5 comments about Graffiti Brasil (Street Graphics / Street Art).

1. This is the normal story behind people who dont know graffiti in brasil writing a book about it! In this book you can see some of the most famous artists from são paulo and almost nothing on other states. Very nice pictures, but that is not credit to the author who didn't take them!! Good book for OsGemeos lovers though!!



2. Brazil has to showcase some of the best Graf talent the world has to offer, The 'Os-Gemeos Brothers' have to be one of my faves, and this book showcases loads of the awesome imagery this beautiful city is home to. This kind of "extreme' art (!?) has given the world a new appreciation for this type of medium & such distinct styles, It has refreshed the minds of all, and brought color to an otherwise, sometimes, dreary place, due to poverty etc, it's so great to see such ambitious artists expressing themselves to such an extent, and to see difficult political issues get represented, it's a good way for people to get a message across, also brings color & inspires people in this country.



3. The absolute be all and all for information on the capital of contemporary street art graffti style. From the hi to the lo, this book covers the anthropology of this growing art form.



4. Great book that shows a cross section of the Street Art scene in some of Brazil's cities. The author interviews some of the artists, and is able to talk to the history and techniques used, so it is more then just pretty pictures.



5. This is a nice book and all - the photographs are of high quality and the writing is relativley on point - but there is one glaring problem with the book. Considering that the title of the book is "Graffiti Brasil" I find it at the same time strange and disconcerting that all it ammounts to is a circle jerk for the Sao Paulo graff scene.
   
   Although littered with great shots of murals, throwups and pichacao from all over SP there are only a handfull of photos from Rio, Salvador, Minas, Curitiba or any of the other large cities in Brasil that sustain their own very unique scenes. And, to add insult to injury, the pictures collected of cities that are NOT Sao Paulo are shots of some of the most widley seen graffiti in each city. Hell, the one shot of any Bahian graffiti is a small piece of a huge mural in the middle of the tourist section of old town Salvador. Good job Tristian Marco, way to really go looking for new, unknown and unique pieces.
   
   If you're a Paulista or are afflicted with the notion that Brasil doesnt exist outside of SP, this book should be great. But, if you want to actualy LEARN anything about Brasilian graff, you'd be better off saving the money from buying this book and putting it towards a plane ticket.

2 comments about New Philosophy for New Media.

1. I found this book to be very uninspiring and ultimately disappointing. The book should be called "New Philosophy" for "New Media" instead of New Philosophy for New Media. It is certainly not new philosophy and certainly doesn't cover all new media or media art.
   
   First of all, mr. Hansen is very selective when it comes to new media art. The artists he discusses have given the body a central role, but one could name just as much artists for whom the body is not *that* central. But one could even contest the representation of this 'centralness': whereas one could discern some sort of negotiation between the body and the outside world (in this case technology) in the works of these artists, for Hansen this negotiation has always already been decided in favor of the human body.
   
   So in the end it is not exactly 'new philosophy' we're dealing with, but, at least in this reader's view, desperate attempts to keep some old ways of thinking supreme, without ever trying to question them or trying out new ways of thinking. In a strange way one can sense this desperateness especially when it goes hand in hand with something that seems to be some sort of grudge against a new batch of thinkers who have attracted most of the attention, at least in some circles in the academic world (read: the world of cultural studies).
   
   In these moments mr. Hansen's style leaves academic or creative thinking altogether and changes in a very childish name-calling and misrepresentation. For example, mr. Hansen seems to be very displeased by the fact that Friedrich Kittler has made such a name for himself as a media scientist. So whenever he refers to Kittler, he puts media scientist inbetween quotation marks, as on p. 71:
   
   Without a doubt, it is German "media scientist" Friedrich Kittler... (p.71)
   
   This is not the first time mr. Hansen refers to Friedrich Kittler in his book, so, one could ask him(/her)self, why here refer to the nationality of Kittler, should it suddenly matter that Kittler is not only a "media scientist" but also a German? And should the combination of being a German AND a "media scientist" (note the quotation marks) tell us enough, without even taking the substance of Kittler's work into account?
   
   Even though this might seem to be something too little to fall over when judging a book, it becomes VERRY annoying when it keeps happening all through the work, especially when it threatens to take over the place of philosophical critique or thinking.
   
