From the Bookshelf of The Year of Reading Proust…

Paintings in Proust: A Visual Companion to 'In Search of Lost Time'

Eric Karpeles

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Auxiliary Reading (w/Spoilers)

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Apr 25, 2009 Bram rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2009, proustophilia

I wish all books were made like this one, physically-speaking. It's 350-odd pages, but it weighs about 12 pounds because of the luscious high-quality paper and binding. It's a pleasure just to hold the thing. The reproductions of the paintings are gorgeous high-quality glossiness, and Karpeles sets the stage for each art scene admirably. My process was this: I'd read a volume of Proust and then re-experience that part of the story immediately via the paintings in this book.

Let me back up for a I wish all books were made like this one, physically-speaking. It's 350-odd pages, but it weighs about 12 pounds because of the luscious high-quality paper and binding. It's a pleasure just to hold the thing. The reproductions of the paintings are gorgeous high-quality glossiness, and Karpeles sets the stage for each art scene admirably. My process was this: I'd read a volume of Proust and then re-experience that part of the story immediately via the paintings in this book.

Let me back up for a second. Proust works dozens of paintings and over 100 artists into the framework of his novel, In Search of Lost Time. Karpeles went through and found all of these scenes, and set the relevant quotation next to a reproduction of the mentioned painting. Occasionally, Proust simply writes of the tendency of a certain artist or makes an unclear allusion to one of their works, and in these cases Karpeles found a representative painting to display. Before each quotation, he adds some background information so that long-time-ago readers (and even nonreaders) won't be completely lost as to context. And that's pretty much it--throw in an excellent introductory essay on the importance of art to Proust and his work, as well as an extensive glossary that lists the locations and specifications of each work and any relevant background on why Proust included them, and you have a flawless companion to In Search of Lost Time. As Karpeles says in the introduction: Without the ability to conjure up these references - so revealing, so compounded - their intended impact is considerably diminished. Given Proust's skill as a writer, I think this is a bit overstated, but he does have a point. Considering that I was familiar with less than 2% of the works mentioned, this book allowed me to explore some of Proust's elaborate metaphors in a more comprehensive and satisfying way.

So why four stars? While the execution of the concept is fantastic, the idea for the book is still somewhat simple and obvious. While reading Swann's Way, I was convinced that such a book must exist even before searching it out. Unfortunately, in January 2009, a used copy of this book cost about $300. A few weeks later, however, a second printing came through and saved me from any heinous acts of consumer idiocy. Obvious or no, I'm glad to have this beautiful book to revisit on occasion, while I continue to Search for Time as Well-Spent as Reading Proust. ...more

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Jul 09, 2009 Wayne rated it really liked it

Shelves: french-classics, art-and-artists, marcel-proust

POST-Reading:
Do we have the same faith in Art and Artists as Proust and Virginia Woolf, where Art is seen as having almost the same redemptive qualities as religion?? Schopenhauer declared the Artist to be the New Saviour, Guru or whatever and ever since we have had artistic ego-maniacs like Wagner and ...Barry Kosky.Some are Great as far as art goes.Others are frauds, false messiahs.(Put your hand up, Barry).If you are a stranger to Barry which you probably fortunately are, you can read my revi ...more

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Jul 14, 2014 Sondra rated it it was amazing

A wonderful book in so many ways - an art history primer through the eyes of Proust that enriches his text in ways I had not thought possible. What a gift to see the face of Odette in a Botticelli fresco or "the Veronese light." Reading and studying this volume was a supreme pleasure. ...more

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