No comments about Art and Revolution: Transversal Activism in the Long Twentieth Century (Semiotext(e) / Active Agents).

1 comments about Classic Country Estates of Lake Forest: Architecture and Landscape Design 1856-1940.

1. This is a good book, well put together book on a fabled Chicago suburb. I would have liked to have seen more pictures and better quality in the photos. The research is top notch and I enjoyed reading the text, but I expected more and for some reason that I can't quite put my finger on I was a bit disappointed. I usually go back to my books over and over again to paruse the pictures and scan the text, but I have not found myself doing that with this book and I don't know exactly why, because I normally love these kinds of books. Anyway, it is a fine book and maybe it's just me.

No comments about Art: The Definitive Visual Guide.

2 comments about Remote Control: Power, Cultures, and the World of Appearances.

1. i really do, but it's so academic at times i just can't get into it. it's not that i'm not an intelligent guy because i am, and it's not that i don't appreciate kruger's work because i do. it's simply that what i most love about kruger is the accessability of her work, and this book was very inaccessable at times. i'm glad i have it in my collection, but i wouldn't call it an "enjoyable" read. it's really more work than fun. i guess it depends on your feelings about kruger if the work is worth it. this is an important book for an art historian or cultural critic, but i would not recomend it as an introduction to kruger.



2. Kruger's work is some of her best yet! She is, without a doubt, the most effective and AFFECTIVE artist of our time. Her art aggressively attacks the viewer, as do her written words. She takes control, and forces the reader to reflect on his or her position/experience/actions in life. Influential and powerful, radical, aggressive, and moving, the book is all put together with wit, dark humor, and poetic grace. An outstanding piece of work from an outstanding, talanted artist!

   -Nathaniel Lacktman

No comments about Conversations with Cézanne (Documents of Twentieth-Century Art).

5 comments about Matthew Vescovo: Instructoart Lesson 1.

1. The How To Guides genre will never be the same - Mr. Vescovo knows how to make you look at showering and a dozen other everyday moments in a way you never did before- and then knows how to make you laugh vigorously about it.
   - the perfect gift for the person who has it all.



2. I wish Matt Vescovo could give me some instructions for how to stop laughing so hard. This book is hysterical.



3. These glimpses into our daily life are very funny. Next time you shake a hand or unwrap a piece of gum, you'll wonder if there's a lesson behind it.



4. Matthew Vescovo has the rare ability to find humor in life's details. Think Seinfeld, think Curb Your Enthusiasm, think The Simpsons. Add in laugh-out-loud airplane-style illustrations that bring his observations to life, and boom - the result is a hysterically funny book. This book would be a great gift for anyone. Except for that guy who likes unfunny, uncool stuff.



5. I did. It's about three times shorter than it should be, suitable at most for a 15-minute skim while the partner is looking for a real book in some other part of the store. I mean, is this all? By the time the book goes into the self-indulgent 'notes' section, you realize that without this filler the book would be slimmer than a kiddie title.

   It's a funny little trope; I'll grant that. But apparently either complacency or lack of ideas cut off the faucet before the job was done.

2 comments about The Art and Architecture of Persia.

1. "These beautifully made books illustrate the richness of ancient civilizations and their culture in ways that illuminate and educate."



2. The collaborative work of Giovanni Curatola (Professor of Islamic Archeology and Art History at the University of Undine) and Gianroberto Scarcia (Professor of Arabic-Islamic Culture History at the University of Venice), "The Art And Architecture Of Persia" is a comprehensive and superbly presented introduction that is as informed and informative as it is visual enhanced with the inclusion of 217 illustrations (188 of which are in full color). Covering both pre- and post-Islamic Persian art, this thoroughly 'reader friendly' coffee table art book traces the artistic develop of ancient Persia and its influence throughout the Middle East and Central Asia. "The Art And Architecture Of Persia" commences with the Achaemenids and the Sasanian (who dominated pre-Islamic Persia) and proceeds down through the centuries covering each successive phase of Persia's traditional traditions. From the needlecraft arts, to metalurgy, to pottery, to monuments, memorials, temples, mosques, and palaces, "The Art And Architecture Of Persia" offers a stunningly beautiful tour of an incredible complex and extended culture. Also very highly recommended for both academic and community library collections is a related title edited by Giovanni Curatola, "The Art And Architecture of Mesopotamia".

2 comments about Jurgen Teller.

1. Let's face it--you're not the thinking type. They tend towards the important lighting studies of Philip-Lorca diCorcia and Crewdson; they like the contrast of beautiful composition with the seedy underbelly you get from Goldin; or the thousands of serious, non-name photographers who find their sustenance in light, color, line, shape and composition.
   
   
   Not you, though: you want the cliched notion of the Enfant Terrible splaying his les, metaphorically for commercial fashion photography or literally on a white grand piano. You think a photographer can be measured by how many models he can get to hang around him. To the degree you can articulate it (which ain't much), you think amateurish lighting, snapshot composition and a disdain of the technicals is a renunciation of the dessicating academic force in photography.
   
