1 comments about Egon Schiele: 1890-1918: Desire and Decay (Taschen 25th Anniversary Series).

1. This is another welcome addition to Taschen's 25th Anniversary Series of large, hardcover collections. You get excellent reproductions of many of Egon Schiele's finest work along with Wolfgang Georg Fischer's expert commentary.
   
   Besides the works themselves, I found the most valuable part of the book to be the historical and biographical information. Fischer gives the necessary perspective with which to view Schiele's sometimes difficult work without being excessively wordy or academic. I love academic writing as much as anyone, but I think the intended audience here is not going to want to wade through pages of theoretical discourse.
   
   In addition to the paintings, there are some photographs of Schiele, his family, and his colleagues. After looking at his numerous self-portraits and (especially) the paintings of his wife, it's fascinating to see photographs of them in a casual context.
   
   Schiele's style may not appeal to everyone, but this book is an excellent place to begin your appreciation, especially at Taschen's extremely low price. When you look at all the $3-12k limited edition books they release, it's nice that they remember that poor college students enjoy great art books too!

2 comments about Miro.

1. I could not find this book in any book store. However, it was easily available through Amazon.com, and was delivered on a timely basis. The over all experience was very smooth.



2. This is a magnificent art book, written by a leading authority on Miro, replete with high-quality illustrations and served by a brilliant text. Undoubtedly the best available work on the Spanish master, it enables the reader to wander through Miro's oeuvre with almost the same enjoyment as if the paintings were actually before your eyes. The entire career of the painter is covered and the text is historically informative as well as enlightening in its explanations of major works. A must-have in any fine arts library.

3 comments about Francis Bacon: 1909-1992 (Taschen Basic Art).

1. I found this book very, very good for those wishing "to meet" the artist as I did. I didn't know anything about Bacon before but had strong decision to explore his paintings and himself as an artist. This book serve well for this purpose.
   It contains many illustrations, all in color but it's not all his paintings. Book covers everything mainly in chronological manner, gives overall picture of Bacon's life journey.
   Book is very good, maybe even best start for exploring Bacon's art. After that it's easy to orientate and dive deeper. And besides, Taschen series are really known for their good quality, at least in my mind.
   Personally me, I started to explore Bacon's art with exactly this book and it very impressed me. In Bacon's art I found something inspirational for myself. Taking into account Bacon art's specific features this book and Bacon art could
   be strongly suggested for animators, game developers, painters, concept artists who's into horror genre. But, by Bacon's own words:"I am not seeing any horror in my pictures"!



2. This book contains a superb range of beautifully printed Bacon pieces in full colour, and at a very modest price. However, the drawback of this book is the writings of Luigi Ficacci. His essays on Bacon are excruciating to read and immensely difficult to follow. It's like being at an art gallery and overhearing pretentious art-wannabes trying to outdo each other with big words and obscure psychoanalytical references.
   
   So if you're looking for a book containing a comprehensive collection of artwork by Francis Bacon, this is an excellent and affordable collection. However, if you're looking for insight into this fascinating artist, try "Interviews with Francis Bacon" by David Sylvester, or "Bacon" by Ediciones Poligrafa.



3. Luigi Ficacci in his Taschen book FRANCIS BACON: 1909 - 1992 has managed to give us a short survey in words about the particular genius of Francis Bacon, but at the same time presents a solid framework in which to study the primary contributions of Bacon's output by focusing on eleven of the most important works. And while the bookstore shelves have many fine expensive surveys of all of Bacon's works, this little book is a gift to the student whose pocketbook would be stretched as much as the shelf weight by those greater volumes!
   
   Ficacci's writing style is a bit dry, but his points are well made and even better related to the paintings he emphasizes. His work divides Bacon's obsessions into chapters on 'The Poetics of Bacon', 'The Expression of Horror', 'The Human Body', 'The Scene of Tragedy', 'The Portraits', and 'Sources of Inspiration'. Ficacci crowns his book with one of the finest capsulated biographies in print: each phase of Bacon's amazing career is played out in terse paragraphs as a timeline.
   
