The Anatomy Lesson

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Set on a single day in the Dutch Golden Age, this engrossing historical novel brilliantly imagines the complex story behind one of Rembrandt s most famous paintingsCommissioned by the Amsterdam surgeon s guild, The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Nicolaes Tulp was the first major work by Rembrandt to be proclaimed a masterpiece The novel opens on the morning of the medical dissection, and, as they prepare for that evening s big event, it follows several characters a one handed coat thief called Aris the Kid, who is awaiting his turn at the gallows Flora, the woman pregnant with his child who hopes to save him from the noose Jan Fetchet, a curio collector who also moonlights as an acquirer of medical cadavers Ren Descartes, who attended the dissection in the course of his quest to understand where the human soul resides and the 26 year old young master himself, who feels a shade uneasy about his assignment Then there s Pia, an art restorer who is examining the painting in contemporary times As the story builds to its dramatic and inevitable conclusion, the events that transpire throughout the day sway Rembrandt to change his initial composition in a fundamental way.Bringing to life the vivid world of Amsterdam in 1632, The Anatomy Lesson offers a rich slice of history and a textured story by a masterful young writer. Best Read The Anatomy Lesson [ by ] Nina Siegal [ Kindle ePUB or eBook ] – kino-fada.fr Fascinating Fictional Backstory of a Famous Rembrandt PaintingThe setting of this novel is similar to that of The MiniaturistSee my review of The Miniaturist here That is, they are both set in seventeenth century Amsterdam although parts of The Anatomy Lesson are also set in Leiden and other parts of Holland.This is a period I find endlessly fascinating.Both of these novels are written by women and highlight the brutality of the Dutch justice and penal systems of the time, as well as the cruel Fascinating Fictional Backstory of a Famous Rembrandt PaintingThe setting of this novel is similar to that of The MiniaturistSee my review of The Miniaturist here That is, they are both set in seventeenth century Amsterdam although parts of The Anatomy Lesson are also set in Leiden and other parts of Holland.This is a period I find endlessly fascinating.Both of these novels are written by women and hi...Nina Siegel s The Anatomy Lesson is one of those wonderful novels that s as solid in its realization as it is in its conception The novel tells the back back story of Rembrandt s The Anatomy Lesson, that wonderful work commissioned by the Amsterdam Guild of Surgeons in 1632 The surgeons and city functionaries are pictured gathered round a corpse, as one of their group explains the anatomy of the forearm The light in the picture falls downward, illuminating the corpse, while placing the other Nina Siegel s The Anatomy Lesson is one of those wonderful novels that s as solid in its realization as it is in its conception The novel tells the back back story of Rembrandt s The Anatomy Lesson, that wonderful work commissioned by the Amsterdam Guild of Surgeons in 1632 The surgeons and city functionaries are pictured gathered round a corpse, as one of ...Did you ever want to know the real story behind an old painting So did Nina Siegal, which resulted in The Anatomy Lesson a beautiful, semi fictionalized story behind one of Rembrandt s most famous paintings.It s the 31th of January 1632 on this day criminal Aris Kindt alias Aris the Kid is going to be hanged in Amsterdam Unknown to him however, is that afterwards his body shall be used for the yearly public dissection of the Surgeon s Guild, during which all kinds of people can attend an Did you ever want to know the real story behind an old painting So did Nina Siegal, which resulted in The Anatomy Lesson a beautiful, semi fictionalized story behind one of Rembrandt s most famous paintings.It s the 31th of January 1632 on this day criminal Aris Kindt alias Aris the Kid is going to be hanged in Amsterdam Unknown to him however, is that afterwards his body shall be used for the yearly public dissection of the Surgeon s Guild, during which all kinds of people can attend and watch People like the body s preparator Jan Fetchet, the philosopher Rene Descartes, and the future painter of this scene, upcoming artist Rembrandt van Rijn Still, none of these people care as much for Aris as Flora, Aris pregnant lover, who on this day is in a mad rush to save her beloved for the dissection table You might know the Dutch pai...Nina Siegal s novel transports us to 17th Century Amsterdam where Rembrandt has received a commission to paint members of the Surgeon s Guild observing the anatomist Dr Nicholaes Tulp There are six important characters who each have chapters named after the part of the body that they represent The Body is Adriaen, a thief who has been condemned to die by hanging The Mouth is Jan Fetchet, a collector of curiosities who also acquires bodi...This novel was heavily researched, and unfotunately the research shows in the diction, over