4 comments about The Blood of Kings: Dynasty and Ritual in Maya Art.

1. When I went through school the Maya were peace loving agriculturists that invented a lot of neat stuff, especially in astronomy and calendars. We even looked at some of the writing. To bad we did not look a little closer.
   
   Look at the cover of the book ad you will see a Mayan pulling a rope with knots in it through his tongue. The also had plenty of blood thirsty rituals and rivalries with neighboring Mayans. Their underworld is a place full of farts.
   
   I bought this book as part of an exhibit at Kimball Art Museum in Fort Worth. I am still a member.
   
   The book its self is oversized and has lots of glossy pictures. There are a lot of good references to other books and articles on the Myna.
   
   After reading this book and getting a good overview of what Maya really is, you may want to find some of their writing "Popol Vuh : The Definitive Edition Of The Mayan Book Of The Dawn Of Life And The Glories Of" by Dennis Tedlock.



2. It is nearly twenty years since this book was published in 1986 as part of an exhibition at the Kimball Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas during the Texas Sesquicentennial. This book was and remains a triumph. We still mourn the loss of Linda Schele and are grateful the Mary Ellen Miller continues her work and teaching at Yale.

   The book makes clear the Mayan Kings were not Emperors. They were rulers of city-states that competed with one another. They also had a spiritual role in the life of those they ruled. This book discusses how one became a Mayan King, life in the court, the role of bloodletting and visions (hallucinations?), warfare and human sacrifice, the all-important ballgame, the Mayan concept of afterlife and Xibalba, and the Mayan view of the cosmos. All fascinating topics and the articles are written quite well. I find them to be a captivating read.

   The selection of images for the book is fabulous. This book can make a wonderful coffee table book, they are that beautiful. However, the articles are far superior to most books you find on coffee tables. I remember seeing Maya Blue (the shade that the Mayans painted on a great many of the monuments and sculptures) for the first time in this book. Having seen it in person since then I can tell you the shade is captured very faithfully in the photographs in this book.

   Much has been written since 1986 and new discoveries and new examinations of existing discoveries deepen our understanding of the Maya. But this book still stands strong and valuable. It is not too technical for the general reader and still has value for the student. I am glad to have my copy on a shelf of favorite books.




3. Mary Ellen Miller and the late Linda Schele put this book together in 1986. The field of Mayan studies is a fast-moving arena, and Mayanists already know a lot more now than they did when this book came out, but in my opinion this book is still the place to start if you want to begin learning about the Maya.

   For one thing, the photography of the artwork is fantastic - the book is worth acquiring for that alone. Secondly, the commentary is by the greatest names in the field, including an introduction by Michael Coe. Thirdly, the book never strays from academic discipline, unlike a great deal of New Agey-type material written about the Maya. In fact, the book studiously avoids making any observations that cannot be substantiated - perhaps a reaction in the field of Mayan studies against the sometimes too pat assumptions that Eric Thompson made when he dominated the subject. Fourthly, it covers all the major cultural features of the Maya, providing abundant commentary on each piece of art portrayed. Last but not least, it tackles the thorny subject of Maya iconography. This is a field about which we already know a great deal more about now than we knew in 1986, but in fact if the book were written today there is probably very little that would actually be changed.

   The book was printed in Japan, for some reason. No harm in that - the Japanese have a tradition, and a reputation, of producing quality bindings and excellent photographic reproductions, both of which are evident in this edition and which add to the quality of the book. I can't recommend it too highly to anyone interested in the Maya.




4. The Blood of Kings by Linda Schele and MAry Ellen Miller was written on the occasion of the Kimbell Art Mesuem's exhibition of Maya Art in 1986. The hope was to draw attention to the rich legacy of Maya art along with a book that would give texture to these artistic recordings of the singificant ritual events in the lives of the Maya. What better way, since art has been our keyhole to understanding the magnificance of there thought, language, science and culture? Schele and Miller do an incredble job of focusing on these artifacts to bring us inside the current understanding of what th experts perceive the maya ritual and life to be about-- including the deciperment of the syllables of the maya language.

