A memoir of art and life . . .

I read a lot of books, but sometimes one comes along ,quite unexpectedly, and I know it will be on my list of best books of all time, that I will read it again and again and will think about it in years to come.

Thunderclap by Laura Cumming 
(Shortlisted for the 2024 Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction)

On the morning of 12 October 1654 a gunpowder explosion devastated the Dutch city of Delft. The thunderclap was heard over seventy miles away. Among the fatalities was the painter Carel Fabritius, dead at thirty-two . . . 

Very little is known about Fabritius, the shadowy figure on the book cover, but he is well known for his painting - The Goldfinch. In this book the author delves into the past to try to piece together the artist’s life and she interweaves this story with that of other artists of the time, such as Vermeer. And with the life of her own father, a Scottish painter, who also died young. We go from 17th century Delft to 20th century Scottish islands, from Rembrandt’s studio in Amsterdam to wartime America and contemporary London. And through it all is art itself, how one responds to paintings, what pictures can mean to different people. The author also ponders on the precariousness of life, how things can change in a thunderclap. 

I was surprised, as I started reading this book, just how much I was linked to it. Laura Cumming is the Observer’s chief art critic and I read her often, although sometimes I don’t know what she is talking about! I realised that I had read one of her books a few years ago and loved it. Her writing is beautiful, the narrative just flows along. I went to see The Goldfinch, the tiny, exquisite painting, when it was on loan for a short time in Edinburgh. I love Vermeer’s work, thoroughly enjoyed the excellent screen presentation of the big exhibition in Amsterdam (I had the chance to watch this again recently through a showing with English Heritage) and I was delighted to find one of his paintings in Kenwood House, Hampstead. I have visited Rembrandt’s house and studio twice - a fascinating place. 

So it goes on. 

There was just one thing left to do - visit Delft . . . 

. . . no sooner said than  . . . it was all planned and we set off tomorrow.