1 comments about Winsor & Newton Colour Mixing Guide: Oils: A Visual Reference to Mixing Oil Colour (Winsor & Newton Color Mixing Guides).

1. This has been a great guide for my wife. She recently decided to switch from pastel to oil, and needed a basic idea of how to mix the colors. Check out her website: http://www.emilyroeart.com in the coming weeks to see how it turned out!

5 comments about Matisse And Picasso: The Story Of Their Rivalry And Friendship (Icon Editions).

1. This is an excellent book. I am thoroughly enjoying it.
   This book compares great painters 'Henri Matisse' and 'Pablo Picasso' works and the influence of each other and their works on the others art.
   Henri Matisse with his keeping the painting simple and lively and Picasso with his cubism, drawing from imagination are 'artists of different worlds'. They have different painting styles and they paint at exactly opposite times.
   The book goes through the works of each in the order one was done as a reacton to the other, sometimes one trying to beat the other at their own style.
   
   CITES:
   Baudelaire's essay- 'The Painter of Modern Life'.
   Apollinaire's essay on Picasso's work.(also his 'La Poete assasine')
   Picasso's play - 'Desire caught by the tail'.
   Matisse - 'Notes of a Painter'.



2. Imagine one tightly written book that can tell you what the art world was like for much of the 20th Century! Jack Flam is the man who did just that in "Matisse Picaso." Then imagine learning all about the lives of Matisse and Picasso and their loves along with their push-pull friendship and competition. After that get the skinny on the paintings both men painted. I never even saw all the -------- in Picasso's paintings. Now, it is hard to see anything else.
   
   I found this book to be much more exciting then typical biographies that include all the boring parts of people's lives. Here you get all the interesting parts with all the boring parts left out. I read every word and recommend the book without reservation. In fact, I believe every art student needs to read this book, every artist, every art affictionado.



3. If this be gossip, then it is the best kind. Engaging account of the rivalry/synergy of Matisse and Picasso and the interactions over half a century, with a Gertrude Stein introit at the beginning. This competition is fairly lightweight stuff as far as I can see although throwing rubber suction darts at a Matisse painting gets close to borderline rascalian--Picasso probably loses points on adolescent misdemeanours, but the art of both leaves us unable to judge, save that a third here could not be found.



4. This is an excellent work for art history enthusiasts. It depicts
   many famous works of art by Matisse and Picasso. Classically,
   Matisse is known for the artful use of color; whereas, Picasso
   is credited with the unique form of Cubism which pervades
   his artwork. Flam depicts important works by both artists.
   For instance, Matisse's "The Woman With The Hat" is shown in
   full color. Picasso's "The Acrobat's Family" is depicted
   together with "The Two Nudes". These pictures show the emotional side of Picasso's work in contradistinction to
   Matisse's exercise of restraint. This book would make a
   perfect gift for a friend, relative or art buff.



5. Before there was Andy Warhol, the ultimate in art cool, there was Picasso. And before there was Picasso, there was Matisse. Picasso and his cronies used to make fun of Matisse's primitive style and threw fake darts at Matisse's portrait of his daughter, and people laughed in the salons at Matisse's Joy of Life but no artist influenced Picasso more than Matisse, from his works to his introduction to African and Iberian art, Matisse was one of the few constants in Picasso's life, always keeping the paintings that he had of Matisse. These two heavyweights, more than anybody, have influenced the way we make art today. This books does a great job fleshing out the relationship between these two artists and how they affected each other in a well written and highly accesible format. An excellent book worthy of the excellent artists.

5 comments about A Year in Japan.

1. This beautiful book contains a wealth of detail, both in the artwork itself and in the author's commentary. The scenes will be instantly familiar to anyone who has visited Japan, and if you haven't, this book just might make you want to go. The artwork is complemented by the author's observations on Japanese visual culture - everything from package-wrapping to geisha style. The book allows you to see Japan not from a tourist's point of view but through an artist's eye.
   
   In my opinion, some reviewers have missed the point - this book does not claim to be a novel, a travel guide, or even a memoir. It's simply a window into the everyday beauty of life in Japan.



2. Why bother with this book? If the author were creating this for herself (i.e., like the way we write in our own journals) that's perfectly fine. But for an audience other than the self, this books is useless, and meaningless. For an audience other than the self, the author needs to give more in-depth illustrations and textual explanations. Pictures do not speak for themselves when one is a stranger to the place the pictures come from.
   
