Sumptuous and nuanced!

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The Art of Looking Up by Catherine McCormack   

Firstly I was sold on the very simple, yet clever title. I immediately related to it. Some of my more fabulous architectural and artistic encounters have happened in that 'looking up' moment.
Years after visiting them, I remember some of the places mentioned here, the amazing juxtaposition that happens when looking up and through one space into another. This book speaks so eloquently to these experiences. As with those wonderfully painted vaulted columns in The Church of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, St Petersburg; or captured so perfectly in the photos of the Iman Mosque in Iran; and the astounding double page ceiling shot of the Sagrada Familia, Barcelona.
How can you not gasp aloud as your whole body opens up into the 'starry vault' of Sainte-Chapelle in Paris? And then there's the "mesmerizing" blue of Cy Twombly's,  The Ceiling, in the Louvre?
This book is a celebratory treat beckoning memories, inspiring visits to unseen places, and  encouraging us to appreciate masterful works.
McCormick's research and understandings show the depth of her scholarship. Her narrative balances informatively against the visual representations. Indeed the opening paragraph in the Introduction sets the scene, reminding us, indeed calling us to look beyond ourselves.
A vivid and informative presentation.

 A Quarto Publishing Group-White Lion Publishing ARC via NetGalley

*****

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