No comments about Berkeley Bohemia: Artists and Visionaries of the Early 20th Century.

5 comments about The Mirror of the Artist: Art of Northern Renaissance, Perspectives Series.

1. Art historian and art history student must hav. The book contains fabulous images and amazing insight into the period in which the images were created.



2. THIS BOOK ARRIVED WITH PERFECT TIMING AND CONDITION!
   I WAS VERY PLEASED!



3. Overall, this is a good introduction to Northern Renaissance art and the cultural mindset that produced it.
   
   Like many works of revisionist history, this book is a bit heavy-handed at times in its effort to prove that Northern art is as worthy of study as Italian Renaissance art. But overall, the contrast between the two different artistic traditions is effective.



4. I've loved the art of this period for years, but had little academic grounding in it. This book lets me return to old favorites with new eyes.

   This, in common with other volumes in the "Perspectives" series, offers high quality (though small) reproductions of important works, up-to-date analysis and discussion of the art and the contexts in which it was created. Harbison's tone is informative, if ocasionally a little too sententious. But it's a very small price to pay, given the overall excellence of his work in this volume. It's obvious that Harbison loves this period, and he transmits his excitement for these works to the reader in concise language that is accessible to a lay audience.

   Of particular interest is the discussion of how the Northern Rennaisance related to and differed from what was going on in Italy at the time. The only major weakness: not enough of a focus on Durer. But it's hard to get sufficient focus on any artist in a book this condensed.

   An excellent book for those familiar with the period, or those wanting to get acquainted with a school of art often unjustly overshadowed by its southern contemporary.




5. Informative, smart and well-written, Craig Harbison's "The Mirror of the Artist" provides an excellent, brief introduction to the sensibility, historical context, and practice of art in the North. From the attitude toward realism, to patronage among the growing class of government bureaucrats, to the market for art or the influence of the Reformation, the book offers an enhanced understanding of artistic interest and social situations in which the paintings were made -- without ever forgetting their aesthetic dimension. The best tribute I can offer is that I immediately went back to Amazon to order Harbison's "Jan Van Eyck: The Play of Realism", a $35 large format paperback. Minor quibble: Although well-illustrated for a paperback this size, with the book just about 6.25" x 9.5", more details should have been illustrated when details were discussed in larger works. (I'm still looking for the barely visible figure of the devil above the cow in the "Portinari Altarpiece".) But this is a rare problem.

1 comments about Art Is....

1. I have been looking for simple books to introduce my preschooler to Art (with a capital A). Most kids in preschool have plenty of opportunities to express their creativity in craft projects, but explaining "Art" to a child is daunting. This book is a fantastic starting point. It features brief, rhyming statements about what "Art is." Each page features a different form of visual art from sculpture to painting to textiles to folk art to architecture to monumental pieces. Styles range all over the map, and many examples are by well-known artists. They have chosen pieces that are eye-catching for a toddler or young child.
   
   My son is 4 and actually resisted looking at the book at first because of the very "grown up" looking cover, but once he saw the first page with the op-art piece "Fall," he was hooked. This is a wonderful picture book, best read aloud by an enthusiastic parent or caregiver. I love that it shows a wide range of art forms. It can help expand a child's horizons and encourage exploration and creativity. In addition to being a good discussion starter, the book can be the basis for games like looking for art in the places you visit and in the books you read. Best of all, it's a lot of fun to read.

No comments about The Sight of Death: An Experiment in Art Writing.

2 comments about Drawing the New Adventure Cartoons: Cool Spies, Evil Guys and Action Heroes.

1. I happened to walk into the book store last week where a good size crowd of youth and adults were gathered listening to a presentation about this book. The presenter and the book caught my eye and interest so I decided to take a close look and ended up purchasing the book. After 10 days of owning the book, I have no regrets. I spent hours this past weekend having fun creating numerous adventure style cartoon characters. With easy to follow examples accompanied by the hints Harts provides, it was quite enough guidance for me do dive into a new world of cartooning. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys adventure character cartooning



2. This book was chock full of great drawings and instructions on how to draw in the new adventure style. It was easy to follow, easy to grasp but most importantly, enjoyable to read. I learned a lot and I also laughed a lot - tubby types. I loved the section on punching! Highly recommended.

5 comments about Instant Art History: From Cave Art to Pop Art.

1. This book is an essential History of Art book. Whether you are new to History of Art or have studied it for years you MUST have this book in your collection. It is small in size therefor it is easy to take with you on your travels. Plus it is an amusing but factual book. Recently I purchased three copies of this book to give to the three top students in my History of Art lectures. I recommend this book, even if you have never read a History of Atr book before, I promise you you will not be able to put this book down.



