1 comments about Postmodernism and the Postsocialist Condition: Politicized Art under Late Socialism (Ahmanson-Murphy Fine Arts Book).

1. Both introductary as well as detailed enough for experts, this is a well-researched and astute text, covering a range of issues that resonate in today's world.

5 comments about Daphnis And Chloe: with 42 colour plates after the lithographs.

1. "Daphnis and Chloe" is one of the best known early Greek romances, precursors to the modern novel. Admired by Goethe, it has been reinterpreted in music and art by Ravel and Chagall.
   Written by Longus in the second century A.D, it is a classical romance involving the adventures of two foundling children raised by adopted parents who are humble shepherds in the idyllic setting of the Isle of Lesbos. It is a famous love story that captures the awakening of a first love between two teenagers who don't know what is happening to them. The novel that is written almost two thousands years ago is surprisingly modern; it is erotic, tender, romantic, sensual, and simply beautiful. When I read it first time many years ago (I was very much into the ancient art, literature, history, and philosophy), I asked myself why the literature and art did not stop right there and then - nothing better could be possibly done. It is not true, of course but it was one of the rare moments that you'd like to capture and cherish forever. Last month while visiting the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, I bought a miniature book that includes a suite of 42 Lithographs created by Marc Chagall (1887-1985) to illustrate "Daphnis and Chloe". Chagall's visual interpretation of the Greek pastoral romance of the 2nd (or 3rd) century AD is unique and unforgettable. Even if you don't like Chagall's style, you will not be able to forget it. With his 42 Lithographs, Chagall created a monument to both, Longus and himself. "Daphnis and Chloe" is known as one of the great illustrated books of our time.



2. The story dates from classical Greece. After two thousand years, the story is still fresh and charming - the sign of a true classic. It's about young love, eager and inept, with gods, pirates, and other harmless excitement. The writer included the happy fumblings of physical affection that a modern author would have shied from, sweet and not at all salacious. The story finishes with an improbable and triumphantly happy ending. Good happy fun, and not a lengthy read.

   Beyond the story itself, I found this book very informative. The story is supposedly one that Shakespeare read, and it shows. Some of the Bard's endings look a bit recycled once you've read Daphnis and Chloe. I also found that it explained Marc Chagall's cycle of lithographs - the images make more sense, now that I've seen their inspiration. In addition, there's satisfaction in knowing that this story, with such influence on such great minds, and is now a part of my education, too.

   All that was extra reward, though. I wanted the book because Chagall's illustration. It's there, in dozens of beautiful color reproductions, including some two-page spreads. Up til now, Marc Chagall has always been in the lower ranks among my favorite artists. After seeing his work in this book, I have a new respect for it. He's still not among my very favorites, but I enjoy the lithos shown here. Even more, I enjoy them as a coherent body visual work and as a narrative.

   Best, though, is quality of this book for its price. It's well printed on heavy stock, and the color printing is strong and nuanced. The production values in the color pages and the sheer number of them are quite astonishing for a book that costs so little. I plan to enjoy this book for a long time.




3. "Charming" and "Idyllic" are two words you'll meet often when reading reviews of this ancient tale. And certainly it is both those things. It is the best known and best loved of the "Erotici Graeci", or Greek love stories, that date from the early centuries of the Common Era. It is characteristic of the genre, featuring as it does pirates, supernatural events and some highly implausible plot elements.

   The Penguin Classics edition has an excellent translation, introduction and notes by Paul Turner.

   The story includes the curious conceit, common in folk tales, that an infant of aristocratic parentage, raised by peasants, will grow up exhibiting all the innate qualities of nobility, like cuckoo chicks raised in another bird's nest. Nature is all; nurture is nothing. This idea can be found in literature until at least late in the nineteenth century. To (most) modern readers it seems ludicrous. In comparison, the belief in Pan and the Muses appears quite reasonable.

   Historians and archeologists can tell us much about ancient civilizations, except for the most interesting thing of all; what were these people really like? Novels, drama and poetry give us glimpses into their very hearts and minds. We learn about their relationships between each other and between themselves and their gods. Sometimes we wonder at how alien and strange they appear; at others we are struck at how much like us - like people always, everywhere - they are. Some things never change. Among them are the pains and joys of young love. For as long as there are young lovers, there will be "Daphnis and Chloe".




4. Man...Daphnis and Chloe. Surely, this is one of the Best Things Ever. An utterly gorgeous evocation of innocent, sweetly naive pastoral life. I honestly can't think of a single work of literature I've enjoyed more. It's short, but richly deserving of multiple readings. If you're not capable of enjoying it, I don't want to know you. It is truly Great, capital 'G'. However, in the interest of objectivity, I should note that there is one thing about it that somewhat irks me: in the end, the title characters are revealed to by of noble birth. That's not a spoiler; you know it right from the get-go. So, while it was inevitable, it just didn't quite work for me. I would have liked to see them go on in idyllic splendour (note the British spelling) forever.

   That, however, is a minor quibble. You must read this. It could even save your life: let's say you've read it, and then, sometime later, for whatever reason, you decide to commit suicide. You'd be very likely to think, at some point, 'hey, wait a minute--I can't die now; I need to reread Daphnis and Chloe!' So then you'd turn the engine off, and after you finished your rereading, you'd realize, 'hey--life is GOOD! What was I thinking?' And you'd be right. Something like this couldn't exist if the world wasn't in some sense fundamentally good.