   Though Ficacci dwells on eleven paintings, this book includes fine reproductions of most of Bacon's works from the earliest to the last, with many little inclusions of works rarely seen in other books. For a superb introduction to one of the 20th century's most influential artists in a readable and affordable scale, this book is among the top choices. Grady Harp, December 05

4 comments about The Codex Nuttall.

1. El códice Nuttall es uno de los varios códices mixtecos que resaltan por su belleza y maestría de la composición.

   Pero son más que simples representaciones. Son una forma de escritura, que aún no se ha terminado de descifrar del todo. No sólo inspiran creación artística, sino también constituyen un legado cultural de nuestros antepasados; en ellos se plasmaron sus conocimientos históricos, medicinales, matemáticos, astronómicos, literarios, etc.




2. This is an interesting reproduction of the original document that is now kept in the British Museum. Essentially it is a historical geneological representation of the Mixtec kings lineage from 838 A.D. to 1330 A.D. Most of the information centers around the great military and political hero 8-Deer Tiger Claw. The Codex Nuttall is very difficult to understand and very little explanation of each plate is given. On the flip side, the pictures if studied carefully, are quite revealing and graphic in nature. As Meso-American art it is a wonderful depiction of Mixtex kings and their lives. The colors are true to the originals and rich with hues of red, brown and green mostly. This is a good book for anyone intersted in Meso-American art, either to reproduce or inspire to create something new borrowed from something old. As an archeological artifact it is a superb collection of drawings that inform as well as visually entertain. If you're into Pre-Columbian life in Mexico or want to learn more about the ancient civilizations that existed, this is a book for your collection.



3. I'm sorry if this confuses you but this book is actually a Mixtec manuscript, not Maya. In the edition I read, the colors are not as good as the reconstruction of the Codex Borgia. The Zouche Nutall codex contains stories of Mixtec towns and persons. The most interesting one is the story of Eight-deer. This books is a wonderful source of information for those interested in Archeology, Art, or simply curious



4. The Codex Nuttall is a graphical transcription of Mayan hieroglyph of uncomparable beauty and emotional impact. The original is exposed at the Peabody Museum; in the book is depicted with hi-fidelity colors and printed on quality white paper. It results very close to the original and better than photographic reproductions available. It is indispensable for all that works with design so as painters, architects, tattoonists.... But it is a powerful tool for who are interested to know about the magical simbolism of the Ancient Mexicans.

   Stefano Bianca designer musician inventor

5 comments about Robert Wade's Watercolor Workshop Handbook.

1. I was very impressed with this book. The side tabs make it easy to go directly to the section you want. Advice was excellent and well presented.



2. A beautifully printed hard cover book by an extraordinary watercolor artist. The book is filled with outstanding examples of landscapes, cityscapes from all over the world. In addition to being an inspired World class watercolor artist, Robert Wade is also a great teacher, the book is filled with practical advise and hands on lessons on color mixing, painting people,skies,glazing,location painting and many other subjects.Just to be able to look at his outstanding paintings would easily justify buying this book.



3. Excellent handbook for the serious watercolorist. Robert Wade has a great approach to some of the more difficult aspects of painting with watercolor. He is brief, to the point, yet his explanations make sense! Enjoyable reading and a great reference tool.



4. What a wonderful book with terrific instructions and insights. Replaces 20 books in my collection which don't come close to the wisdom this book provides.



5. I have a library of over 60 watercolor books, and this is by far my favorite. I also own all of Wades's tapes, and his new CD. I find them to be an extension of the book. I took a workshop from a famous watercolor teacher who had us doing wash on top of wash. She must have gotten the idea from Wade as he has a section on just that topic. He covers washes on top of finished paintings that changes the character of the painting completely. A fasinating book that I return to over and over again.

5 comments about The Nude Figure: A Visual Reference for the Artist.

1. This book has an extraordinary array of poses, in motion and not! The models are all different body types, though all relatively young and fit. Quite a few more women than men.
   