   Of course, I didn't choose the passage above for no reason. It was exactly on that spot when I was totally repelled by Hansen's "work" (note that I am also using the quotation marks in a strategic way, just to mirror mr. Hansens's style). Let's see the rest of the sentence:
   
   Without a doubt, it is German "media scientist" Friedrich Kittler who has most provocatively engaged the post-(anti-)humanist implications of digitization. (p.71)
   
   This whole passage (and one could actually say: the whole book) serves no other end than to (mis-)represent post-humanist thinking as anti-humanism. Every priority given to technology becomes easily "technical determinism" (p.74) and Hansen knows how to connect some feelings of superiority to his own way of thinking: his quest is a quest of keeping the human in humanity alive, while all other thinkers reduce the human being in some way.
   
   Well, let's read a short quote from one work from among the many books on post-humanism:
   
   Humanism, in by now well-rehearsed arguments [!], produces oppressive institutions and discourses because it presumes that one sort of person (usually male, white, educated, and wealthy) is exemplary, and/or that there exists a "human nature" that is "the same" for all. (From the book: Avatar Bodies by Ann Weinstone, p. 3).
   
   Apparently this is not so well-rehearsed for mr. Hansen: post-humanism has *nothing* whatsoever to do with anti-humanism, it is simply put a different way of thinking about what it is to be a human being. In general it tries to get rid of some rigid ways of thinking about the 'human', to create more space for other beings (be it people who do not fit the rigid image of humanism or be it some other being which is part of our world). One could say that in the end post-humanism is a much more 'humane' way of thinking than the obsolete and dogmatic ideas of european or western humanism. Whichever way you take it though, it is *NOT* anti-humanism.
   
   As Deleuze argues in Difference and Repetition, real freedom is not about trying to find answers for old questions, but to be able to ask new questions, relevant and actual at the moment the questions are asked, in an always changing world. It is no wonder that affect and technology have become some of the central issues in todays thinking. But mr. Hansen misrepresents these issues in a very, well, creative way. But this creativity has nothing to do with asking new, relevant question, but a creativity in keeping creativity at bay!
   
   So, the central argument of this book goes as follows: even though some things have changed (technology and with technology the nature of the work of art and the media in general), it was always already the human body which framed these changes. It is assumed, but mostly hidden in clever ways, that despite all these changes, the human body has stayed the same and will stay the same and will thus continue to determine (if we are carefull enough to see) how things will continue to change in the future.
   
   Do we actually know this for a fact? It is exactly here that one could (and several have already tried to do so, even if Hansen puts their new ways of thinking inbetween quotation marks) that one could open up new spaces of thinking, ask new questions.
   
   The central idea of affect is that we, human beings, are capable of changing the world, because we are capable to do things with our bodies, but also - and certainly not less! - that we are capable of being changed by the world. So, even if most art is created for or through human embodiment, the central question one should ask in relation to Hansens work is: is this still the same body as a century ago? As five centuries ago? How can we know? Well, we need to ask questions to find out, we cannot assume that the human body has not changed and has dictated all changes. This would be the least philosophical and least creative way one could take.
   
   Claiming that technology, even if it is created by humanity, can change the human body in unforeseen ways is no technical determinism, on the contrary, it is claiming that we human beings are very human because we *are* affectable, through our bodies, in ways we are not even aware of. A very beautiful example is the chapter on Stelarc in Brian Massumi's work: Parables for the Virtual. Movement, Affect, Sensation, from 2002. (It is very surprising by the way that mr. Hansen doesn't mention Stelarc even once in this book, while it is a book on new media art).
   
   One of Hansen's arguments at this point becomes how the human body itself creates some sort of rhythm or duration. This functions as an example of how the body creates the frame for our perception. This frame is so rooted in our bodies, that it becomes in Hansen's view a non-changeable, transcendental given. The philosophical journey Hansen undertakes always ends up with our bodies. Or, in other words, a journey to the self, the world outside has no place in this whole whatsover. Whereas other thinkers use this kind of bodily rhythm to argue that the body has always been open to and in sync with the outside world.
   
   In the end, it was always an illusion (a sweet one of course) that the human body was outside and especially above the rest of nature, it is no smaller illusion that the body is outside or above technology. Because we created this technology does not mean that we totally control it's direction and/or nature. Most technology is invented by chance and through an ongoing negotiation with the outside world (material resources, natural 'laws' etc.) and not because we human beings directed it in some way. We could at least give ourselves the opportunity to ask questions about how techonology affects us, whether this is indeed framed by "the human body" (if there is such one unchanging universal substance) or not.
   
