Pen Vs. Paintbrush : Girodet, Balzac, and the Myth of Pygmalion in Post-Revolutionary France

Rating:
Summary: Groundbreaking Work on Artistic Rivalries in France
Review: A wonderful and insightful examination of the competition between painters and authors in France after the revolution. This book gives a thorough reading of the social and aesthetic roots of artistic production in a period that is not often afforded adequate attention and her interpretations of Girodet's paintings and Balzac's stories are lively and illuminating. The focus on portrayals of the female body [via variations on the Pygmalion myth] plays out contemporary anxieties of gender in fascinating ways. Highly recommended for scholars of art, literature, culture and women's studies.

Rating:
Summary: Groundbreaking Work on Artistic Rivalries in France
Review: A wonderful and insightful examination of the competition between painters and authors in France after the revolution. This book gives a thorough reading of the social and aesthetic roots of artistic production in a period that is not often afforded adequate attention and her interpretations of Girodet's paintings and Balzac's stories are lively and illuminating. The focus on portrayals of the female body [via variations on the Pygmalion myth] plays out contemporary anxieties of gender in fascinating ways. Highly recommended for scholars of art, literature, culture and women's studies.