Laura van Hasselt – Geld, geloof, en goede vrienden (in Dutch)
An in-depth economic analysis of the business dealings and charitable causes of Van Eeghen and the way they were intertwined would have created a more complete picture.
There are so many guises in which intelligence manifests itself that it truly blows the mind
Enjoyable expansive thinking, unafraid of the pathetic.
An unstable cocktail of money, power, prestige, politics and bling brought a Florentine banking dynasty to the highest regions of power. for as long as it lasted
Mary Hollingworth – The medici
Well written, striking the right balance between a thorough historical narrative, juicy gossip about minor royalty, and arty name-dropping.
Even though the art world is hermetic, myopic, elitist, and irrational there is still inherent value in art itself (whatever the definition of art is)
Bianca Bosker – Get the picture
The characters are carefully positioned as archetypes that are painfully accurate.
Neuroscience increasingly provides evidence how the Arts influence psychology and social behavior
Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross – Your brain on art
Interesting to read how advances in brain science lead to confirmation of intuitive but traditionally hard-to-prove hypotheses.
The struggle to keep the legacy of the Roman empire alive has shaped much of Ravenna’s history
A front-row seat to the decline and fall of the (Western) Roman empire.
From Anime to the Karaoke machine and the Gameboy, Japanese design has had an outsized influence on pop culture
Highly entertaining book, providing entertaining facts and refreshing perspectives.
AI increasingly constrains the domain of human creativity, similar to how science has constrained Faith
Marcus de Sautoy – The creativity code
Surprisingly up-beat considering its message and packed with nice examples.
“Art is just a container you poor yourself into”
Jerry Saltz – How to be an artist
What is good advice for life is typically also good advice for art, and vice versa.
How to evoke emotions, using only the simplest of graphical elements?
A practical guide to understanding composition and graphic design.
The contemporary art market bubble is kept afloat by a handful of mega dealers
The metroric rise of art prices is a fascinating topic, but the author get a bit lost in his effort to ducoment each twist or turn in the lives of the secondary characters in his story.
Recognize Resistance, and fight it like a pro
Steven Pressfield – The war of art
Well written plea for taking ownership – and action.
Daughter of partisans has total commitment to her performances
Marina Abramovic – Walking through walls
As a strong artist, she controls her performances perfectly; but she seems to have more difficulty with life itself.
Making a great painting is in large part a scientific achievement
Walter Isaacson – Leonardo da Vinci
Isaacson’s narrative falacy (‘Leonardo never finishing what he starts’) is at odds with the public recognition he received in his own day and age.