   In fact one could put Hansen's scheme totally upside down: technology or art (in what media whatsoever) has never been framed by the human body, but by the world, the cosmos we live in. The human being or the human body has always been just a little dot framed and affected by cosmic forces in many ways through our embodiment. Let the fact that technology is created by humanity not fool anyone, we are still affected by cosmic forces, but this time through a combination of our emodiment and technology. It is the nature of this combination and how certain forces affect our being in new ways through this combination that we must study, this, in my view, can never be a journey to our own body, but to the great unknown outside.



2. I must mention two points in relation to this work.
   
   1. There is a true "newness" to new media espoused by Hansen in this work. This is based around the numeric, addressible quality of the digital image (Hansen reading Couchot) which renders it a process in exploded, bodily enacted frame rather than a traditional picture delimited by inherent form, so I must disagree with the editorial review.
   
   2. I am unsure about Hansen's concept of the digital facial image as proposed in this work; I am not totally sure that this is quite the way forward - my thinking is not yet finalised on this.
   
   Beyond these two comments, I must add that this work is a very weighty and useful addition to that philosophical project of revising and updating the continually pertinent Bergson, which I can recommend to all new media scholars.

5 comments about Coming into Focus: A Step-by-Step Guide to Alternative Photographic Printing Processes.

1. This is a must have for anyone who is just going in to alternative photography and need an overview o all there is. This gives you instruction, tool, recipes and more to get you started.



2. A WELL ILLUSTRATED AND INSPIRING COLLECTION FOR ANYONE INTERESTED IN ALTERNATIVE PROCESSING. NICE LAYOUT AND EASY READING.STIRS UP THE CREATIVE SIDE AND APPROPRIATE FOR BEGINNERS AND PROFFESSIONALS ALIKE



3. This is a wonderful book that tells you everything you want to know about alternative printing processes. I used to have "Keepers of Light" but lost it, so I ordered this as a replacement. It contains everything the other book did, plus information on using digital technology. A real resource for any serious photographer who is a purest at heart and wants to keep the old traditions alive.
   Suzanne Ludlum-Loose



4. The author tells you everything you would reasonably want to know about the wide spectrum of non-traditional photographic methods. But not only does he talk about these alternate processes, he explains in step-by-step detail how to actually DO these techniques yourself. Great content, very well written.



5. I whole-heartedly recommend this book. I also have "The Book of Alternative Photographic Processes" by Christopher James, another good book, but I always go back to "Coming into Focus". This book is laid out in a very accessible manner, each section is written clearly and concisely, and the processes are described so that you understand and can start experimenting almost immediately (once you acquire the necessary materials for the relevant process). Again, this book is a very useful one, and a handy reference to have around.

5 comments about The World of Ornament.

1. this book is incredible. It was brand new. I have been wanting this book for years and could not afford the $200.00 price tag and when I saw it for $54.00, I thought it was a mistake.So I acted on it immediately.
   Best book I ever purchased and I have a lot of design books



2. This book is beautiful inside and out. I was so surprised, it's a HUGE book, quite literally. 500+ pages, yet the size of my pillow! I throughly enjoyed going through each and every page delighted with what I'm seeing.
   
   It also comes with a DVD with all the images seen in the book. My only disappointment was that the images came in the same format as the book was set in- meaning some patterns were difficult to use. My hobby is to do graphic design, and sometimes I freelance, and sometimes I do it for fun. So this book was suppose to be amazing help for me, as the book and CD promised 'unrestricted use.' But again, a little difficult to extract all the patterns I would have wanted to use.



3. A simply beautiful book in all aspects of the word. Between the book and CD-Rom, worth every penny. Beautiful.



4. Then check out Dover Publication's "Full-Color Picture Sourcebook of Historic Ornament: All 120 Plates from "L'Ornement Polychrome" and "Racinet's Historic Ornament in Full Color" since Taschen's book is basically just an oversized version of these modestly priced books. Of course, you'll have to scan and manipulate photos yourself since the Dover versions don't come in any digital format.



5. This book is heavy. Literally it must weigh 20lbs. It is also heavy with amazing content and incredible beauty and erudite commentary. The DVD is worth purchase price alone giving so much royalty free content. Look for tons of wrapping paper featuring these images to appear in stationary shops.

4 comments about How to Draw Manga Volume 2 Compiling Techniques (How to Draw Manga).

1. Has a amusing section on the making of manga with the Assistants slaving away . It's got some H moments with a guy drawing a girl he knows nude. So its probalby not for a 13 year old unless your a guy. I really used The Complying
   Characters more than this sense i dont use Toner.



