Lynn Cullen. I Am Rembrandt's Daughter. 2007.

Cullen's first novel is based on real life characters and events, this is 14 year old Cornelia van Rijn's story of her struggle to come of age alongside her father, Rembrandt van Rijn. Her mother died of the plague and her close friend and brother married and left home. Cornelia is alone with her grumpy and demanding father. The story takes place in Amsterdam in the late 1670s at a time when Rembrandt is struggling as an artist. He is no longer popular and many people think he has gone mad. His work is referred to as coarse, crude, and brash. Two boys are also in Cornelia's life at this time: her father's young pupil, Neel, and Carel, the son of a shipping magnate. She has fallen in love with Carel and shares his love of art. One of the conflicts in the book is Cornelia's deep desire to paint and work alongside her father but is unheard of for girls to paint during this time period. The author makes you feel you are living during this time period, walking through the streets and canals of Amsterdam. She also brings alive the horrible fear and tragedy of living in a country where dying people are quarantined and carts of bodies are wheeled past you everyday.

Sarah Dunant. In the Company of the Courtesan. 2006.

I recommend In the Company of the Courtesan equally to individuals who are looking for historical romance and intrigue and also for books that feature real artists in fictional settings. The cover, featuring the cool and alluring gaze of the semi-clad and reclining Venus of Urbino by Titian places the book among other titles such as Girl With A Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier. The plot grabs your attention at once when Fiametta Bianchini, a beautiful, intelligent, and talented courtesan in Rome, is forced to flee from the troops of the Holy Roman Emperor who are sacking the city. She flees with her major-domo, the dwarf Bucino, in whose disillusioned and bitter voice the story is narrated. They arrive in Venice after many harrowing adventures which have left them nearly penniless. The pair of them set out to create a reputation for Fiametta which will enable her to set up a salon for gentlemen of power and culture such as she had had in Rome. As Bucino travels the Venetian canals and alleys, the reader gets a vivid picture of the 16th century city. Bucino has a hard task preserving Fiametta’s reputation, and even her life. His efforts are made more difficult by a blind healer, who brings them into potential danger from the religious establishment. Fiametta’s path is smoothed to a degree by her patrons among the art intelligensia of Venice. She numbers among her friends the painter Titian, and the writer Aretino. Readers of Tracy Chavalier and Susan Vreeland will love this glimpse into the art world, as they will appreciate this story of an independent and intelligent woman overcoming adversity.

Margaret Forster. Keeping the World Away. 2006.

What are essentially short stories are linked by the common thread of Gwen John's painting "The Corner of the Artist's Room in Paris". Tracing the journey of the painting through different owners, different countries and two world wars, Forster seamlessly weaves each story to give each owner and the painting a life of it's own. Each owner seems to be leading an unsatisfactory life, so the novel has a sense of unhappiness and depression.

Elizabeth Hand. Generation Loss. 2007.

Cassandra Neary, a New York-based photographer fascinated with damage, had her golden moment during the punk ferment of the 70s, when she was nearly 20 and shot the pictures in her only book, Dead Girls. Now she's 48, and with a devastating rape, the death of a lover, and years of creative atrophy behind her, feels her life has been "over for decades." Cass begins to revive emotionally while discovering an artist who has sunk even lower than herself: during a visit to a frigid island off the coast of Maine, she exposes the crimes of a photographer whose own preoccupation with death has led to madness. This psychological thriller is dark and edgy, like its tough-talking, pill-popping, bisexual protagonist. Hand frequently alludes to the theory and craft of photography, and her vivid descriptions of weathered landscapes suggest Cass's own creations.

Stephanie Kallos. Broken For You. 2004.

Margaret Hughes discovers she is dying and decides to take in a border to share her mansion filled with priceless china. This china has a dark history that is soon discovered by the new border Wanda. Wanda has a past of her own that is slowly revealed. One evening after getting to know each other a little, Wanda and Margaret spend a cathartic time smashing some of the china. Eventually, while recuperating from a debilitating accident, Wanda discovers a talent for mosaics, using the pieces of the smashed china to create artwork that helps redeem the dark past. This artwork is the beginning of healing for both Margaret and Wanda, and the end of the book with a satisfying conclusion.

Louise Penny. Still Life. 2006.

Like a successful artwork, this cozy mystery delights us with attractive surfaces: a small Quebec village, colorful people, odd but expressive paintings, while making us wonder what they conceal. When 76-year-old spinster Jane Neal is found in the woods, slain by an arrow, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache suspects foul play. It takes not only his probing but the sensitivity and memories of Jane's friends, who include artists, a poet, a bookshop owner, and bed-and-breakfast hosts, to crack the case. The primary clue lies in a painting called Fair Day, the only one of Jane's works anyone had ever seen when she unveiled it two days before her death. Still Life features suspense, multidimensional characters, an elegant writing style, and exploration of themes such as vision and parents. Descriptions of Jane's quirky work and her friends creative processes will appeal to art lovers.

Dorothea Tanning. Between Lives. 2001.

This is the autobiography of the painter Dorothea Tanning. Born in Illinois, she moved to New York right when artists were just coming over from Europe to flee World War II. One of the artists she met was the surrealist Max Ernst. They later moved to Arizona and were married in a double ceremony with Man Ray and his wife Julie. They moved to Paris and lived in several other places in France. After Max’s death, Dorothea was left wondering how to go on with her life and work. In very poetic language, she talks about her artistic development and the interesting artists and other famous people she met along the way.

Susan Vreeland. The Forest Lover. 2004.

In her search for self, independence, and a way to preserve the native culture of her British Columbian home, painter Emily Carr rebels against society and contemporary standards of what constitutes art. She captures the spirit of the area by painting its wild landscapes and native totemic carvings. Ahead of her Victorian time, the story of Emily Carr inspires readers.

Susan Vreeland. The Luncheon of the Boating Party. 2007.

Vreeland tells the story of the painting of Renoir's "Luncheon of the Boating Party." She describes what led to the painting, the technical and financial challenges the artist faced, the lives of the people in the painting, and the growing romance between Renoir and Aline, his future wife. Although the dialog often sounds artificial due to the author’s attempts to squeeze every bit of her research into the character’s mouths, the reader comes away with a deeper appreciation of this famous Impressionist painting and the period in which it was painted. A special pick for art lovers and history buffs.