5 comments about America by the Yard: Cirkut Camera: Images from the Early Twentieth Century.

1. This is a wonderful book not only for photographers, but also for those interested in timeless pictures of Americana. I found the subjects to be most interesting, as they are indeed captured moments in our history.
   
   The book is also of special interest to those interested in Cirkut cameras; I own one and was very glad to be able to obtain such a specialized book that demonstrates what the cameras were capable of in skilled hands.
   
   The book is very impressive, with multiple fold-out pages that do justice to the ultra-wide format photographs that are reproduced. The printing is first rate and everyone that I have shown the book to has been pleased with it.



2. The above headline pretty much sums it up. Sorry for ending with a preposition ( I should have said "an" to be silly).



3. I've never seen a photo book quite like this. This is an oversized book and when many of the prints are folded out they really are a yard long. While many of these picture are not artistic masterpieces, they are masterpieces of documentary phototgraphy. The level of detail these photos hold is something to see and you get a very good feel for the time and place of the picture.



4. I have an interest in panoramic photography, currently own a Widelux camera (can take a 120 degree pano on 35mm film), and am looking to buy a Kodak Panoram which performs similarly but on 120 format film. If I could afford a Cirkut camera, and the film and chemistry costs, I'd have one.
   
   I'm also a history buff.
   
   "America by the Yard" combines history and panoramic photography in a series of stunning images that seem to draw the viewer in. Consider it a series of graphic, high-resolution photos showing America growing up from circa 1900 to almost 1950.
   
   The photos have so much detail, and so much width, that the photos continue to reveal new details each time I "read" it.
   
   When showing the book to friends and co-workers, it has the same effect on them: lots of "oooohs" and "aaaaahhhhs" and exclamations.
   
   An amazing book. I can't reccomend it highly enough.



5. The author obviously has a deep respect for the history of photography. The images, reproductions, and explanations are excellent. This is a beautiful book that every panoramic photographer could relish for many years to come.

5 comments about Pictures Showing What Happens on Each Page of Thomas Pynchon's Novel Gravity's Rainbow.

1. My two sons (Zachary and Alexander) have been saving their allowance and doing extra chores to save money for a Nintendo DS (they save half, my wife & I pay half). This has been a huge deal for them because they each really want one.
   
   Yesterday, my wife took the boys to a bookstore, and 7 1/2 year old Zach saw Zak Smith's book based on Pynchon's "Gravity's Rainbow". He could not, would not put it down; he was mesmerized. He's not one to want, want, want, but this, he had to have. He looked at various and sundry art-related books for at least a half hour, and kept coming back to this book. Which was $40. After much discussion and pondering, Zach was resolute: My wife had a $16 credit at the store which she let him use and he kicked in $20 of his $27 to get the book. The point is, he gave up his Gameboy money for an art book. A big deal. He said "You know how interested I am in art, Mom!"
   
   I've read a bit of Pynchon ("Vineland") but when I've leafed through "Granvity's Rainbow" in the past, I've thought it challenging, circular, dense. Very much like, though not so much as, the uber-interpretive "Finegan's Wake" by James Joyce (referenced, coincidentally, by Zak Smith's book). So at once I was impressed; thumbing through Zach's Zak book, even more so. It IS mesmerizing; page after page of fascinating, provoking, stirring beauty. You can get lost in there.
   
   Not only do I now have a renewed vigor to tackle "Gravity's Rainbow", but am inspired to have (with Zach's permission) Zak Smith's profoundly astonishing book along for the cerebral roller coaster, a benevolent guide to provide dazzling clues as I navigate the former's intellectually demanding jungle.
   
   Whether $26.37 or $39.95, worth every penny...



2. I'm totally blown away by this book, after seeing these drawings at the Walker I had to own it. Check out his website to see all the drawings on line.



3. I just saw the Zak Smith exhibit at the Walker Art Center in Minn. where I had gone to see the "Picasso in America". But this Gravity's Rainbow page-by-page is, by far, the reason to go to the Walker right now. Mindboggling. Buy the book and picture each page lined up like a grid covering an entire wall. The Pynchon book is quite challenging to read so try to imagine Zak Smith capturing the concept of each and every page with a drawing or picture. Number 404 looks like an inch thick melted white plastic mess--does anyone know what happened in the book on this page? I noticed that one of the "tags" for this product is "genius." Believe it.



