2 comments about Los Caprichos.

1. This book is phenomenal. The only thing I could say against it is it's a bit small, but I believe the images are actual size, so of course there's not much to be done. A good hardcover edition would show these off very well. These Dover art books are a great, cheap way to get access to images like these if you can't commit to a fine edition or, should you be so fortunate, one of the original prints themselves.
   
   Goya one-upped Surrealism, Expressionism, and much more, a hundred years before the fact. These prints take you on a dream journey through some startlingly original imagery that scrutinizes human social engagement with an unsparing eye. Cynical would be too soft a word for some of the images, but somehow it's hard to disagree with Goya's positions. You feel like people were often that empty in Spanish society of the time. And what about today?
   
   As for the formal side, the etchings are technically inventive, uninhibited, masterful, confident, and often understated. Goya is content to let a few lines and a dark mass of aquatint evoke a whole interior, alleyway, or landscape.
   
   In a way, these prints also relate to Edward Gorey, Tim Burton, and many more. In fifty years you'll be able to rack up a new breed of descendents. Their influence, I'm sure, will be timeless.



2. Goya aparently did this book to show how silly the superstitions of the common people were, and still are.

3 comments about The Designer's Toolkit: 500 Grids and Style Sheets.

1. I wish I would have had some kind of insight into this book before buying it. It seemed like they had a good break down of each, and what they had available. Not so. Even worse, a lot of the templates are very outdated. About 50% of the templates on here are webpage tempates, and they really aren't that good. If I could go back, I certainly wouldn't pay $15+s&h for this. It's just not that good at all...
   As for information, don't bet on it. You get maybe 2 pieces of information. This book is decently organized, but that's about it.
   Not recommended at all.



2. When I purchased this book, no reviews yet existed for it; I bought it solely based on the alluring title and cover. Next time I'll wait for another canary shopper to drop dead in this hazardous mine of a book.
   
   The main problem with the book is in how little relevant content there actually is. The author cuts each section into 1-3 pages, and the examples look about a decade removed from the date of this review. With the examples bringing so little to the reader, there just isn't anything else to learn from.
   
   I'm not sure who this book would benefit. Graphic design students will learn more in a half-semester than this book can teach. People like me who simply wish to learn about grids will certainly be disappointed. This is a book that only a mother could love.



3. I've recently bought this book and expected some nice illustrations, modern grids, stylish examples, but found nothing. Whether you are experienced graphic/web designer or inexperienced you will find it mostly useless. In comparison with other books about grids: Josef Muller-Brockmann "Grid Systems", Kimberly Elam "Grid Systems, Timothy Samara "Making and breaking the grid", etc. this book has very poor, not stylish examples and explanations. Expected so much more, moreover there are not so many books about Grids. Thanks for attention!

5 comments about Design Principles and Problems.

1. "The second edition of Design Principles and Problems is the result of a unique collaboration between an artist who has taught basis design to a great variety of college students for more than 37 years and an experienced professional writer of college textbooks.
   Together we have tried to create a book that prepares a solid foundation for studying all the fine and applied arts and is at the same time READABLE, INTERESTING, AND CLEAR....."
   [from the book of the preface]



2. There is no way I can give five stars for this book at this price. Only something purporting to be a textbook could get away with this. It is no wonder that college/university students are banding together to split the cost of books, priced as this is, buying from the internet used market, or forgoing the purchase all together.
   
   Aside from having an obscene price, its presentation further insults the already injurious price. While the content and illustrations do their jobs well, there is no color until about 80% through the book. Any number, maybe most of the illustrations could or should have been presented in color. If there is a point to be shown in a monochrome image, fine. This book was last printed in 1996. The price is today's inflated textbook price. Any book about art, with anything near this one's price should be full of color, anywhere it can be used.
   
   This is a $50 book - max.



3. This book is beneficial in learning the vocabulary and basics of Graphic Design. I did find that it was necessary to go outside the book to fully understand Principles of Unity. The book is an excellent resource for the beginning Graphics Major.



4. I am an artist. It is more than a career choice, it is a lifestyle. If you want your art to be more effective, for personal or public reasons, studying design principles is paramount! I can't stress enough the importance of studying the elements and functions of design elements. This text, Design Principles & Problems, will put you on the right course for studying this subject. Currently we are using this text in my Design Foundations class. It is a rich maunual with many comparitive illustrations to referance during the course of your study. This isn't a book that you use, then discard, it is a keeper!



