5 comments about The Art of Art History: A Critical Anthology (Oxford History of Art).

1. This book is a must have for any college art history student. This is a reference book; not a book to be read from cover to cover like a novel. It gives one enough background and resources to pursue a specific aspect of art history. How I learned of this book was through a reccommendation from the Art History Department Chairperson at a SUNY school with a world wide reputation for producing outstanding graduates in the Arts.



2. This is a book for anyone interested in reading excerpts from original texts (by Helgel, Kant, Derrida etc.) about specific problems encountered in the field of Art History since, approximately, the creation of the modern concept of Art. It is divided into chapters about specific themes, with a short introduction, and bibliography. I would recommend Preziosis own book "Rethinking Art History" as a companion. This is not an easy book, as some angry reviewers discovered, but - how could it be? Art is about life, and life is a very complex thing. If you have absolutely no experience with philosophy or theory, then this might not be the right place to start. If, however, Art and Art History is something you are interested in, and have some basic knowledge of, this is a very rewarding book.



3. This is a collection of essays by various writers who have either been or written about seminal art historians, philosophers, historians, critics, etc. throughout time.
   
   Preziosi has grouped the essays and excerpts according to foundation concepts such as "Style", "Aesthetics", "Iconography and Semiology" which would be used cohesively in the study of art history. Each of these chapters contains a collection of essays. For example, the chapter on aesthetics contains excerpts on aesthetics in philosophy by Kant and Hegel. In picking these aspects apart and exposing their origins within the time frame of art history, Preziosi generates a book that allows an analysis of the way that art history works.
   
   As the book is a collection of texts it would not serve at all as an introduction to Art History without some familiarity with the subject, or some one to help ground the texts in their application to the field. For this reason, it is probably better suited to those willing to put a certain level of academic rigor into their reading, or to students who can benefit from the guidance of a structured course. It is also far from "brilliant" or pioneering, as it really only serves as a re-organization of available materials.
   
   Similarly, it is not an introduction to important art in history. Less that half of these essays are analysis of works of art, and the texts are not arranged chronologically or according to the art they may or may not discuss.
   
   I encountered this book as a textbook in an Art History course which focused on strengthening various methodological approaches. I'm not an art historian however, but studio (fine arts) MFA. I would place this book as approachable and simple by academic standards, but not for the general public unless you have the patience to wade through dry textbooks. Personally, I enjoy it, as the organization has allowed me a survey of topics in art history that has really helped me see how these topics relate to each other, and to keep my footing with people who have been taking courses in this for several years.



4. Beginning to read this book is quite agravating. It is a very advanced read, I would recommened it for graduate students. Personally I feel the vocabulary used was far too educated for some of us. I generally sat there with a dictionary through out thae majority of it.



5. Preziosi challenges the prevailing attitude that the study of art historical methodology should be left for graduate/specialized work. Not so - this book opens a space for undergrad inquiry, though it doesn't exactly fill it either. It manages to contextualize themes/concepts (some better than others) into a larger intellectual history, without settling into arid hagiography. But it's more than intellectual history: in its own specific ways, the selections thoughtfully probe the limitations of historiography, and the inherent irony involved in history writing (though the reader is left to make many of these types of conclusions). Preziosi nonetheless provides different levels of accessibility in his introductions, as do the essays themselves, which are pitched at various theoretical levels - some are obviously beyond the undergrad level. The weakest section is that which deals with the Postcolonial: the selected essays, though important, really fail to grasp the complexities of Native North American art and Postcolonial discourse.

No comments about More Bars & Restaurants (Architectural Interiors).

1 comments about The Impressionists Coloring Book.

1. wouldn't you love to be an impressionist artist? now you can with this fun book... grab your colored pencils and go... fun stuff here

2 comments about A Philosophy Of Interior Design (Icon Editions).

1. There are very few books out there that combine "philosophy" with "interior design." For this reason alone, Abercrombie's book is a worthy contribution to the literature in interior design. One trait of philosophical works is their tendency to identify broad but fundamental categories that, together, describe a particular reality. I take this approach to be what the author means by "a philosophy of" interior design. That is to say, Abercrombie provides a menu of basic categories (plan, room, planes, levels, ornament, furniture, art, details, etc) and parses the reality of an interior built world through these lenses. His examples are good, and the book is well illustrated (although some of the magic of interior experience is not conveyed by the black and white pictures). Another good aspect about this book is this: the author is subtle in not making an arbitrary line of demarcation between "interior design" and "architecture." Even though his categories serve to focus on the topic of interiors, it does so without disconnecting interior design from the domain of architecture in some artificial way - and I think that is as it should be. In other words, this is a worthwhile book for both architects (who sometimes forget about interiors) and interior designers (who sometimes forget about architecture). As one who teaches design and has been in practice for many years, I would consider this book a good fit for those just starting to learn about interior design and/or those who are seasoned designers looking for something of a refresher on the fundamental nature of interior design. As the title implies, the book is not meant to be a "nuts-and-bolts" reference text for the practitioner; it is more of a meditative reflection about the nature of the worlds that the design practitioner can create for others.



