Jenny Saville by Simon Schama (2005-10-12) Hardcover

As an Artist (Painter) who buys many art books and counts Jenny Saville as one of his favorite younger painters, I have been eagerly awaiting this books release. I was also fortunate enough to get the Catalogue for Saville's Territories exhibition, and not I don't want to sell it. Considering the quality of the Territories and Migrants publications, my expectations for this book were admittedly high. I also saw both shows in person. As for this book, Disappointing is an understatement. Let's start with the obvious, it is incomplete and does not contain any of her earlier work and the text is nothing new, just a collection of older stuff. Then the reproduction quality is poor, the images are too small, the colors aren't accurate, they're overly contrasting. This leads me to believe that someone that never saw the actual works ran the images through some Photoshop printing filter and didn't actually compare the printed images to the paintings. In addition, the layout of the artwork in the book is just plain bad. Instead of centering the images on the page, they hug the center, which makes them awkward to look at. For a book publisher, this is unforgivable.The positive aspects of the book are: well, there's finally a book on Saville and the photos of her studies, references and studio a well done, in fact there could be more. They do provide detail shots of her painting, which is mandatory with her work considering the scale. However, the few positives can't make up for a very poor book overall on an important contemporary artist.One reviewer said, "Move over Lucian Freud", I think not. A comparison cannot be made until Saville is in her 80's, then we'll (well someone will) talk. While her earlier work is very impressive, I'm becoming concerned about where she is going paint wise. The earlier work has "character", the newer work and pieces from the Migrants exhibition seem slick, rushed and overly pretty. The new work also lacks the conceptual strength of the early work (her weak point anyway). It seems to me she's becoming a cliché of herself. The best comparison I can think of is the animation style of the early Simpsons or South Park compared to later years. The rough edges and distinctiveness have disappeared, replaces by standardization and predictability, never a good thing for an artist. I hope that this phase of Saville's career will pass quickly.Final Score 4 out of 10

"The greatest living realist painter" is how Robert Hughes described Lucian Freud. Move over Lucian. I for one am stunned at the virtuosity of Saville. I agree with the first reviewer that I would have loved to have a tomb about 300+ pages of just artwork. I guess we will just have to wait. But what we do have here is equally worth the price. I found the studio photos and reference photos very enlightening. You can see where her ideas have come from and literally see the photos she is working from. From an artists point of view, this is wonderful. The reproductions that are in the book are very good. I really, really wish we could have seen more of her drawings as I think these reveal the real strength of her work. I find the shock value of some of the subjects a little old, but have no problem because the pure application of paint and line is so very beautiful. Would we even be writing about Jenny Saville if whe was painting flowers or landscapes? Irregardless, she is who she is, and I love it. A must see is the painting of the cow carcass. Stroke for stroke, this is one of the best paintings every done.

All other considerations aside, Jenny Saville can paint, and this book proves it, close up and pouring across the pages. Truly a "painter's painter," Saville uses heightened color discovered, apparently, through manipulating photographs in Photoshop, then painting the results. However she arrives at it, her paint is gorgeous, the colors luscious and compelling. Without a doubt Saville blows away the competition in contemporary figurative realism. For my money, Lucien Freud has nothing on this young female painter. On the other hand, anyone thinking of buying the book should realize that many of the figures are grotesque, raw, actually painful to look at. Art historian Linda Nochlin calls them "hugely disturbing," and I have to agree. It is, in fact, the virtuosity of the paint that delivers such a visceral gut punch when applied to the subject matter, which ranges from obesity plus plastic surgery to men with large [..] plus male genitalia, all displayed in gargantuan proportions right in your face.The articles accompanying this monograph are excellent as well -- and not nearly disturbing as the images.

No one paints flesh like Jenny Saville. No one. The insights shared about the painting process helped me resolve an issue I was having with a portrait. Saville uses mirrors. Ah. As soon as I turned the piece toward a mirror, the problem revealed itself and I was able to correct it. Brilliant insight and certainly not the only one. I found this book to be of importance, not only as a documentation of her gorgeous paint handling, but also as an important insight into her process. The pieces are about Saville. There have been efforts to make them 'about' a larger theme, but at the end of the day, the work is Saville's and so is the theme. Wonderful book. Great reference.

I pre-ordered this book and when it arrived, I was not disappointed. I pored over it for a few days before bringing it to the studio to show the artists who work in my studio. They were equally excited by this collection, but then what do we know? We just make our total livings at making artwork. It is our day job!Sorry that I can't look into my crystal ball to see what she'll be like at age 80 but right now, she is breathing real life and power into contemporary realism. This book shows ample reason why Saville is celebrated and her detractors are virtual unknowns.The best always rise to the top...always.

Great introduction to Saville's work. I especially love the high quality close ups of her paintings, but I do have an issue with how much of the pages are set out (lots of white space and small picture). But on the whole - great addition to my growing collection of art books. The included essays are also very easy to read and insightful.

the Colors are not as vibrant or saturated as her paintings.

I`ve had this book for over a year now and have found myself referencing it more and more often, not just for my own work but for the benefit of my painting students.I have followed Saville`s progress ever since I saw her graduation show at GSA and was fortunate to exhibit alongside her in a show at the Royal College of Physicians in Edinburgh in 1994 where she contributed three works - a major alternative version of "Propped" and two studies, one of which was for "Branded". I was impressed by her work then; this volume more than confirms her status in my mind as an outstanding talent.As others have noted, there are relatively few works actually included, but for me, that is beside the point; the volume is rich in detailed close-ups of her brushwork revealing her wonderfully loose technique; in her brief interview with Simon Schama she mentions her affinity with abstract art - something I not only share but have explored in my own art for over a decade - I find myself very much in tune with her work.The imagery is perhaps not for everyone, but I have never yet met a serious painter who has commented disparagingly on her work.This is - currently - the most easily obtainable and affordable book on Saville available; the texts are thin, but the work is remarkable, rewarding and unflinching.An excellent addition to any serious art library.

Stunning book. Incredible paintings and photography. Jenny Saville's work is wonderful.

lovely book

Brilliant Book and arrived in perfect condition.

one of my most prized possessions.curling up with hot drink on a wet day and getting lost in this book is perfection.