On Reflection
Condition: SECONDHAND
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In this volume, Jonathan Miller investigates the pictorial representation of sheen, shine, glimmer and gleam through a selection of paintings and photographs drawn from the National Gallery, London and other international collections. He describes our perceptual capacity to recognize real-life mirrors as well as those in pictures, a complex psychological process of which we are usually unaware. He also traces the ambivalent imagery of mirrors from neutral aids to representing the self as in Rembrandt's "Self Portrait" or Velasquez' "Rokeby Venus", through metaphors of either virtues or vices in allegorical paintings - such as Le Tournier's "Allegory of Justice and Vanity" and Otto Dix's "Woman Before a Mirror". The extent to which a surface reflects a recognizable image varies enormously. Jonathan Miller shows the full range, from the diffuse sheen of polished leather or burnished copper to the representational realism of silvered glass. The depiction of such variously reflective surfaces has challenged the virtuoisty of artists as diverse as Remrandt and Rockwell for more than 2000 years.
A book intergrating science and art, it is designed to appeal to a wide readership of all ages. It provides a guide to reflecting on reflections aiming to enhance the reader's enjoyment both of everyday life and of visual art.
Author: Jonathan Miller
Format: Hardback, 224 pages, 235mm x 290mm, 1220 g
Published: 1998, National Gallery Company Ltd, United Kingdom
Genre: Fine Arts / Art History
In this volume, Jonathan Miller investigates the pictorial representation of sheen, shine, glimmer and gleam through a selection of paintings and photographs drawn from the National Gallery, London and other international collections. He describes our perceptual capacity to recognize real-life mirrors as well as those in pictures, a complex psychological process of which we are usually unaware. He also traces the ambivalent imagery of mirrors from neutral aids to representing the self as in Rembrandt's "Self Portrait" or Velasquez' "Rokeby Venus", through metaphors of either virtues or vices in allegorical paintings - such as Le Tournier's "Allegory of Justice and Vanity" and Otto Dix's "Woman Before a Mirror". The extent to which a surface reflects a recognizable image varies enormously. Jonathan Miller shows the full range, from the diffuse sheen of polished leather or burnished copper to the representational realism of silvered glass. The depiction of such variously reflective surfaces has challenged the virtuoisty of artists as diverse as Remrandt and Rockwell for more than 2000 years.
A book intergrating science and art, it is designed to appeal to a wide readership of all ages. It provides a guide to reflecting on reflections aiming to enhance the reader's enjoyment both of everyday life and of visual art.