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nigelhervey's review against another edition
5.0
Awesome book
"The artist or writer does not impose harmony on reality but—with sufficient reverence and diligence and selflessness and solitude—uncovers the harmony that is always there but that we conceal from ourselves out of a preference for material comfort and fear of the consequences a full and unreserved embrace of harmony requires. This faith in the underlying harmony roots itself in a love of and appreciation for nature, because nature, no matter how extreme the human abuse heaped on her, embodies a quiet, continual knitting and healing of life, ever dependent on death to make herself anew. 'Art is a harmony parallel to nature,' Cézanne wrote—not identical with but parallel to nature. Art of any kind, undertaken with attention and focus and as part of a commitment to discipline, is an effort at reenactment of the original creative gesture—the precipitation of the universe at the moment of its creation. That, I believe, is why we sing, paint, dance, sculpt, write; that is why any one of us sets out to create something from nothing, and why the creative impulse is essentially religious or, if you prefer, spiritual. We seek to recreate the original creative gesture, whatever or whoever set it in motion—the bringing into being of what is. We seek the center of beauty."
"The artist or writer does not impose harmony on reality but—with sufficient reverence and diligence and selflessness and solitude—uncovers the harmony that is always there but that we conceal from ourselves out of a preference for material comfort and fear of the consequences a full and unreserved embrace of harmony requires. This faith in the underlying harmony roots itself in a love of and appreciation for nature, because nature, no matter how extreme the human abuse heaped on her, embodies a quiet, continual knitting and healing of life, ever dependent on death to make herself anew. 'Art is a harmony parallel to nature,' Cézanne wrote—not identical with but parallel to nature. Art of any kind, undertaken with attention and focus and as part of a commitment to discipline, is an effort at reenactment of the original creative gesture—the precipitation of the universe at the moment of its creation. That, I believe, is why we sing, paint, dance, sculpt, write; that is why any one of us sets out to create something from nothing, and why the creative impulse is essentially religious or, if you prefer, spiritual. We seek to recreate the original creative gesture, whatever or whoever set it in motion—the bringing into being of what is. We seek the center of beauty."
abigailmn's review against another edition
3.0
This book had a lot of potential. The idea of solitude feeding creativity is an interesting topic. Yet the author tends to go on rants about his childhood and the books turns into part biography part notable artists who confine themselves to solitude. I did learn some things and enjoyed part of the book, but I did start to skip pages towards the end due to the author’s never ending ranting. I read the book to read about the topic, not about the author. Still a decent read.
senid's review against another edition
3.0
I thought this book might inform my writing poetry practice. I am also drawn to books about solitude, silence, hermits, monasticism, and similar topics because my life is often very solitary. This book was more of a memoir interspersed with reflections on different creative figures who led solitary lives. It seemed like a jumble of things to me, without a clear focus. I did enjoy the parts that were memoir very much.
sophiaf97's review against another edition
4.0
This meditation on personal aloneness, solitude, spirituality, and being Kentuckian (!!!) is special to me in many ways. Reading this allowed for a presentness to myself as an artist and thinker.
alexanderp's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
This was okay. Johnson is a decent enough writer and maybe it's the season of life that I'm in, but this just did not resonate as deeply at points that I believe it meant to.
I may return to it, but this is a nice meditation on solitude and what that means for a creative soul.
I may return to it, but this is a nice meditation on solitude and what that means for a creative soul.
donifaber's review against another edition
1.0
The author seems so bent on proving his thesis (that the famous people he writes about are solitaries) that he imposes that interpretation onto them even when the evidence doesn't seem to bear its weight (they were solitaries within a marriage, for example). I didn't find his interpretation to shed light on the famous people he profiled. Overall, it felt like the author got too much in the way.
sophiaf97's review against another edition
4.0
This meditation on personal aloneness, solitude, spirituality, and being Kentuckian (!!!) is special to me in many ways. Reading this allowed for a presentness to myself as an artist and thinker.