5. I have used Design Principles and problems for several years to teach Basic Two-Dimensional Design to both art majors and non-art majors. It is clearly written and well structured, with emphasis on the design principles and elements. I particularly like the chapters on the Unifying Principles, Shape and Form, and Color.

   There are many excellent projects and student examples, plus an explanation of what each project is trying to achieve.

   I do find, however, that I have to suppliment the text with a few chapters from other books and my own notes. Particularly, I am referring to the lack of any depth on the importance of the grid as one important formal way to create structure. Another area I find lacking is a chapter on structure itself with the many sources in nature as examples. The importance of the use of the Golden Mean is also not covered, even while it is still used by many contemporary artists and was used by many artists in 19th century as an understructure in creating a painting. For instance, the analysis on Seurat's "Circus Sideshow" talks about the repetition of the brush strokes, textures, colors, and gaslights as a means to unify the picture but neglects the fact that the entire picture is divided up into squares and rectangles with a loose grid formed by the continuation of the edges of figures and rectangles. It is at once an asymmetrical picture with strong use of approximate symmetry on both sides of the central musician. The Golden Mean is at work in the creation of the proportions in this picture yet is never mentioned.

   Because of these shortcomings I continue to look for alternatives and go back to using classics like Lauer's Design Basics from time to time, supplimented with examples from Wucius Wong's books and those of my own students.

   All in all, though, Design Principles and Problems has many strengths and it most definitely belongs in your library if you teach Basic Design.

5 comments about The End of Art.

1. Those who say that Donald Kuspit is a neoconservative reactionary are missing the point of his critical project. His project is far more radical in its aim and scope. Like Adorno (his Doktorvater), Kuspit attempts to understand the historical position of the present as a period of crisis and decline. As a thinker who values the seriousness and purposeviness of modernist art, Kuspit wants not a nostalgic return to the past, but a reevaluation of the aims of the present. In our postmodern amnesia, we have forgotten what once made art important, however marginalized it was. The radical aesthetic project of the early twentieth century avant-gardes has been replaced by the endless reproduction of banality and vapid political ideology masquerading as post-punk minimalism (when it is merely minimal, in effort and effect). While some of us might not agree with Dr. Kuspit, his lonely ideas matter, lest we toss out the baby with the dirty bathwater of modernism.



2. This text is torturous! Kuspit writes in circles, issuing complaints towards modern and postmodern art and denouncing artistic interest in conceptualism, anti-aesthetics, the merge of art and life, and the social system that supports art.
   
   If you want to read about the "End of Art" discourse I would suggest going to Hegel's "Aesthetics" which serves as a primary source to the topic, and then read Eva Geulen's "The End of Art: Readings in a Rumor after Hegel".



3. Donald Kuspit is one of the most annoying characters in the word of art criticism today. Tirades and jeremiads can be hard to take, especially in the sky-is-the-limit, nothing's sacred atmosphere of the moment. Here's someone saying that art is important, and something's wrong, and a lot of people are bound to resent having to hear that. And I'll admit that Kuspit's inflated and sometimes inflammatory prose style might make this book tough going even for those who agree with him. However, if you're somehow not satisfied with art that has about all the emotional depth of Rubik's Cube, and want to know why there's so much of it around these days, here's a good place to start.
   
   I'll only add that though I'm getting pretty fond of the term, "postart," I'm pretty unhappy with this "new old masters" business. It's not a label I'd want applied to my own work, ever, and some of the examples of it that he gives, such as Michael David's version of a Manet painting, are strangely indistinguishable from classic post-mod appropriation. But these and other flaws are minor. Read this book.
   
   By the way, I find very disturbing the above characterization of of this book as "Neo-Con." Can we please get past facile bracketing of artistic and political trends? I'm frankly as little interested in Donald Kuspit's politics as I am in the art critical thinking of Paul Wolfowitz or Ralph Nader.



4. If art is the canary in the mineshaft, this book shows why artists since Dada have been saying You can't fire me -- I quit. Kuspit's passionate about the reduction to banality, but sympathetic to the artists' plight with good insights, even if you still hate their anti-art. Kuspit cares, very much. It may be old-fashioned but that's art: something that matters.



