No comments about A Young Person's Guide to New Orleans Houses.

2 comments about Frida Kahlo.

1. The first 38 pages of this oversized book are devoted to a biography of Frida Kahlo's life and a discussion of some of her most famous paintings. Several vintage color and black & white photos are also included in this section. The remaining pages of this book are the plates...large full page images of her paintings reporduced in full color and detail...some of the best quality reproductions I've seen. Each painting is titled and dated, the medium used and the current whereabouts of the original piece.



2. Salomon Grimberg's compilation of Frida Kahlo's book is an ideal place for those who saw the movie-bio starring Salma Hayek. Apart from the art, there's a written text of her life that gives one insight into her life and what aspects the movie emphasized or omitted. There are also black & white and colour photographs of her as well.

   She mostly did self-portraits, and looking through them, I see more and more that Hayek was the best choice to play Kahlo. Many of the paintings realized and duplicated in the movie appear here. The Two Fridas, one wearing the white dress, the other a blue dress, with a blood vessel connecting the two, are included, as is her stark representation of the miscarriage which in the movie, causes Diego to weep.

   The title of each painted, the medium used, e.g. oil on canvas, the year painted, and the current whereabouts of the original are listed on each page.

   Many of them are simple but brutal, others demonstrated the cathartic release of the pain she felt, whether it was the lifelong spinal injury gained from the train accident in 1925, to her divorce from husband and artist Diego Rivera. The main reason for her painting was to compensate for the inadequacies she felt, i.e. her shorter right leg and her spinal condition. The Broken Column, which is a cutaway picture of her with a fractured Greek column representing her spine and nails hammered into her body, sums up her pain very well.

   As for painting other people, the portrait of her sister Cristina, her husband Diego, and Lupita and Mariana Morillo are simply stunning.

   She's remembered as the best known female painter ever, whether it be for her surrealist pictures, the Mexican culture embodied in her paintings, and how she was able to project her feelings through her art, stark, brutal, and poignant. After this volume, a next possible step are the books by Hayden Herrera that served as the basis for the film, which is the route I'm taking.

No comments about Tacita Dean (Contemporary Artists).

1 comments about i never knew what time it was.

1. I keep going back to this collection, again and again, mining it for its virtues. Antin is a master at talking, and these essays were apparently written first as improvisations, then polished over and over till they attain the shine of fine old silver. He has a way of describing things that make them seem brand new. His mind skips from one thing to another, exploring their connections, and yet he's light on his feet, like a stone skimming across the surface of a beautiful pond. His "manifesto" on postmodern practice turns out to be an account, rather like Mark Twain in comic richness, of himself and his wife trying to buy a bed and not knowing how to select the best one, and the awkwardness of trying out a bed in a furniture store, even with salespeople encouraging you to lie down and get comfortable on their samples. Never explicitly does he explain how this Jean Kerr type story might be an allegory for postmodernism, but Antin is wise enough to let the tale speak for itself.
   
   His memories of figures varied as John Baldesarri and Herbert Marcuse are quite amusing. Best of all is Antin's line, without the benefit of capital letters, and sentences floating in scraps of phrases like comic book dialogue freed of balloon moorning. he approximates the free-floating effect of talking to someone who has absolute authority over thinking, and how liberating it is to submit to such a man. Reading the essays in this book, we long for more of such talk transcription. Apparently there are many, many more talks waiting for publication, and of course Antin happily is still very much with us planning more. He calls these talks "poems" and of course that is his right.
   
   My caveat is that he spends too many pages repeating himself on the zaniness and spiritual emptiness of California, and he seems to be patting himself (and his wife, performance artist Eleanor Antin) on the back for bringing culture to San Diego way back when -- in the 1970s. This thrust seems short-sighted and an insult to San Diego. However, this is a book for the ages and I expect will bring pleasure to anyone who can get into it.

5 comments about Mary Engelbreit's From the Bottom of my Heart: 2008 Desk Calendar.

1. I enjoy Mary Engelbreit's desk calendar daily. It is the fourth of her desk calendars I have purchased and I have really liked each one. I try to have a 365 Cats daily calendar also but my first buy is the Engelbreit calendar. It is always a day-brightener. CJ



2. I love Mary Engelbreit's desk calendars. I get a new one every year. I save them from year to year to look back on, like diaries. Besides, they're too cute to throw away!