4. If you live anywhere near Minneapolis get yourself over to the Walker Art Center, where every single one of Zak Smith's drawings/paintings/sculptures (yes, some are three dimensional) for this project are displayed on one wall. (All are in the permanent collection of the Walker.) How do I know it's all 750+ artworks? Because I counted. 45 columns by 17 rows. You could spend hours staring at them and not exhaust this monumental project. I'm not sure how long they'll remain on display so don't put it off.



5. Zak Smith a genious, and this book the best.
   if you like concept ilustration, you'll love it...
   
   and the prize it's great!

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.

No comments about Looking at Laughter: Humor, Power, and Transgression in Roman Visual Culture, 100 B.C.- A.D. 250.

5 comments about On Becoming an Artist: Reinventing Yourself Through Mindful Creativity.

1. I bought this book while buying Gelb's, "How to Think Like Da Vinci,' from the AMazon suggestion selection of, 'Other's who bught this book also bought ...' Generally I have had good luck with this. Not this time.
   
   I stayed with this book On Becoming an Artist: Reinventing Yourself Through Mindful Creativityfor 100 pages trying to figure out where it was going -- to no avail. It may have been written well -- technically -- but all I seemed to gather from the book was how well the author thought she 'mindfully' painted horses and her dogs.
   
   Others may find it useful, I didn't.
   
   Leon



2. I do wish people who know nothing about the reality of being an artist would stop supporting all the useless ideas that are floating around in the arts. It's all so easy and wonderful! The worst part though is her reference to Ingres "mistake"!! I assume her ignorance regarding visual language led to that conclusion, well and good that she doesn't understand but please stop writing books about what you don't know. I am sorry for anyone who picks up this book wanting to learn about painting. It is deadly.



3. There is some value in this book. It offers a helpful emphasis on being attentive to the task at hand, being wholly involved with it as it really is. By looking at your own work without preconception, it becomes possible to grasp the happy accident or to use the flow of creativity to the fullest. Working without concern for what everyone else will say, it becomes possible to enjoy the moment for what it is, not for what someone says it should be. That much I can go along with.
   
   I just can't agree with other parts of this book's message. Somehow, Langer's "mindfulness" has a mindlessness about it that I can't accept. Many kinds of art demand thorough planning and preparation of a kind that Langer seems to discard. Even painting for fun can benefit from thought and organization, without demanding iron-bound rigidity in following one's plans. Discipline, the antithesis of Langer's meandering, free-flowing "mindfulness", helps a beginning artist develop skills that eventually translate into fluency. When the brush becomes a natural extension of the hand, then the artist can focus more deeply and fully on the artwork and less on the mechanics of making a mark. I agree that criticism can be discouraging, but I also know that high levels of achievement demand a clear-eyed ability to spot the weaknesses in one's own work. That crucial faculty of self-critique can only be learned by engaging in critique, of one's own work and the work of others. I have to conclude that the artist to whom Langer wrote this book is a casual hobbyist or a dabbler. No one who wants to make a living in fine or applied arts can afford the looseness of the approach described here, and the dedicated amateur will fast outgrow it.
   
   My profoundest reservations, however, are tangential to the main thrust of the book. For a working academic, I found her massive reliance on her own unpublished writings odd. Peer review is no guarantee of quality work, I know, but is this work really so hard to get accepted into print? If so, why? And, despite her experience in clinical psychology, her description of suicidal thought in terms of excess criticism is simplistic at best.
   
   There are lots of other books out there on developing the artist's skill and spirit - those will probably serve you better.
   
   //wiredweird



4. For an artist, increasing creativity may mean a lot of different things. It may mean finding new ways to look at the world that can then be transformed into a work. It may mean developing techniques that allow the artist to convert what he see into a work. It may mean removing some psychological obstacle that is preventing the artist from looking at the world in a particular way, or transforming that vision into a work. Or it may mean allowing oneself to get started in the entire process. "On Becoming an Artist" seems to be aimed at this last situation.
   
   The author, a psychologist, believes that anyone can create art if they are mindful, as she defines that term. Being mindful appears to mean having an open mind that is continually ready to consider the world anew. If individuals creating art are mindful, Langer says, they will, among other things, be authentic, not consider evaluation, not worry about mistakes, be free of rules, not be concerned about comparisons, and not worry about talent.
   