   The book begins with a history of the road to understanding the Maya culture, complete with its meadering and diversions. This "age" delights in knowing that the Maya are filled with blood, both their own in bloodletting and those of captives that they sacrifice, unlike previous interpretations of a more peaceful existence. Blood, the ooze of life, was offered to eh gods in hopres that they would continue to give their ooze of sap, rain and other life-sustaining things. The book is based on 8 sections of art and interpretation: person, accession rites, courtly life, bloodletting, captives, the ballgame, and death, and the kingship of the Maya Cosmos. Of note as weel is the colors on p.158 where one can get an interpration of what the colors might have been in the Classic period.

   In this book Coe prefaces the book commenting on the profound understandng that the world of the Maya is filled with notions of death. But the myth of the Mayas is that the hero twins went to the underworld and by trickery defeated death and those rose to take their place in the Mayan night sky. Perhaps these indiscernible Maya have continued to trick us as well in our attempts to traverse the road of their culture-- and their greatest preoccupation, enscribed on their ceramics and reliefs ---is not death, but life, in all its oozing forms.

3 comments about Art Deco New York.

1. For lovers of the 1920s and 1930s this is a fabulous book. From New York's stunning architecture to the social lives of the rich and famous, everything associated with New York when Gotham was truly the center of it all, this book is a trip back in time. Historically rich and a visual treat! New York in its finest hour.



2. Art Deco New York by cultural historian and author David Garrard Lowe (who is also President of the Beaux Arts Alliance and lectures in such noted forums as the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, the American Academy in Rome, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York) offers a superbly organized and presented tour of seminal decorative designs during the transformative decades of the 20s and 30s when the art style known as "art deco" was affecting architecture, fashion, furniture, textiles, graphics, trains, automobiles, even Hollywood movie and Broadway theater stage sets. Profusely illustrated with period photography and artifacts, Art Deco New York is an impressive, "reader friendly", coffee-table book that would significantly enhance any personal, professional, academic, or community library architectural studies, art history, or American popular culture collection.



3. Garrard revives the restless, utopian, sensationalistic mood of the 1920s and '30s giving rise to the inimitable Art Deco style not only by pointing to buildings and their design features representing the style, but also by including posters, advertising, architectural drawings, furniture, and varied aspects of popular culture. The author evokes an understanding of Art Deco not mainly by discussion of aesthetics or art criticism, but by immersion in the spirit of the time between the World Wars, frequently with bountiful and in many cases, unfamiliar visual matter. The Empire State Building and Paul Manship's sculpture of Prometheus ringed by signs of the zodiac in Rockefeller Center are familiar Art Deco images, if often taken for granted. But designs of rooms, architectural details of buildings, trains and cars, and magazine covers and clothing fashion are often overlooked. Garrard demonstrates how deeply--thoroughly--Art Deco pervaded the culture; and points to elements of this vibrant, short-lived cultural period which continue.

5 comments about State of the Arts: From Bezalel to Mapplethorpe (Turning Point Christian Worldview Series).

1. They sent me the wrong book, causing me to be unable to complete assignments for the class I was taking. Never responded to my emails.



2. 'State of the Arts' attempts to define what art is from a Christian perspective. I have no problem with this, being a long-time and devoted Christian, but I'm not sure I buy into everything Gene Veith says. His definition is largely defined by the biblical account of God's instruction to Bezalel the Old Testament artist for the Tabernacle and Temple; art in general, Veith says, must be creative, intelligent, beautiful, and exalting. I completely agree that modern 'works' such as the crucifix in [...], and the homoerotic photographs of Mapplethorpe lie outside of the purview of what art is; but should Andy Warhol's `Campbell's Soup Cans' also be excluded from the realm of what is considered art because Warhol copied the cans instead of creating them? (He created the idea that makes his statement on consumerism). I actually like modern art (with exceptions, of course) without buying into the 'worldview' any particular point of view expresses; I actually think it is critically important to be able to see into other worldviews as an aid to the evangelical aspect of my faith. That said, I completely agree with Veith's view on modern bohemianism and the cult of the artist as a sort of shaman: the elitist concept, for example, that only certain enlightened people 'get' blank canvasses and while the rest of us just thinks the emperor has no clothes (well-expressed by blank canvases, I think).
   