3. I have been using a Mary Engelbreit weekly desk calendar for 7+ years. I use this calendar at work and it supplements my 'online' calendar. There is about a 1" x 5" rectangle for each day of the week along with a vertical 5" x 1" rectangle for notes.
   
   If you are looking for an serious appointment calendar, this isn't the format for you. But if you are looking for a smile inspiring calendar to hold a few jotted notes and reminders then calendar will definitely fit the bill.



4. I too am disappointed with the format and wrote the company. I've been buying these calendars for years and like the old format. I guess they aren't listening!



5. I have received this calendar for years as a Christmas present but purchased it myself this year. I couldn't live without one! I use it to keep track of all birthdays, appointments and other things to remember. I love it but don't like the fact they have changed it in the last few years from being wider and shorter to more up and down. You don't have as much room to write on the calendar. I will continue to buy one each year anyhow.

No comments about eBay Para Dummies.

1 comments about Randolph Caldecott's Picture Books (Huntington Library Classics).

1. Even if you've never heard of the 19th-century illustrator Randolph Caldecott, you'll enjoy his whimsical drawings and sense of humor. This is the perfect book to read aloud to children, with lots of fun pictures to laugh about together.

1 comments about Women Artists: The National Museum of Women in the Arts (Tiny Folios Series).

1. 
   The National Museum of Women in the Arts has put together a nice collection of works of art by women artist. The pictures are clearly photographed including works in all kinds of mediums from drawing to hand crafted items.
   
   I must say I'm quite impressed with the variety of images and ideas placed in this little book. If you're thinking of traveling with it you can carry it in a purse but not in a back pocket.
   
   Frida Kahlo is on the front cover and Mary Cassett is on the back. Everything from etchings, Tea sets, drawings and paintings have been included in this chronological bouquet of womens work. If you need to reference works of all kinds of varities of womens works this little book might get you far without costing you a whole lot of money or time referencing different sources. I really liked it's simple format.
   
   Your Servant, Deremiah, *CPE

5 comments about Picasso's Weeping Woman: The Life and Art of Dora Maar.

1. Dora Maar was according to most observers the woman in Picasso's life , closest to being at his own level of artistic perception and understanding. As this volume makes clear she was an outstanding photographer . The story of her relationship with Picasso, the part she played as inspiration and model for his work, her special role in regard to Guernica, her being the weeping woman of the famous painting, his abandoning her when he sensed ( or so he claimed) her impending madness, her passionate clinging to his memory, her breakdown, her turning to a reclusive life and one of deep religious devotion- are all presented in this excellent and clearly written volume.
   There are also representations of much of her work, and of Picasso's in which she is subject.
   Maar was clearly a considerable personality and artist in her own right, and not simply the inspiration for another.



2. This is a wonderful book, full of beautiful b/w images of dora, her photography/art and Picasso's work of her and more! It is really worth getting for your book collection, especially at this price, and it gives you an insight to Dora's life, I think she is fascinating woman living in a time when most photographer's were men. She is truely a pioneer and deserves more credit than being known as Picasso's muse. Very inspiring book.



3. Of some of Dora's photographs, and self portraits are a must have for any Dora fan. It shows her in her later years, it shows her paintings, it goes into detail about her love affair with Picasso as well. This is easily my favorite Dora book.



4. I would recommend this book to everybody. I am so delighted I purchased this book. It includes everything you need to know about Dora - her personal life before, during and after Picasso. I have always been interested in Picasso and by studying his life, I noticed all the fascinating women in his life. In my opinion, Dora was the one who made a big difference and who had a huge influence on him. Although it was Francoise Gilot, another woman in Picasso's life who gave him two children. Dora's own career and life as an artist (photographer, model, painter) is described in this book from the time she moved to Paris and tried to establish herself as a photographer.

   You will not only find Picasso's portraits and drawings of Dora but Dora's own work (a lot of black & white photos taken by her that remind me of Man Ray's work). She truly was a talented artist. This is not often mentioned. Most of the people saw her mainly as Picasso's model and Muse. Dora was a very complex person full of emotions. She could be very dramatic in the way she looked and dressed. This all is revealed in this book. As I said, it has it all: Dora as a private person (Theodora M.) and Dora as an artist, the famous and remarkable Dora Maar. Trust me, with this book, you will get all the information you need. I consider this book a piece of art.