5. Nobody ever has to read more than one Donald Kuspit book, so if you've read anything longer than a 300-word review by the man, don't bother with this exhausted, tedious return to his familiar themes. I feel for the poor editors who struggled with his leaden prose, and this time they seem to have done better than usual. But that doesn't justify the existence of this screed. If you must read angry neocon denunciations of contemporary art, read jed Perl, who at least can write decent prose and has, on occasion, something interesting to say.

5 comments about Drawings of Mucha.

1. I am a porcelain artist and this book has been so inspirational. I think we should have heard more of this artist.



2. I appreciated this book as it gives a different perspective on Mucha's works. Being mostly a collection of pencil drawn sketches, it lets you enter the creative process of the artist, while other books I own just present the finished work.
   
   Really useful for who'd like to understand his approach to drawing.



3. This affordable and brief work to the works of Alphonse Mucha offers an introduction to the artist. Includes some early works, preliminary drafts, and finished products. Useful for those who are studying technique--you can see how he drew (pencil--a few in ink). About 60 illustrations in all, 8 of these in color. I remain fascinated with Mucha's perspectives on beauty. Very inspirational!



4. What charm & grace does the man bring forth! Its things like this that make life worth living and makes us all just that much better.



5. The pencil drawings in this book are fascinating. You can really see how he worked on each design, and occasionally the original sketch has some interesting variations from the final product. I particularly enjoyed some of the less popular works that are to be found here.

5 comments about Living with Art w/ Timeline.

1. I just started my summer class a few weeks ago, and I definitely agree with the instructor that it's a truly great textbook! It's not as pricey as I initially thought it was going to be and it has a ton of art information. The CD and timeline are kind of useless, but I would still use them to study for exams or quizzes. If you want to learn about art in SOOO many ways, get this book because it's a treat!



2. I got this book for a class, and besides just using it for tests, I haven't opened it much. Most of the paintings in the first few chapters are also the same paintings in the last few chapters, though, and I thought it would have more variations. However, the info in each section is concise, easy to read, and the whole book is a great introduction for the beginner to the study of art.



3. I found it to be detailed enough to learn about art without boring me. It was actually for a class I'm taking by found I read more chapters than required because it was a great overview on many diffent subjects from art to architecture



4. Received the book in time and actually it was very fast too. Product is great. A Million thanks.



5. the book is great but the service shipping to me was horrible. it follows my introduction to art history class very well.

4 comments about Euan Uglow: The Complete Paintings.

1. This handsome volume opens with two essays. The first essay looks at the young artist and his development; his time at art school, first Camberwell and then The Slade, and considers those who influenced him, especially William Coldstream. The second essay looks more particularly at the artist's main body of work, and considers again the influences.
   
   The fully illustrated catalogue section provides much additional information about the individual pieces, many being accompanied by detailed descriptions and interesting facts about their production, often including the artist's own comments. The reproductions vary is size considerably, there are a good number of full-page or near full-page images, but at the other end of the scale a large number are very small. In total there are well over 400 of the artist's works illustrated, according to the publishers this includes every known oil painting, about 80 of which are reproduced here for the first time. In addition to the paintings there are also a number of representative drawings, designs, and a few rather personal more suggestive pieces.
   
   The book includes a chronology, bibliography, and exhibition history for each work.
   
   A quick glance at the content might suggest there is very little information about the man Euan Uglow, but careful reading gradually provides some insight in an almost incidental manner. We learn about the man from his work, and not about the work from the man.
   
   Having the full body of Uglow's oeuvre to consider it becomes immediately apparent where his interests lay; the female nude predominates, still life features strongly too. There are landscapes but nothing like the quantity of the former two, mostly produced during summers away. What comes through strongly from all forms is Uglow's strongly analytical approach, his single minded interest in his subject and his striving for perfection; yet the work is never laboured.
   
   It is a splendid book. The essays are well written and warmly appreciative of the artist and his work. It well designed and superbly illustrated in colour almost throughout, the only complaint being that some of the images are too small.



2. This book is on the shelf with the favorites. I was ecstatic to hear a complete survey of Uglow's work was being published and I am not disappointed. Some of the images feel dark and maybe kind of small. But there are several hundred in one book. Many of the paintings have descriptions and anecdotes revealing the process or life of the piece. If you're a fan of Uglow, like British figuration, and love painting, it's worth purchasing this.