   Do not buy this book. Go to your local bookstore and read/glance at the darn thing for 20 minutes (or less) and you'll be done.



3. Don't spend your money on this book. I was through within 30 minutes. It's a bunch of drawn pictures with a few sentences to each picture. I don't quite know what to say to this book, but it's really not a book. It's more like a well-meant children's diary with drawn illustrations (sometimes 1 small branch over 2 pages and nothing more). There is SOOOOOO much wasted space and paper! There is no subsence to this book whatsoever and very few and poor explanations. I think the author would have been better off taking beautiful pictures of Japan, which speak for themselves, instead of these child-like drawings that bring you anything but close to Japan. I hate to be so mean, but the book really isn't even worth $5. I just don't understand the purpuse of so much wasted space and paper. It's almost like she didn't know how to fill all those pages....



4. This is an even more beautiful book than I thought it would be. As with all illustrated books, how much you like it will depend on how much you like the illustrator's style. Luckily, I love Kate T. Williamson's style, rendered simply with black outlines and bright colours. I lived in Tokyo for three years and felt that she captured much of what is memorable and visually interesting about Japan - that I would've liked to capture myself if I could draw...



5. This is such a lovely book, with each page a gift of grace and beauty and humor as it seems to capture through its aesthetic, the sensibilities, colors and tone of Japan and the Japanese people. I have not yet had the opportunity to travel to this rich and fascinating country, but Kate Williamson's book is a delicious enticement to make it happen.

5 comments about Blue Note: Album Cover Art.

1. would it have been so hard to include an index of artists and album titles, maybe even catalog numbers?



2. If you don't have the large two-volume Blue Note cover books settle for this compact version. Admittedly the reduced size does not quite have the impact of the originals (the two books were just a bit smaller than LP covers featured inside) but I don't think it lessens the impact of these great designs
   
   Most of the work is by Reid Miles and over fifteen years he created about five hundred LP covers, frequently using the gutsy black and white photos of musicians taken by Francis Wolf. There are two stunning books of his work: The Blue Note Years: The Jazz Photography of Francis Wolff and Blue Note: Jazz Photography of Francis Wolff (they are actually different books). Many of these great photos have a black background because they were taken in the windowless studio of Blue Note's main recording engineer Rudy Van Gelder.
   
   Considering that plenty of these cover designs are well over forty years old they still look fresh and dynamic. I think it is because they are really quite simple, a great photo, straightforward typography and perhaps Reid Miles secret: the clever use of space. Flick through the pages and cover after cover have empty areas, these helped to create the Blue Note look. Most LP covers were usually designed to avoid empty space, "fill that hole with the track titles" was no doubt a common cry in record company marketing departments.
   
   This compact paperback is a lovely reminder of some wonderful work by a designer who created so much from so little.
   
   ***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.



3. Blue Note Records not only released Classic Albums but also had Classic Album Covers that covered so much more.the Book displays the many images&stylings.if you get a chance watch the special on Blue Note Records which goes into full depth about the Music,Artists,Owners of the Label&those Classic album covers. enjoy.



4. This compact book gives examples of some of the greatest album covers, to some of the finest albums, and now cds, issued by the label. It also makes a great guide for albums to check out, to see if they are still in print; which many of them are. Even for the out of print ones, it provides a nice collection for information purposes, and is reasonably priced. I look forward to finding and buying volume 2.



5. I have the two other editions of the Blue Note album covers (the ones that are the size of an album) and I love to look at them. The only problem is that they are a little too big to sit and flip through. The size of this book- "Blue Note: Album Cover Art" is perfect for flipping through. It looks small but packs a wonderful punch. I couldn't believe how many album covers were in this book. This book fits nicely on a coffee table or end table. If you are like me, you'll find yourself looking at it daily - in amazement of the style and class that embodies the Blue Note image.

5 comments about Notes on the Synthesis of Form (Harvard Paperbacks).

1. Certainly, this book has produced a great impact on various fields related to design and architecture. The author tells us about the most amazing process in human life -- the conscious process of creating things. He has a good mathematical background and is very practical in his hypotheses.
   
