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Pavilion Books Ltd, 2000. H/B. 160 pages, Condition - Very Good, in a slightly bumped jacket.. THE painter Jack Vettriano emerged from the unlikely background of the Scottish coalfields - unknown and untutored - and has seen his paintings acquired by celebrities around the world. His first exhibition sold out, as did the second and he has since become Scotland's most successful and controversial contemporary artist. Vettriano's images are a gateway to an alluring yet sinister world; a timeless place where past and present intertwine. It is a world heavy on atmosphere evoking the great noir movies and novels of our time. The drama of men and women is played out in each canvas against a backdrop of bars and clubs, seaside and racetracks, ballrooms and bedrooms: real people acting out recognizable situations but at a dramatic and romantic intensity beyond the ordinary. Both sexes are clearly defined -the men hard-edged and mysterious, the women curvy, seductive and enigmatic. Yet beneath the confident posturing, Jack Vettriano recognises our inherent human frailty, that there is no victor in the struggle between duplicity and desire. Both men and women are ultimately trapped by the machinations of intense love and passion with little control over their destiny. Lovers and Other Strangers is the first monograph of Jack Vettriano's powerful paintings and the 100 essential canvases have been chosen by the artist. The critic Anthony Quinn, in a compelling essay, recounts the artist's early days in the Fife coalfields, his initial artistic endeavours on the backs of betting slips, his first solo exhibition and present phenomenal success.. Hard Cover. Very Good/Good. 9.5" X 11.75".