The Last Painting of Sara de Vos

Posted on 11 May 2018 by Dominic Smith

This is what we long for the profound pleasure of being swept into vivid new worlds, worlds peopled by characters so intriguing and real that we can t shake them, even long after the reading s done In his earlier, award winning novels, Dominic Smith demonstrated a gift for coaxing the past to life Now, in The Last Painting of Sara de Vos, he deftly bridges the historical and the contemporary, tracking a collision course between a rare landscape by a female Dutch painter of the golden age, an inheritor of the work in 1950s Manhattan, and a celebrated art historian who painted a forgery of it in her youth.In 1631, Sara de Vos is admitted as a master painter to the Guild of St Luke s in Holland, the first woman to be so recognized Three hundred years later, only one work attributed to de Vos is known to remain a haunting winter scene, At the Edge of a Wood, which hangs over the bed of a wealthy descendant of the original owner An Australian grad student, Ellie Shipley, struggling to stay afloat in New York, agrees to paint a forgery of the landscape, a decision that will haunt her Because now, half a century later, she s curating an exhibit of female Dutch painters, and both versions threaten to arrive As the three threads intersect, The Last Painting of Sara de Vos mesmerizes while it grapples with the demands of the artistic life, showing how the deceits of the past can forge the present. Free Read [ The Last Painting of Sara de Vos ] Author [ Dominic Smith ] For Kindle ePUB or eBook – kino-fada.fr I know that it is only April but I might have found my favorite book of 2016 Holy cow was this brilliant I ve never heard of Dominic Smith before this book but he s a phenomenal writer and what a story this is This novel has it all Beautiful writing, well fleshed out characters, a wonderful story, and feels yes feels I learned so much about the art world and about Dutch female painters in the 17th century I listened to this book on audio You know you are listening to a good audiobook when I know that it is only April but I might have f...Regrets come into our lives from our earliest moments until the very last Sometimes they are as light as the wings of a butterfly causing but a brief pause Other times they are heavy ladden with pressure forcefully leaning on the heart And the indescribable ache now takes up a permanent residence.Dominic Smith presents his remarkable novel in time spans that drift from 1631 to 1957 to 2000 Each time period is layered expertly like parchment paper that settles oh so lightly allowing the reade...This beautifully written book was a pleasure to read.When I was in high school back in the olden days of the mid eighties we had an art teacher named Mr Gonzalez He was a cool guy, would tell jokes and liked to hang out with my crowd of ne er do wells and also rans My senior year he talked me and a friend into using our last elective for his class But I don t know anything about art appreciation, and no talent whatsoever, I rebutted to his invitation That s why you should take the class, This beautifully written book was a pleasure to read.When I was in high school back in the olden days of the mid eighties we had an art teacher named Mr Gonzalez He was a cool guy, would tell jokes and liked to hang out with my crowd of ne er do wells and also rans My senior year he talked me and a friend into using our last elective for his class But I don t know anything about art appreciation, and no talent whatsoever, I rebutted to his invitation That s why you should take the class, it ll be fun I mentioned to another teacher that ...Update This just went on sale for 2.99 today Kindle special Great deal Gorgeous descriptions from the very beginning..to the very end At times I felt I was in the same room with Ellie..I could relate to her rebellious spirit Other times, I was completely enchanted by the framing restoration details itself The relationship between women prejudice when it came to art was such a puzzle and tragic I thought of The Blazing World , by Siri Hustvedt who went to great extre Update This just went on sale for 2.99 today Kindle special Great deal Gorgeous descriptions from the very beginning..to the very end At times I felt I was in the same room with Ellie..I could relate to her rebellious spirit Other times, I was completely enchanted by the framing restoration details itself The relationship between women prejudice when it came to art was such a puzzle and tragic I thought of The Blazing World , by Siri Hustvedt who went to grea...Here we have it my authentic review It has not been forged in any way, but a 17th century painting has and it s about to come into contact with the real one 40 years later.The narrative starts with the artist herself and the inspiration oraccurately, the grief, for the painting The story then moves to the latest owner, Marty, and the switcharoo that happens during a dinner party only to be discovered months later it s a fraud The story then moves to the artist, Ellie, who was hired to Here we have it my authentic review It has not been forged in any way, but a 17th century painting has and it s about to come into contact with the real one 40 years later.The narrative starts with the artist herself and the inspiration oraccurately, the grief, for the painting The story then moves to the latest owner, Marty, and the switcharoo that happens during a dinner party only to be discovered months later it s a fraud The story then moves to the artist, Ellie, who was hired to create the replica The story shifts in time from the 17th century to the 20th and 21st.Interesting and detailed focus on the process of painting and the suppression artists were under being members of the guild in the 1600 s..The writing was marvellous and the art itself fascinating Clearly, Smith has a talent as I could visualize these works as if they hung on my own wall I was most charmed by the artist s stor...In 1631 Sara de Vos is the first woman painter to be admitted to the Guild of St Luke s in Holland It s the Dutch Golden Age, the time of Vermeer, Rembrandt and Hals It s unusual for women to paint anything other than still life, but Sara has produced a haunting winter scene which will be known as At the Edge of a Wood.Skip forward to the late 1950 s, it s New York and the painting sits above the bed of a rich middle aged lawyer, a descendent of the original owner In Brooklyn, a young grad st In 1631 Sara de Vos is the firs...I see the painting titled , At the End of a Wood in my mind from the perfectly detailed and beautiful description in the beginning of the book For a minute I forget what I just read about Sara de Vos s character being a blend of the biographical details of several Dutch women painters in the 17th century and I m ready to go find the image online I m immediately disappointed when I realize the only image I ll...The Last Painting of Sara de Vos is a beautifully written and expertly crafted novel that will leave you not only dreaming of the landscape of a mysterious painting, but also of the times and places that connect together throughout The austere backdrop of seventeenth century Amsterdam provides the setting for one thread to this story New York City an...This excellent novel took me somewhat by surprise I was expecting to be interested in this tale of the art world, theft and possible forgery, Netherlands and the art of the 17th century, but instead I was captivated This is such a fascinating story, taking place in 3 distinct time eras 17th century Netherlands, 1950s New York City and Sydney, Australia of 2000 What might potentially become dangerously confused in less sure hands, is here intriguing and pulls the reader on through the pages a This excellent novel took me somewhat by surprise I was expecting to be interested in this tale of the art world, theft and possible forgery, Netherlands and the art of the 17th century, but instead I was captivated This is such a fascinating story, taking place in 3 disti...4.5 stars.As was the case in The Goldfinch, an enigmatic 17th century Dutch painting is the focus of everything that happens in this novel In three alternating narratives Smith provides us with a life of the painter, Sara de Vos, a life of its long time owner, Marty de Groot and a life of the young woman who is called upon to f...

English
11 May 2018

Dominic Smith