2 comments about Celtic Design: The Tree of Life.

1. this book delivers.not only from a technical viewpoint,but historically and culturally as well.as a result of reading this book i have gone on to the rest of the series and broadened my knowledge of the celts in general.



2. Unless, you are already familiar with celtic artwork, really familiar, I definitely would not recommend this book. This is definitely not for beginners. Directions are not very detailed. If you can figure out how to do the examples, though, it creates some very beautiful designs.

No comments about River of Words: Images and Poetry in Praise of Water.

2 comments about Timeless Cities: An Architect's Reflections on Renaissance Italy (Icon Editions).

1. Mr. Mayernik transports the reader to the glorious past of Rome, Venice, Florence, Siena, and Pienza; a past in which city builders sought to make their cities into reflections of the perfect heavenly City of God; a past in which every stone, every building, every piazza was an episode of the larger urban narrative that played itself for its citizens as a great "theatre of the mind."

   Mr. Mayernik's writing allows us to view the urban mythologies of these places not as History, events frozen in by gone times and no longer capable of speaking to present generations, but as living lessons in city building; he invites his audience to learn the 'language' of these five cities so that we too can build memorable places.




2. Timeless Cities is indeed a wonderful journey, a voyage across time and ideas. The author tells a poetic, scholarly and delightful story of five Italian cities and how they became meaningful and memorable places, remaining so to this day.

   For those who have experienced the magical, transforming impact Rome, Florence, Venice, Siena and Pienza have on their visitors, David Mayernik unlocks the richly poetic ideas which are their very essence. An architect and traveler, his writing is filled with the passion of one who truly loves and understands the tradition of those great cities: the tradition of humanism.

   For all for whom life is, above all, a cherished series of discoveries and experiences, Mayernik extends a masterful invitation to explore those places which stir our souls and which demonstrate the highest fulfillment of our collective potential for cultural and artistic achievement. He then challenges us to again seek to create cities "through which dance the Muses", cities which are "built Ideas suffused with cultural Memory". Accept his gracious invitation. It is a journey you will treasure.

No comments about Drawing as Expression: Techniques and Concepts.

3 comments about Berthe Morisot.

1. Berthe was obviously an anomaly in her day and age... and, being self-deprecating and reticent, might've actually wished to be forgotten. She WAS literally forgotten for many years after her death. I am grateful to Ms. Higonnet for writing the book, but I felt throughout the reading that, although it was obvious Ms. H. admired Berthe, she didn't truly understand her. It bothered me that most of the book was about OTHER people, although her life DID seem to be about OTHER people. Berthe was generous and hidden, yet daring and "out there." It was probably very difficult to find the true Berthe. She was obviously very much beloved by the other Impressionists and her contributions as the catalyst of the group were immeasurable. But I wanted to know more. I didn't like it that each time she had an accomplishment, it seemed to be overshadowed, in the biography, by moving on to the accomplishments of one of the other more luminous figures in her world. Berthe was beautiful, dedicated, a wonderful mother and wife... after years of pressure by society and her own parents whose biggest fear was that she was to stay a "spinster" (who the HECK invented that word???)... I really felt for Berthe. But was she bulimic? Was she anorexic? What WAS the true nature of her mental challenges? I'd like to have seen some more of that area explored - as it has been so deeply investigated in the case of Vincent van Gogh. Whatever her maladies, we've got to admire the fact that she, unlike Mary Cassatt, DID have it all - career, family, home life, social recognition... and balanced it all so beautifully. But I wished Ms. Higonnet had given us just a bit more to grasp onto.



2. GREAT BOOK!! I bought this book used from That Book Lady,
   I recieved the book promptly and it was in excellent condition.
   The book has wonderful information on Berthe Morisot.



3. My first reaction to Anne Higonnet's biography of Berthe Morisot was that it was a bit stiff. I had recently read Dominique Bona's "Berthe Morisot: Le secret de la femme en noir" and found that book to be well done, even though lacking documentation and even though indulging in "maybe it was like this" speculations from time to time. But I very much liked Dominique Bona's informal style, referring to Berthe Morisot as "Berthe", while Anne Higonnet almost always refers to her as "Morisot" (a small issue but one that is quite representative of the stylistic difference in the two biographies).

   Of course, Anne Higonnet's work is more than 10 years older than Dominique Bona's, so that Dominique Bona reaped the benefits of reading Anne Higonnet's book. And there are many benefits to be had. Anne Higonnet has done a superb job of researching direct and indirect and even background sources to fill in the picture of Berthe Morisot's life and setting.

   Sometimes Anne Higonnet's presentation creates a distance: emotional connection is lost amid the cultural history. But overall, this is a fascinating "MUST" book for anyone who wants to understand Berthe Morisot's painting, persona, and life.

1 comments about New Thoughts on the Black Arts Movement.

1. New Thoughts on the Black Arts Movement is a terrific treatment of one of the most influential literary phenomena of the late 20th century. The Introduction alone is worth the price of the book. Addressing both the weaknesses and strengths of the BAM in a balanced and truly revisionary fashion, this collection will make a mark. And it's a good read, too!