   While I have not read Langer's other books about mindfulness, this goal does not seem to be just about dealing with phobias, but rather about adopting a method of living one's life akin to a kind of secular Zen Buddhism. While it may be beneficial to practice mindfulness, I had the feeling that this book developed out of her own prior work on mindfulness and her personal experience as a painter, rather than out of a sense that she could help artists to be more creative. What she urges is adopting art as a form of pastime for the benefit of the artist without any concern for the message or the audience. There is nothing wrong with that, but practicing artists who are interested in extending their creativity will be interested in going beyond self-indulgence.
   
   I also found the sub-title "Reinventing Yourself through Mindful Creativity" to be a little misleading, It suggest that Langer will tell the individual how practicing art will make one's life fuller, but what she tells is how to practice art without certain hang-ups that may or may not be useful to the creative person.
   
   For Langer's fans this book will probably allow them to explore the concept of mindfulness in greater depth. There probably will not be much here to help the practicing artist to be more creative.



5. There is so much fear associated with performing, creating, or expressing any artistic endeavor. Langer holds up a mirror to these fears by describing many scientifically based experiments that reveal where the real problems lie:
   1. Being critical of others prevents us from being vulnerable enough to be moved by something unique and wonderful. Allowing yourself to be vulnerable makes artistic expression more meaningful.
   2. Assumptions about "prodigies," "talent," and "real" art, are often based on one experience, or one comment we may have overheard. The people we compare ourselves to may not claim to be any more of an expert than we are.
   
   I am completely inspired by this book! Perhaps if enough people let go of their critical, doubtful selves and begin expressing themselves artistically, they would begin to understand how invaluable the arts are. Rather than talking about the arts as a core subject in schools, books like this convince me that "the basics" and all of general education would gain tremendously by learning from the arts.

5 comments about May I Feel Said He (Art & Poetry).

1. I was given this book several years ago when I was out book shopping with a teacher I love to be with.
   
   We were both rather caught up that day in the spirit of the art and poem.
   Feels almost a decade ago, so it probably was.
   I liked Chagall's pictures some of which here I had not seen, will never see (though I've made a good stab at knowing his work)and appreciate this book form and maybe, in my way, felt that the poem was pushing me to consider them from a perspective I might have seen differently sans text. It would be typical that my friend was drawn to the words reading it to me several times, and I think drawing a bit of customer interest, while I was held by the images. Well we were in a children's bookstore in the art books looking for things to use in teaching...so I guess in a way...we were behaving rather like a child might finding the National Geo holding pictures of "naked people" something I recall of my brothers days. I imagine the internet fills that role now.....
   
   This said I would contextualize this...I was raised in another "time" and in the arts and literature. In my era if creating a piece we were asked frankly to shock, disarm, question to engage with literature and art for its ability to speak the human truth that often is hidden or obfuscated. That love contains a side that exists physically ....a kind of accepted truth. Thus you have Cummings poem. Which is a bit..risque. Or these paintings. I don't know why I find reality TV not this or expressions in culture now different but I do. I am aware that changes in outlooks now conclude that a book like this one would be kind of a scandal in school.
   Not that I was taking it there, but in my time I think "nobigdeal". I find this odd with what goes on media wise...but enough said.
   
   I would imagine the persons exchanging this as a gift would be talking of love, or like my friend and I feeling silly happy about an aspect of living. If I put it on the coffee table in a stack of art books my kids read it, enjoy the pictures, like the book but I doubt think much one way or another besides its sweet. To me at the time I found it spoke to journeys in our lives, positive aspects of this thing denoted as love functioning in our days....funny...irreverent. Rather a playful relationship to the viewer maintained, nice diversion. I'd give it to someone with a heart.



2. This is one of the most beautiful combinations of poetry and art. The poem is really quite beautiful. The art is inspirational. I don't knwo that I'd give it to a couple for their wedding though, cause the poem is about a man who is cheating on his wife....So don't take the advice of the other reviewer, the couple might look at you funny!



3. Just got this book and I love it. I purchased it based on reviews that I read and they are 100% correct. Beautiful pictures and a touching poem. Great as a wedding gift.



