5 comments about Secrets.

1. I read the other reviews...it seems some of these people don't know Royo....this is Classic Royo: beautiful, dark and gothic-like, sexual.... it is not for those you blush at skin....but for the lover of gorgeous women and wild monster and magnificent art....if you love royo or know someone who does...get it! it is worth every cent and then some.... and the heck w/ "stories" behind the paintings....you got an imagination...USE IT!!!! that is the intent of pretty much any artist: they want you to think and use that brain and imagine...you want a story, go buy fairytales or something! this is for someone who loves art and had imagination!



2. Secrets, other than the usual nudity, is a bit more sexually explicit than his other books other than the Prohibited books. They are mainly medieval or ancient-fantasy themes, and a few are cover arts for Gemmell books. As often, beautiful shimmery paintings and powerful women.
   
   While I wouldn't want Royo to write a whole lot, descriptions that are a little less cryptic would be nice.



3. Of all of the Royo books I've seen, Secrets, Malefic, and Visions are the most spectacular. The women are absolutely gorgeous, and the level of detail and hyper-realism is astonishing! If you're new to Royo, buy these three books. They emphasize fantasy illustration (as opposed to the sci-fi themes of Women and the post-apocolyptic themes of III Millenium). The quality of the artwork in III Millenium is also very good, but it has a darker, more somber tone. I'd recommend avoiding Women and Conceptions 1. They don't even come close to comparing with the four books listed above, and don't reflect the exceptional talent of Royo as an artist.



4. great book if your looking for artistic pictures, just wonderful. But this is not a book for reading, just tells about the paintings and some have little poems.



5. Probably my favourite of Royo's books (which I have all). This is here the beauty and sex appeal of women gets closest to demons and dragons - and even merge with them as in actual love making. This book is about sensuality, sexuality, craving, lust and danger. Women here are seldom innocent and weak - no, they more often than not control and use the creatures of the darkness as their desire dictates them. If you only plan to have one book of Royo, then get this one.

1 comments about Egon Schiele: 1890-1918: Desire and Decay (Taschen 25th Anniversary Series).

1. This is another welcome addition to Taschen's 25th Anniversary Series of large, hardcover collections. You get excellent reproductions of many of Egon Schiele's finest work along with Wolfgang Georg Fischer's expert commentary.
   
   Besides the works themselves, I found the most valuable part of the book to be the historical and biographical information. Fischer gives the necessary perspective with which to view Schiele's sometimes difficult work without being excessively wordy or academic. I love academic writing as much as anyone, but I think the intended audience here is not going to want to wade through pages of theoretical discourse.
   
   In addition to the paintings, there are some photographs of Schiele, his family, and his colleagues. After looking at his numerous self-portraits and (especially) the paintings of his wife, it's fascinating to see photographs of them in a casual context.
   
   Schiele's style may not appeal to everyone, but this book is an excellent place to begin your appreciation, especially at Taschen's extremely low price. When you look at all the $3-12k limited edition books they release, it's nice that they remember that poor college students enjoy great art books too!

3 comments about Old Master Portrait Drawings: 47 Works (Dover Art Library Series).

1. The book came in very good shape. The portrait drawings are beautiful, just what I was looking for.



2. Nice series of books, these Old Master Portrait Drawings from Dover Art Library. Good material if you want to study portrait drawing. Good reproductions of the drawings. No text, only a short introduction from the publisher and titles with the drawings. The drawings say it all.



3. As an art instructor I found this book to be a great resource for beginning students of portrait drawing. The variety of style and technique shown is excellent. A few of the portraits were less useful. An excellent value for the price.

1 comments about Color and How to Use It (Artist's Library series #05).

1. It is easy to follow and gives a great deal of information that is best delivered in illustrations.The painting samples could be better but the content is useful and easy to access.

2 comments about Basic History of Western Art, A (7th Edition).

1. If your an artist or interested in art history...this book is very helpful....I had to get it for class..but i still reference it to this day...



2. In the introduction to this revised seventh edition, Anthony Janson (whose father, H.W. Janson, still has top billing for the volume) talks about the long tradition he and his father have had toward this volume and the larger work that carries the same name. It has been a standard in Western art education for decades, and the revisions periodically placed serve to bring new interpretations, perspectives and finds into the mix of history.
   
   Prior to diving into the depths of art, Janson provides a primer - art history is a relatively new discipline, and often studied by historians and others with interest but relatively little training in artistic areas themselves. This book is about the visual arts (those of drama, music, etc. are not included here, but architecture is to some degree); Janson gives a brief survey of key concepts that are critical to understanding the mediums (artists, Janson states, prefer to use the plural of medium as mediums rather than media). Geometric and visual appreciation concepts are introduced, as are philosophical/aesthetic ideas.
   
