Some-time actor, radical reactionary, reclusive socialite, innovative traditionalist, the heart of the English school of painters, Sickert (1860-1942) was all these things and more but not, as Sturgis conclusively proves, Jack the Ripper.* More than a biography this is a rewarding slice of social history illuminated by the life of this talented, single-minded, selfish, kindly and generous man who seemed equally at home in such diverse places as London, Paris, Venice, Dieppe, Bath and even Broadstairs. (*see Portrait of a Killer, bwl20).
(James Baker - bwl 48 November 2008 ) |
