Main entry:

Harnett, William Michael, 1848-1892.

Title & Author:

William M. Harnett / edited by Doreen Bolger, Marc Simpson, and John Wilmerding, with the assistance of Thayer Tolles Mickel.

Publication:

Fort Worth : Amon Carter Museum ; New York : Metropolitan Museum of Art : H.N. Abrams, 1992.

Description:

xvi, 333 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 30 cm

Notes:
"Published in conjunction with the exhibition ... which was co-organized by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Amon Carter Museum, Fort Worth; and the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco"--Title page verso.
Catalogue of a travelling exhibition held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Mar. 14-June 14, 1992; Amon Carter Museum, Fort Worth, July 18-Oct. 18, 1992; the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Nov. 14, 1992-Feb. 14, 1993; National Gallery of Art, Washington, Mar. 14-June 13, 1993.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 315-319) and index.
Approaches to still-life painting. "Sordid mechanics" and "monkey-talents" : the illusionistic tradition / Nicolai Cikovsky, Jr. -- Illusionism, trompe l'oeil, and the perils of viewership / Paul J. Staiti -- Permanent objects in a changing world : Harnett's still lifes as a hold on the past / David M. Lubin -- A study in contrasts : the work of Harnett and La Farge / Henry Adams -- The patrons of the artist : emblems of commerce and culture / Doreen Bolger -- The artist's public face : lifetime exhibitions and critical reception / William H. Gerdts -- Harnett enters art history / Elizabeth Johns -- Elements of artistic development. Burin to brush : Harnett as an artisan / Paul Raymond Provost -- The artist and American art academies / Maria Chamberlin-Hellman -- Notes of change : Harnett's paintings of the late 1870s / John Wilmerding -- Common objects of everyday life / Roxana Robinson -- The artist's working methods / Jennifer Milam -- Harnett and photography / Douglas R. Nickel -- The late years / Jennifer Hardin -- The major themes. Permanent perishables : the artist's fruit paintings / Thayer Tolles Mickel -- "The best index of American life."
newspapers in the artist's work / Laura A. Coyle --"Job lot cheap" : books, bindings, and the old bookseller / Andrew Walker -- Commodified displays : the bric-a-brac still lifes / Sylvia Yount -- Grave counsel : Harnett and Vanitas / Chad Mandeles -- Literary references in Harnett's still-life paintings / Judy L. Larson -- After the hunt / Elizabeth Jane Connell -- Harnett and music : many a touching melody / Marc Simpson -- Chronology / Thayer Tolles Mickel.
Dust jacket.

Summary:

In his short but productive career, William Michael Harnett (1848-1892) became the great American master of trompe-l'oeil still-life painting. His works, popular with the public long before they were appreciated by the art critics, "fool the eye" with their convincing, sharp-edged definition of form and careful rendering of materials. This volume provides the first thorough examination of Harnett's career and its significance for the history of American art. Twenty-two essays by a roster of leading scholars examine three major areas: Harnett's relationship to his contemporaries, among them painters, patrons, critics, and the general public; his formative training and experiences; and the meaning of his themes for the audience that supported him. These essays discuss not only Harnett's own technical skill and artistic development, but also the aesthetic issues of illusionism and trompe l'oeil, Harnett's relationship to other painters working in a similar vein, and the implications of his subject matter. Ultimately, the essays help to resolve the question of how Harnett's technically skillful imitations of real objects fit the definition of "art" and what his popularity says about the culture in which he worked and lived. Each of the editors has written an essay for this volume; other contributors include Henry Adams, Maria Chamberlin-Hellman, Nicolai Cikovsky, Jr., Elizabeth Jane Connell, William H. Gerdts, Elizabeth Johns, Judy L. Larson, David M. Lubin, Chad Mandeles, Roxana Robinson, and Paul J. Staiti. The forty-nine works reproduced in full color and arranged chronologically provide the first comprehensive survey of Harnett's work. A bibliography, chronology, and thorough index add to the reference value of this handsome volume.

Resources:
Table of contents

ISBN:

0810934108
9780810934108
0883600692 (pbk.)
9780883600696 (pbk.)

Subject:

Harnett, William Michael, 1848-1892 Exhibitions.
Harnett, William Michael, 1848-1892 Criticism and interpretation.
Harnett, William Michael 1848-1892 Exhibitions.
Harnett, William Michael 1848-1892 Criticism and interpretation.
Harnett, William Michael, 1848-1892 Catalogues.
Harnett, William Michael, 1848-1892 Critique et interprétation.
Harnett, William Michael, 1848-1892.

Form/genre:

exhibition catalogs.
Criticism, interpretation, etc.
Exhibition catalogs.
Catalogues d'exposition.

Added entries:

Bolger, Doreen, 1949-
Simpson, Marc.
Wilmerding, John.
Amon Carter Museum of Western Art.
Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.)
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.
National Gallery of Art (U.S.)

Holdings:

Location: Library main 77203
Call No.: ID EXHX; ID:92-B912
Status: Available