description, pace a case of too much scholarship and not enough imagination The use of a present day conservator s notes juxtaposed with the 17th century story is skillfully done, but the notes foreshadowing of story elements becomes a little too pat However, the Anatomy Lesson will appeal to those who enjoy historical novels featuring famous artists and thinkers, like those of Tracy Chevalier and Sus This novel was heavily researched, and unfotunately the research shows in the diction, over description, pace a case of too much scholarship and not enough imagination The use of a present day conservator s notes juxtaposed with the 17th century story is skillfully done, but the notes foreshadowing of story elements becomes a little too pat However, the Anatomy Lesson will appeal to those who enjoy historical novels featuring famous arti...They say that a picture is worth a thousand words So, how many is a painting worth What is the story behind a painting What secrets do the models hold Nina Siegal explores this theme in, The Anatomy Lesson based on The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Nicolaes Tulp a painting by none other than Rembrandt.Siegal s premise follows the perspective of several character involved in the end produce of Rembrandt s painting the thief whose body is dissected and is the basis of t...Psyched to read this novel by a grad school friend immediately after reading her former housemate s essay collection The Empathy Exams I don t remember them having stuff up on the same day during Ethan Canin s workshop, Fall 2005, but it s good to see their writing again now fully formed in print In April 2006, somehow eight years ago, there was a party at my place after a Deborah Eisenberg reading, which wound up interrupted as soon as it started by tornado sirens and hail on the auditorium Psyched to read this novel by a grad school friend immediately after reading her former housemate s essay collection The Empathy Exams I don t remember them having stuff up on the same day during Ethan Canin s workshop, Fall 2005, but it s good to see their writing again now fully formed in print In April 2006, somehow eight years ago, there was a party at my place after a Deborah Eisenberg reading, which wound up interrupted as soon as it started by tornado sirens and hail on the auditorium s tin roof and then an F2 tornado tearing through Iowa City The reading was canceled but people still came over for the party I d bought a bottle of champagne to celebrate the author s winning of a Fulbright to study a painting in Amsterdam and write a novel about it Eight years later, that novel is here It s always good to see an...The Author s Note I knew Rembrandt s masterpiece The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Nicolaes Tulp as a child, for it hung in my father s study, but I never knew its title or its origins During an art history seminar in grad school, I was assigned to read a painting i.e., unravel the narrative within it We were allowed to pick any painting and as my professor clicked through slides of potential examples, it showed upon the screen and I thought That one I ll finally find out the real story behind The Author s Note I knew Rembrandt s masterpiece The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Nicolaes Tulp as a child, for it hung in my father s study, but I never knew its title or its origins During an art history seminar in g...I really wanted to like this book I teach college English, and I frequently team teach with a history teacher We are always on the lookout for appropriate, engaging books to use in book clubs, and this seemed perfect After reading the glowing reviews here, I was excited to receive a galley to review I was, however, disappointed in the book and won t be recommending it to my students.While the choice to present each chapter from the point of view of one of se...Disclaimer ARC via Netgalley Rembrandt van Rijn There is something about his work, and when everyone thinks of Rembrandt, they think of Amsterdam and the Night Watch Famous and special But Rembrandt s other paintings are great and his house is worth a visit too For me, Rembrandt s paintings work because of the quiet and mystery that exists in each one In some ways that is like Amsterdam, where a twist or turn can lead to someplace unexpected such as the hidden Catholic church almost in Disclaimer ARC via Netgalley Rembrandt van Rijn There is something about his work, and when everyone thinks of Rembrandt, they think of Amsterdam and the Night Watch Famous and special But Rembrandt s other paintings are great and his house is worth a visit too For me, Rembrandt s paintings work because of the quiet and mystery that exists in each one In some ways that is like Amsterdam, where a twist or turn can lead to someplace unexpected such as the hidden Catholic church almost in the Red Light District The Anatomy Lesson is also a famous Rembrandt paint and has that sense of quiet mystery Nina Siegal s novel is...

The Anatomy Lesson
  • English
  • 03 March 2017
  • Hardcover
  • 271 pages
  • 0385538367
  • Nina Siegal
  • The Anatomy Lesson