3. This is a very fitting tribute and long over due. Uglow is one of the great artists of our century. He does not get the press of Freud but is as good if not better. (Personal preference.) The images as reproduced are sometimes a wee bit small. Having been spoiled with so many great art books with large reproductions, there is little excuse in our day to put out anything less. It still gets 5 stars because I will take whatever I can get. The essays are top notch. The Browse and Darby book is still available from the gallery and reproduces many of his best works at a more appropriate size, but with far fewer paintings. On top of all that, get the book "Some Memories of the Painter" by Susan Campbell which is also available from Browse and DArby. Great anecdotal info on Mr. Uglow.



4. Contrary to the book description provided by Amazon this is not the first Uglow book, although it is by far the superior due to the increase in material. Uglow is relatively unknown in the US primarily due to his success in Great Britain (virtually his entire ouevre is in the hands of private collectors). He tended to work very slowly and often revisited a painting over many years. Recently, art students interested in figurative representation have been discovering his work. They (the pictures) have a kind of directness of intention and clarity of paint application that appeals to artists looking for integrity in approach. They are refreshingly devoid of post-modern myth making, avoid the hagiography and bravura that accompany so much of contemporary art (e.g. Damien Hurst, Jeff Koons, et.al.) And yet they are unquestionably dense with seriousness and meaning. This is one of the great painters of the 20th century, and this book will undoubtably gain at least five times its current price over the next ten years. Both an aesthetic and economic investment.

4 comments about The Illustrated Timeline of Art History: A Crash Course in Words & Pictures (Illustrated Timeline).

1. The Illustrated Timeline of Art History: A Crash Course in Words & Pictures (Illustrated Timeline) (Paperback) by Carol Strickland
   
   Reading this book, I felt that I was careening through a time tunnel of man (and woman's) thinking and feeling responses to the world through visual art, a feeling of "whizzzzing through the world's history of art." That is a good thing, since clearly, the book was meant for browsing, and to present highlights in the history of art from the beginning of time to the present day, a zippy, painless way to scroll through the panoply of art history. At times, the amount of information in this small book (112 pages) can seem overwhelming, but at any point, the reader can stop and gain valuable information and insights from each thumbnail entry, in which the author explains, however briefly in clear, comprehensible English, how and why each entry is important and significant and provides an easily followed sequence and a cultural context in each mini-discussion. Another fine feature is that through her own writing style, the author gives the reader an additional gift: a vocabulary, real language with which to talk about art. This book is a truly effective way to present and introduce art history in a meaningful format. Frances Zak, Ph.D.



2. I would recommend skipping this one, and buying the annotated Mona Lisa and the Annotated arch, as this book is just fluff, and color pictures... I was expecting more...



3. Reading this book is like a trip to a great art museum. You see works that you know are important, and you learn not only from the descriptions of these paintings, but also from the other works displayed around them. One of the strengths of this illustrated timeline is that you can see trends developing in the art world, as artists progress from realism to more interpretive styles. The chronological progression also highlights why some artists' innovations were so exciting - how they were so different from what had come before. Another great feature is the inclusion of artistic developments in Asia, Africa, and South America. It is fascinating to see the different approaches diverse groups of people have taken to creating temples and churches, or the different media used for decoration and expression. Ms. Strickland's enthusiasm for and extensive knowledge of her subject comes across in every succinct blurb; whenever I dip in to pursue a topic, I always find myself drawn in to read more. A great reference, and a wonderful book to have on hand in your car or your bag to absorb you in those moments of downtime. I highly recommend this book!



4. This very small book did not work for my students. They found it confusing and overwhelming, though it is organized on a timeline.
   Without a lot of background info on the works of art from all of the cultures, it is hard to follow.
   
   It is such a small book, and covers so many cultures and media with small blurbs, that it doesn't do a great job on any of the arts, or relate them to each other.
   If Ms. Strickland had left out architecture or concentrated more on painting & sculpture it might have been more cohesive.
   "Annotated Mona Lisa" is MUCH better.
   
   As a cliff notes for college students trying to remember names and dates, this might work well, as long as they already know the works of art.

3 comments about The Complete Taj Mahal.