2. There are very few books out there that combine "philosophy" with "interior design." For this reason alone, Abercrombie's book is a worthy contribution to the literature in interior design. One trait of philosophical works is their tendency to identify broad but fundamental categories that, together, describe a particular reality. I take this approach to be what the author means by "a philosophy of" interior design. That is to say, Abercrombie provides a menu of basic categories (plan, room, planes, levels, ornament, furniture, art, details, etc) and parses the reality of an interior built world through these lenses. His examples are good, and the book is well illustrated (although some of the magic of interior experience is not conveyed by the black and white pictures). Another good aspect about this book is this: the author is subtle in not making an arbitrary line of demarcation between "interior design" and "architecture." Even though his categories serve to focus on the topic of interiors, it does so without disconnecting interior design from the domain of architecture in some artificial way - and I think that is as it should be. In other words, this is a worthwhile book for both architects (who sometimes forget about interiors) and interior designers (who sometimes forget about architecture). As one who teaches design and has been in practice for many years, I would consider this book a good fit for those just starting to learn about interior design and/or those who are seasoned designers looking for something of a refresher on the fundamental nature of interior design. As the title implies, the book is not meant to be a "nuts-and-bolts" reference text for the practitioner; it is more of a meditative reflection about the nature of the worlds that the design practitioner can create for others.

No comments about The Humanities: Culture, Continuity, and Change, Volume 1.

No comments about Art History: A View of the West, Volume II (3rd Edition).

1 comments about Acrylic: Landscapes with TV Artist Jerry Yarnell (HT263).

1. I did not find a lot of useful information in this book. I own all of the rest of Jerry Yarnell's books so perhaps I am spoiled!

No comments about Dogs in the Louvre.

5 comments about Frank Lloyd Wright Interactive Portfolio.

1. As an Architect student, I love this book. I show all my friends how a real great mind works. Wright is my favorite architect, so when I was this it was a given ofr me to buy it. I highly suggest checking your local book store first, because I bought this EXACT one for 13 dollars.



2. Un buon libro in cui è racchiuso l'essenziale. Molto curato e fuori dal comune per la ricchezza di particolari. Un'ottima idea regalo per chi vuole avvicinarsi alle opere di Frank Lloyd Wright.



3. This is clearly a labor of love. The solid box the book fits into is very cool. Keeps the book with about 9 clear sleeves with insert papers from gettin' smushed. A few nice big photos. Plenty a text. Other good smaller photos. And a cd of Wright speaking. It's nice to finally have some drawings to hold and unfold. I'm not sure all 18 or so of them are what I would have chosen. One in particular is pretty basic. But the mile high tower is 3 folded tall. And there's maybe 6 letters he sent out, modern letter writers might not recognize them with their notations and corrections because since computers we don't need to make such written corrections but in his day that's all they had. I'd easily have taken more and bigger drawings than any of the letters. As it is most of the drawings are 3 or 4 foldouts, very nice. Definitely worth the lower used price available on amazon.com. I think you do have to be a fan though to appreciate it. I'd love to see more books made this way, expanding the notion of what a book is or can be.



4. This is a unique book, nothing else like it around. A great coffee table book or a gift for anyone interested in architecture or the works of Frank Lloyd Wright.
   Highly recommended.



5. A must-have for FLW fans. Can be found remaindered for less but this price is decent. Make sure its in good shape. Well-made, written & produced, worth every penny.

5 comments about The Lost Museum: The Nazi Conspiracy To Steal The World's Greatest Works Of Art.

1. This book, published some 9 years ago, has quickly become a classic and an indispensable study of the European (if not French) art market during WWII and of the Nazis' plundering of the artistic riches in the various countries they overran in the course of the war. Murky figures such as the French dealer Fabiani, German "experts" working for Goering, Rosenberg and, of course, Hitler, museum directors, Jewish dealers or collectors and the fate of their galleries and collections (most of them "aryanized"), the role of French government officials, of Swiss auction houses, everything is tackled in an efficient and informative book. Pictures of disappeared works whose locations are still unknown, and a rich checklist of all the sources used by the author make this book a valuable addition to the literature on WWII.



2. Other books may relate how the Nazis plundered art, but this book actually led the world to do something about it. You know how you read in the paper all the time that some heir of a Holocaust victim is in a lawsuit to get back valuable paintings? It's directly a result of The Lost Museum. For fifty years, nothing happened in terms of restitution. Feliciano's groundbreaking investigative research is what led museums to examine the provenance of their artwork, caused governments to change their statutes of limitations, and urged heirs to pursue artworks they assumed had long ago vanished.
   
   
   
   I wish I could give it more than five stars.



3. Those of you who read Lynn Nicholas' astonishing The Rape of Europa will be disappointed by this book, which is in many ways a necessary supplement to Nicholas' spine-tingling work. The record of greed, fear, coercion and barbarism visible behind the glittering surface of the Parisian art world in the 1940's is a truly moving human story. The photographs, all of now-vanished works of modern art, provide a valuable record for the historian, as many of the lost works have never been published. Unfortunately, the book is nearly ruined by a flat and pedestrian writing style. The author may have taken years to write this book, and conducted hundreds of interviews, but one would never know that. Feliciano writes as if he were a USA Today reporter - utterly superficial treatments of serious issues and no sign whatsoever of any personal investment in the story. The art and personalities of the period deserved a better historian than Mr. Feliciano, I am sorry to say. Useful for the documentary information only.



4. A repititious summary of art work confiscations by the Nazis, particularly from Jewish galleries, during World War II. Plentiful accusations of greed by cooperating art dealers, including some famous names, during and after the war. The French government to this day has performed questionably in returning works by famous artists to their pre-war owners. The Swiss government, in harmony with its management of Jewish refugee bank deposits, has performed even worse. Over-all, a depressing litany of evil deeds in a poorly structured account of art world activity during the German occupation of France.



5. A repititious summary of art work confiscations by the Nazis, particularly from Jewish galleries, during World War II. Plentiful accusations of greed by cooperating art dealers, including some famous names, during and after the war. The French government to this day has performed questionably in returning works by famous artists to their pre-war owners. The Swiss government, in harmony with its management of Jewish refugee bank deposits, has performed even worse. Over-all, a depressing litany of evil deeds in a poorly structured account of art world activity during the German occupation of France.