2. Its usefull if you want to use tones and learn about perspectives and shadeing but if you dont then save your money for something else, also there is a bit of nudity so I would suggest 13 up.



3. A complement to the first book in this series, this edition focuses on backgrounds and effects. That said, it covers action lines, perspective, and toning with insider techniques such as drawing motion lines using a thumb tack, etching, applying tone, and creating tone effects. I also rather liked how it used actual panels from manga's printed like Those Who Hunt Elves, Angel Arm, and Lucky Rakuun.
   
   This book is more for the aspiring mangaka who will use the knowledge of toning to great use unlike the average artist who just want to learn the drawing style. This book has four pages of nudity near the end as it covers shading the body using tones. If you're buying a toning book for a younger reader, get the Pen & Tone Techniques edition which has no nudity present. Other than that, is you're not adverse to nudity, then this is the best book to start learning how to tone.



4. This is good book, but really expensive and short.This is about backgrounds in manga,and this book teaches how to make background , what shows mangahumans feelings.This book has about 4 pages whit naked mangahumans, so this is up 13 aged.Im 13 and i like this series

1 comments about The Art of Clint Langley.

1. This book contains beautiful color reproductions of some of the best, most amazing art by Clint Langley. Combining illustrations from both the Warhammer Fantasy and Warhammer 40,000 game universes, these starkly "realistic" paintings have appeared on book covers and on combat card game (CCG) cards. Including commentary on select pieces of art by some of the authors with whom whose work the paintings are associated, this book will immerse you in the fantastically dark and dangerous worlds of Warhammer while providing some insight into Mr. Langley's creative process. At the current discount here on Amazon of approximately 33% off the list price, this book is a must for all afficianados of great Warhammer related art. There really are some amazing pieces in here, including Harlequin, Chaos Child, the original cover of Storm of Iron, and much, much more. I recommend it!

1 comments about Becoming a Digital Designer: A Guide to Careers in Web, Video, Broadcast, Game and Animation Design.

1. Not finished with this book but so far a witty and insightful book which focuses on graphic design beyond printed matter. This book explores the world of digital graphics and looks at new dimensions of graphic design and how designers will become part of a dialogue with the public. A scenario in which they receive feedback from an audience and perfect there design solutions based on feedback from viewers reactions etc.
   And of course Heller has become an authority on Design Culture so this book is informed and up to date.

4 comments about Michelangelo (Icon Editions).

1. 
   If you were to read only one text dealing with the great Michelangelo and his art, this would be the book. It is a succinct biography in which one also finds clear and well chosen discussions of the artistic works of the great Florentine. It would be fair to say that Professor Hibbard is a graceful guide to these works--he shows us the key elements of the sculpture, painting and architecture that made Michelangelo the preeminent figure of the Renaissance. And he presents them to us as the artist's life unfolds, so that we can understand the challenges met and problems solved at various stages in Michelangelo's development.
   
   The book is filled with a large number of black and white photographs as well as plans and drawings which, together, help the reader understand each of the works being discussed. Indeed, the reader would be hard pressed to find more than a handful of opposing pages that do not have one or more illustrations. For those who are so inclined and long to see more of each work, they are titled so clearly that a quick search on line can bring plenty more to look at. But the illustrations provided in the book are more than sufficient for the reader's understanding.
   
   If you are looking for a shocking expose of Michelangelo the man, with all of his secrets revealed (warts and all!), then you do not want to read this book. Professor Hibbard discusses Michelangelo's personality and personal life in detail, but always in the context of his creations. He writes with a deft and gentlemanly reserve that allows the reader to accept the facts without drawing unreasonable conclusions.
   
   The conversations about the well-known works - the Pieta, the David, the Sistine Chapel ceiling and Last Judgment - are all clear and helpful. The on and off again relationships with various Medici and Popes provides a helpful understanding of how and why some of the artist's projects were unfinished, or completed in terms altogether different from their conception.
   
   The discussions of the architectural contributions of Michelangelo are very good, and provide the reader with an appreciation of the sculptural qualities of these larger than life sculptures. Indeed, Hibbard's discussion of the Bibliotheca Laurenziana stairway and St Peter's are the best sort of architectural criticism to be found anywhere.
   
   At the end of the book, but separate from the extensive bibliography, is a section called "Notes for Further Reading", which, if followed, could benefit the reader who wants to know more.
   