   The majority of the text is divided into four broad sections: The Ancient World, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance through the Rococo, and the Modern World. This is a book that really a survey or history of Western art - it does have a brief section at the beginning of the Ancient World on cave art and neolithic art in North America, but apart from this never wanders outside the main courses of Western art even in the modern period. As an introductory text, this is not surprising - many of the values and concepts of art in non-Western cultures require more explanation for adequate aesthetic appreciation of their art than an introductory survey course could cover. Still, it is a deficit worthy of note for those who are looking for a more comprehensive volume.
   
   The Ancient World covers art of Egypt, the Fertile Crescent and Persia, Aegean/Greek art, Etruscan art, and Roman art. The section on the Middle Ages begins primarily with the rise of Christendom as the dominant political power - this includes Byzantine art, early Medieval art (Carolingian and Ottonian times), Romanesque, and the ascendancy of the Gothic style, including the great Abbey of St-Denis. The Renaissance focusses early on Italy, but also explores the Renaissance influences in Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, France, and England. The Modern Period is the most diverse, with movements such as Neoclassicism, Romanticism, Realism, Impressionism, Art Nouveau and other schools that had a greater tendency to cross national boundaries. The twentieth century brought about a great explosion of artistic expressions, in architecture, sculpture, painting and photography, each of which get a chapter. While the fourth section begins with a discussion of modernism, it ends with the discussion of post-modernism, a period of transition.
   
   The colour reproductions throughout are stunning, and the use of black-and-white images to highlight details is also useful. Two-thirds of the 600 illustrations are in colour. The photographs showing architectural styles are interesting, far from being boring 'sample' shots. The text is engaging and informative, achieving a good balance between the artistic, the philosophical and the historical. There are maps, chronological tables, a glossary of terms, suggestions for further readings arranged topically, and a very useful index (always a plus for students and scholars).
   
   The predecessor edition was entitled 'A Basic History of Art'; this one has added the word 'Western' to the title, very appropriately. This new edition has included new essays in the introduction, including 'The Power of Art', 'The Impact of Context', and 'Experiencing Art in Museums'. The maps and timelines have been revised, and there are new Cultural Context boxes alongside the text. Also, 'Materials and Techniques' pull-quote boxes give an explanation of principal art practices, methods and conventions through history.

5 comments about An Anthology of Graphic Fiction, Cartoons, and True Stories.

1. I wanted to get a taste of some "graphic fiction," and this book looked pretty good. I've enjoyed it, and it has certainly increased my knowledge of the medium, but it could have been better. By sticking to only the North American continent, there are a number of glaring omissions, such as Tintin, Asterix, and the enormous field of Japanese-language comics. The rising medium of webcomics has not a mention. There are even a few notable American comics which were omitted, such as Popeye and Dick Tracy. Krazy Kat is here, but with only one strip. Though I realize that space is at a premium here, there are a number of things which seem poorly represented.
   
   Much of the book is made up of graphic novel excerpts, which irritate me slightly, as they tend to end just when they've captured my interest. However, there are also a lot of "short stories" and single-page or single-spread comics.
   
   It should also be noted that this book is not intended for children. There is a good deal of what is often referred to as "language" and a number of depictions of sex and/or nudity.
   
   One last thing...this book includes two "farewells" to Charles Schulz by Art Spiegelman and Chris Ware, which will no doubt interest Peanuts fans.



2. I don't know if there is a softback version of this book, but I got the hardback and it is a bit of a pain to handle; the spine is real stiff and it is heavy and sharp edged; like it would be hard to lug in a back pack to be read on a subway train.
   
   If I'm not mistaken, there is no Brunetti material in the book, other than his intro, sequencing, etc.! This was an oversight of Mr. Brunetti's!
   
   There are some wonderful artists here, people whose work I haven't come across yet - I'm making a list as I read and googling them and buying their works. In this way the book is a wonderful guide - you could almost call it a buying guide. As mentioned in another review here, the book is hurt by not having a TOC or an index - no index! It makes researching these artists a little harder, but I'm getting around it.
   
   This is a must buy for anyone that wants to be up to date on the more recent alt comics. It will be one of the reference works that will be left standing 30 years from now, when libraries and the great learning institutions finally realize how important these works are and teach them in lit courses and collect manuscripts, ha ha. I love the new attention for this genre that I have loved and followed for something like 35 years now, but since it's become mainstreamed the prices have gone up, and we are forced to read pompous, over-intellectualized and uptight reviews by the likes of Gary Groth, etc. I hope they relax one day and stop straining so hard to legitimize this genre; it is getting there in its own way and own time.



