No comments about Arts of the City Victorious: Islamic Art and Architecture in Fatimid North Africa and Egypt.

5 comments about History of Art, Revised (Trade Version) (5th Edition).

1. As a student of History during my university days I inevitably came into contact with Janson's benchmark book. I certainly have not been alone in that regard. As with many books in my home library I seek out different editions of many titles. Trends, new revelations and often time re-examination of works come to fruition and result in a new edition being published. Art seems to have branched out into other forms of acceptable expressions and this edition has included those affinities when compared to my first lowly copy. This is a welcome trend indicating that ART is alive as one looks back and then turns toward the future.



2. Janson's History of Art is an art history book from the old school. Though there have been strides for the past few editions in making this book more inclusive it doesn't really compare to newer comprehensive books. Janson's book also suffers from the old art historical practice of talking about 'masterpieces' and 'genius'. As of the 5th edition the book includes very very little non-western art. It has a small section on "ethnographic" art that refers to the arts of Africa, Americas, and the Pacific islands. This chapter has to be one of the worst reviews of non-western art I have ever seen. The arts of Asia are not touched on at all. The book really should be called History of Western Art.
   
   If you are purely looking for a survey of western art this is a fair book. On the other hand if you are lookin for a book that surveys a history of world art I might suggest Marilyn Stokstad's Art History. It is still a little superficial in the Africa and Americas chapters but at least it has whole chapters on these continents. It also has extensive surveys of the arts of India, China and Japan.



3. Histoire de l'art/h.w.janson en français. s.v.p.Préface de Luc ferry
   Éditeur, Paris; cercle d'art, c1993
   C'est un livre que je veux acheté en version française.
   Merci!



4. ISBN# 0-13-019729-7 is for volume 1 which only covers "Prehistoric Through Gothic Art"... very disappointing considering I ordered this book under the assumption that it went up through the postmodern period



5. This book (although an earlier version) was our standard textbook for the western survey of art history while I was working on my Bachelor of Fine Arts, and for good reason. Jansen does a good job of covering many of the major movements and time periods of western art, with extensive imagery and well organized chapters. A timeline at the end of each section helps to better keep the history in order, and highlights important dates.

   I do agree with some of the nagative critique in that Jansen does not include important eastern art in the book, and this probably should be reflected in the title. However, I don't believe that this warrants the book having a lousy review: the buyer should just be aware that this is a WESTERN survey, and a very good one.

   This newer edition contains some additions to the older editions; of particular importance is the added chapters on Twentieth-Century Photography and Postmodernism, which if I recall correctly were not in earlier versions of the book.

1 comments about Street Art: The Spray Files.

1. While this book may seem to say that Street Art is a viable artistic movement, it does so with little conviction. The book has little to say, it is too general in it's scope and his little understanding of it's own milieu. The text that accompanies the art work is sparse and does little to describe how the art is used and what informs the art work.
   
   While there are instances of spectacular art work, they are certainly the minority. I was almost never impressed with the artwork on display and felt that the work represented did not show the strengths of the artists. I have seen some amazing graff artists in my day and was underwhelmed by the representative works on display here.
   
   If you are looking for books on Street Art there are much better ones out there.

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.

1 comments about The Treasures of Coptic Art in the Coptic Museum and Churches of Old Cairo.

1. The most important museum in the world for Coptic antiquities, Egypt's Coptic Museum founded in Old Cairo in 1908 houses icons, stone pillars, textiles, incense burners, Bible containers, wall paintings, papyri, wooden altar screens, crosses, and church chandeliers, among other objects. Many of these are made from ivory and bone; and others from local and imported stone, paints, wood, fabrics, and other materials for religious, artistic, and cultural items of their period. A few surviving Coptic churches are also pictured to bring in to a limited degree Coptic architecture.
   
   Over 130 of the assorted antiquities are pictured in clear color photographs of various scales, including many full page, allowing for appreciation and study of their details. For example, smaller pieces of jewelry are pictured close-up so that their carvings of figures and details of their features and clothing stand out. Parts of some textiles have close-ups where not only the woven figures and patterns can be viewed discretely, but their weaving is apparent. Text goes beyond just identifying the varied objects to treat theological inferences and implications as well as artistic and historical points of note. One image of Christ from about the seventh century "employs various devices" to render him "more approachable." Chief among these is the "halo around his head" calling to mind his particular holiness as a living person "[r]ather than representing him in a mandorla [a large oval halo frequenting enclosing a figure, from the Glossary], which would indicate his existence beyond time and space."
   
   The work of coffee-table size, quality, and style offers a particularly handsome as well as a comprehensive portrayal of this distinctive, long-lasting religious art which reflects the pagan, Romanistic, and Middle Eastern cultures of its beginnings over two thousand years ago. Gabra is a former director of the Coptic Museum; Eaton-Krauss, a specialist in Egyptian art and archaeology.

1 comments about Ceramics: A Potter's Handbook.

1. A wealth of knowledge can be found in this timeless book that covers all the major aspects of ceramics.

   For the novice, it covers the the world's history of ceramics. Discusses clay and glaze compositions and gives step
   by step explanations of the various techniques from wheel throwing to hand building to making plaster molds for
   slip casting.

   For the advanced ceramist, there is good information of various kilns and their construction. It offers analysis of
   several major clays, frits, and feldspars as well as other useful reference tables including some recipes for
   glazes from low fire to high fire.

   I first bought the book in '82 as a college freshman and it has proven a valuable aid ever since. It is on the top of
   my "required reading" list for anyone interested in getting involved with studio ceramics.

No comments about Compact Sketchbook of Accessories.

No comments about Lines (Childrens Books).

No comments about Sacred: Exhibition Catalogue.

1 comments about Six Monet Cards (Small-Format Card Books).

1. One of a series from Dover that includes Cassatt, Dali, Degas, Gauguin, Homer, Kahlo...you get the idea. Ridiculously inexpensive, you should collect them all. Once you have them, you'll resist ripping them out of the cute little booklet & mailing them. Maybe, like me, you'll keep them in a drawer by your computer as handy fine art stress relievers.
   
   Bob Rixon