   If you find this review hepful, why not read some of my other reviews! Happy reading!



2. There is probably no greater art historian in the second half of the 20th century than Howard Hibbard and this book is one of his best. Professor Hibbard, who has also written books on Caravaggio and a study of Poussin turns his attention to Michelanglo. This is not a rehash of The Agony and Ecstasy, Professor Hibbard's interest is in the work and the artist and not a study of the outward events of this great artist's life. I found Professor Hibbord's criticism insightful and interesting. I recommend this to anyone who is interested in the renaissance.



3. I am using this book for a college level course in Art History and am finding it very useful. The cronological format and detailed events throughout Michelangelo's life are both very helpful and I am learning quite a lot just from this one book. I do wish that there were color plates to go along with the text *there are black and white images, though*. Otherwise, it is highly educational and an interesting read. A very good buy!



4. In _Michelangelo_, Hibbard presents a unbiased account of Michelangelo's life in an enjoyable mix of historical narravitve and critical and contextual analysis. The writing is approachable with a minimum of high-brow art jargon. Hibbard also refrains from diving too deep into speculation about fine points such as sexuality and politics. This book is suited for those desiring an end-to-end introduction to the man and his art, or for those who have forgotten 90% of art survey 101, like me.

5 comments about This Is Not a Pipe (Quantum Books).

1. This essay entitled "This Is Not A Pipe" is a fascinating excursion into the intriguing art of the great 20th C. Belgian painter. In this essay Foucault blurs the space between the critic and the subject being criticized. His thorough analysis inculcates his own hypertextual "isms" and replicating terminology that adequately reciprocates Magritte's offbeat beauty. From Foucault's view of what he considers the two principles that ruled painting (European painting?) from the 15th C. to the 20th C., to the relationship between resemblance and similitude, the mystery and static of a Magritte painting is transported onto the pages of this book. Ultimately this text is an interesting display of the interplay between text, image and the elements inculcated in the analysis thereof.



2. if you consider this treacle then you certainly lack any real insight into philosophy or art criticism of the 20th century; either that, or you're carrying some kind of baggage or childish grudge.

   foucault offers us just one interpretation of magritte's _pipe_, and some thought in general about art, representation and the sign. it's really just part of an on-going discussion. it's a shame he's dead; he'd have loved usenet.

   in any case, this book is one voice in a chorus of discussion on the matter; his is also an informed, intelligent, and original voice - albeit controversial (see review below for ruffled feathers).

   this book stands on its own, but is definetly not a good introduction to foucault per se; I think it's best to start with a history of sexuality volume I, then read the introduction of history of sexuality volume II, and then you can pretty much read any foucault from there.




3. I read this in college while studying semiotics and surrealism, yet the message of Foucault should not be relegated to the exotic and extreme "isms" of academia. I found "Pipe" to be a marvelous and playful illustration of the tryanny of language and the Orwellian control of thought which follows. Readers of Postmodern thought, Zen, Marxism, Film Theory, Psychoanlysis, and Modern Art will find moments of illumination throughout.



4. No, Foucault is never easy. He sometimes even writes in Foucault-ese. But the intellectual payoffs are well worth it. Seeing him approach a single painting -- which you can look at while reading the book -- is much less taxing than seeing him dissect huge topics such as the history of prisons or the history of sex. Sure, those bigger Foucault tomes carry immense rewards all their own... but for a good, stimulating, and challenging (but not TOO challenging!) introduction to Foucault's philosophy of seeing and of naming, this is a great read.

   Perhaps this book is a better choice for philosophy or lit-crit fams than art / art history fans. The "artistic" value of the painting is really of not much importance to Foucault; he is more concerned with its self-referentiality, its use of meaning and names, and so on.




5. "If you are looking for a quick read"? What are you doing with Foucault when there's always another Tom Clancy? If you think that looking at pictures precludes thinking about them, then this book isn't for you.

2 comments about Pinstriping Masters 2.

1. I love my new book. It has some great stuff. Not so much for beginners like I'd hoped but still a good addition to the learning library. :)



2. I'm into pinstriping, and I wanna get tips, infos, and ideas from the best. Got the Pinstriping Masters 1, and I was happy to see the released of a second opus.
   Not deception at all, great book, great pictures, good explanations, go ahead, will be a great buy for yourself or as a present for anybody who's into pinstriping.
   My only "negative" note..?? the book is too shoooooooooort...
   :o))))..
   Keep it wet.