"This book is mind-blowing. Nemerov is a groundbreaking thinker in his field."—John Wilmerding, Princeton University "This is a book for all serious Americanists."—Jay Fliegelman, author of Declaring Independence "Each haunting and delicately wrought canvas expands as Nemerov writes about it, so that his interpretive work both mirrors and supplements the wondrous intensity of the paintings themselves."—Ellen Handler Spitz, Museums of the Mind "Underneath their apparent simplicity, Raphaelle Peale's still lifes glow mysteriously in the dark light of their making. Peale transformed the common items of the early-nineteenth-century kitchen and market into explorations of the American unconscious. Now, writing as coolly and lucidly as Peale painted, Alexander Nemerov has unpeeled those still lifes in a tour de force of formalistic analysis. Through close interrogation of these small, hermetic images, Nemerov's book reveals the whole world of early America, in the process bringing us as close as possible to the genius of Raphaelle Peale."—David C. Ward, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. "This is a dazzling study, lively and imaginative, of an important body of work. Nemerov's novel arguments regarding still life in general and Raphaelle Peale in particular reveal much about the art, the man, and the times. It is a thoughtful and provocative book, certain to generate interest and debate. "—Charles C. Eldredge, Hall Distinguished Professor of American Art and Culture, University of Kansas "A triumph of interpretation! Not since Michael Fried's groundbreaking account of Thomas Eakins has a critic so reimagined the very terms by which we see painting. Nemerov's account singlehandedly catapults a painter we had previously considered to be interesting, but minor, into the forefront of discussions about American art during the early National Period. The Body of Raphaelle Peale will no doubt spark the beginning of an exciting revival of scholarship in American Romantic painting."—Bryan J. Wolf, author of Romantic Re-Vision

The beautifully illustrated book, with 47 color plates, will restore Raphaelle Peale, eldest son of artist, naurtalist, and inventor Charles Willson Peale, to his rightful place in the annals of American art.

"Published on the occasion of the exhibition Audubon to Warhol: the art of American still life, Philadelphia Museum of Art, October 27, 2015-January 10, 2016"--Title page verso.

"The Body of Raphaelle Peale is a close reading not just of Raphaelle's paintings but also of the visual and intellectual culture of early-nineteenth-century Philadelphia to which they intimately relate. More broadly, the book presents a reading of romanticism in the American visual arts. Above all, it is an argument about selfhood in Raphaelle's era. Raphaelle focused - in paintings both playful and morbid - on the pleasures and horrors of being a mere body, of being less than a self."--BOOK JACKET.

In 2007, American photographer Sharon Core (born 1965) encountered the work of the early nineteenth-century American still-life painter Raphael Peale (1774-1825). Peale's images of fruit, cakes and vegetables are famed for their uncanny realism, and they inspired Core to undertake a series of photographs titled Early American, a brilliant exploration of trompe l'oeil's relationship to photography, and of photography's relationship to the past. Core replicates as closely as possible the subject matter, lighting and compositional characteristics of Peale's paintings. She describes an extraordinarily intensive preparation for the project, researching and acquiring period porcelain and glass and growing, from heirloom seeds, varieties of fruits and vegetables that were in existence in the early nineteenth century. "Through these efforts," she writes, "I hoped to achieve a mirroring of Peale's painstaking painting process, and the themes that lie under their surfaces." This volume reproduces the 31 images comprising this ambitious enterprise.

Leven en werk van de Amerikaanse schilder John Frederick Peto (1854-1907)

Showcasing a treasured private collection amassed over several decades, this publication represents the beauty and complexity of still-life painting in the United States. More than 65 works from the Hevrdejs collection, many of which have never been on public view, are accompanied by comprehensive and accessible explanations that contextualize their role in the ongoing development of the genre. Featuring works by prominent and diverse artists such as Raphaelle Peale, Thomas Hart Benton, Georgia O'Keeffe, and Andrew Wyeth, this study expands the overall notion of the still life by examining its use in a variety of painting styles from the 19th century to the present day. With color illustrations and an essay and entries by a distinguished scholar, this book demonstrates why the genre has been a compelling preoccupation for American artists over two centuries. Distributed for the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston Exhibition Schedule: The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (01/14/17-04/09/17) Memphis Brooks Museum of Art (04/20/17-07/30/17) Tacoma Museum of Art (October 2017-January 2018)