   This book is a worthy read because Veith at least gives the definition of art a good shot. I just think his view is a little narrow.



3. Veith takes on a large topic in a small volume and faces the limitations thus imposed. Having said that, the book meets its target of providing a brief, lucid framework as a point of reference from which the Christian can begin to explore art as a more informed consumer. Because of the necessity of describing some quite objectionable subject matter in covering the entire breadth of what masquerades as art in the post-modern world, "State of the Arts" should be read by an adult audience. A quite readable and very useful work. Recommended.



4. My 15 year old daughter is studying this book in history. Not art history, just history. I saw this book in her room and picked it up when I saw "Mapplethorpe" on the cover. My daughter is in a private Christian school so I never in a million years would have thought she'd be learning anything about this freak. I was wrong, she got to learn about Mapplethorpe's photos of men urinating into the mouths of other men. Oh, and Annie Sprinkle's performance art consisting of masturbating then letting customers examine her private parts with a flashlight. I fail to see the reasoning of such graphic descriptions disguised as "Christian" information.



5. Veith tries to tackle a subject that has long been neglected - Christianity and art from biblical times to the postmodern era. Although he gives an acceptable overview for a 230 page paperback, there are many areas where he is just too simplistic.

   Veith attempts to create an absolute of the "Christian artist" based on the Tabernacle work of Bezalel. That may be as erroneous as creating a flat world from the scripture verse that deals with "the four corners of the earth."

   He makes quick generalized statements about non-Christian artists without being able to back them up - "Jackson Pollock's experiments in the random patterns made by paint flung onto a canvas, might exhibit some cleverness, I suppose - as in, whoever would think to do such a thing? - but no real intelligence or knowledge." Those of us who are artists, however, know better (Veith is an English professor). Pollock's work shows a remarkable amount of knowledge and mastery: The intricate rhythmic harmonies passed down from his mentor, Thomas Hart Benton; the "dance" of the western plains' indians now reproduced in an "action painting"; the understanding of how paint drips and flows (as seen in splatterings of nature); the knowledge of color harmonies; etc.

   Veith also comments on Duchamp's inability to create art with his "ready-mades" (An idea championed by Francis Schaeffer). However, this is Duchamp's point. Art not only can be the idea and conception of the artist, but also, art exists around us in all forms that generally go overlooked. Duchamp expanded the narrow vision of the Christian artist and their understanding of creativity and freedom.

   Until a writer/artist comes forward to write something of this nature, State of the Arts will have to do. Just remember to proceed with caution and don't buy the whole package.

2 comments about A Short Course in Photography (5th Edition).

1. I've been using SLR's & digital cameras since early high school, including use for some publication work. This book gives good, basic information, and would be good for a novice just learning to use a film-type camera. My copy is dated 1979, so it includes nothing about digital photography. The other reviewer referred to Chapter 9 as being nothing more than verse or poetry. That is somewhat puzzling as my copy only has 7 chapters. Also, unless there have been more current editions, this book is too dated to ever be used as a textbook for any current college course. However, if you are just looking for a basic reference on basic, film-type photography, or are a new hobbyist with a film camera, this book is certainly adequate, and one could do worse.



2. If you are talking a College level course that utilises this book as the main text, I truly pity you. You will learn more by simple self research via the internet and using your camera over the duration of the course than this book could ever teach you. By the final chapter you are left banging your head into your desk wondering why anyone would ever choose this offal as a required textbook. Don't believe me? Read Chapter 9 and notice that the vast majority of the text is simple poetic musings followed by references back to previous chapters, as the authors were too bloody lazy to expand upon their meager ideas. Pathetic.

3 comments about Color and Culture: Practice and Meaning from Antiquity to Abstraction.

