Greats Reads – Fiction for Artists

It is a gorgeous, but, very cold and sunny winter day out there. It is perfect for a walk and then to curl up by the fire with a book. There are lots of books out there that are great for educating artists, but what about the pleasure of a good story? I enjoy stories that are told with a work of art or an artist as the central character or theme for a novel.

There are some wonderful books out there written about the artist’s life, fictionalizations of real artists and books that use a fictional artist as their central character. These are 5 of my favourite books where an artist is the central character:

• The Stone Carvers, Jane Urquhart – Jane Urquhart is one of those writers that paints with her words. Her style is rich and poetic and she handles language with the skill of a great master. The journey of Klara Becker, her family and those that touched them culminating in a monument at Vimy, France is filled with love, fear and loss. Art goes beyond skill to passion. Magnificent.
• The Underpainter, Jane Urquhart – Told from the point of view of a male artist about a woman that he painted. An unlikeable character, the story of the woman that was his muse is distant and the contrast between the characters, fascinating.
• The Forest Lover, Susan Vreeland – This is a fictionalization of the life of artist and author Emily Carr.
• Girl with the Pearl Earring, Tracy Chevalier – A story based on what may possibly have passed between the Dutch master painter, Johannes Vermeer and the the girl who sat for his famous work, “Girl with a Pearl Earring”. There is a wonderful review at the Ripple Effects Blog.
• A Map of Glass, Jane Urquhart – A fantastic family saga full of art, memory and beauty.

Enjoy! There will be a new painting next post!