Description
In Daily Life in Art Beatrice Fontanel examines nearly one hundred European and American paintings not only as art objects, but as cultural artifacts that document the evolution of domestic life and manners from the Middle Ages to the present day.Through these paintings - vividly reproduced in large format - the author traces the technical innovations that harnessed heat, light, and water to transform our homes and our habits. She explores the growing freedom brought by each step away from the flickering fire and the cumbersome chamberpot toward the warmth of central heating, the steady blaze of electric light, and the convenience of indoor plumbing.
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"The comforts of home" may be a cliché, but how has its meaning evolved over centuries? Béatrice Fontanel seeks answers to that question through the prism of visual art. Her close reading of nearly 100 European and American paintings, reproduced vividly in large format, illuminates the technical innovations and practical improvements brought about from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. How did fireplaces become the preferred source of warmth? When did people stop sleeping in the nude? From the bedchamber to the chamber pot, art has borne witness to our most intimate domestic activities. Just as How to Read a Painting helped readers to appreciate the art itself, Daily Life in Art helps them understand the painting not only as object, but also as cultural artifact.
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