Pictures and Tears: A History of People Who Have Cried in Front of Paintings

The topic is fascinating, and when Elkins talks about specific works of art he is great. Unfortunately, when he talks about emotions he doesn't say much and he repeats his few points insufferably; a good editor would have trimmed this book by a quarter. That said, Elkins' thesis that we've forgotten how to engage with paintings emotionally - and the role that museums and art historians play in this development - will stay with you and affect the way you look at art in the future.Also note that the formatting for the Kindle is terrible. Particularly galling when the publisher is charging twice the usual rate for ebooks.

Since I'm a person who started crying in front of pictures (three times) it was very interesting and moving to learn about other peoples experiences. I'm not that weird. :-)

One of the best books on paintings and our reaction to them with tears and emotion.

Very good study of accomplished master artists that invoke emotion in their work. Mindfulness of the viewer can bring tears.

This book is beautifully illustrated with paintings by Caravaggio, Greuze, Bellini (Giovanni), Bouts, and Friedrich along with a picture of a chapel designed by Mark Rothko.As the blurb states, it is a "strange and wonderful investigation into paintings and the emotions they conjure."The book is eloquently written by the author James Elkins who is a professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and has also authored "How To Use Your Eyes" and "What Painting Is".This is a highly affecting book and will give hours of pleasure to those discerning readers who have the privilege to read the author's opus.Timothy Wingate from OTTAWA CANADA

As someone who has cried (more than once, in the museum) in the presence of art, I was struck by Elkins' inability to do so and his research to understand why some of us do, others don't. Even though I don't agree with some of his assumptions, the book reminded me of cherished encounters with specific artworks over the years and why engaging with art helps make sense out of life.

"Pictures and Tears" is a rare book, smart, knowledgeable and soulful, an eloquent homage to the mysteries of art. I bought it several times and gave it to friends, most of them painters. I also gave it to Oliver Sacks, who I interviewed for a German magazine, after he told me he was working on a book on tears.

Help! Someone please refund my money on this book! Better yet...the time I wasted reading it.Elkins is a fine educator and writer, but this book does not fall into either category. This is 250+words of over-intellectualizing on "why" certain paintings move people to tears.As a professional painter for over two decades, a former Arts Ambassador for the USIA, as well as a world traveler with a love for art, allow me to save potential readers from wasting $19.95, and to give Prof. Elkins' brain a rest."I have seen fabulously created art that does not sell or hold its viewers, and poorly created art that does both. Whether a painting brings you to tears or to purchase, it is because the energy the artist held while creating that work stays in that work forever. If the artist was angry at the world, no matter how perfectly that work may be to the trained eye, its energy will be angry and repel its viewers. Joy, loss, and deep spirituality, when held in the heart during creation, is what will bring a viewer to tears." Uriel Dana

muito bom