5. Picasso's Weeping Woman: The Life and Art of Dora Maar

   I am grateful for this book. It is insightful but not definitive. It is not an in depth biography of Dora Maar. A better perception of the psyche of Dora Maar is contained in James Lord's personal memoir "Picasso and Dora". And a better understanding of the cruelty of Picasso is presented in Arianna S. Huffington's "Picasso: Creator and Destroyer". Both I think are necessary to truly appreciate this book as I do.

   Since Dora Maar's death in 1997, little has yet been published of her work. She is primarily known as one of the mistresses of Picasso but there was a world of complexity to this woman. She was deeply involved with the surrealists before she ever met Picasso. She knew them all, Breton, Tanguy, Man Ray, Hugnet, Crevel. She was a noted photographer, an exhibited painter, a poet and Picasso's muse and inspiration for seven stormy years culminating in a breakdown that left her a changed woman, a recluse and a religious devotee.

   Mary Ann Caws book presents a dazzling panorama of works by both Dora Maar and Picasso including some wonderful comparative paintings of both artists. Dora Maar assisted and photographically chronicled Picasso as he created his masterpiece Guernica. That chronicle is beautifully presented in Caws book.

   This book is an easy read with gorgeous reproductions of photographs, painting, sculpture, and poetry throughout not only from Dora Maar but also from Paul Eluard, André du Bouchet and others. It is a great visual companion piece to books on Picasso's works, photography and surrealism. It will occupy that regrettably tiny portion of my bookshelf devoted to Dora Maar. Thank you Mary Ann Caws for this delightful book

5 comments about Permissions, A Survival Guide: Blunt Talk about Art as Intell ectual Propery.

1. I can't recommend this book highly enough to all non-fiction authors. Not only does it give sound, practical advice on how to acquire rights to reproduce images in printed works, and carefully tackles the difference between copyright permissions and "use" permissions, it also answers all those "what if" questions everyone attempting to find the right illustrations or photographs to accompany their text grapples with. What if I just sneak into a museum and take my own pictures? What if I just scan a picture of the picture I want from a book? What if I just use pictures from sites such as flickr? Why am I still being asked to pay for permission to reproduce something that was made 1000 years ago, surely the artist is dead?! Do yourself a favor: put your manuscript aside for a few hours and read this book now. It's not only full of useful advice, it's also well-written and a delightful read. In fact, even non-authors would enjoy Permissions for its amusing anecdotes and stories drawn from Bielstein's experiences as an Executive Editor at the U. of Chicago Press. Moreover, it raises some very real questions as to the role museums are playing: isn't one of their objectives to make art more accessible to the world? Why then are they the institutions demanding reproduction fees that often prevent authors from being able to illustrate their scholarly and non-fiction works in ways that make reading more enjoyable and educational? Bielstein asks for more reasoned consideration by those who set the fees, and has several good suggestions for how such fees, and/or application of "Fair Use" could help save what otherwise might turn into the death of published, illustrated art books.



2. While I can easily see this book as assigned reading in every law school class for intellectual property, it really deserves the greater readership of those who found joy in reading Eats, Shoots and Leaves. Its erudition is apparent, but never pedantic. The message of concern for our becoming a society that knows the price for everything, but is not willing to share anything of value, is woven skillfully into the fabric of its clever teachings. And for those folks who like a nicely designed hardback book, people who know things about fonts and book cover color, this is a great book to own new. The University of Chicago has given Ms. Bielstein the star treatment she is due.



3. Permissions is a useful guide written by an author who knows her craft. (Her description of the multiple headaches she created for herself as she contracted for a photograph of an unknown Sicilian "masterpiece" is simply the most entertaining of her chapters.) Although the book is specially directed to authors preparing scholarly works about art, any writer who requires illustrations will profit (or if they've already been through the drill, perhaps wince) at the sound advice given here. Yet behind Bielstein's banter and helpful suggestions, she makes a serious point, that material supposedly in the public domain is being steadily drawn back into private--and especially, corporate--hands.



4. Amazing: a book that delivers what it promises. But not only is this book clear-eyed, candid and full of practical advice, it manages at the same time to be both a breezy read and a compelling analysis of disturbing trends in intellectual property. Highly recommended.



5. Bielstein manages both to demonstrate how complex the tangle of permissions is and to offer clear direction. Most remarkable, her lively prose transforms a potentially miserable topic into truly enjoyable reading.