4. If you are a Chagall or e.e. cummings lover, this book is not to be missed. It is an absolute treasure and such a beautiful marriage of words and art! The images perfectly complement the text. Highly recommended, even as an introduction to either of these two artists.



5. A terrific combination of art appreciation classes and literature for reading outdoors--took me back some 35 years to college days in its content, and then back up to the present in its pervasive wisdom. A joy for the ear and eye, just like its message--lovemaking is for lots of ages and stages and a delight to the senses. Should be on every bookstore's front tables.

5 comments about Balenciaga and His Legacy: Haute Couture from the Texas Fashion Collection.

1. The pictures are stunning and cover a range of designs. What surprised me was how much I enjoyed reading about a woman who collected the textile art of Balenciaga and the history of Neiman Marcus. The author included pictures of Balenciaga creations being worn by their owner. Somehow that added a special touch and made this more than a collection of photographs of elegant clothing. I look forward to enjoying this book for many years.



2. M. Balenciaga was a master couturier so lacking today as one considers haute couture, especially, as the French houses of haute couture are virtually gone. At the time of M. Balenciaga's impact from the 1930s through 1968 when he closed his Parisian house, there were many more houses of haute couture. He, like Chanel, Christian Dior, Pierre Balmain, Mainbocher, Jacques Fath, Schiaparelli, Vionnet, and Gres to name a few, flourished as women from around the globe turned to the tradition and process of the haute couture as the pinnacle of what it meant to being well-dressed. Out of this number, the creations of M. Balenciaga stand-out. There is that certain something about his work which commands and rivets the attention. Yes, unquestionably elegant, imbued with masterful design, quality, and exacting a nobility for the wearer which she may or may not have actually possessed, but still whenever I view his creations I think to myself "more". Unlike today where being anonymous seems to be the rule of what passes for style, M. Balenciaga assured a woman would never be forgotten. This volume pays homage to that certain something and begs the question "where are the contemporary talents?" At the moment, in Paris there are only in my view, Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel and Valentino. These individuals know how to dress their haute couture clients (especially, those not wishing to dress perennially 18 years old) whereas the remaining haute couture houses present nothing but a media circus, for too long lead by that dreadful costumier posing as a couturier at Christian Dior. For the sheer pleasure of pondering something beautiful, I recommend this volume as well as Balenciaga by Marie-Andrée Jouve and Jacqueline Demornex published in 1991.



3. gorgeous pics of gorgeous clothes. this guy is my fav. when it comes to couture and this book won't disappoint. well worth the money. yeah, Dior is great too but this guy really is the 'master'



4. My company produced the mannequins used to exhibit the couture in this fine text, so for me it was a delight, that bias aside, the forward by Givenchy is worth the cover price alone. The text my Myra Walker is insightful and the book is beautifully ilustrated. Seeing Balenciaga's illustrations along side his creations is a joy for any true fashionista. The book is a homage to Balenciaga's work, but not Balenciaga, who was a private and complicated gentleman, and who would like to remembered that way, for his work, not for himself.



5. This is a fabulous book! I love the images and history. I would recommend it to anyone who has an appreciation for fashion history and photography.

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.

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!)

4 comments about Art Festival Guide: The Artist's Guide to Selling in Art Festivals.

1. "Art Festival Guide" has some helpful information and a light conversational tone. Unfortunately, the book needed a good editor. It becomes a little rambling and repetitive. Because of the dearth of information on Art Festivals I still recommend the book, but you should know that you might be skipping around to the sections that you find useful.



2. Maria Arango's Art Festival Guide is a fantastic book! I am a jewelry artist just getting ready to sell at festivals, and money is extremely tight, but I am so glad I purchased this book. Maria really gives you straight-forward advice about all things related to street fair selling.
   A million things and circumstances that you wouldn't really even consider if someone who's been in the business for 10 years hadn't pointed them out to you. Thanks Maria, for writing a very informative book! Hope to see you at an art festival!



3. This was just what I needed before participating in a festival for the first time. And it will be worth reading again after I do a few.



4. This book was a very easy and enjoyable read. Maria has a very conversational and humorous writing style. Even though I read it very new to the art festival process, I had done enough of my own research that I didn't learn as much as I had hoped from this book. I also found her resources a bit limited.
   
   Overall, it is a good read for those wondering if this is the way to go to sell their art. She definitely brings up great issues to consider if this is how you want to making a living at your art.