Discover the Best Books on Artists, Recommended by Author Patricia Nicol
When I envision a summer holiday, I imagine gentle sunlight bathing everything. However, reality often falls short of expectations.
Lately, I’ve come across terrifying accounts of holidaymakers fleeing fires and enduring suffocating heat. I’ve also seen photos of friends on soggy staycations.
‘Pack for a Scottish summer,’ I advised my younger son, who was at Scouts camp in the New Forest last week. Once I’ve dealt with his mildewed laundry, we’ll head to Slovenia. It’s Alpine and verdant, but there may be rainstorms.
On a staycation, I enjoy spending a squally day with a good novel and board games. When I travel abroad, I immerse myself in cultural tourism.
When temperatures soar or rain pours, a museum or art gallery can provide cool shelter. In Italy, I often acquaint myself with its fabulous cultural heritage by reading historical novels inspired by the lives of its artists.
If my travels took me to Vienna, I would read The Flames, by Sophie Haydock, about the women who sat for and inspired Egon Schiele’s often troubling portraits
In the Netherlands, anyone would want to see works by Vermeer, whose household and artistic practice in Delft were brought to vivid life by Girl With A Pearl Earring, by Tracy Chevalier
A recently published novel worth exploring is Disobedient by Elizabeth Fremantle, which provides a gripping account of the early life of baroque prodigy Artemisia Gentileschi. Artemisia was one of the few women painters prior to the 20th century to be considered as talented, if not more, than her male contemporaries.
At the core of Fremantle’s searing novel lies Artemisia’s rape and the subsequent trial of her rapist, which shockingly involved the artist being tortured during questioning.
If I found myself in Vienna, I would dive into The Flames by Sophie Haydock. The book delves into the lives of the women who posed for and inspired Egon Schiele’s often troubling portraits, offering a haunting portrait of Vienna at the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian empire.
In the Netherlands, it would be a treat to see Vermeer’s works in person. A wonderful literary accompaniment to this experience is Girl With A Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier. Chevalier vividly brings Vermeer’s household and artistic practice in Delft to life. The renowned painting that inspired her novel can be found in the Hague’s Mauritshuis.
Not going anywhere this summer? Let these novels and the art that inspired them transport you to their worlds.
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