Johannes Vermeer (Delft; 1632 ndash; 1675)Vermeer est le seul peintre correspondant agrave; lideacute;e que lon se fait habituellement de la placiditeacute; hollandaise. Peutecirc;tre incarne-t-il un genre heacute;roiuml;que de placiditeacute;; car aucune de ses peintures ne laisse percer le moindre souffle dinquieacute;tude. Partout; nous avons limpression que son coup de pinceau nest quun lent effleurement; dune assurance consommeacute;e; et quun reflet dans une bouteille; un rideau sur un mur; ou la texture dun tapis ou dune robe; linteacute;ressaient autant que les visages des hommes et des femmes. Ici; aucune virtuositeacute; apparente; aucuneprouesse du pinceau; rien de superflu; pourtant tout est lagrave; pour atteindre la perfection et le maximum deffets exprimables par la simple rigueur : rigueur de la composition; du dessin; de la coloration; qui; par sa gamme de tons clairs et plutocirc;t froids; sous une lumiegrave;re argenteacute;e; fut une creacute;ation rare et originale. Contrairement agrave; ses preacute;deacute;cesseurs; il utilisa une camera scura afin de rendre la perspective avec le plus de soin possible. Il reacute;volutionna la faccedil;on de faire et dutiliser la peinture. Sa technique dapplication des couleurs preacute;figurait certaines meacute;thodes employeacute;es par les impressionnistes presque deux siegrave;cles plus tard.
2011-12-22 2011-12-22File Name: B00CR6D4Y4
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. If you love FOLLIES...By John Spritz...or if you love musicals; or if you love theater; or if you love good writing; or if you just "like" any of the above -- then get this book. Chapin had a directors-side seat at the creation and launch of; um; my favorite show; and he was taking notes all the while. Theres nothing like this: instructive and illuminating and enjoyable all at once. Makes you wish we had a similar circumstance/book for someone who was there while "Oedipus Rex" was being rehearsed.21 of 21 people found the following review helpful. Best book about Broadway since The SeasonBy krebsmanIn 1971 Ted Chapin was a 20-year old college student who found a way to wangle a job as a production assistant (gofer) on FOLLIES and get college credit for it. No doubt; Chapins family connections helped him a great deal (which he readily admits) and Im sure that because of it he was treated with far more respect than the average gofer. But connections or not; he was still a kid in love with the theatre. Chapins youthful enthusiasm and hero worship shine through the book. The part that really melted my heart was when realizes hes the first person to type the lyrics for a new Sondheim song; "Im Still Here." And you realize that even though today Chapin is powerful and successful; he still takes great pride in having been the first person to type the lyrics for "Im Still Here."At the time of FOLLIES it was not unusual for shows to go into rehearsal with large sections of the script (the ending; for example) marked; "To Be Written." (Things are not like that today.) There are changes that happen in rehearsals; such as taking away "Losing My Mind" from Alexis Smith and giving it to Dorothy Collins. (It finally worked!) We see the changes that the show makes in its Boston tryout and the differences they make. There are great photos of the stars in the wigs and costumes that didnt work and were discarded. We read about the dramatic changes that happen when "Can That Boy Foxtrot" gets replaced by "Im Still Here" and "Uptown and Downtown" gets replaced by "Lucy and Jessie." Then there were the trials of Alexis Smith losing her voice and Gene Nelsons son becoming involved in a life-threatening situation on the West Coast. Could the understudies go on? Theyve had no rehearsal at all! The cast was composed mostly of older people who had difficulty remembering lines and learning dance routines; in addition to being terrified to move on Boris Aronsons severely raked stage.I liked all the detail that Chapin includes in the book; like what the show was like from the orchestra pit; how the lyric sheets were punctuated; visits to the scene and costume workshops; etc. Chapin vividly presents a large cast of characters. I got a kick out of old Ethel Shutta getting off a few zingers at Fifi DOrsays expense. Early in rehearsals Yvonne DeCarlo appears to take a shine to young Chapin and he becomes her frequent escort; much to the horror of Hal Prince and Stephen Sondheim. Dorothy Collins supposedly told her to "Keep your hands off that nice young man." We see Alexis Smith working with everything shes got to make the show her own; all the while denying that shes put very much effort into her career. Theres a cameo by Angela Lansbury (who was trying out PRETTYBELLE in Boston while FOLLIES was there for its tryout). Lansbury asks DeCarlo after seeing a matinee if this was her first time on stage. DeCarlo later explains it by saying that Angie must have been in a state of shock over her own shows premature closing.FOLLIES went on to become a landmark in the American theatre; running nearly two years; despite losing its entire investment. FOLLIES still sparks arguments today. Was it brilliant? Or a pretentious mess? This book is a great addition to the FOLLIES legend. Chapin obviously took great joy in simply being there and that joy shines through the pages of this book. Whether youre a FOLLIES fan or not (and Im not); this book is a must-read for theatre buffs.7 of 7 people found the following review helpful. Wish you were thereBy Richard LeComteThe immense immediacy of Ted Chapins "Follies" memoir puts you right in the middle of a chaotic rehearsal period. Alas; the era Chapin remembers is as far gone to us as the era "Follies" intended to evoke. He rarely pauses for breath as he takes us through the thrilling rehearsal period of a musical with cast that mixed young and old and a range of temperaments. The parts where he talks about Yvonne DeCarlo are both fascinating and a little weird.Unintentionally; Chapin puts his finger on what exactly was wrong with "Follies" 33 years ago -- the creators never seemed to have a clear; hit-your-head-with-a-hammer conception of what it all meant. The musical seemed to create itself; and the result baffled as many people as it pleased. The creators even sought out a Harvard undergrad who had written an essay on the show during its Boston tryout. (Read the book to find out who the undergrad was; but rest assured it wasnt Ted Kaczynski.) I was too young to see it; but I really; really wish I was there.The characters of the actors and creative team come through; with the possible exception of Jim Goldman; who seemed to have distanced himself from the cast. Some surprises: Hal Prince gave line readings to the actors; and even stars making a lot of money for the time could routinely make mistakes. Nevertheless; Chapin has a profound sense of decency and understanding; and he never paints any of these people in an overly negative way.Another thing that comes through in Chapins memoir is his audacious efficiency. Based on this account; Chapin was a dream gofer; coordinating the demands of a script that just kept spinning out of control. I could never have done it. Hats off.While reading the book; I often found myself singing the "Follies" score aloud; it is brilliant; and Ill never understand why critics of the time dismissed Stephen Sondheims music. Neither; I suspect; did Chapin. For theater buffs; this book will make you yearn to head to your local little theater group and jump right in.