2. I love this book because you can quickly learn about all the major periods of art - from the Renaissance's oil paintings to today's modern sculpture works. I recommend reading this before you go to an art museum, so you can brush up on who is famous for what. There are a few black and white photos of famous artwork, but mostly the book explains the type of art produced during each period, and the top 5 or so artists and what their most famous works are.



3. my second six weeks of my first year teaching, my principal told me for the remainder of the year I will be teaching humanities. This book saved my life! It gave me the foundational knowledge to teach my middle schoolers about Art. I just wish there were the same for music, drama and dance! The book is a very pleasurable read. A must have for any reference shelf.



4. I have used this book for several years now. I have a degree in Art History and Art Education. I think this book is a great start for beginners or for those who just want to know a little more about art. I found the book very helpful for most of my high school students. As a matter of fact, two years ago I started using this book as a text book for the art History portion of our program. We use the book as a basis of study from which we delve into the historical events of the time. We then use these as a spring board. My students create projects to experience the different art of these eras. The book is written simply so that they can understand and throws in some humor here and there to keep it interesting. My only wish is that it came in a hard cover edition, as i have to keep replacing my copy I teach from!



5. though the overall result is predictably sparse given what the title promises - so much history in so little space. It is written for a good cause - students in the sciences who really don't care that much about the subject yet are obligated to learn about it (virtually at gun point) in a big hurry and under pressure. (That's not to suggest that all science-oriented college students are numb to the humanities, but for those who are, this is a great book.)

   It's the exam crammer's dream, written with humor and expertise much in the spirit of the British Bluffer's Guides. The book is especially useful for those who have long resisted art and art history because of their associations with snooty sorts and the pretentiousness of 'high culture.'

   The three stars are for the general layout of the book and not so much about the writing itself. The illustrations are black and white, the paper cheap and pulpy, and some of the pages of my copy were cut unevenly at the printer's. These factors conspire to lessen the overall value of something that was deliberately conceived as a shortcut to college credit.

2 comments about Bruce Davidson: Circus.

1. What a beautiful book and what stunning pictures. I can only repeat this, one of my favorite movie quotes: For those that like that sort of thing it is the sort of thing they like!



2. More amazing, mostly never before seen photos from one of the master of the humanistic school of photojournalism. Great production from the leading publishing house - Steidl. Worth the price.

5 comments about Believing Is Seeing: Creating the Culture of Art.

1. Mary Ann Staniszewski's "Believing is Seeing" is a GREAT book. It is articulately written with many reproductions and is used in many university and college level art courses across the country!! Navigating the unnecessarily murky waters of modern and contemporary art, this book is refreshing in its insightful directness about art, culture and value.



2. Mary Anne Staniszewski's "Believing is Seeing" is a clearly written, carefully illustrated, thought provoking overview of the meaning of "Art". Distilled from introductory lectures on contemporary art, culture and critical theory delivered at the Rhode Island School of Design more than a decade ago, "Believing is Seeing" provides a useful counterpoint to mainstream art history texts by challenging traditional, transhistorical views of aesthetic value.

   Appropriately subtitled "Creating the Culture of Art", Staniszewski's book demonstrates that Art is something "that has a specific history and belongs to a particular era." What our culture generally calls "Art" is an invention of the past two hundred years. Thus, modern culture has appropriated the paintings, frescoes, sculptures, and artifacts of earlier times and cultures (where they had historically specific meanings) and labelled them "Art". Modern culture applies this label even though the original creators of these representations and objects would not have regarded their creations as Art in the way we commonly use the term.

   The task of defining and identifying Art in contemporary Western society is largely a function of the institutional structures--the museums, galleries, auction houses, and publications--that create the culture of Art. In this way, Marcel Duchamp can mount a urinal on a pedestal and this plumbing fixture becomes "Art", acquires meaning and value, through validation by these institutional arbiters of the Art world. Rejecting essentialism, Staniszewski argues that aesthetic value and meaning are socially constructed, the products of a particular historical moment and culture. As individuals, we may not consider Duchamp's urinal anything more than that--a urinal--but that does not obviate the fact that cultural institutions have conferred (rightly or wrongly) some greater meaning (and value) on the object.

   "Believing is Seeing" is not an important book; it is a book which, like its thesis, is the product of a particular historical moment and culture. It is, however, full of provocative and challenging ideas about how culture creates meaning and value. And for this reason alone, it is worth careful reading.




