No comments about Painting as Business in Early Seventeenth-Century Rome.

3 comments about Art in Venice.

1. I am totally madly, deeply in love with Venice and its 15th and 16th century artists. After having spent a fortune on art books about Venice, I stumbled onto this book at London's National Gallery. I have probably seen everything in this book in the original Venetian locales, but they are photographed so superbly that some actually are better than live-and-in-person. For example, some of my favorite paintings by Bellini in the Accademia are deliberately kept in dimly lit rooms by the conservationists, and Tintoretto's famous ceiling at Scuola de San Marco are neck-cringing and dark. So, to study these and any of the other scores of paintings you need this book. Every single photo is in large format, sumptous color. This is easily the best book bargain I bought last year. And I paid twice what Amazon is offering for it now!



2. I found this book in my local library where I was looking for images that I might use in some way in a collage I'd started working on. I immediately knew that I must own it. Not the usual cofee table book of travel type photographs of Venice - but concentrating on the history, art and architecture of that fascinating city. Tho I've been there on two separate occasions, 30 years apart, this book has given me an irresistable longing to see the beauty that I somehow missed both times.



3. First, a word of warning: I was in Venice last fall to visit my daughter, who was studying there for the semester. I fell in love with Venice and wanted to buy a book to remember it by. I finally found this beautiful volume with wonderful pictures of all the magnificent art, architecture, and general feel of this magnificent city. Its title was "Venice." When I got home, I thought I'd buy a book on Venetian art, so I got this title. To my surprise, it was the same book I'd bought in Venice! No problem. My daughter was home for Christmas, and it made a nice gift. Now, assuming you haven't already bought this under its European title, I heartily recommend it to anyone who either loves art, or who loves Venice. It is an excellent art book, complete with all the necessary information about the artists and architects and their beautiful creations, all of which are shown in large color pictures. But it is also a wonderful travel book, with many superb photos of all of Venice's glorious landmarks, which, of course, fall under the classification of "art" as well. All in all, a superb title, and the price is well less than its value. (Most books of this quality go for about $60-$75.)

1 comments about Maine in America: American Art at The Farnsworth Art Museum.

1. In it's fifty years of existence the Farnsworth Art Museum has focused on acquiring a collection of art that represents the history of art and artists in Maine. This 256 page book is an excellent survery of their holdings from the early paintings of J Jonathan Fisher to the realist paintings of Neil Welliver.

   There is a one page review of each of 84 artists followed by one to three color plates of their works held by the Farnsworth. The biographical sketch of each artist is concise and accurately describes how the artist fits into not only art in Maine but art in America from the 18th century to the present.

   I love Maine art and I thoroughly enjoyed this book and learned a lot from it.

No comments about Kandinsky: 16 Art Stickers (Fine Art Stickers).

1 comments about Visual Arts of Africa: Gender, Power, and Life Cycle Rituals.

1. Fred Smith and Judith Perani are co-authors, not contributo

4 comments about Contemporary Quilting: Exciting Techniques and Quilts from Award-Winning Quilters.

1. This is an excellent book for quilters and textile artists interested in exploring contemporary textile techniques and materials. Each stimulating activity is explained clearly and simply, assisted by comprehensive photos.
   
   The second part of the book showcases a range of beautiful contemporary quilts by renowned quilters, which illustrate various modern techniques. Descriptions of the techniques used and effects achieved are helpful and interesting.
   
   This is a useful purchase for a serious contemporary quilter, or quilting group to add to their library. The book is fun, visually attractive, with the projects aimed at assisting quilters to explore new horizons and techniques.



2. Contemporary Quilting: Exciting Techniques And Quilts From Award-Winning Quilters teaches new techniques thorough a blend of color photos and 12 projects. Thanks to rotary machine cutting there's a whole generation who have never used scissors: the authors interviewed many pros in the quilting industry to gather these challenging new projects.



