2 comments about Beauty and the Contemporary Sublime (Aesthetics Today).

1. this book really changed the way i think about painting and photography. one of the phrases in the book really stuck with me: "...a surface of poison" (in reference to painting). there are a lot of references to deleuze and bergson and heiddegger but if you don't read much philosophy, like me, and still get through this book, you will think differently about painting, photography, fashion and begin to contemplate concepts (for lack of a better word) like blankness, absence, frivolity, instantaneity, etc.



2. Art critic Gilbert-Rolfe explores beauty's changing role and aesthetics in society in Beauty and the Contemporary Sublime, a survey which blends philosophy and discussions of modern art and perceptions of beauty. An intriguing coverage which enters the debate about the role of beauty in our culture.

No comments about Art and Photography.

No comments about Shirana Shahbazi: Risk Is Our Business.

2 comments about Lust Unearthed: Vintage Gay Graphics From the DuBek Collection.

1. Waugh, Thomas. "Lust Unearthed: Vintage Gay Graphics from the DuBek Collection", Arsenal Pulp Press, 2004.
   
   Graphically Bold
   
   Amos Lassen and Literary Pride
   
   Thomas Waugh seems to know where to find and then collect early gay erotic drawings. He has two volumes of them out. "Lust Unearthed" is a collection of drawings from the DuBek Collection which was housed in almost fifty large document boxes and is very, very erotic. DuBek had collected magazines and pen and inks between 1927 and the 1990's but the majority of the collection come form the 60's and 70's at which time gay male erotic culture came above ground. DuBek had catalogued them before his death and it is absolutely amazing. It did not become public until after his death but we have much of it now in this extensive book. Waugh went through the collection and chose certain selections for us. What we have is one of a kind--a representation of homoerotic doodles salvaged from before Stonewall. Waugh gathered it together obviously with love and the drawings are funny, sexy and very erotic. It is a fantastic historical document.
   Waugh gives us the political and social climate for the drawings. The drawings themselves depict all aspects of male homosexual behavior There are more than 200 drawings contained in "Lust Unearthed" all from the apartment of Ambrose DuBek who was a film and television designer from the 40's to the 60's. He as a passionate advocate and patron of the arts who felt that not just life was to be celebrated but the body as well. What he had were frank, explicit, sometimes funny, sometimes outrageous depictions of men. They were created by both famous and unknown artists and were produced at a time when nude male drawings were illegal thereby making them rare.
   Waugh has written a remarkable narrative that is an interesting history lesson which sheds light on a culture once clothed in darkness. Here is gay porn for the man who thinks. The book not only sensually arouses but beguiles.



2. I am so glad that I bought this book. I had read Thomas Waugh's other title "Hard to Imagine" and I found this book to be just as well written. The images in this book are amazing.

1 comments about Jazz Saxophone Duets.

1. As an intermediate player, I'm called upon to sight read on many sub gigs. This is very hard for me because I took a 27 year break from music and never was a strong sight reader. Greg's duets force me and my wife to concentrate both on counting and articulation. It's slow going, but will pay off if we keep at it. And it doesn't hurt that the lessons build on each other and are fun to play to book. Every once in a while you say to yourself, "Hey, that's a Charlie Parker riff or some such." It's like finding treasure. Thanks for doing this Greg!

2 comments about Art Deco Patterns & Designs (International Design Library).

1. I have alot of books on this topic-this is a good one and the price is right.



2. the designs in this book are all original, actually from the 30s and actually art deco; not interpretations or adaptations or something that just happened to be drawn in the 30s. they are black and white (and sometimes grey) mainly outline drawings.
   
   there aren't a lot of them, but the book is not expensive. as an addition to a collection of 30s designs it could be useful. it served my purpose, but might not do the same for anyone else.

No comments about Reframing Abstract Expressionism: Subjectivity and Painting in the 1940s.

No comments about Andy Warhol Men: 30 Postcards.

No comments about The Story of Modern Art.

4 comments about Arab in America.

1. As an editor of a collection of creative nonfiction writing about the Middle East (Encounters with the Middle East, Solas House), I've read a lot of personal narratives set in or about the Middle East and its relation to the U.S. and Europe. Arab in America is among the best I've read. It could do for the cause of better awareness of Arab Americans in the U.S. what Persepolis has done in better explaining the Iranian revolution and its effects to the West.
   
   Toufic El Rassi lays out for us the pernicious and normative cultural prejudices facing Arabs, Muslims, and others in the U.S., in ways that make visible to readers common social practices and beliefs that may have seemed fairly harmless. And he tells a very good story while he's at it. I hope this book sells--would make a great text for high school and college courses about identity issues, politics, US foreign and domestic policy and cultural affairs, writing, art, Middle East studies. Looking forward to the sequel in Lebanon, another poorly misunderstood place.



2. I'm glad that Arab in America is the first graphic novel I've read because it demonstrates what illustration can add to an absorbing text. The author's drawings make the reader experience what the immigrant experiences: that the product we Americans advertise--open arms and a welcoming smile--is not always what we deliver. As the writer tells us, Americans are so ill-informed about the geography, history, and religions of our neighbors across the sea that we don't even know whom we hate! This is a valuable book published just at the time when we need to read it. Besides which, it's a fascinating read.



3. The Guardian
   
   On the defensive
   Craig Taylor rounds up recent releases
   
   Saturday March 22, 2008
   
   Arab in America: A True Story of Growing Up in America by Toufic El Rassi
   
   Those looking for lush artwork and nuance will do well to skip El Rassi's autobiographical tour of his troubled American existence, but Arab in America is more complex and rewarding upon closer examination. The scrawled black and white drawings track a journey from El Rassi's birth in Beirut to his struggles with and in America. He understands he's different after a childhood production of The Wizard of Oz places his face among his classmates - a "dark splotch" beside the white. From there he examines his family and his role in this eternal war against terror that seems to have shuffled him into the opposing camp. Why do they have to be referred to as "our troops", anyway, he asks. Not only does El Rassi feel the sting of racial slurs, but he often receives the wrong ones altogether: "Americans don't even know who they're supposed to hate."
   
   He explores the different degrees of Muslim activism through the reactions of the friends around him. Throughout El Rassi remains an inert figure, held in by the contraints of his personality and his culture. The struggle to find an identity is kickstarted finally by Rage Against the Machine and a reading list of revolutionaries. Even then El Rassi questions the best intentions of the liberals around him. He decides to become a US citizen to save himself from a possible one-way ticket out. The work is most powerful when El Rassi is recounting his own failures, his missed opportunities and outrages, petty or otherwise. The post-9/11 context he's gathered to illustrate his thesis seems to be snipped from newspapers. At its best, his personal history is enough to illustrate a life lived constantly on the defensive.



4. I absolutely loved this book! My question is- where's the second part?
   
   The author does a great job of interweaving his personal life with historical events which serves to make the narrative an engaging and valuable read. The writing style and images work together seamlessley to deliver a story that wil stay with you long after you finish it.
   
   I recommend this book for educators, students, or just anyone who loves a good story (and doesn't mind learning a little bit on the way).
   
   Most importantly, the book is about Arab experience in the U.S. In this post-9-11 world, we need more of this kind of literature.