3. In this book Mary Staniszewski tries a nearly impossible task of defining art. Her twist on the subject is a fresh look at art in the modern movements, but she also splits the art world into two time periods. The early works by those who are termed the old masters (e.g. Michealangelo, DaVinci, Bernini and other pre-1800's artists) do not fit into the definition of modern art that she presents in the book. If she were to have answered the questions in a little more logical fasion I may have been able to follow the first chapter better. But as it stands I don't see how simply useing the date of the modern definition of art can prevent or select an artists work for either being art or not being art. Some other great questions would be: What are Mary Anne Staniszewski's credentials? Has she ever made art herself? Is she an Art Historian? As for the descriptive portion of the book, it is wonderful and well worth reading. I would recommend getting this book just for its documentation of historical events and how they effected modern art movements.



4. First of all, I find that most of the reviews of this book are one star because the readers didnt agree with Staniszewski's ideas, however they ignored how well written this book is. She takes the way we typically view "art" and shows us how fraudulent it is. In doing so she challenges not only are view of art, but also our view of the world around us. Even if you dont like her ideas its no reason not to acknowledge the intelligence with which she has written this book.



5. The author has written a senseless book trying too hard to simplify art and it's interpretation. I was expecting something elightening and informative, something that would help guide me when going to museums. She tries to succumb the "sucker" into defining what is and isn't art in HER terms.

   The book is cluterred with unsubstantive one- liner, opinions about 2-d, photocopied artwork (that horde precious space in the book and will never do justice to the actual artwork).

   I learned nothing except that I will think twice before buying something from Penguin Publishers. How could this laughable picture book slip through the pressing machines at a major publishing company, I will never know.

1 comments about The Art of Simon Bisley Redux.

1. Heavy Metal Hardcover and soft cover books are known to have bad binding.
   This book and it's previous version are in my library falling apart. Art is great though.

5 comments about Mom's Cancer.

1. I bought this book for my husband and his siblings. My mother-in-law was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer this summer. My husband and I have both read the book and it helps to know that we aren't the only family that has traveled this road. Regardless of what part of this journey your family is at, I would highly recommend reading this book. The illustrations make it an easy read and it'll be well worth your time.



2. "What to do when pain rips through our brains like a tornado. We need the truth." - Barbara, the author's mother's, wrote that thought after reading this book.
   
   This is an excellent graphic novel about one family's experience with Stage 4 Large-Cell Carcinoma (a.k.a. - Cancer).
   
   A story is often only as good as the heart of the person telling it. If that sentiment is true, it explains in large part why this story is so good. If you can make a story about dealing with your mother's terminal cancer funny and life-affirming, you are creating a pretty intelligent and well-crafted piece of writing.
   
   His artwork is consistently excellent, never distracting, and peaceful in the midst of life-threatening circumstances. The visuals are coordinated with the words fluidly, immediately conveying the ideas and emotions with very few ambiguities. This graphic novel won an Eisner Award in it's online format.
   
   Brian Fies tells us in the preface, "Although I distrust stories with lessons, here is one: No one will care more about your life than you do, and no one is better qualified to chart its course than you are. You are the expert."
   
   As you might expect, like all real stories, this one does not end with everyone living happily ever after. But fortunately, the characters do re-prioritize and choose to change the remaining time in their lives to live as happily as they can until there is no after.
   
   As the preface accurately creates the expectation "Mom's Cancer is an honest, earnest effort to turn something bad into something good." I admire and encourage that human artistic drive, and Brian Fies is successful in achieving that goal and many other beautiful artistic goals.



3. I'm a consumer health educator and lost my father to a very rare kind of cancer when he was 58, so this book hit me on more than one level of my life. Fies has done a wonderful job. What I find most impressive is that Fies doesn't shy away from discussing the "blame" aspect of a cancer diagnosis. The question of personal accountability for disease is very much part of the family conversation during a health crisis--whether there is scientific evidence for causality or not!--and it needs to be talked about. I'm hoping this graphic novel does make that conversation easier for all of us.



4. My family shared many of the experiences of the author's family during my mother's cancer. It's compelling, touching and hopeful.



5. It's less about Mom than her three adult children (pseudonymously portrayed here as the narrator, Nurse Sis, and Kid Sis) and how they cope with the news and subsequent treatment for Mom. Vivid visual metaphors (the Operation Game, superheroes, the "tightrope" of treatment) combine with heartfelt writing (smokers won't be pleased with how they're portrayed) for an unforgettable portrait of a family in crisis. It has a simple, clean graphic style that will appeal to readers who are not regular readers of graphic novels.
   
   If your mother smokes, this, and and "the patch" would make an excellent present.