   I bought this book because I heard that his theories led to the concepts of design patterns in programming. As a software developer I think that every modern program is a design problem even if it is a pure server-side software. You have to take into account a huge amount of factors and analyze lots of third party components before you come to a relatively optimal solution. Talking in Christopher's terms, the software is a form which we have to synthesize. And his ideas are still actual after more than 40 years.
   
   If you are a real software developer, you'll certainly be delighted in reading this book. It may even change your life.



2. A deep and nuanced analysis of patterns in design failures and successes - the author clearly has astounding comprehension of the modern design situation. I found the "unselfconscious design" vs "selfconscious design" analysis fascinating (although to be politically correct it should be something like "self designer" and "delegated designer" instead). The determination and use of (relatively) independent sub-systems to prune the overall design space is profound.
   
   Part 2 (chapter 6, page 73) is a highly structured "program" for design. I found this section of the book much less compelling, and I'm not sure how it necessarily falls out from Part 1. For me, Alexander's biggest insight is that a good design process involves iterative periods of change and stasis - specifically, designing by modifying single (or small numbers of) factors individually and allowing the design to reach "equilibrium" before making additional changes. From this standpoint, designing a whole village at the beginning (as is started in appendix I) may not ever be a good design approach - even with Alexander's "program"



3. Tip: Start by reading Appendix I. It is an example of the technique that the author spends the whole book explaining. In fact, Appendix I may be all you need to get the gist of the technique.



4. Alexanders 'Notes' anticipates the paths that major sciences would take decades after its publication.
   
   This is no mean feat for a work of science but here youre dealing with a book on architecture- or better, on what architecture could and ought to be.
   
   readers with scientific interests will notice Alexander inventing- from purely architectural phenomena - such models as
   fitness landscapes, adaptation measures according to 'gene' frequency, evolutionarily stable strategies.
   
   The general system of analysis in the book serves as one of the best guides for understanding cellular automata and the startegy of isolating variables anticipates the justly famous work of Dawkins on selfish genes.
   
   Alexander had almost nothing to work with in the early sixties apart from some pioneering formulations in early AI and a very acute insight into the paradoxes of optimisation strategies.
   
   His foresight is best witnessed by reading the footnotes to the book which are in themselves an uncanny selection of what would come to dominate epistemology, evolution and modelling decades later.
   
   People teaching history and philosophy of science should prescribe this book as the pre-eminent case study 'consilience'
   
   On the strength of this one book, Alexander joins C S Pierce, Boole, Babbage and Minsky as one of the greatest pathfinders in the recent history of knowledge-- too bad that architecture as a discipline hardly rose to his challenge and is now drowning in couture (and more credit to the software makers who have kept this unmined treasure in print).



5. Design is a difficult process that is often associated more with art than science. With principles of style, concerns about how design works.
   
   While many wring their hands about this, Alexander breaks the problem down, organizes it and then provides a framework for design that is relatively design neutral. That is a feat in deed.
   
   By thinking about how one structures a problem space and the bias that creates -- Alexander give the practioner a powerful tool for setting up the design process and scope. He then goes on to discuss the design process and he makes important distinctions between concious and unconcious design.
   
   Notes on Synthesis and Form are the foundation for Alexander's work on design patterns. This is the must read book before spending time on these other works.
   
   For the practioner, this book provides a powerful and applicable framework for addressing problems in multiple disciplines.

1 comments about Lynching Photographs (Defining Moments in American Photography).

1. Yeah, well, how many books could there be about this topic? Morbidly fascinating. Nothing like having a well-rounded library, Dewey.

2 comments about Art across Time Volume Two.

1. I didn't read much of this book. I ended up not needing it for school. I think it was ok for the little bit I read out of it. Sorry if I'm not much help.



2. I used this book in conjunction with my text book and it helped me to gain an even better understanding of Art. All of the exercises helped to strengthen my understanding of each chapter.This book helped me so much that I got an "A" for the semester in Art 114.

1 comments about Consumer Behavior: In Fashion.

1. the book was in good condition and shipped quickly! thanks for a great experiance!

3 comments about Handwritten: Expressive Lettering in the Digital Age.

1. Nice range of examples categorized by how they look. An example is "ornate, curlique, sinuous". More a look book reference than a topic/subject reference. Examples include books, posters, ads, CD/DVD, web designs...all using art with a human touch.



