for some of the pictures, their frames included? Additionally, the two essays are fine but hardly "definitive" as both are heavily indebted to the Secrest biography which is still the most thorough job on Brooks and inexplicably still out-of-print after 25 years. Still if you love Brook's art this is a must have as there is nothing else. Don't miss the show!