   In response to the other reviews: it's true that this is not the right book to get if you want in-depth, clear musculature. It's more just to look at then to walk you through or teach anything. But the photos are good quality and it's a great reference for a more impressionistic or natural/flowing approach to anatomy, which is just as important for an artist as technical detail!
   
   It takes all types of books for a complete breakfast.. er, complete anatomy reference library, and this is definitely one of my keystones! A great reference, great substitute for life drawing, (as good as possible, since nothing really tops life drawing) and an amazing inspiration to flip through!



2. Although the book is printed on a faily couarse grained paper and the photographs could have had better contrast, I have found the book useful. The poses are sufficiently varied to provide a good cross-section of body movement.



3. I bought this book when I saw it in the art store. I like it. The poses are natural and the models, while all WASPs, are of different shapes. I liked that the women were differently shaped-- some more curvacious like J-Lo, others like a Flapper with few curves. Their breasts are differently shaped which definitely helps in learning the figure. There are only a few male models and they could have been better had there been more-- I hate to judge a body as unattractive based on the amount of hair or what-have-they, and as an artist I appreciate the differences and these could be better appreciated had there been more. There was only one pregnant woman in the pregnant section and she is perhaps seven months pregnant-- she is not at the point where she is uncomfortable-pregnant or in the earlier stages-- this book could be greatly improved if Mr. Smith had done more women in different stages of pregnancy and a greater variation of models in general. I do know that when it comes to creating a book that publishers are at the mercy of meeting certain costs with a number of pages, so they try to be useful but original and try to meet several goals. This is all right-- it won't be my favourite book on the nude body, but it's not one that I will give away, either.



4. I found many usable poses in this book. Some diversity in body types, which is nice. I could do without the hairy armpits, but thankfully we all have the creative liscense to erase that.
   
   I left out one star because the male nudes are terrible. I think there are only 3 different male models, and I don't even want to look at them, not to mention draw them. No muscle definition, one is pot bellied, and another with a bald head and flabby body completely covered with hair...easy to render as that is (a contour, then tons of hair)I'll pass. Two thumbs down on the choice of male models.



5. First off, let me start off by saying that this is not a how-to guide for drawing the figure. It does not attempt to teach you, and it's not designed to do so. Also, don't expect this book to have great photos that will translate into beautiful, finished pieces of art--I don't think one should expect it to be. Instead, it is choke full of full figure poses with which a student can learn the human anatomy by repeated practice of drawing different poses.
   
   The book is what it says it is--it is merely a visual reference. This book is designed to help those who are already familiar with drawing the figure, but needs to practice the full figure at home without the help of live models at their disposal. It is not a replacement for live models, so some may deem this inadequate--but note that this is probably the best book out there of this kind. Some of the reviewers complained about the homogeneity of the models and their poses--well, not everyone is looking to expand their figure drawing prowess by drawing ethnic, overweight, or innovative poses.
   
   Speaking from personal experience, I feel that this book is helping me to develop familiarity with the figure, ultimately resulting in speed and better gestural expression. If this isn't what you're looking for, I don't recommend this book for you. As for Sarah Simblet's book, which this book is sometimes compared to, get it if you need to be taught how to draw the figure. Otherwise, I feel that book is useless, as most of the photos are of individual body parts, rather than the full human figure. It may be used to try to gain familiarity with individual body parts, but there aren't enough photos of each part to help become familiar with any of them. It does look pretty fancy though. Very glossy. Unlike this simple and functional book for those who believe in the value of repetition.

5 comments about The Portrait in Clay.

1. This book walks you through the various stages of portrait sculpture.
   As a novice sculptor, the upclose, step-by-step, all angles photos including the proper usage of tools, was especially helpful. While the artist does simplify the process, the artform is still very challenging and intimidating. This book helps to de-mystifying the task.



