Really a 1.51. A swing and a miss. A book I liked far more for the topic than the presentation.Let me explain. This is a book about a topic I really care about, and Harr is an author whose style I would otherwise relish. It is the combination of the two in this volume that I truly dislike. The discovery of Caravaggio 's The Taking of Christ is presented in two parallel narratives, each with its tensions when read separately. Yet Harr is unable to make those stories meet on any level except that of an enormous coincidence of the painting being recognized by a restorer as a Caravaggio just a year or so after the publication of an authoritative and unexpected provenience that the restorer never read before his discovery. Sheer chance drives this story forward, and so there is no support for Harr's treatment of these two narratives as a linear progression from one to the next.Then there is how Harr approaches the paired narratives. The first section is titled "The Roman Girl", and describes in thick detail the adventures of Francesca, an attractive graduate student whose vacation plans and sexual adventures are described with far more warmth and detail than her scholarly contributions to establishing the origins, dates, and sales histories of several benchmark works of Baroque art. We read as much about her cruising about Rome on a scooter with her skirts tucked under her firm thighs (really) as we do about her deciphering the coded language of 16th century account books.In short, Harr was obviously crushing on Francesca and she was a willing and detailed source of information about her willingness to head for the beach for a session of tanning rather than make best use of her limited time in an archive. Meanwhile Harr was a willing transcriptionist who (when it came to Francesca) lacked any editorial distance. As evidence, notice how little information we have about Francesca's constant partner in this research and what she was thinking or doing at any time during the process. Now compare the first section to the second, "The Restorer", where we are presented with an almost silent Sergio Benedetti. The impressionistic glimpses of Sergio at work on the painting, and the relative lack of detail about his daily activities and history either before or during this greatest moment in his professional life are stark, especially when that distance is suddenly destroyed when Francesca and Sergio meet and we revert entirely to Francesca's version of events. And this is exactly why this book bothered me in the reading. Although Harr is enamored of Francesca and clearly wants to advance her claims to the story of the discovery of the painting (to the extent that Sergio's claim to discovery in Harr's telling somehow seems to require Francesca's blessing and confirmation in addition to his actual possession of the painting), he simultaneously undermines her as a serious scholar at almost every rhetorical turn. There is something more than friendliness in the fact Harr consistently refers to the men by their surnames, but the women always by their first. Where Francesca relies upon chance meetings and accidental introductions to meet the important contacts she needs to advance in her career, the men are methodical in their connections and have stalwart masculine friendships. The consistency of Harr's subtle sexist inflection is increasingly repellent as the book progresses.Near the end of the book one encounters the observation that Francesca's co-researcher Laura refused to work with or meet Sergio after one initial encounter where he belittled their work and left her feeling insulted. One suspects after reading this book that she had similar reasons for not working with Harr on this project.
Wow! It's been so long since I have read a book that dominated my thoughts for a couple of days; a book that I thought was amazing. Luckily for me I just read The Lost Painting by Jonathan Harr. Jonathan Harr is mostly known for writing A Civil Action, which I enjoyed, but didn't find that it left me breathless the way that The Lost Painting did. The painting referred to in the title is The Taking of Christ by Caravaggio. Until the early 90s copies of the painting had been found, but the original painting had disappeared. Had it been destroyed, or was it lying in an attic somewhere, forgotten? The book follows several people, the octagenerian pre-eminent Caravvaggio scholar in the world, an obscure italian art restorer living in the artistic hinterland of Ireland, and a Roman graduate student in art history. Their lives eventually intertwine, but are separate for most of the narrative. The story really gets going with the graduate student, Francesca, looking for evidence about a different Caravaggio painting in a dark and moldy forgotten archive in Italy. She does find what she is looking for, but also finds previously unknown evidence about the Taking of Christ, that sets her to following the trail of the painting across Europe.This incredible story is only made more amazing by the fact that it is true. It feels like a detective story, and Harr writes it to be an entertaining narrative. I have to say that I have little to no interest in the religious paintings of the European masters, but that didn't diminish my enjoyment of this book in any way. Ultimately, anyone who is passionate about anything will enjoy The Lost Painting. A Caravaggio might not move me to tears and drop me to my knees, but the love of art and the inspiration the lead characters derive from it comes through loud and clear. Despite my fairly neutral feelings towards European art, as I read the book, I really understood what it meant to these people to find one of the world's great lost treasures. Anyone who has ever discovered anything that has moved them will be captivated as they read this. The Lost Painting is the best book I have read in a couple of years.
What do You think about The Lost Painting (2006)?
For my trip to Italy, I picked up this book - recommended by both the Boston Globe and NY Times. The author of The Civil Action - a great read. The lost painting is "The Taking of Christ" - an account of how, in 1990, the original was found. One of the key people is Francesca Cappelletti, a 24-year old graduate student at the University of Rome. She cites a church in Rome that owns Caravaggio paintings - three paintings about St. Matthew. We visited this church to see the paintings - tucked in a corner of the church (though many other people were gazing at these paintings) Also, saw Caravaggio paintings at the Borghese Galleria in Rome and the Uffizi Museum in Florence. I think this book meant more to me because I actually saw Caravaggio paintings. But, the search to find the real "Taking of Christ" is fascinating. Meticulously researching documents throughout the centuries - paintings sold and bought by different owners. Also, we are introduced to the technique and art of restoring paintings. Reminded me a bit of the fiction book, The Blue Hyacinth, about a Vermeer painting throughout the centuries - an authentic or a forgery and what it means to the owners. The Lost Painting was the perfect book for my trip to Italy.
—Kathleen
Absurdly readable, this book is candy for anyone who loves or appreciates the scavenger hunt of archival historical research. If you are particularly into Italian history, this book is the equivalent of a snickers bar perfectly cooled in the refrigerator.If you feel meh about the tedious, meticulous process of historical research, despite its finally coming together in spectacularly satisfying ways, you will really really really not like this book. I mean, seriously, don't bother. Because that is not only the book's subject, it is its essence. It's the only thing on the menu.The Lost Painting is a nonfiction retelling of the rather miraculous discovery of a Lost Caravaggio painting in the early 1990s. The book is written in a spare, fast-paced, no-nonsense prose that I found a bit jarring at first, but by the end of the book, I had come to appreciate it. Harr's book is essentially a fun-to-read 260 page police report or newspaper article. I think Harr smartly recognized that the story itself is so fabulous FOR RESEARCH LOVERS that it needed no embellishment FOR RESEARCH LOVERS.If I haven't made myself clear yet, unless you like history, research, art, Europe, and/or scavenger hunts, please don't read this book. If you are cool and recognize the genius of above said things, then read it.
—Julie
