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There are currently 19 member reviews
for Shocking Paris
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Joyce W. (Rochester, MN)
Engaging as well as educational
This is a very enjoyable and informative read. It combines the history of the period and the personal lives of the artists. A lot has been written about 1918 to 1945, but each group of people has their own perspective of how they were affected by the events in history. This book covers artists we are familiar with as well as little known artists. If you do not want to read a biography of each individual artist, this is an excellent book to read about a group of artists. It shows how their careers were shaped by the times they lived through.
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William F. (Mequon, WI)
Shocking Paris
If this book is categorized as non-fiction, biographical, then where is the index and bibliographies with references to the "facts." Or, should this be categorized as historical fiction? In either case, I found it disjointed, as the author goes back and forth, chronologically and, in my opinion, does not complete any particular artist.
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Rita K. (Bannockburn, IL)
The interesting lives of some of the Jewish artists.
When I requested this book, I didn't really know very much about some of the artists and their lives. I found their stories so interesting. Soutine teaching himself to paint. The hardships and fears they went through during the war.
I belong to two book groups and have told them about the book and they are looking forward to reading it.
An added plus is to discover one of Chagalls paintings is hanging in the Art Institute of Chicago. I am making a point to see it the next time I'm there.
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Audrey M. (Overland Park, KS)
Outsiders in Paris
I was fascinated by this book. The artists who were profiled are among my favorite of the 20th Century. I was particularly interested in how the issue of antisemitism in France affected each of them. In many ways, their Jewishness made them outsiders in the community of artists in Paris at the time, and had a profound effect on their views of the world and their art.
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Gary R. (Bolingbrook, IL)
Starving artists
I wasn't sure if I would enjoy this book but once I started to read it I was quite surprised by how quickly it sucked me in. The story of a group of Jewish painters,mostly grouped around Soutine and Chagall,and their time spent in Paris.From their beginnings as artists trying to get by, to the darlings of the scene to the Nazi occupation and their trials, if you are at least a little interested in art and artists this is the book you should read. I'm glad I had a chance to.
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Julia E. (Atlanta, GA)
Shocking Paris: Soutine, Chagall and the Outsiders of Montparnasse
Frequent Smithsonian Magazine contributor, Stanley Meisler, takes one into the art world of early 20th Century Paris, focusing on foreign-born artists, many of them Jewish, drawn to the City of Lights by its relatively free-wheeling and permissive culture.
Of central interest is Lithuanian Chaim Soutine (1893-1943), who personifies many central themes: poverty-ridden youth; desperate struggles as Left-Bank artist; volcanically brilliant work; and tempestuous friendships with other members of the School of Paris (as this circle of foreign-born artists is known) such as Modigliani and Chagall.
As an editor at Smithsonian points out, Meisler's prose is "free of flapdoodle." Aimed at the general reader, this work is an entertaining glimpse into an era when Paris was still the art world's vibrant center.
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Lenora C. (Altoona, FL)
Shocking Paris
Not as good as others Meisler has written. Seemed that he started with one idea and then didn't have enough for a book and went back and added more information. Perhaps a good editor will smooth it out.
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