The Darker Side of Light: Arts of Privacy, 1850-1900 - Tapa dura

'The book discloses a grace and elegance of design, respectful of the aesthetic attached to its subject...' The Art Book '...this volume breaks new ground in thinking about the whys and wherefores of private viewing and collecting...this publication will appeal more to scholars...Recommended.' Choice '... this is a great read that is also serious and beautiful. For readers interested in works on paper (prints and drawings) and the history of art collecting, specifically of the late 19th century.' Library Journal 2009 'This book is a treasure ... handsomely produced.' Art Newsletter '... must be praised for opening the intimate European print collectors' cabinets and for granting the intellectual pursuits of artists in the late nineteenth century the attention and consideration they deserve... reading this book restores the quiet enjoyment of focused study, which the medium of the exhibition cannot reproduce.' Miranda e journal 'This beautiful book ... takes the reader into unusual, fascinating spheres of though, presenting both familiar and unusual prints in an unfamiliar context.' Printmaking Today Winter 2009

For many today, the art of the late 19th century is equated with Impressionism and Post-Impressionism. This captivating book with its insightful essays and remarkable works of art presents us with an alternative account of the period. For collectors the experience of prints, drawings, and small sculptures was often a private affair, like taking a book down from the shelf for quiet enjoyment. Prints and drawings were kept aside, compiled in albums and portfolios, while medals and bronzes were often placed in the seclusion of the library. In short, such works of art were not typically a part of one's day-to-day environment in the manner of a framed object hung on a wall. Rather, they were subject to purposeful study on chosen occasions. From the beginning this element of discreteness allowed for degrees of experiment leading artists to sometimes recherche, sometimes enigmatic, and often melancholy subjects that indulged the solitary circumstances of their reception. By explicating a range of highly engaging, often mysterious and beautiful objects, The Darker Side of Light evokes the shadowed interiors and private introspections that compose a far less familiar history of late 19th-century art.