2. Handwritten is a history lesson and an inspiration piece, breaking into a series of successive styles from polished to grunge. The exploration is seemingly complete, and as the above commentor wrote, will inspire you to pick up a pencil and sketchbook, and have at it.



3. Heller and Ilic's book is a collection of exemplary work in the world of graphic design in which the "handwritten" has been implemented in the artists' works.
   Examples range from magazine covers, traditional advertisements, film festival posters, album covers, book covers and other media/art. There is a wide range of styles covered, and though there is not a lot of text that accompanies each featured piece, the descriptions of the work are insightful to how (in the opinion of the authors) the text/design work, and in what ways. For instance, the authors comment on one poster which used a childish scrawl saying, "Scrawl is most effective when located with a generous helping of negative space, as is portrayed elegantly in this poster etc.etc."
   Though you might not agree with their observations, you will most definitely get something valuable out of your disagreement, whether it is a better sense of your own visions and style/likes/dislikes.
   
   All in all, this book is worth the money. It is bound to inspired you to break out a pencil and your sketchbook again.

5 comments about Passionate Journey: A Vision in Woodcuts.

1. Compulsion pulls you through the powerful woodcuts in a few minutes. Each successive reading takes longer as you discover and savor character, plot and craft. Masereel lived by the nitroglycerin theory of rhetoric--the fewer the words, the leaner the lines, the more powerful the message.



2. "Passionate Journey" and "The City".
   Both books of woodcuts are produced by Dover Books. The presentation of both is simple but the reproduction of the woodcuts is very good. These woodcuts are as fresh today as they must have been radical when first published in 1919 and 1925 respectively. These 'books without words' are fascinating in their portrayal of the human condition. "Passionate Journey" I believe to be a true work of art. One criticism of the editions is that they lack detailed information on Frans Masereel's life and times. I would liked to have much more on the impact of his work at the time and the context with regard to German Expressionism and the Weimar Republic. These books will hopefully introduce the work of Masereel to a much wider audience. They also represent reasonable value for money.



3. -- or is it? Masereel's remarkable little book declines to explain itself.
   
   These 165 expressive woodcuts present snapshots from the life of one man, or so we assume. He's not all that special - he's not a great hero, leader, or lover, though he's each at one point or another. He doesn't rise above or sink below anyone else, except in the usual ways. As with Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man," this book celebrates the ordinary. And, when seen in such detail, the ordinary becomes quite extraordinary.
   
   The book opens with the un-named man's arrival by train. The crowd and surroundings excite him, as does the mechanism of the train itself. Then, he's off to his new life in the city. We see that life in an uneven, even surreal pace. Masereel's vivid, expressive images hopscotch through the years of his life. Sequences of unrelated images seem to compress years into just a few pages. Other times, long sequences examine individual stories in detail - the adoption of a daughter, his happiness in her, and her final illness and death may be the most moving. It's a life-changing event, and sets the anonymous man off on a lengthy voyage, perhaps to lose himself or to find himself again. He returns to the city life, and eventually retires. The imagery changes radically at this point. It suggests Van Gogh's "Sunflowers" and "Starry Night," and also hints at Van Gogh's death.
   
   Or maybe not. The imagery speaks volumes, but speaks a different volume to each viewer - and will probably speak differently to me when I read it again. Although it's an illustrated story, it's not for children. It is for anyone who wants to see the grandparents of today's illustrated fiction, or who appreciates woodcut in itself. This Dover edition is a beautiful reproduction, with richly saturated blacks but paper opaque enough to keep each page from bleeding through. It's easy to enjoy - so go ahead, enjoy it.
   
   //wiredweird



4. Like the Tarot, the images here are universal and transformative. They have the additional benefit of a wry sense of humor and subtle undercurrents of a humanist sensibility.

   A must have for any searcher or thinker.




5. When my sister gave me this book for my birthday, it was one of the greatest presents I ever received. I was inspired, comforted, and emboldened by Masereel's wordless tale of a questing spirit. Despite the fact that I've read it literally hundreds of times (almost every night when I was working in Calcutta), I always see something new in the subtle, highly expressive woodcuts. Besides the brilliance of his technique, the story Maserel tells is exciting, complex, hilarious and moving. A treaure I wouldn't trade for practically anything.