5. Longus's ancient novel, "Daphnis and Chloe" tells the absolutely charming story of a boy (Daphnis) and a girl (Chloe), left to die by exposure in the Greek countryside. Miraculously, the deities are watching out for them--a goat is selected to nurse Daphnis, and a sheep to nurse Chloe--until a goatherd, Lamo, and a shepherd, Dryas, respectively discover the two children. They are raised in the town of Mytilene, a humble agricultural community, where they tend their adopted fathers's herds of goats and sheep.

   Here, the mischievous god of love, Eros, sets them aflame with love for each other. Both Daphnis and Chloe are extremely innocent in their affections throughout the novel, experimenting with their feelings and exposing the amusing limits of their little knowledge. Various incidents involving pirates, kidnapping, inter-city war between Mytilene and Methymna, and the suit of Chloe by a host of lusty young men all provide interesting diversions from the main love story. With a very casual cultural attitude towards homoerotic love, we also see the impertinent male slave, Gnatho, make advances toward the clueless Daphnis. Daphnis's run-in with Lycaenium, a married woman of Mytilene, is also an episode of note in the complex sexual landscape of Longus's novel.

   Another intriguing factor in Longus's novel is the relationship between humanity and nature. The figure of the goat is omnipresent throughout the novel. Standing apart from our own cultural/religious associations with the goat, in "Daphnis and Chloe," the goat is all at once associated with maternity, reverence, respect, and honesty. In the novel, we see humanity in general in harmony with the natural world all around: plant, beast, and natural divinities.

   Into this seemingly innocent landscape, Longus introduces the problematics of class and wealth. The love story between Daphnis and Chloe is further stalled while these issues play themselves out. Society's intrusion into the pastoral story seems to indicate the fantastic nature of the idyll itself. "Daphnis and Chloe" is a brilliant and beautiful ancient tale, and well worth the short time it takes to read.

No comments about Robert Ryman.

2 comments about The Usborne Book of Art.

1. Deftly designed, engagingly written, and profusely illustrated for young readers, "The Usborne Book Of Art: A Complete Introduction For Beginners" by art expert Rosie Dickins, assisted by learned contributors, has created an informed and informative historical survey of art. Beginning with an introduction defining and explaining just what is meant by art, how to look at paintings, including story paintings, portraits, landscapes, still lifes, and 'modern art', there are chapters dedicated to Ancient & Medieval Art (prior to 1400 A.D.); The Renaissance (1400 to 1600); Baroque & Rococo (1600 to 1800); Revolution (1800 to 1900); Breaking Away (1900 to 1914); Dreams & Conflicts (1914 to 1945); New Directions (1945 to 1969); and Anything Goes (1970 to date). Of special note is the final chapter, 'Behind the scenes' covering such divers topics as artist materials, 'tricks of the trade', preserving pictures, fame and fortune as an artist, and 'faking it' with forged artworks. Enhanced with a timeline, a glossary, biographical snippets about the artists, instructions for using the internet, and an index, "The Usborne Book Of Art" is a seminal and strongly recommended addition to family, school and community library Art History and Art Appreciation reference collections and supplemental reading lists.



2. I'm giving this book 4 stars because of my objection that this book seems to be marketed by Usborne to all ages (10+). There are pictures in this book that I'm not ready to discuss with my 10 year old. Otherwise, this book has a good discussion of painted art: what it is, the history, and various techniques. I don't feel that any specific art is considered bad or better because of technique or subject matter. Particularly nice are the internet links that give either further explanation or projects that will enhance the experience. It is a bind up of Usborne's Introduction to Art and Modern Art.

1 comments about The Silk Road: Art and History.

1. Jonathan Tucker offers us not only a history and an art and architecture book, he provides us a feeling for the merchants and scholars who traveled east and west across the expanse of Asia for profit, for knowledge, and for adventure. The hundreds of fine colored photographs, the many interspersed maps, and quotations from poetry and contemporary travelers aid our armchair journeys across time and cultures. Arranged much like a guidebook, the author starts in Xian, China, and takes us westward along the various land routes of the Silk Road, with southern spurs to Afghanistan and India as well as northern routes to the Aral and Caspian areas. Although the various wars of empire over the past 2,000 years tend to merge and blur by the time the reader approaches the end, we do manage to appreciate the influences of art, technology, and design of one people upon another. We see how empire-building and its associates bloodshed and city destruction had a strong economic basis, and the encouragement of trade and protection of caravans from brigands were key responsibilities of kings and khans.
   
   The Art Media Resources edition I own has a number of typographical errors, chiefly hard hyphens and spaces that were not removed in digital production. The style is dry and direct but easy to follow.
   
   Readers of all the other historical books on the Silk Road that focus on music, religion, and military matters, as well as modern tourists seeking the unusual, will find this large book a perfectly worthy supplement. And if you have no such interest in Silk Road studies but are curious, then by all means begin here.

No comments about The London Jungle Book.

No comments about The State of Art Criticism (The Art Seminar).

No comments about John Ruskin.

No comments about Design for Restaurants and Bars Inspiration for 100s of International Hotels (Schiffer Design Book Series).

1 comments about A Treasury of American Scrimshaw: A Collection of the Useful and Decorative.

1. This book takes a close-up look at the useful and decorative objects created by sailors during the age of whaling. While McManus touches on the most familiar creations of the era, decorative whale's teeth, his focus is the too-often overlooked subject of utilitarian and purely decorative scrimshaw. Chapters include a wonderful look at the background of scrimshaw, objects made for use both on board ship and at home, creations made to be seen and enjoyed for their beauty, examples of beautiful ornamentation, the makers of scrimshaw, both known and supposed, and fascinating objects which are not always what they appear to be. A wonderful addition to any scrimshaw library!