2. First of all, the author's portfolio is less than inspiring, to put it rather mildly. The text is actually fairly well written, and will be of some help to the beginner, although there are certainly better guides out there. To the author's credit, I've given the same rating to books with better techniques by better artists; the decent writing helps here. However there isn't much here for intermediate or advanced artists. Many of the techniques run the gamut from sloppy to downright lazy, and the results show this. If you'd like to make your way to a moderately successful stint as a mediocre contemporary sculptor without working too hard to get there, this book is for you. Of course, lots and lots of folks fit in this category. However, if you wish to push yourself to higher levels to become a disciplined, highly skilled artist, I would seriously recommend Edouard Lanteri's books instead.



3. I am an art student, and I bought Rubino's book before enrolling in a 3-D figure study class this semester. I have just worked through the instructions for modelling the basic portrait (i.e., not from life, which is the second part of the book). Following Rubino's instructions as exactly as I could, I was able to construct a pretty good likeness on the first try. This book is an extremely useful beginner's guide to portraiture, as long as you accept the fundamental idea that you have to measure carefully. And you really do have to, even though it seems boring and uncreative at first. Note that there is little reference to surface anatomy, just planes, at least in the first section. The basic model is the young white male with a completely neutral expression, which probably shouldn't surprise anyone. Another caution: inspect the illustrations as well as the written instructions, because important nuances show up there. But if you want to get started on the right track, and nail down the basics, I can't imagine a better book. For further study, I would look at Eliot Goldfinger's works on anatomy for artists, which are detailed and comprehensive.



4. Excellent tutorial on portrait work in clay modeling. This book takes the student, step by step through the process. Best book I've seen on the subject.



5. I have recently beagan to study sculpting more seriously and received this book as a gift. I improved tremendously with the help of this book. I'm not sure how best to communicate the message; but i must convey to you the importance of this book to anyone interested in sculpting. Does anyone know if a second series is planned?

4 comments about To Have and To Hold.

1. 
   In this excellent book,Philipp Bloom tackles a subject that knows no bounds.Anyone who has been a collector of anything knows what a madness collecting can become. Blom covers the subject from the earliest days ,when the idea of collecting was only something that was in the world of the extremely rich and powerful;and covers how through history it has changed to become a pursuit by anyone and at any level;and with the objects being collected being endless.
   Over and over again ,throughout the book ;we see that no matter how great and extensive a collection is;the owner of the collection must face the reality of death,and the collection of objects must pass on as well.The book is loaded with maxims that apply to all collecting;
   
   Just a couple are;
   
   "In order to take objects out of circulation or to devote oneself to finding useless things,one has to be able to afford the time and resources to do so."
   
   "The most important object of a collection is the next one."
   
   "Whatever we collect,we have to kill."
   
   "Can one be a collector without collecting?"
   
   "Show me your library and I'll tell you who you are."
   
   "Every passion borders on chaos,that of the collector on the chaos of memory."
   
   "Those who own more find dying harder."
   
   Reading this book is somewhat like visiting "The Smithonion";but only having a couple of hours to do so.It is well written,so it is still a pleasure.It is filled with interesting stories,unbelievable pursuits,amazingly addicted people,and something new,interesting and different on every page.
   In the last 200 years,collecting has changed so much that it is something that can ,and is, taken up by the "common man" There are no rules and no limits as to what can be collected;and the only limits are time and imagination. Of course,money can be an issue,but not a necessity.
   One of my favorite books is "Cadallac Jack" by Larry McMurtry,about an antique buyer and collections in the southern United States.It is filled with eccentric collectors.Imagine a collector in Texas who filled his house with bird nests. A great read for any collector.
   I have collected several things over the years.Stamps,in my youth.Rocks,Minerals and Fossils,Puzzles,Yo-Yo's,and of course books. I retired at 56,and my "collections" give me endless enjoyment.
   I think the thing that is most thoughtful about this book is the question "Can one be a collector without collecting?" Many people build collections such as playing different golf courses,visiting different countries,sport events,etc. I am also an avid Birdwatcher.I have seen 598 different birds in North America. We call that a "life List" and it is as much a personal collection as someone who attempts to the most World Series or any other events. I consdider my Bird Life List just as much of a collection as my other collections.
   Blom has also included copious notes that give the reader a wealth of references if he wants to dig deeper into subjects he mentions in the book.



