First published 1863
Charles Baudelaire takes up his pen as both worshipper and warrior in the battle for artistic beauty. The French poet and critic, who would later shock Paris with Les Fleurs du Mal, turns his sharp wit toward the art world of his time. He examines exhibitions featuring painters like Delacroix and Ingres with meticulous attention to detail. He strikes out against false virtue in plays and novels, positioning himself as a fierce guardian of authentic artistic expression. His essays on Edgar Allan Poe, Gustave Flaubert, and Théophile Gautier reveal his deep connection to fellow creators. In a rare venture into musical territory, he explores Richard Wagner's Tannhauser and its Parisian reception, demonstrating his keen sensitivity to music's power of suggestion. Throughout these writings, Baudelaire maintains that the pursuit of beauty must stand above all other concerns in art.
Genres: art, essays, 20th-century, criticism, 19th-century, art-history
Vibes: emotional-atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: guardian-of-art
Setting: Paris
Period: 19th-Century
464 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Penguin Classics