Painting Shakespeare
The Artist as Critic, 1720–1820

'…a scholarly and thorough account … wisely acknowledging both the vastness of the subject and the important work already done in this area. Sillars negotiates the difficulties of drawing together many threads of research well … makes for an engaging and compelling read … the author's passion for his subject is most apparent and he is at his most engaging. Sillars' readings are both sympathetic and sensitive, displaying a wealth of knowledge and depth of research.' Shakespeare Bookshop Newsletter

'Anyone at all interested in this important aspect of Shakespeare studies will find the book immensely valuable and, indeed, an incentive for further research.' Jay Halio, Shakespeare Newsletter

'… undoubtedly the best sustained piece of scholarly work to date on eighteenth-century ad Romantic uses of Shakespeare in the visual arts.' Michael Dobson, Shakespeare Quarterly

'This fascinating study gives inexhaustible hints and a fresh impetus to modern readers and theatre-goers for understanding Shakespeare more deeply in wider contexts of art and literature. The book undoubtedly deserves its unique place in art history and Shakespeare studies.' Shakespeare Studies

'… this is an important book in both the history of the cultural construction of Shakespeare and the interpretation of images in relation to texts.' The Cambridge Quarterly

'Sillars masterfully demonstrates how some painters did produce powerful readings of Shakespeare's oeuvre: illuminating its meaning and refreshing their own pictorial practice … a powerful reminder of the various uses, aesthetic as well political, to which Shakespeare was put during the Enlightenment and the Romantic age …' Cercles

'… the lavish style with which this book has been published … Fortunately, Stuart Sillars' fine text justifies such generous treatment … His knowledge of Shakespeare's plays is comprehensive, and his knowledge of art in the period is broad, rich, and detailed.' Notes and Queries