2. This is a book that takes you on a fascinating journey, is an enjoyable read and is also historically well-researched, so it can therefore be used by the student or academic as a useful reference. I came upon it quite by accident but now find it a very useful addition to my bookshelf. The story of the Ashmolean Museum's foundation was one of my particular favourites and really made my blood boil! Such stories are not often told about museum collections! I take my hat off to the author!



3. At first I thought this was going to be a survey of some eccentric collectors in history, on which is does not disappoint, but it turns out to be a lot richer and contain some real pearls of wisdom about life in general, and flashes of historical insight.
   
   Reading through the chapters of this book was a lot like rummaging through a private collectors cabinet of curiosities. The chapter titles alone don't provide direction and only after a few pages does it begin to reveal its treasure. Chapters cover aspects of collecting as diverse as: people who collected experiences with women (Casanova), the collecting of body parts (religious relics), collecting memories, American billionaires who bought up European heritage (JP Morgan, Hearst), collectors of mass-produced items (milk bottles, food wrappers), Princes and Kings such as Rudolf of Hapsburg (17th C) who filled his castle with the worlds greatest collections and slowly went mad, collecting as a madness, as a substitute for love, as a form of autism, as psychology, as crime - and in the end, as a warning to all those who take it too far.



4. Absorbing and beautifully written, with a great bibliography to lead you on in your travels through this fascinating genre. Blom does for the general subject of collecting what Basbanes did for bibliophilia in A Gentle Madness. Well worth the read.

1 comments about The Renaissance Painters Coloring Book.

1. I'm an art therapist at a nursing home and was looking for adult coloring pages for my residents. While the attention to detail is beautiful, the images were a little complicated. The contour lines are confusing and unnecessary at times. But if you are an artist who can't draw or want someone else to define the contours than these are you books.

5 comments about Intaglio: Acrylic-Resist Etching, Collagraphy, Engraving, Drypoint, Mezzotint.

1. I'm very happy with this beautiful book. printing and quality of the illustrations is very good. has 200 color illustrations and other black and white. also contained a wealth of information about each technique, explained well, especially the technique of collagraphy, a book modern and contemporary. I recommend it highly.



2. A good reference for the serious printmaker. Clarity sometimes falls victim to awkward writing style, but there is valuable information about working safely, with effective alternatives to traditional toxic materials. Not written as clearly as The Complete Printmaker, which is the must-have book in the field.



3. 
   
   Collography
   
   This is by far one of the best resource books on the subject of intaglio/collagraphy that I have seen so far. Seems that both books that I have recently bought from you are of UK PUBLISHERS, the Intaglio book is now published in the US, but this does not quite mean we over here in the good ole' USA are catchin g up.



4. This is an excellent resource for anyone interested in replacing traditional toxic printmaking techniques with safer alternatives. Nothing lost but the dangers. It discusses the hazards of traditional printmaking and introduces non-toxic alternatives from de-greasing intaglio plates to non-toxic resists and etching solutions, water based inks, photo processes and numerous adjuncts etc. Plenty of supplier lists and suggestions for setting up a new studio. This is an impressive and comprehensive book with lots of photos.



5. This is a beautifully made and illustrated book with sewn pages and thick paper. It includes and excellent synopsis of the history of printmaking. Effort is made to cover many of the "safe" contemporary techniques, but one cannot escape the feeling that it is a marketing tool for Lascaux products (though various dry film resists, and products by Golden, Graphic Chemical, and others are not excluded). Oddly, while the techniques will be of great benefit to someone new to safe printmaking, discussion of setting up the studio is aimed toward a commercial fine art printmaking operation, not the lone printmaker. Take what you need and leave the rest. Techniques are clear, often illustrated, and easy to follow. It is an excellent reference for safe handling procedures and a variety of techniques. The book is a good value.