3. There is a stark difference between mainstream commercial graphic fiction and the alternative or independent variety featured here. The difference is between Michael Bay and Darren Aronofsky although maybe even Aronofsky is too commercial. In many cases it's the difference between Bay and a college film maker. The point is that mainstream comics are generally intended for safe consumption by a mass audience while independents tend to reflect an artists true vision. Let me just say that this collection is not for everyone and it most certainly is not for children. The stories feature molestation, pedophilia, raw language and graphic nudity both male and female. Don't be fooled by the whimsical cover.
   
   Ironically what got me interested in independent artists was a collection from DC comics called `Bizarro Comics' which featured alternate-comic creators doing their takes on the DC characters. Inspired by the unique stories in Bizarro I purchased `McSweeney's Issue 13' which absolutely blew me away. However, my next purchase, `The Best American Comics - 2006' was a big disappointment and led me to wonder if there just weren't enough quality alternative comics produced in a single year to create an entire 300+ page book. Some of the stories were entirely too long and left me wishing they were over. `An Anthology of Graphic Fiction' is an out of the park home run. The author presents comics going back to the 1940's but leaning decidedly towards current stuff. They run the gamut from Aline Crumbs primitive scratchings to Chris Ware meticulous works that look like they came straight from a graphic design class. The writing is much more profane and a helluva lot more gloomy than what you find in mainstream graphic fiction. Someone should do a study on why alternative artists are so depressed.
   
   One final point. At the risk of sounding like an advertisement you DEFINITELY get your money's worth with this one. It's 400 pages jam packed with great material. Get this one... get `McSweeney's Issue 13' but skip `Best American' and if you still need more grab up the vastly underrated Bizarro Comics. If you've never experienced some of the alternate comics out there you really should give it a try. It's certainly different and definitely more intimate, honest and thought provoking.



4. This is one of the best graphic novel/alt comics anthologies that I have ever read.
   
   The choice of selections and their arrangement are outstanding, allowing this anthology to serve as a great introduction for someone not familiar with the form and a terrific read for devotees.
   
   Highly recommended, even if you already own Pekar's Best American Comics or Ware's volume of McSweeney's.



5. I'm not extremely well-read on the subject of graphic fiction/cartoons/ comics as editor Ivan Brunetti refers to his anthology. This collection is extremely lengthy and definitely provides a taste of several different and very unique styles of artistry and story-telling.
   
   There are about 30 contributers to this anthology. Some are more entertaining than others, but nearly all of them are intriguing in their own way. They each have some special draw that keeps you reading. And that's what Brunetti is putting on display here.
   
   It seems like if you already knew what cartoonists you liked this book might be kind of useless, considering you'd probably already own the collections of comics that this book takes excerpts from, but as an introduction to this world of interlaced stories and drawings, it's perfect.
   
   I felt like they could have been ordered in a more understandable way, maybe by date published, or alphabetically. But overall I have no complaints. The pages are beautiful and each different comic has its own style of paper and printing. It makes the anthology even more exciting to read. This is the perfect book to keep around for those times when you feel like reading a few non-committal pages.

No comments about Living with Art: With Core Concepts.

4 comments about Prints and Drawings of Kathe Kollwitz.

1. This book is a great teaching aid for drawing and the transition from drawing to print processes. Great examples of the simplicity of marks necessary to create a form or mood recognisable to all. It is as much about what is left out as it is about marks made. Very dark subject matter delt with in a sensite way, a must for all for teaching and inspiration.



2. This large-scale volume does a very nice job of covering many of Kollwitz's finest works...and at a very nice price, thanks to Dover Publications.



3. Kollwitz was hated and persecuted by Hitler for taking the underside of humanity. She presents the real effects of modern warfare upon our defenseless civilians women and children. She presents the weary face of defenseless despair under relentless attack. She is the face which must be seen, like the courageous and proud Frida Kahlo, yet hers too weary for pride and fierce resistance.
   
   Get this book and LOOK . . .



4. Kathe Kollwitz shows real people dealing with the real problem of the Second World War. Her drawings are poignant reminders of the love and humanity that can exist in the midst of madness. She is also not afraid to show the horror of the war and the tolls it takes on its victims.

5 comments about Come Look with Me: Enjoying Art with Children (Come Look with Me) (Come Look with Me).

1. I used to be afraid of art until I bought this book and shared it with my 5-year-old daughter. I thought fine art was for the sophisticated -- certainly not for a regular person like me.
   
