Johannes Vermeer; one of the greatest Dutch painters and for some the single greatest painter of all; produced a remarkably small corpus of work. In Vermeers Family Secrets; Benjamin Binstock revolutionizes how we think about Vermeers work and life. Vermeer; The Sphinx of Delft; is famously a mystery in art: despite the common claim that little is known of his biography; there is actually an abundance of fascinating information about Vermeerrsquo;s life that Binstock brings to bear on Vermeerrsquo;s art for the first time; he also offers new interpretations of several key documents pertaining to Vermeer that have been misunderstood. Lavishly illustrated with more than 180 black and white images and more than sixty color plates; the book also includes a remarkable color two-page spread that presents the entirety of Vermeers oeuvre arranged in chronological order in 1/20 scale; demonstrating his gradual formal and conceptual development. No book on Vermeer has ever done this kind of visual comparison of his complete output. Like Poes purloined letter; Vermeers secrets are sometimes out in the open where everyone can see them. Benjamin Binstock shows us where to look. Piecing together evidence; the tools of art history; and his own intuitive skills; he gives us for the first time a history of Vermeers work in light of Vermeers life.On almost every page of Vermeers Family Secrets; there is a perception or an adjustment that rethinks what we know about Vermeer; his oeuvre; Dutch painting; and Western Art. Perhaps the most arresting revelation of Vermeers Family Secrets is the final one: in response to inconsistencies in technique; materials; and artistic level; Binstock posits that several of the paintings accepted as canonical works by Vermeer; are in fact not by Vermeer at all but by his eldest daughter; Maria. How he argues this is one of the books many pleasures.
#2014082 in eBooks 2009-07-28 2009-07-28File Name: B00BR0MJYC
Review
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful. Best Blues harmonica books Ive purchasedBy Asked AnsweredI love this book and its play-a-long CD. It comes with the automatic slow down software so that you can listen and learn or play along at a slower speed - but; you are still playing in-time with a band. The other added benefit to the automatic slow down software is that you can change the key a song is played in. This means that if you only have a couple of harmonicas you can still play along with all of the tunes by changing the key to match the harmonicas you own. Lets face it; not everyone owns a harmonica in every key. Great selection of tunes.Why practice by yourself when you can play with these great backing tracks - this way you are always playing "in time" which is the key to successful playing when you get together with your band. Sure beats a metronome.My only complaint would be that these transcriptions are almost too detailed and include a lot of "ghost" notes and notated tongue-blocking breaths that are very subtle - things I dont really hear on the original recordings or the play-along tracks; but I am just now learning how to tongue block.The other thing I like is that on several tunes the author has written out (and played) instrumental versions of the vocals. These are done completely in the style of the artist and enable you to play complete instrumental versions of the songs for those of you that are not planning to sing or to create nice back ground parts to accompany a singer. Ive really learned a lot from this book.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Harp Blowing Stuff; makes you want to practice.By Thomas BossonGood song choice; good backing tracks and example tracks. Good clear TAB; easy to follow and use.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. One of the better harp books Ive boughtBy B.RankOne of the better harp books Ive bought. Extremely helpful for learning harp; learning licks and songs; and advancing your knowledge of the instrument. Learn all these and youll be a helluva harp player.