1. This book shows you all you want to know about colours. It's not truly scientific but it showed me the best and most of colour-theory. I had some trouble with the science-language but hey, I'm Dutch, not a native "American" speaker! The only thing that I would change in this book is more pictures, and all in colour!



2. While I won't go to the trouble of selling this book, I do regret having purchased it. There are many other texts that do a much more nuanced and cogent exposition of the relationship between color and culture. My future use of this book will be as a visual reference, i.e. to refer to the various paintings and other works gorgeously reproduced in color.
   
   Otherwise, Gage's Color and Culture as well as Color and Meaning are best used as "intelligent" coffee table tomes.



3. This book is an excellant source of palette development, pigment uses and development as well as color theories throughout history. My students have worn out my copy -- needs to be reprinted and made known in college art departments. Good, solid informational writing and illustrations. A must-have book for artists and students. D. Swaim, Prof., M.C.C., Arizona

2 comments about Modern Art: Impressionism to Post-Modernism.

1. This solid introduction to the modern painting tells and depicts a little bit of everything. The writing and publishing are good to a satisfaction of an average reader. It does not seem to have much of competition in its class.



2. I just purchased this book, it looks wonderful. It has the quality of a textbook, but it does not read like a textbook. that is to say it does not drone on and on, it reads well for those who have an interest in modern art. I cover all the periods of modern art and gives concise background to the artists and events of the perod in which the mode of art occurred.
   I highly reccomend this book.

No comments about Janson's History of Art: Western Tradition, Volume 1.

No comments about Rapunzel's Supermarket: All about Young Children and Their Art.

4 comments about Story of Architecture.

1. I was looking for a readable inroduction to varied styles and history of architecture that was jargon free but not overly simplified. This book did the job well. Perhaps Glancey could have provided a bit more text to go along with the beautiful pictures, but he still informs.
   
   Recommended for newcomers or those with an incomplete education in the field of architecture.



2. THis is a very, very good introduction to the complexities of architecture, at about the freshman level of college. Starting with the dawn of civilization (in what is now Iraq), Glancey takes the reader on a tour of human history from the angle of what we build to worship, work, and live in. THe basics are covered extremely well, providing a context for further research.

   Glancey writes with grace and clarity, dividing each major movement into regular cuts of two pages, each with brilliant images. While this format shoehorns things into categories that are a bit too sharply delineated, that kind of reductionism is a necessity in this kind of survey. In the latter part of the book, some of the distinctions appear artificial, but then we are in a period where no dominating style - you get post-modern, decontructivist, and organic, etc. - has emerged and the author had to make some decisions regarding how to put them in the format. To his credit, Glancey does not ignore the exceptions and quirks.

   One thing I enjoyed about the book is that Glancey does not shy away from making strikingly loud judgements, many of which I did not share. Corbusier, he writes, "was the most inventive and poetic architect who ever lived." Now that is strong stuff and I would never have expected it in a routine survey! (While I can respect and understand what Corbusier did, I don't love it like Glancey.) But that is what makes this book more than a run of the mill overview - it adds flavor and stimulates. Also, while international, because Glancey is a Brit, much of it focuses on Britain and contemporary Europe, which provides a valuable contrast to more US-centric views.

   Recommended.




3. Great book to review the history of architecture, it is concise and well illustrated.



4. As a freshman architecture student, this book was exactly at my level. The photographs are splendid, and the dialogue informative. This book provides a complete history of architecture in every area of the world, as well as some theory. Great for anyone truly interested in architecture, but not an expert (yet!)

3 comments about Creative Perspective for Artists and Illustrators.

1. This book shows how perspective is being used for creative purposes not too simplified and not too technical either. It's rare to find an Artist who does it naturally but even when I was one of those this book made me aware of it!



2. I had read this book before purchasing it. I bought it to re-read and absorb the points made in the book. It will definitely get you thinking about how to "modify" the perspective in your picture to get the view right.



3. A more technical approach to perspective than other books on perspective that I have read. Waston uses analysis of illustrators to demonstrate the points of perspective. I found this most entertaining and interesting.

   I try to read this periodically to re-enforce and re-learn the principles of perspective.