   "Come Look with Me: Enjoying Art with Children" introduces kids to great works of art in a very gentle way. The whole point of beginning to enjoy art is simply to start looking at it. Each two-page spread covers one piece of art. On the left page is the print, nearly filling the page, with information about the artist, name of the piece, date, and where it is located (such as a gallery or private collection). The right-hand page has a few questions the parent can ask the child and discuss together, such as, "What do you think the child is looking at? What makes you think so?" and, "The artist used a lot of different lines in this painting. Find a straight line. ..."
   
   There are no wrong answers. The questions are designed to get the children looking -- really looking -- at the art. Then at the bottom is a brief narrative about the artwork and the artist, explaining what is happening in the picture or how and why the artist created it. Each spread is an art appreciation lesson, without it ever feeling like a lesson. It's even easy for someone like me with no prior art background.
   
   I like that this book starts author Gladys Blizzard's series of books with pictures of children, as it's easy for children to get into paintings of kids their own ages.
   
   Now that I'm not afraid to look at art and take it all in, it's fun to explore it further. My daughter and I are able to talk about artwork we see. We talk about how it was created, what the artist might have been feeling, and we compare it to other art we have seen. I wish I had been exposed to art like this when I was 5 years old!
   
   We started with this book and I have already purchased couple more in the series.
   
   Some things we have done at home to extend the learning from this book: I bought an inexpensive table-top easel and set the book up in our living room, opened to the artwork we studied that week. Every time we walk by we can appreciate it even more and even notice new things. We add the artist's birth-death dates in a timeline we keep for history and geography. Once my daughter wanted to try to recreate one of the paintings, so we sketched it ourselves. One of my favorite moments as a homeschooling mother was when our family had the chance to go to the Art Institute of Chicago and see one of the paintings. We were able to enjoy it and talk about it intelligently. My daughter was not bored at the art gallery as I would have been at her age. She was fascinated, all thanks to "Come Look with Me!"



2. after borrowing it so many times from the library, just decided to go ahead and get it. this is one of sonlight's recommended resources for kindergarten (art appreciation)



3. The artwork is accompanied by questions to get the viewer thinking. It works great with homeschool or for anytime.



4. This is a good book for adults and children. There is a picture on one page and on the next page there is a little bit of information about the picture and some questions to inspire thinking about the picture.

   Examples of questions might be- what are the childrenn in this painting feeling? What makes you think so? What is the father in this painting thinking about?

   This book inspires young children to look at pictures in a different way. It inspires them to put the story to the painting and to explore what the painting is trying to 'say'. Because of this it is a good introduction to art for young children.

   Enjoy.




5. We just started "looking" at Ms Blizzard's book, and it has already opened a whole new world for my children to discover. The format (full page color pictures accompanied by historical reference and discussion questions) is as enjoyable for the children as it is for adults. As a homeschool mother I appreciate the opportunity it provides to take a moment and wonder what the artist may have had in mind when they created their work. I also thank the author for the corresponding list of open ended discussion questions she provides. Take a moment to really look at a picture and let the child interpret it. You may be surprized at how they respond. I know I was. It has become especially popular with my 3 year old who considers the children her friends. We look at it daily and can't wait to add to our collection with another edition of the authors works. A wonderful introduction to art appreciation for all ages. Thank you Ms. Blizzard for a wonderful book! This series is sure to be a hit with all who appreciate art.

2 comments about Techniques of the Observer: On Vision and Modernity in the 19th Century (October Books).

1. HUGE thumbs up. Crary historicizes technological vision and illuminates an underrepresented point: things we're taught to think of as objective, such as cameras and vision, are in fact quite subjective and historical. They're ideas first, which means social/cultural ideas, from design to usage. Gradually these cultural ideas plus economic and technological possibility fuse into 'things'. The social aspects get invisibly embedded into these 'things' through myths of objectivity and modern people's desire to be taken care of by machines. When cultural values become things we are conditioned not to see the subjective part. Why? Our primary way of thinking is still the way of the Enlightenment -- from the 18th century -- which loves measuring and equating and separates 'myth' from 'science'. [Which is which? as Roger Waters asks, Do you think you can tell?] Western high culture privileges thinking and seeing over affect and body, imagining they are separate and valuing one over the other. Really it's just an excuse for laziness and cultural arrogance.
   
   Read this book along with Eric Michaels' _Bad Aboriginal Art_ and Adorno and Horkheimer's _Dialectic of Enlightenment_ to begin to see glimpses of Western cultural values and narratives embedded in today's supposedly 'objective' media such as photography, video, TV, vision, etc. Do the work and eventually technology will be a mirror of your own social/historical context.



2. Crary presents some interesting views on the perception of art. I found that it took a while for his ideas to formulate - the writing tends to be a bit wordy. I would recommend the book with reservations - really only for the serious academic reader. Not a casual bedside book.