David Hockney, savoirs secrets, nouvelle édition augmentée, Seuil (book)

This post is also available in: Français (French)

David Hockney, secret knowledge, new expanded edition, Edition du Seuil (book) The lost techniques of the old Masters. Hardcover book in very good condition with some marks on the dust jacket. Book in French. 510 illustrations, 330 pages. Translated from English by Pierre Saint-Jean. 2006.

For a painter, the extraordinary thing is to stop painting! Thus, David Hockney has laid down his brushes in order to bring to light the secrets of the old masters. As he investigated, his findings attracted media attention and sparked debate among scholars, art historians and museum curators around the world. Today, in this new expanded edition of Secret Knowledge, David Hockney tells the story of his research and what it uncovered. He explains how he established scientific and visual evidence, each of which brings new revelations. Through the painter, the reader can examine the major paintings in the history of art and learn how artists such as Caravaggio, Velázquez, Van Eyck, Holbein, Vinci and Ingres used mirrors and lenses to create their famous masterpieces. These hundreds of paintings and drawings, some of which are among the best known in Western art, are commented on in the captivating and enthusiastic tone of David Hockney. His own photographs and drawings illustrate the different techniques used by painters of the past and present the results obtained. Old or recent texts provide additional evidence and Hockney’s correspondence with a group of specialists retraces the stages of this fascinating research. Secret Knowledge is not only devoted to the lost techniques of the old masters. The book is also interested in the present and the future, in the way in which we see, process and manufacture images today, in the age of computer retouching. In constant research, challenging accepted ideas and practices, Hockney opens our eyes to the way we perceive and represent the world. With Savoirs secrets, a major artist invites us to share his insightful and enlightened look at the history of art.

Feel free to check out the additional photos at the top left, thank you!

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