Faces of Hearst Castle
by Jana Seely, Keri Collins
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Book Summary Information
Author: Jana Seely, Keri CollinsEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2007-09-16
ISBN: 0979215633
Number of pages: 96
Publisher: Hearst Castle Press
Book Reviews of Faces of Hearst Castle
Book Review: Capturing the essence of Hearst Castle
Summary: 5 Stars
The publisher and movie producer William Randolph Hearst spent nearly 30 years up to 1947 building his fantasy estate - some would say folly - at San Simeon on the central Californian coast. He spared no expense in bringing wonderful objets d'art to Hearst Castle from all over the world, many of great antiquity. Or he had them replicated.
Some critics find Hearst's eclecticism vulgar and tasteless. (Personally, I think it's fun.) But all must admit that a visit to Hearst Castle is unforgettable.
I looked forward to a new book about San Simeon by authors with an intimate professional connection with Hearst's "ranch". On reading it I was not disappointed. Perhaps it's easier to begin by noting what Faces of Hearst Castle is not: it isn't a Hearst biography; it isn't a guide book with maps and directions; it isn't an exhaustive catalogue of the San Simeon art collection. (The book explains why such a catalogue may never be completed.)
However, this charming publication captures the essence and spirit of Hearst Castle. Randolph Hearst had an innocent passion for beautiful things that he was rich enough to indulge. Seely and Collins have collated for their work a variety of splendid artefacts, amply representing the range of Hearst's artistic interests.
Among other things, they show us a 13th Century archway from a Spanish cathedral, a 20th Century Lalique frosted glass bottle, an Etruscan bronze cista from the 3rd Century B.C, a 17th Century Flemish tapestry, a 19th Century French oil painting of Napoleon in Egypt, and from Egypt itself, an 18th dynasty black granite statue of the goddess Sekhmet. This is a compendium of treasures!
The artwork and photography of the book are elegant, sumptuous, reflecting the quality of many of the objects depicted. It's a shame the designer and photographer, Gary Ashcavai, was so modest in declining the credit due to him. I hope this is corrected in the second edition.
That said, the text is also a pleasure to browse. The descriptions of the artefacts are spare, meticulous and to the point. There is no guidebook cliché; instead we get nuggets of research. On a replica of a 15th Century Spanish statue, we learn: "Hearst instructed architect Julia Morgan to incorporate design elements that featured guardian wild men [well, of course!], such as the ones found on a church doorway from Seville, Spain; Hearst even provided Morgan with a photograph of the doorway..." Hearst was clearly a hands-on guy with ideas of his own.
Here's another gem: a Florentine portrait bust stands on a base proclaiming the sitter to be Philip II of Spain. But research shows that is really the Grand Duke of Tuscany. Well researched by the authors, but who got it that wrong in the first place?
I will revisit this book with pleasure - and Hearst Castle some day too, I hope. Meanwhile, anyone with an interest in San Simeon will enjoy Faces of Hearst Castle.
Summary of Faces of Hearst Castle
A lavishly illustrated book that provides a close look at some of the faces depicted in a cross-section of the art at Hearst Castle, Faces of Hearst Castle is a fascinating synthesis of documentary research, scholarly discoveries, and lively storytelling. Never-before-published photographs of over forty specially-selected objects reveal the breadth of the collection housed at William Randolph Hearst's San Simeon estate, now part of California State Parks. Includes: table of contents, sources, bibliography, and index.Arts & Photography Books
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