1. Having visited the Taj Mahal, I wanted to have an authoritative book on the history behind its construction and this book is not only an excellent souce, but also a very good photographic record of this amazing Wonder of the World!



2. Having read a number of books about the Taj Mahal, including the recently published one by the Prestons, I would bet good money that if given a copy of Ebba Koch's book to preview, those truly interested in India's national treasure will buy THE COMPLETE TAJ MAHAL, even if they have to skip lattes or lunches to afford it, even if they have already done so to afford Okada/Joshi/Nou's Taj Mahal with its stunning photography.
   
   One reason, of course, is that TCTM is so complete. To others' overviews of the material covered, I would add only that Koch does not neglect the human element. For example, in eight introductory pages of text, Koch provides excellent background information about Shah Jahan, his wife and his predecessors; later, she details Jahan's passion for building. Koch also includes interesting information about the artisans, craftsmen and laborers who did the actual work as well as details about others associated with the Taj-related structures/gardens of Agra. Further humanizing the story of this garden city are colorful Mughal paintings of its nobility and rulers.
   
   Another aspect of TCTM that makes it a must-have are the many photographs of sites, structures and architectural ornamentation, photographs "The Hindu" declared "often brilliant" as well as "judiciously chosen." Just how apt these descriptions are is suggested by the following: There were only seven pages of O/J/Nou's photographic extravaganza of the Taj complex that I photocopied to tuck into Koch's book, and of them, five were additional close-ups of floral inlays and calligraphy. Adding to the appeal of TCTM is that the camera goes beyond the splendors of the Taj complex. Of special interest to those who have been in Agra, for instance, will be the realistic photographs of the Taj Mahal peeking above the "agglomeration of haphazard constructions" that have "almost obliterated" its bazaar and caravanserai. Shown, too, are its architectural precedents as well as artisan workshops and quarries. Though most of the photographs in this book are in color, even those in black and white are revealing.
   
   Also making TCTM next to impossible to resist are the "company drawings," most of which are in color as well. Forerunners of postcards, they were "made by local artists in the early days of the Raj" for European tourists, who bought them "to illustrate their journals." Works of art in themselves, often the drawings are so detailed that they could easily be photographs. But they do not serve as mere eye candy: many are of Taj-related structures that no longer exist or have been stripped of all that made them magnificent; some are juxtaposed with recent photographs to show the toll time has taken on the brilliance of color and intricacy of design. Evocative paintings and watercolors of the Taj Mahal by foreign artists are included as well.
   
   What may ultimately sell people on TCTM, however, is that it is a book they will actually enjoy reading much if not all of. Not only is Koch's narrative writing fluid and easy-to-digest. Even her descriptions of architecture will be relatively easy for laymen to understand, provided that they are willling to refer to the glossary of terms and look at the many visual aids, including Barraud's "precise and clear" line drawings, that accompany the text. So well done is this book, in fact, that as "The Hindu" noted, even "information which is more technical and not at face value so interesting to general readers will, in fact, be found by them to be equally absorbing." (All I would personally exclude from this are the two pages of precise measurements of the Taj complex.)
   
   To another reviewer's assertion that TCTM is a book that "should be in the library of anyone fascinated by the Taj Mahal, not just historians and architects," I add a thousand "Amen's." --B. Evans, 4/14/07



3. A superlative volume showing in detail and with historic drawings, maps, and photos, as well modern illustrations and reconstructions the unsurpassed achievements of the Mughal in residential garden architecture. The riverbanks of the Yamuna River as it passes through Agra was where this artistic impulse achieved culmination in the seventeenth century garden residences and tombs sponsored by the nobles and rulers of the Mughal state and built by the craftsmen of India. One of the signal contributions of this book is the inclusion of the stories of the architects, carpenters, and masons who left their signatures and marks on the individual elements of the overall project. The residential and tomb gardens which stretched along the river and are now mostly gone gave way at midpoint to the grandest residence of all, the Red Fort which remains today the second greatest landmark of Agra. And at the southern end of the development stands today the greatest tomb ever built, one of the architectural wonders of the world, the Taj Mahal. The work is so complete that it documents not only the construction efforts but also the tourism that followed and the depth to which the Taj Mahal became embedded in the consciousness of the world. The culmination of three decades of meticulous research this substantial volume tells an engrossing story of the planning, development, and eventual decline of a unique garden city. It more than fulfills the adjective "complete" and should be in the library of anyone fascinated by the Taj Mahal, not just historians and architects. A truly extraordinary accomplishment.