   Of course, it's not like you'll read this or the overwritten introductions to your coffee table art books. You're not totally sure who Jergens Tiller is anyway--he dated Cindy Sherman the fashion model or something? You're just happy to be part of the circlejerk of delusion where talentless, sloppy photographers like Teller are lauded by insensate dolts like you. I'd like to tell you Teller is exploiting you but in truth he's just as dumb and unthinking as you. Enjoy fans--you've earned it.



2. The book is a catalog for a Juergen Teller (retrospective?) exhibition in the Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain at Paris. It is very nicely edited and has over 50 works presented during the years 1998-2006. I think the book shows most of the important works from Juergen (like most of the images from the "Nürnberg" -series) in a same book, plus an amazing short story by Marie Darrieussecq and a conversation of Isabelle Huppert and the artist.
   A definite buy. Don't sleep.

5 comments about Eastern Philosophy For Beginners.

1. I appreciate the format this book attempts to use and the audience it is working to reach. It covers a wide range of religious thought and non-religious philosophy, even some minor schools of thought, with an appreciable lack of bias. However, I have a few serious gripes. The first is the massive number of formatting errors and total lack of continuous, fluid formatting. The font is ugly and oftentimes words spill out of their designated boxes and into images. The second is the way attention is paid to minor matters, such as legends and myths surrounding people, and horded when it comes to technical explanations and historical descriptions. This is worst when the author goes on speels about female anatomy and sexuality. He will spend a page describing, in cliché "Oriental" terms such as "jade stalk" and "lush valley" the process of lovemaking, then fail to explain what Taoists believe. These shortcomings were enough to force my decision to find a better introduction to Eastern philosophy, despite having read this entire book through - just in case there was anything worthwhile. There wasn't, unless all books on this subject are so bad.



2. "Eastern Philosophy for Beginners" by Jim Powell [Writers & Readers Publishing, NY, 2000, 181 pages] is a delightful book, commended to beginners interested in learning the basics of eastern philosophy and religion, as well as to experts inclined to enjoy a refreshing new look at the subject. In spite of its unassuming title, the book is quite comprehensive, and charmingly illustrated. The concepts are lucidly presented, along with descriptions of the historical and cultural contexts. Reader's questions are anticipated and answered by way of frequent dialogs between an intrepid learner, "Alice," and her very-much-in-the-know companion, "Caterpillar." The book begins with an introductory orientation, and a fascinating exposition of the philosophies and religions of India, followed by those of China, then those of Japan, and finally of Tibet. The index is thorough. There is a brief bibliography for those desirous of further reading.
   Arthur Hubbard
   Santa Barbara Science Project
   November 2001



3. This book made me aware of how much I do not know about Eastern philosophies and religious systems. For, instance, I had thought that vegetarianism originated with the Hindus. In fact, as Powell points out, the Hindus adopted it from the Jains. This book packs a lot of insight into a deceptively facile genre.



4. This book gave me some good ideas for my Religious Studies paper. Actually, it gave me more good ideas than the books assigned by my professor! Also, the many illustrations, especially the 19th century engravings, made me feel as if I was walking through ancient India and China. My favorite section was "The Incredible Lightness of Beijing."

   The books approaches Asian Religions historically, with the major focus being on India and China.

   This is a fine, clearly written and insightful book.




5. I liked this book because it will push almost everyone's buttons. First of all, Indians don't like to hear that their Vedic culture had its origins outside of India. Powell shows that it did. Hindus don't like to admit that vegetarianism came from outside of Hinduism. Powell shows that it came from Jainism. As an aside, Powell's contention that the Hindu Goddesses such as Saraswati are not central in Hindu theology is correct. The Gods, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are central. Powell's point is that before the patriarchal Aryan influence, India may have had a form of Goddess worship in which a Goddess was central, as in some other cultures. They are not central, however, in Hinduism. Although there is much attention given to Goddess worship in India, it is nevertheless a culture, as Powell points out, in which widows were expected to jump into the funeral fire to join their deceased husbands. Some of these husbands were rajas and some of them had hundreds or even thousands of wives. If Goddess worship were central in India would women need to prove their purity and sanctity by burning themselves to death in their husbands funeral pyres?

   Powell is irreverent and informative. His approach is mainly historico-comical. However, he leaves most of the humor up to the illustrator and focuses instead on systematically presenting rather complex ideas. Furthermore, the illustrations imply that the entire narrative (in the form of a conversation between the Hookah-Smlking Caterpillar and Alice in Worderland) is just a pipe dream--that any representation of the Orient--including this one--is fated to be just a representation--not the Orient.

1 comments about Scan This Book Two (Scan This Book).

1. This book is a great tool for antique dealers, flea marketeers, county store folks and others dealing with items from the early 1900 era. The artwork is generally super for scanning into ads, posters, signs and for insertion into articles for technical and trade publications. The more than 2500 copyright-free clip art illustrations are extremely well-done high quality renderings. Some animals, birds and architectural figures are included but the strength of the offerings are the many hardware oriented items; they cover an extremely wide range of interest. The high quality of the images make this book a real worth-while addition to any clip art collection.