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Secret Knowledge: Rediscovering the Lost Techniques of the Old Masters, by David Hockney
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Recently, David Hockney, often described as the "world's most popular artist," has made headlines not with his own work but with his sensational and controversial theories about how some of Western art's famous masterpieces—paintings by artists such as da Vinci, Caravaggio, Velázquez, and Van Eyck—were actually created. A chance observation of a drawing in London's National Gallery led Hockney to ask, "How was this done?"
His answer led to fascinating insights into the history of art: that many of the world's most revered artists used mirrors and various optical devices—such as the camera obscura—to project images onto their canvasses and then "traced" the scenes. Hockney's radical speculations have prompted both astonishment and outrage from prominent art historians and museum directors worldwide. The debate aside, Secret Knowledge offers readers the exhilarating opportunity to see the Old Masters afresh—through the eyes of a living master.
In Secret Knowledge, hundreds of paintings are reproduced in stunning color plates, and many are discussed in close and accessible detail. Hockney's own drawings and photographs illustrate how artists would have used the technology available to them in rendering their subjects. Extracts from historical and modern documents provide further evidence while correspondence between Hockney and an impressive array of international art historians, curators, and scientists details both the evolution of his theory and the furor that has erupted over it.
- Sales Rank: #141245 in Books
- Brand: Brand: Viking Studio
- Published on: 2001-10-29
- Released on: 2001-10-29
- Ingredients: Example Ingredients
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 12.20" h x 1.25" w x 9.80" l,
- Binding: Hardcover
- 296 pages
Features
- Used Book in Good Condition
Amazon.com Review
British painter David Hockney, well known for his cool and lovely paintings of California pools, has taken on the new role of detective. For two years Hockney seriously investigated the painting techniques of the old masters, and like any admirable sleuth, compiled substantial evidence to support his revolutionary theory. Secret Knowledge is the fruit of this labor, an exhaustive treatise in pictures revealing clues that some of the world's most famous painters, Ingres, Velázquez, Caravaggio (just to mention a few) utilized optics and lenses in creating their masterpieces. Hockney's fascination with the subject is contagious, and the book feels almost like a game with each analysis a "How'd they do that?" instead of a whodunit. While some may find the technical revelation a disappointment in terms of the idea of genius, Hockney is quick to point out that the use of optics does not diminish the immensity of artistic achievement. He reminds the reader that a tool is just a tool, and it is still the artist's hand and creative vision that produce a work of art. (296 pages, 460 illustrations, 402 in color.) --J.P. Cohen
Review
When looking at pictures, one can have no more stimulating and provocative companion than Hockney. (The Times Literary Supplement, London)
About the Author
David Hockney was born in England in 1937 and studied at the Royal College of Art. He achieved international acclaim by his mid-twenties as part of the pop art movement and has gone on to become one of the best known artists of his generation.
Most helpful customer reviews
131 of 140 people found the following review helpful.
Hockney's Evidence is Thought-Provoking, Verifiable/Falsifiable
By Evan M. Dudik
Critics and reviewers who have rated Hockney's Secret Knowledge low seem to me to overlooks some major points. Some of these I find more persuasive than the the issue of alleged perspective misjudgment which seem to attract the greatest heat.
1. H points out that a huge majority of portraits in the period show the model as left handed--some 80%. This is consistent with use of lenses and inconsistent with the frequency of left-handedness in the population. Now, here is a verifiable fact. Are H's numbers right--or are they not?
2. H is not claiming that everyone 1400-1650 was a poor draftsman. At least in what I've seen so far, he doesn't claim e.g. that Rembrandt used optics. Part of his evidence is however that some artists who were great painters were not great draftsmen--their painting exceeds in accuracy their draftsmanship. Now this appears to me again something that is verifiable by a third party. (The question of H's own draftsmanship abilities is totally irrlevant. I don't like his art much myself).
3. In a highly competitive art market, where realism counted, what is the likelihood that artists would >not< use devices that helped them both with accuracy and speed? Even if the great Ren artists could paint and draw realistically without optics (and their education certainly was thorough), throughput and competitive concerns surely would have pushed them in that direction.
4. To my knowledge, no one has responded to H's claim that the change in light to very strong with dark shadows from about 1400 (light is flat) to 1500 is very consistent with use of optics. Yes, that is not the only possible explanation. But from a philosophy of science perspective, this phenomenon and the phenomenon of increased accuracy need to be explained. H at least offers an explanation. The burden of an alternative explanation is on the critics. H's hypothesis could be falsified by showing that in fact strong lighting was used before this period and flat lighting afterwards.
5. Another phenomenon for which H has an explanation but for which I haven't seen alternatives is the fact that in many realistic paintings, depth of field is evident. An example is the famous Vermeer milk pitcher painting. H has an explanation of why the foreground breadbasket is out of focus, while the background basket is (oddly) in focus. If a critic doesn't like H's explanation, he/she should provide an alternative.
6. H shows that in some cases extremely precise scaling is evident--scaling that would be very difficult to do by hand. Prof Falco, the optics and superconducting physicist who collaborated with H., has done the math and claimed that obtaining such accuracy by hand is very difficult since the error is (as I remember) under 2%). Doing anything by hand with under 2% error is quite a feat--including reconciling bank statements :)-- never mind drawing. Here is another phenomenon in which either the factual statements by H and Falco can be easily verified/falsified or need an alternative explanation should be provided.
On an ad hominem note, I think it is worth pointing out that art historians have a built-in motive for rejecting H's hypothesis: They didn't find it! I took an amateur to notice the discrepancies. Finally, personal experience suggests that some people have a lot more difficult time with accuracy/obtaining a likeness than others. For H to be correct, he does not need to support the claim that everyone who was accurate used optics, only that some did and these raised the bar for the art community as a whole.
Thanks for reading.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful.
Seeing the masters through Hockney's eyes: a unique and wonderful experience. I adore this book!
By Wende Mate
The ability to see classic works of art through the eyes of one of the most interesting and influential artists of our time is why I bought this book. It is one art history that I have not been able to put down, and it has caused me to look at many of the classics in an entirely different ways.
Even though I knew about many of the mechanical drawing apparatuses that have been employed at various times throughout history, Hockney explains them so well and shows so many examples that I feel as though I am learning about them anew. I was also intrigued that he touched upon one of the things that has forever intrigued me - why a reversed image looks so different from the original and that seeing an image one way and be infinitely more pleasing than seeing it reversed. He goes into much detail about this, and shows multiple examples, when he ponders over the high numbers of left-handed subjects in many old paintings. And that is just for starters.
The number of visuals in this book rivals any that I have seen and, even though I have not counted, it certainly appears that visual examples outnumber text blocks by quite a bit. The visuals accompanying Holbein's "The Ambassadors" show exactly what so many people miss about it, and illustrates why the painting is mounted in such a way that makes it possible to view from the upper right corner. If you sit in that room in the National Gallery, you will notice that hardly anyone ever walks to that spot and looks - they have no idea what fun they are missing!
On a personal note, it was delightful to read that Hockney has the same fascination with the Arnolfini portrait as I, and doubtless many other people, do, and also to learn why. And I think that's what art lovers will like most about this book - that they have occasionally noticed the same exact details that a great artist has also seen, and that indeed is a very exciting thing.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
Great quality on one of the best books or our ...
By Daniel Sáenz
Great quality on one of the best books or our generation. If you are an artist, writer, graphic designer or illustrator don't miss it.
See all 131 customer reviews...
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