5 comments about Drawing: The Head (HT197).

1. ...for beginners & intermediates in ability. It's 32 pages taken from several of his original books- easily my favorite Loomis collection!
   
   In recent decades there have been 3 main teachers in learning to draw heads from memory. For cube-based construction we have George Bridgman. For ball/sphere-based construction we have Andrew Loomis. And for oval/ellipse-based construction, we have the famous teacher of the Dynamic Drawing series- comicbook artist Burne Hogarth. Many of today's Japanese animation & comicbook instructionals are using these very same principles, along with some of the teachings by the Famous Artists School. My current interest is in oval & cube-based construction, but it's Loomis' famous *ball/sphere-based* construction here that many people consider to be the BEST. All artists, from beginners to even professionals(!), could easily benefit in learning these 3 popular standards.
   In any case, this is a great work *in pencil* on heads of all kinds. All popular aspects of construction are covered: men, women, children, teens, elderly, fashion-models, proportions, rythmic lines, planes, anatomy, bone structure, simple lines & shapes, perspective, common actions, expressions, clear line drawings, and even full-blown tonal studies (whew!). That's a lot in just 32 pages. It's all done in a classic mid-20th century style, similar to Jack Hamm's excellent Drawing The Head And Figure. My favorite pages here are p.26, p.27, and p.30, because these are his clearest & most detailed pure line drawings- exceedingly great to copy & learn from. A tremendous help for anyone interested in learning to draw from memory- get this great book today!
   
   P.S. ...just so you know: this reviews page is shared by 2 Loomis books. The 1st is his slim & tall, 32-page Walter Foster paperback collection currently entitled Drawing: The Head (HT197). This HT197 guide was also known as Heads/2. My review is for this Walter Foster collection. The 2nd book this reviews page is linked to is Loomis' original hardcover called Drawing the Head and Hands; a full-blown book- more than 32 pages. At this writing, this 2nd book is out of print. The real reason these 2 books share these reviews is that the shorter, Walter Foster collection takes a few pages from several books, including pages from this full-blown Drawing the Head and Hands.
   As I understand it, Loomis actually *created* ball/sphere-based construction for heads, printed in Fun With A Pencil circa 1939- and I see no evidence to contradict this. And today it's one of the most popular methods around. His books being out of print confuses many! That's why I give this 5 stars: instead of slamming Walter Foster's publications for their lack of completeness, we should thank them for keeping Loomis' name alive(!). If it weren't for this Drawing: The Head collection, I might never have given his Figure Drawing For All It's Worth a chance. Now I have both- thank goodness!



2. I held Andrew Loomis's books in the highest esteem. Then walter foster came along and decided to cut cost by publishing every third page and discarding everything in between. Think this statement is absurd! Compare Andrew Loomis's books BEFORE and AFTER walter foster got his hands on them.



3. The human body is the hardest thing to sketch, and of its parts, the head and hands are most intimidating. Loomis found a way to bring these challenges into the realm of the achievable for amateurs, with a text that, while a bit old fashioned in style, feeds the drawing brain.
   As a bonus, Loomis'own pieces, particularly the finished sketches, are deeply satiafying to view. To be sure, the style is genre-past, but the evocation is sweet, recent, and wholly American. One can see in the sketched heads the tender, yearbook faces of our parents now aged or departed.



4. "Drawing Heads" by Andrew Loomis is a very thorough and comprehensive book that has amazingly been crammed into under 70 pages.

   There is no waste whatsoever in any of the pages. The illustrations are beautiful and it contains simplified, easy to understand approaches to drawing the head as well as basic anatomy and facial planes. Also contained are the proportions for small children, babies and teens.

   It would have to be the best book on drawing the head i have come across and is at a bargain price. It is a "must have" for anyone serious about learning how to draw the head.




5. I've owned this book for quite some time now,but the only thing is that it's a translated chinese version of it & the translatiton was done very badly.Still with the well drawn images,I was able to learn everything on drawing of the head & hands.It's a great book & everyone should at least flip over the book to see how faces should be drawn well.Sorry for those who wants this book,I'll never sell it away(May be after I've got the english version of it).