Samuel Palmer: Shadows on the Wall Hardcover – August 4, 2015

I already had most of the standard works on Samuel Palmer's art, including works by Raymond Lister and the catalog to the 2012 Palmer Exhibition at the Met (which this author co-wrote), so I really didn't expect this book to add much to the Palmer literature. But, for once, I am happy to say that I was wrong. This book so far exceeded what I had seen in other accounts of the artist that I cannot praise it highly enough. The author's style of writing is among the best I have ever seen in an art monograph -- informal without being at all gossipy, filled with academic knowledge without being stuffy -- truly a book which can be appreciated by anyone interested in this artist, whether a specialist in British art or someone with a more casual interest. Insofar as substance is concerned, someone has finally written a balanced account of Palmer's career. While so many earlier authors focused heavily on the artist's early, Shoreham period, William Vaughan gives a needed, extended discussion of the artist's late works, which I personally have always favored, as well as appropriate coverage of works from the middle of Palmer's career, which has often been denigrated by art historians. Throughout the book, the author very effectively delves into Palmer's motivations for career choices and really does engender a deeper understanding of how the artist's less-than-tranquil personal life affected his art. The insights into why popular and critical views of the artist's oil and watercolor paintings have changed so significantly over the decades are also among the most interesting and, in my opinion, accurate that I have seen in any monograph, many of which don't even venture into considerations of historical tastes. And if all of this weren't enough, I found the concluding anecdote about Samuel Palmer's cat to be charming, without being overly sentimental, and a very clever and appropriate way of ending this exemplary account of the life and work of one of the most individualistic of British artists. I should note that I am not easily impressed when it comes to monographs on artists, and it takes a lot to motivate me to write any review, but this really is one of the most successful efforts I've seen in a long, long time -- a book that's not only thorough in its coverage but so well written that I had a hard time putting it down. My only criticism, and it is a minor one, is that some of the illustrations seem a bit subdued in color compared to that found Palmer's original paintings, but they are still very good overall and more accurate in color than those found in other books on the artist.

beautifully produced with great essays that touch on every aspect of Palmer's life, career and astonishing paintings, watercolors and prints.

One of the best books about Samuel Palmer. Well presented with images and a new viewpoint about Palmer'splace in the world of art! A must read.

Excelent book with high quality reproductions.

Without doubt, this book provides a comprehensive look at Palmer's art and times, a great and detailed presentation of contributing influences on his art, along with analyses of his outstanding and inspiring as well as unique style.The book may be said to actually amplify the impact of Palmer's works by way of greatly enlarged detailing, in effect creating a feeling not actually available with a viewing of what are in fact, for the lion's share of his most well known works, actually quite small paintings. Indeed, many could fit 2 to a page of the book. I enjoy looking at the blowups, but it is good to also keep in mind how the small works would look in a gallery. Thus, it is rather misleading, perhaps even disingenuous, for the author to blithely compare a sepia-toned Palmer painting less than 8 inches in height to a Constable landscape painting about 8 times larger. And the Constable is presented by way of a black and white image 1/16 it's actual size!In summary, except for such misleading excursions into comparisons with other artists, this is a very good book. Oh, one more caveat worth mentioning is that the reproduction of the painting "Coming from Evening Church" is totally inadequate. This painting's gorgeous colors are shown resplendently in Marcel Brion's book entitled "Romantic Art", McGraw-Hill, 1960.

A splendid researched and produced book, Elric Hooper