The Art of the Affair by Catherine Lacey, Forsyth Harmon

Description

The love lives behind the art — mapped in ninety-six illustrated pages. The Art of the Affair: An Illustrated History of Love, Sex, and Artistic Influence pairs novelist Catherine Lacey with illustrator Forsyth Harmon in a 2017 Bloomsbury volume tracing a chain of entanglements — marriages, flings, rivalries, muses — connecting some of the twentieth century’s best-loved writers and artists, showing how romance, jealousy, and heartbreak quietly shaped the work.

Harmon’s drawings literally draw the lines: lovers, exes, and rivals linked in a surprisingly scandalous web. Lacey’s text is witty and economical, treating gossip as a serious critical tool — arguing that no great creator ever worked in a vacuum.

Part art history, part illustrated romp: a quick, delightful read for anyone who likes their culture with a dose of human drama — and a reminder that behind every masterpiece there is usually a very interesting relationship.

“The Art of the Affair: An Illustrated History of Love, Sex, and Artistic Influence” pairs novelist Catherine Lacey with illustrator Forsyth Harmon in a 2017 Bloomsbury volume that maps the love lives behind the art. Across ninety-six illustrated pages, the two trace a chain of entanglements — marriages, flings, rivalries, and muses — connecting some of the twentieth century’s best-loved writers and artists, showing how romance, jealousy, and heartbreak quietly shaped the work.
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nHarmon’s drawings literally draw the lines: lovers, exes, and rivals linked in a surprisingly scandalous web, from poets clutching portraits of their lovers to painters inspired — and undone — by their partners. Lacey’s text is witty and economical, treating gossip as a serious critical tool and arguing that no great creator ever worked in a vacuum.
n
nPart art history, part illustrated romp, The Art of the Affair is a quick, delightful read for anyone who likes their culture with a dose of human drama. It makes an entertaining gift for art lovers — and a reminder that behind every masterpiece there is usually a very interesting relationship.