3. The first reviewer obviously missed the whole point of the book and its goals. This was not writen to promote any "new" techniques but to show variations on contemporary ones and to showcase outstanding award winning quilts. The photographs are outstanding and the variety of quilts is a wonderful collection of diverse methods and techniques. Yes, we have seen some of these quilts before but does one ever tire of seeing or admiring outstanding work?
   This book encourages the quiltmaker or fabric artist to try something different and to have some fun! So buy the book, feast on the pictures and go have some fun!
   I immediately purchased several copies and plan on buying more..Thank you for a beautiful book!



4. I really dislike giving a 2-star rating to this book. I WANTED to like it, really I did. But it's not a great book. Many of the quilts in the gallery are pieces that I have seen in other books I own. I have always liked many of these quilts - key phrase: ALWAYS LIKED.... as in have seen many, many times. Nearly a fourth of the quilts are five or more years old, and in this information age, that's a long time. As for the techniques section - if you have the Snippets books or the Painting book which Cindy co-authored, you already have about half the techniques. Some of the other techniques (Angelina, photo transfer) are shown in better detail in the Quilting Arts magazine or other books, and two of the "techniques" are just basic traditional piecing with perhaps a slight twist toward contemporary (for ex, stamping on sashing fabrics).
   
   All-in-all, if I'd seen it before I ordered it, Amazon would still own it, and I'd still have my money. Unhappily, it's now the other way around. I know a lot of work goes into writing a book, but these authors should have put their efforts toward a better project. The best thing I can say is that the gallery photography is good (the projects photos less so). And if you don't own many exhibit catalogs or other books on art quilts you may really enjoy this one.

No comments about Irrespektiv: Kendell Geers.

No comments about Sickert: Paintings and Drawings (Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in Britis).

5 comments about Open Me...I'm a Dog.

1. This book is so creative. The basic premise is that the book is not ABOUT a dog... it IS a dog. The story revolves around how he got there. It is very "hands on" and engages the reader immediately. It would be a fantastic gift for a little animal lover who isn't able to have a pet of his/her own. This is one dog who is allowed where other pets can't go and after the initial cost, there is no feeding or clean-up! What more could you want in a pet?



2. Delightful book! The tactile features, coupled with the story, make this one of the most-special children's books -- that's also appropriate to give any adult dog lover or fan of Spiegelman!



3. This is a pet dog that doesn't make you sneeze or itch. It doesn't shed or have fleas. Best of all, it doesn't bite or do its business on the carpet. Parents can gladly get this pet for children. Of course, this book would never take the place of a real thing, but it's a pleasure to read it. I can read it repeatedly (as children always want you to do) and not get tired of it. A parent can't help but get into character while reading the book aloud.
   
   The book's insides have a felt / velvet feel, so it gives the child something to touch. It has a leash that can act as a bookmark or make it easy to "walk the dog." The illustrations are colorful and well done. Adults and children will laugh and enjoy this one.
   
   The author does a superb job with his play on words. Big frog means BIG, human-sized frog. German Shepherd... not a dog. Literally, German sheep herder. It has a fairy tale feel with humor thrown in. I can't imagine who wouldn't like this book unless as one reviewer said, a person who has problems with witches in children's stories.



4. I discovered this book...er, dog, hiding out on a shelf in a used bookstore. I flipped through it and put it back and went back the next day to buy it because I couldn't get it out of my head. It's clever and fun. Has a story line and plot, but short enough to hold my 3 month old's attention all the way through. We've read it twice today already. I like the velvety front and end pages, the pop-up wagging tail and the story that takes the reader through enchanted woods, to a mountain in Germany and back to a youngster's own bedroom if he/she wishes. A new classic!



5. We just read this and my kids (ages 7, 5, and 3.5) are still not sure whether it is a book, or a dog............... Fabulous book!!! Thanks, Mr. Spiegelman!!

No comments about David Altmejd: The Index.