After a serious illness in 1792; Goya spent five years recuperating and preparing himself for the burst of creativity that was to follow. He read deeply in the French revolutionary philosophers. From Rousseau he evolved the idea that imagination divorced from reason produces monsters; but that coupled with reason "it is the mother of the arts and the source of their wonders." In Spain he saw a country that had abandoned reason; and he peopled Los Caprichos with the grotesque monsters that result from such an action. Plate after plate shows witches; asses; devils; and other strange creatures; many of which are caricatures of members of the society against which Goya was fighting. The plates were first published in 1799. There are still in existence; however; six extremely rare sets of artists proofs; considered by most who have managed to see them as infinitely superior to the work actually published. Now; for the first time; this edition reproduces one of these sets of 80 prints; together with the "Prado" manuscript; a commentary on the plates. In addition; this collection contains supplementary material to the Los Caprichos series; inlcuding a never-before-published study for Caprichos 10; three unique proofs of plates probably intended for publication with the others; a preliminary drawing for plate I; a self-portrait of Goya (which appears as the frontispiece to this volume); and a unique proof of "Woman in Prison" which may represent an earlier version of Caprichos 32.
#808683 in eBooks 2012-06-08 2012-05-11File Name: B00A739NOO
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Good for actors; not for funBy M.S.Its a rough read; to be completely honest. Its not exactly thrilling; but if youre an actor this is a must read. Stanislavski set the bar for modern day actors/acting; and his teachings at the very least must be studied by any aspiring actor. Now; if your looking for something interesting to read. and youre NOT interested in acting and theatre; this probably isnt for you. I love acting; and i bought this for my class; but im not a very focused reader and this was a battle to get through.Physically; my copy was fine; i got a used one which i promplty spilled coffee all over and filled with highlights and notes ;) a personal touch i guess. Anyways; im very happy with my buy; the book was great quality; but its not for everyone.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. It is present in a very easy to follow formatBy Kenn HardtConstantin Stanislavski is THE instructor for training the actor. This volume is one part of a three part set on training the actor. It is present in a very easy to follow format ;; its as though one is reading a story. Highly recommended for any student of the theatre.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. It wakes you up to certain realities and introduces you to some very useful techniques and principlesBy Albert GillickI found this a very interesting read. It gives the reader the experience of being in an actual acting class. After a while you really feel you are part of the class. It wakes you up to certain realities and introduces you to some very useful techniques and principles. I recommend this book for any person who wants to be an actor.