Objects on a Table : Harmonious Disarray in Art and Literature

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Summary: Secrets of E.A.Poe, DeChirico, apples, redemption, etc
Review: Originally read as a lecture at the University of Toronto back in 1982, this book is a rich tapestry depicting the strange, wonderful, recondite, unexpected weaving of literature and the time-honored symbolism within the tradition of still-life paintings. But, in exchange for richness and density, we do get an overly wide-roaming array as well as a disarray of topics, not always harmonious in the way they are presented. Many an idea are begun only to be abruptly interrupted by another, equally interesting and equally interrupted later. Among the topics mentioned in the book: Apple and pear as the Fall and the Redemption, respectively; The recurrence of busts in still-lifes; DeChirico's handling of the classic motif; Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher" and its connection to the underworld by way of Orpheus, whose name means 'willow' as does the old french 'ussier', thus 'Usher'; Shelley, Keats, Joyce, Zola, Xenophon, Nietzsche and Turin, etc. Thers is much learning here, as there always is in all of Davenport's essays. However, here, there is a general feeling that one is reading a sketch of an essay, the writer's working notes, rather than a fully formed condensation of ideas. Thus, many of the references seem to float on top of, rather than anchor the ideas the author wishes to convey. In other words, he comes off sounding pedantic, which is something I have never seen him do in his other books. Nonetheless, the fast reading (it's just over 100 pages) is rewarding as an introduction to the tradition -- now being lost -- of informing literature through painting, and vice versa.

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Summary: This is a book which draws lines in history & art.
Review: This author is extremely atuned to the historical and literary 'trade routes' by which ideas and techniques are conveyed to our time. If you haven't read his "Geography of the Imagination", you have a treat in store. There are at least two sides to Guy Davenport: one is his 'own work' which consists of stories in a completely unique genre, and the other is his 'detective work' or book worm mode which yield astounding ties from one writer to another, or from painter to writer, or culture to culture. This is a work to treasure.

Rating:
Summary: This is a book which draws lines in history & art.
Review: This author is extremely atuned to the historical and literary 'trade routes' by which ideas and techniques are conveyed to our time. If you haven't read his "Geography of the Imagination", you have a treat in store. There are at least two sides to Guy Davenport: one is his 'own work' which consists of stories in a completely unique genre, and the other is his 'detective work' or book worm mode which yield astounding ties from one writer to another, or from painter to writer, or culture to culture. This is a work to treasure.

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Summary: Found Treasure
Review: Whatever reason guides our quest for information to discover small treasures, the rewards of finding writing as quiet and yet celebratory as Guy Davenport's OBJECTS ON A TABLE are immeasurable. This small volume of four essays on the intransigence of Still Life paintings and their concommitant relationship to music, philosophy, literature, history, poetry, and simply Life is satisfying on every level. While the art world strains to design the NEW trends/schools/movements that will incite or induce controversy and a step toward the now ubiquitous Warhol 15 minutes of fame, writers and lecturers such as Davenport (and Mark Doty, Norbert Schneider, et al) offer solace in the simplicity of beckoning quietly toward the centuries old yet very much extant art of the painted Still Life. Meditations on the significance of baskets of fruit, on 'memento mori', on non-visual artists who attempt to capture the simplicity inherent in the Still Life spill over the pages of this beautiful little book, and in doing so enhance our vision of the world about us. The writing here is superb, the pleasures of pausing to read solitarily the thoughts of a writer so well informed about so many issues makes this small volume a fine addition to the thinkers' librairies. Beautiful!