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Hamilton offers a kaleidoscopic view of London’s art world in the 19th century; allowing us to look through his lens at painters: “Talent, like virtue, might be its own reward, yet, unlike virtue, it would always pay handsomely in addition.” At sculptors: “The sculptor’s workshop was to a painter’s studio what a slaughterhouse is to a chicken run: noisier, bigger, busier, bloodier.” At dealers: “The go-between is an ancient species, early evolved to perfection.” He covers patrons, engravers, curators, all changing with advances in science, industry and commerce. Outstanding is the account of how paint developed from often poisonous, concoctions to tubes. At the centre of this multi-layered hive, depicted in rich detail, with spicy anecdotes, is JMW Turner: “The ringmaster of magic, sensual, grumpy and human.”
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