No comments about The Art of Writing About Art.

5 comments about John Singer Sargent.

1. I bought this book on sale at a book store for less that ten dollars. The illustrations are far larger and better than in the sixty dollar books on Sargent I've bought.



2. This book accompanied an international exhibit traveling from the Tate Gallery, London, to the National Gallery of Art, Washington, and finally to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Edited by Richard Ormond (the artist's great nephew and Director of the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich) and Elaine Kilmurray (author of catalogue raisonne of Sargent's work), the book encompasses the breadth of Sargent's work as an artist.
   I used this book as a reference while reading the biography "John Singer Sargent: His Portrait" by Stanley Olson. This is a comprehensive collection of Sargent's art from his early works including The Oyster Gatherers of Cancale to later works such as the painting Gassed (a monumental canvas done for the British War Memorial Committee of the Ministry of Information).
   As represented by this book, Sargent was much more than only a portraitist. "He was not a portrait painter who practiced as a muralist and landscapist on the side, he was all three in equal measure, and he gave to each in succession his undivided attention." The book includes: many of his Venetian hours (Venise par temps gris and An Interior in Venice), Paris and the Salon (the painting of Carolus-Duran at whose atelier he studied), and the Madame Gautreau debacle (the painting Madame X). It continues with Sargent reinventing himself in England with the painting Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose, which was a success when exhibited at the Royal Academy, London. It follows with portraiture--many Victorian characters such as Robert Louis Stevenson, Isabella Stewart Gardner, Henry James, and "a gallery of Edwardian personalities." Later chapters include the Murals at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and the Boston Public Library (definitive works as an artist), and Sargent the Watercolourist, especially Venetian watercolors (perpetual architecture, perpetual fluidity).
   Sargent's art is a unique blend of realism and impressionism. "His pictures do not dissolve into skeins of color like those of Monet or Renoir because his instinct for defining forms and constructing spaces is too ingrained." For anyone who wants to see as Sargent sees, this is the book to have. Next best thing to viewing the exhibit.



3. First off, you will never be satisfied with any reproduction compared to the original painting. Sargent's paintings in the MFA in Boston looks like the paint was laid yesterday. But I have seen several reproductions of this work, the originals in the MFA and MOMA in NY, and of all the major books I have seen, this has the most disappointing reproductions. The colors seem muted and flat.
   On the other hand, the information on each painting is great, and for specific info on his works in a one volume set, this can't be beat.



4. I have no idea what the others are complaining about. I compared this Sargent book side by side at a book store with other published Sargent books, and this one had the best reproduction by far. It is even better than "John Singer Sargent : The Early Portraits (The Complete Paintings , Vol 1)", which is by the same author and editor as this one. Make no mistake, this is the best book so far I've seen on Sargent. I'm not concerned about the writing since I'm a fan of Sargent because I'm a painter, and he's one of the best there ever was. Sure I'd read the text, but it's not nearly as important as the reproductions of his paintings. It's all about the paintings, and he is an artist. That's all that matters.



5. I saw this exhibit at the Tate Gallery, London. The exhibit was terrific, though something seemed lacking in the over all presentation. Sargent is one overlooked watercolorist. He is one of the greatest, on an equal or superior platform to Homer. His Valasquez like eye made him a superior artist, though he seemed to get trapped in his facile technique in society portraits. Sargent is an amazing artist. One whose personal power has always been challenged by those that believe technique is secondary. Tell that to someone who appreciates his lively beautiful brushwork and intelligent landscapes. They won't buy it! The reproductions are not second rate as stated previously. They are rather good!The essays are good reading too.

No comments about The Art Atlas.

No comments about Medici: Story of a European Dynasty.

4 comments about Original Mucha Postcard Designs: 24 Art Cards (Card Books).

1. Beautiful pictures, I can't wait to use them. Unfortunately, the one picture I hoped to see wasn't in here, but they are lovely, just the same.



2. If you love Mucha's work and cannot afford to go out and buy posters, prints or delicious books then this is your answer. These cards can be used to frame or decoupage etc. They are beautiful and the detail and color are how they should be, I have seen others and they are washed out and the detail is not that good.
   
   I received this quickly with no delays.



3. The 24 cards are as follows: all 12 from Les Mois (The Months) - Mois artistique et litterare (1898); Topaze of the Precious Stones series; Femme a la Plume (Woman with a Quill); Le Crepuscule (Dusk); Fleur de cerisier (Cherry Blossom); Exposition de 1900 (Exhibition 1900); Dessin pour un eventail (Design for a Fan); L'enfance (Childhood); Dessin pour un programme (Design for a program); 4 Moet et Chandon Menus.

   Overall, I was disappointed in the color clarity - Topaze and the Moet et Chandon menus seemed over-saturated and Fleur de cerisier seemed too light. All the prints are on the grainy side, as well - I would venture to say my color printer would do as well. I wouldn't say these cards are of framing quality, as I had originally hoped, but they are perfectly suited for sharing your love of Mucha with friends by mail.




