{"product_id":"looking-to-sea-britain-through-the-eyes-of-its-artists-9781529309218","title":"Looking to Sea: Britain Through the Eyes of Its Artists","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e*One of \u003ci\u003eThe Times \u003c\/i\u003eBest Art Books of the Year*\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e'\u003ci\u003eLooking to Sea \u003c\/i\u003eis a remarkable and compelling book... I loved it.' Edmund de Waal\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e'In her first, transporting book, \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eLily Le Brun sweeps the beaches of the past \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003ecentury of British art, collecting treasures \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003efrom sea, shingle and shore... \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eA book to pack in your picnic basket for shivering dips, heatwave day trips and ice-cream Sundays\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e' \u003ci\u003eThe Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAn alternative history of modern Britain, \u003ci\u003eLooking to Sea\u003c\/i\u003e is an exquisite work of cultural, artistic and philosophical storytelling. \u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eLooking to Sea \u003c\/i\u003econsiders ten pivotal artworks, from Vanessa Bell's \u003ci\u003eStudland Beach\u003c\/i\u003e, one of the first modernist paintings in Britain, to Paul Nash's work bearing the scars of his experience in the trenches and Martin Parr's photographs of seaside resorts in the 1980s, which raised controversial questions of class. Each of the startlingly different pieces, created between 1912 and 2015, opens a window onto big ideas, from modernism and the sublime, the impact of the world wars and colonialism, to issues crucial to our world today like the environment and nationhood. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn this astonishingly perceptive portrait of the twentieth century, art critic Lily Le Brun brings a fresh eye to a vast idea, offering readers an imaginative new way of seeing our island nation. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Le Brun's writing is at once bold and delicate, far-reaching and fine-tuned. Her book explores the inexhaustible variety of human perception.' Alexandra Harris\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e'\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eA smart and clear-eyed set of meditations on marine gaze, made with a painterly touch worthy of the chosen artists. Empathy and intelligence lift memoir into cultural history.' Iain Sinclair\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Elegant and endlessly interesting . . . as much a rich compendium of social history as it is a hard consideration of art itself' \u003ci\u003eCritic\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLily Le Brun\u003c\/b\u003e is a writer from London. A graduate of Edinburgh University and the Courtauld Institute of Art, she has written on art for publications such as \u003ci\u003eArt Quarterly\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eFinancial Times\u003c\/i\u003e and the \u003ci\u003eEconomist\u003c\/i\u003e. In 2018 Lily won a Royal Society of Literature Giles St Aubyn Award for the early chapters of \u003ci\u003eLooking to Sea\u003c\/i\u003e. She lives in Paris, and this is her first book.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Sceptre","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50869236334866,"sku":"9781529309218","price":21.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_15093b0d-3c9b-469a-8c3f-5a018c517280.jpg?v=1737751392","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/looking-to-sea-britain-through-the-eyes-of-its-artists-9781529309218","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}