Tuscan Countess The Life Extraordinary Times of Matilda Book by Michèle Spike

Young Michelangelo By: John T. Spike In the most important biography of Michelangelo to appear in modern times, John T. Spike illuminates heretofore unrevealed aspects of Michelange...

Tropical Light The Art of A. E. Backus By: Natasha Kuzmanovic Winner of the 2016 Florida Book Award Gold Medal for Visual Arts Surpassing all potential rivals, artist A. E. Backus (1906–1990) developed a masterful aesthetic for portraying Florida’s lush tropical landscape, and his works became the definitive images of the state. Displaying a Backus painting quickly became a mark of distinction for a certain set of affluent Floridians. Defining his own artistic roots as “part Cracker [a hardy, early Florida pioneer] and part Monet,” Backus’s primary subject matter was tropical nature as defined by light, which he rendered using complementary colors. His avant‑garde use of a palette knife to create entire compositions produced paintings that combined a sensitive observation of nature with gestural paint application. So skillful was Backus at depicting the light and atmosphere of a particular locale that the season and exact time of day, to the hour, can be identified in most of his works. Backus excelled at capturing the essence of traditional Florida: rustic fishing camps, magnificent beaches, tidal rivers fringed with palms and mangroves, and the abrupt changes in the weather that characterize Florida’s tropical light to both natives and visitors. Besides his exceptional artistic talent, Backus also possessed an extraordinary humanitarian spirit. He drew no lines of distinction between young and old, rich and poor, black and white, and his studio door in Fort Pierce was open to all. He developed enduring friendships with black musicians, artists, and authors, including Zora Neale Hurston, one of the leading figures of the Harlem Renaissance. The circle of African‑American artists known as the Highwaymen...