4. Mucha in all his splendor of the dancing line to create beautiful compositions. Prints on cards are of good quality. My students could not get enough of his artistry.

1 comments about Claymore, Volume 6 (Claymore).

1. Disclaimer: Claymore SHOULD be started from Volume 1 and read from there, as the story arcs flow from volume to volume.
   
   The Volume starts with the fallout from their first attacks on "The Awakened" male the group was ordered to kill in Volume 5. All the ladies are rather beat and bloody, but the battle continues. Miria does her best to do some damage control, but in the process, only enrages the male further when he realizes her strength, and before long, even she is worse than she ever wanted to be. All seems lost, but Clare steps up to the plate begins the transformation into her true self. The battle sways in the girls favor, but not without surprises and a glimpse into "Pandora" by the end. The second story introduces Ophelia, a sinister rogue "Claymore" with a knack for some really twisted games. She becomes the first true villain in the series as she decides to truly torment and test Clare to her limits. The arch doesn't fully expand until Volume 7, but the start is a good taste of things to come. The series as a whole is wonderful, it keeps you engaged and gives you enough action and story with quality characters to keep you wanting more. If you need a Manga series to start on and don't mind some blood and mature themes....this is your starting point. If you're a seasoned vet, you should already know by now. Buy Volume 1 and get to reading!!!!

2 comments about Claude Monet - 1840-1926: a Feast for the Eyes.

1. Monet by Karin Sagner provides a chronological account of Monet's life and work, with perhaps the emphasis on the former. While his paintings are discussed in relation to his life and travels, and occasionally influences, there is only a little in the way of in depth discussion of the work itself. The book concludes with a Biographical Summary illustrated with black and white photographs; there is no bibliography.
   
   This is a well produced and attractively presented book; the pictures run with the text, and appear on the same page or as close as is practical to their mention in the text. The text is printed in quite a large size, and the images vary from around postcard size to full page plates and are almost entirely in full colour. There are about 225 illustrations, all but a very few of the paintings in full colour, most of the black and white images being period photographs. The quality of the plates is excellent often revealing the bush work and texture of the painted surface.



2. Taschen always offers high-quality art books on glossy paper at very reasonable prices; this Monet volume is a case in point. My only gripe is that more late work is not presented, such as full-page spreads of the late water lily paintings. Still, you can't beat the price.

3 comments about Learning To Look At Paintings.

1. This book is written in a plain, clear style---it is a good reference book to look up anything about art. The chapters are short.



2. I enjoyed this book on the principles and elements of design. I think she selected exemplary pictures to illustrate her point. I especially enjoyed the chapter on "subject matter". The only drawback of this book was having to flip back and forth from the reading to the painting. Also, she talked about some of the paintings color combinations that were printed in black and white. In the paperback version some of the details of the paintings were lost because they were reproduced on a small scale. Overall, though I would recommend this book to anyone interested in learning about design elements.



3. Composition, space, form, tone, color, subject-matter, and other pictorial elements of the plastic arts are considered and their interrelationships explained in this handy introduction, with over ninety well-chosen illustrations, some in color.
   The author, an experienced art teacher, has also included illuminating essays on drawing and its purposes, looking at prints, a handy glossary of art terms, and references for further reading.
   Highly recommended as eminently suitable for an Introduction to Art course, and for anyone else interested in learning to see more in paintings.

   (The "score" rating is an unfortunately ineradicable feature of the page. This reviewer does not "score" books.)

1 comments about What the FACH?! ~ The Definitive Guide for Opera Singers Auditioning and Working in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

1. This book is absolutely fantastic - and a very entertaining read! I can't think of another book or resource anywhere that even comes close to providing such useful information. The others that I've read are outdated and just don't thouroughly cover the information like this book does. Everything I need for my next visit to Germany and Austria is in this book, and Shepard presents it all in a clever writing style that kept me interested from start to finish. I especially appreciated that he never watered down the information or skipped over important details. I am most definitely recommending this book to all of my friends.

4 comments about An Illustrated Dictionary of Jewelry.

1. While I will admit that this book is very informative, I was slightly disappointed for the same reason I have experienced with some other jewelry books. Of all the pictures only a handful are in color. Always confusing to me why they do this because jewelry is one thing that you really need to see in color to appreciate. I would recommend this book for it's information but if you are looking for great color pictures to go along with the definitions I would pass on buying it.



2. I have a problem with a book whose first words are: "The first problem".



3. This book is wonderful! Visually stunning, some of the pictures are enough to make you drool! Filled with extremely well photographed color and B&W photos of museum quality pieces, used to illustrate the jewelry terms being defined. The definitions are well written, and reference related terms in a very smooth and easy to follow way. This book is a MUST if you are fond of jewelry! MORE than worth the money!



4. From A to Z, the best jewelry dictionary I've seen. Aside from looking something up, it gives you the opportunity to learn terms you've never heard before. Even if you've been in the business a long time. Fantastic. Every antique lover should have this book!