Emma Chambers – författare

First published in 1999, Chambers explores English etching changed that radically during the nineteenth century. This book looks into the freedom and directness of the etching process became a key plank in a sustained attempt to raise the status of etching in Britain spearheaded by artists such as Francis Seymour Haden and James McNeill Whistler and members of the Etching Club. An Indolent and Blundering Art? Opens with a description of the use of language and art criticism to redefine etching

First published in 1999, Chambers explores English etching changed that radically during the nineteenth century. This book looks into the freedom and directness of the etching process became a key plank in a sustained attempt to raise the status of etching in Britain spearheaded by artists such as Francis Seymour Haden and James McNeill Whistler and members of the Etching Club. An Indolent and Blundering Art? Opens with a description of the use of language and art criticism to redefine etching

Walter Sickert was one of the most influential artists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. An apprentice of Whistler and close associate of Degas, he engaged with the work of French artists of the time. Sickert in turn influenced many British painters up to the present day. This book will show how Sickert transformed the representation of everyday life, with his innovative approach to subject matter, radical compositions and the evocation of the materiality of existence in paint. It will explore the changing nature of his work – from an impressionistic approach in the 1880s to a pioneering use of photography in the 1930s – and how he returned over and over to locations and subjects, including his penetrating self-portraits. Sickert's imagination was fuelled by news and current events such as the Camden Town Murders and newspaper photography, but also by popular culture – music halls, the stage, the rise of cinema and celebrity. Featuring over 200 images from the exhibition and a wide range of essays by scholars, as well as reflections on Sickert's relevance and influence by a selection of contemporary painters including Kaye Donachie and Somaya Critchlow.

An enlightening introduction to the life and work of Gwen John, whose intense gaze and fascination with the female sitter created some of the most beguiling paintings of the modern age. Gwen John (1878–1939) is now widely recognised as one of the most important artists of her time. Favouring subdued tones and muted colours, her portraits of women in modest interiors appear serene and unassuming. Yet a closer look reveals an intense artistic engagement with her subjects and daring formal experimentation.This book is the perfect introduction to the life and work of this groundbreaking artist. It contextualises John’s career from her foundational time at the Slade School of Art in London to her studio training in Paris, where she later relocated and established herself at the centre of the European art world. Touching on the personal connections and pivotal friendships that influenced her practice, this is a true celebration of an artist with an extraordinary eye for colour and composition, and a singular distinctive vision, masterfully executed.