Henry Hensche. THE ART OF SEEING AND PAINTING. Portier Gorman, Louisiana, 1987. ISBN 0962138207
Current Selling Prices
$550-$750 / £300-£400
ART
Subtitled 'for the color visualist painter.' Although short, the book was apparently 50 years in the making. Portier Gorman is basically a vanity press which might accont for the book's rarity. Hensche (1899-1992) was a student of Charles Hawthorne who was a student and follower of Monet. Hensche's teachings and influence are evident in the work of the current Cape (Cod) School style painters including Hilda Neilly, Mary Giammarino, Lois Griffel, Heather Bruce and many others.
VALUE? One copy on web at $450 vg in vg d/w appears to have sold, another copy from a breathtakingly expensive re-lister remains there at $1500, and has been joined by another at same price. There is also a copy on Amazon at the frankly unhinged get lost price of $2400. The book is 95 pages and at such prices it becomes worth xeroxing at 6 cents a page rather than rather than paying 300 times the price. Do the math. The $450 copy took a while to sell btw. Also, for about $4 you can get 'Hensche on Painting' (Dover) which has very similar stuff from the great teacher. STOP PRESS. A BIN copy sits at ebay at $2500 - the Mississippi seller misspells Hensche's name but has this unique selling point "Local artist Bobby Burst uses Henseche's ideas and methods of painting which he sells to the public." Seller's other items are Billy Joel and Bee Gee's albums. Burst, the artist, appears to be unknown to Google which these days basically means - he is unknown.' It's a mad world my masters' as Tom Middleton said. Want level 25-50 Highish
2 comments:
The Henshce book "The Art of Seeing and Painting" can be found through interlibrary loan at several libraries in the USA. I suggest that you go that route with a good research librarian to secure a copy to read before buying the book. Try the library in Provincetown. Others have it as well, but only a few and it is often out on loan. Only the chapter PAINTING A STILL LIFE begining on page 27 and ending on page 43 decribes the detailed rational that explains Hensche's approach and philosophy for full color seeing and painting. This is not a method or technique book. The chapter on still life requires multiple readings to understand and years of practice to learn to "see". It's only for the dedicated colorist student to attempt. you willnot find this understanding of full color seeing in any other writings anywhere else. Very very few have mastered it. Of the hundreds of students he trained at the Cape school, only a very select few understood and can see color correctly.
The Dover book is very good, but does not have the KEY chapter that allows a student to understand the rational for Hensche's approach.
- with respect - a Hensche follower
Thanks --this is the kind of input I was hoping for when I set up this blog--info, experience,comment and opinion- things that people need to know and knowledge not available until now. Cheers. N.
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