1 comments about Classical Mythology in Literature, Art, and Music.

1. I have a very well-worn hardback copy of this book that was the textbook for a community college class that I took back in the 1980's. While my graduate classes in classical mythology at Johns Hopkins used different texts, I always found this one to be the best. I'm so glad to see that it's available once again.

1 comments about Degas, Sickert and Toulouse-Lautrec: London and Paris 1870-1910.

1. This remarkable catalogue is a summary of two schools (London and Paris) from 1870 to 1910, allowing a side by side comparison of the work of Degas, Sickert and Toulouse-Lautrec and what was one of europe's astonishing high water marks of artistic creativity. Once you have been bitten by the bug, these paintings are with you for good. Seeing this work firsthand, one can't help be seduced by the ravishing, luminous beauty light and layers of glazing that makes these paintings unique. The stillness in some of these works suggest the real subject here is light and color. The reproductions in the catalogue are quite good, and there are a very generous amount of close detail shots of the paintings too - something particularly useful in illustrating the intricacy of detail.

4 comments about Jackson Pollock: Energy Made Visible.

1. This may have been one of the better Pollack books when it came out in 1972, but now I think its main use is for die hards who want every detail. And the details are exhausting: galleries, museums, who what where - too much for me. What I was looking for was more process/personal/mindset stuff, and there is some but you have to go through a lot to get to the little of it there is. I recommend "Jackson Pollack" by Ellen G. Landau. Great reproductions and good text.



2. I was wowed reading this energetic, straightforward book, mainly by the many connections made--how Pollocks studies with the great Mexican muralist Orosco who used used/taught a dripping splashing underpainting technique can logically link to how Pollock got splashing and painting on large scale canvases---to the influence of other artists, such as Picasso, on the early works of Jackson Pollock, to the revelation of Pollock's love of and use of found natural forms...



3. I am just beginning to explore pollacks work - book is well laid out



4. This book is a thorough review of Jackson Pollock's work and his professional life; however I would have enjoyed it more if there had been more indepth reporting of his personal life. HIs relationship with his wife, parents and brothers would have made for a more insightful view of the artist as a man.

1 comments about The Cubist Epoch.

1. 347 superb illustrations (mostly in color of paintings) on a high quality glossy paper still white despite the 1971 publishing date, excellent analysis, detailed list of works in alphabetical order per artist on 37 pages (or "Check list") - superb book; available complementary DVD with the same title.
   CONTENTS:
   Foreword 7
   Introduction 11
   1 True Cubism 1906-1912 17
   Early Cubism: Les Deinoiselles d'Avignon, 1906-7 17
   Early Cubism in relation to Fauvism 25
   Braquc's Nude, 1907-8 27
   Developments in Picasso's Painting, 1907-9 30
   Developments in Braque's Painting, 1908-9 37
   From Early to High Cubism: The Painting of Braque and Picasso, 1909-12 42
   Summary 60
   2 The Cubist Movement in Paris 1906-1914 65
   Derain, 1906-10
   Le Fauconnier, Gleizes and Metzinger, 1910-14 68
   Delaunay, 1910-14 78
   Léger, 1909-14 85
   The Movement Gathers Momentum, 1911-14 97
   Types of Cubism 107
   The Putcaux Group and the Section d'Or, 1911-13 112
   Villon, Duchamp and Picabia, 1911-13 115
   Lesser Painters of the Cubist Movement, 1911-13: de Segonzac, Moreau, Marchand, Lhote, Herbin, Rivera, Férat, Chagall, Marcoussis, and de La Fresnaye 127
   3 The Influence of Cubism
   Outside France 137
   In Holland: Mondrian 137
   In Germany: Marc, Macke, Campendonk, Klee and Feininger 142
   In Czechoslovakia: Filla, Kubista, Procházka, Benes,
   Gutfreund and Çapek 150
   In Russia: Gontcharova, Larionov, Malevich, Tatlin,
   Popova and Udaltsova 156
   In Italy: The Futurists 164
   American Artists in New York and Paris: Weber, Marin, Stella, MacDonald-Wright, Russell and Bruce 175
   In England: The Vorticists 180
   4 Late Cubism 1914-1921 183
   Braque and Picasso: Pasted Papers and Paintings,
   Summer 1912 to Summer 1914 183
   Juan Gris: Paintings and Pasted Papers, 1912-14 196
   Cubism in Paris during the War Years 206
   Picasso: Painting 1914-21 210
   Braque: Painting 1917-21 219
   Juan Gris: Painting 1915-21 221
   5 Cubist Sculpture 231
   Picasso, de La Fresnaye, Czaky and Filla 232
   Duchamp-Villon and Archipenko 239
   Boccioni and Weber 244
   Gutfreund 247
   Lipchitz, Gris, Laurcus and Braque 249
   6 Conclusion 263
   Bibliography 269
   Artists and Their Dates 273
   Check List 275
   Index 313
   Photo Credits 320