No comments about Art, Mind, And Brain: A Cognitive Approach To Creativity.

2 comments about Courtly Art of the Ancient Maya.

1. I have had the great luck of being near San Francisco and thus being able to go to the Palace of the Legion of Honor and its show on Art of the Mayan Court. To say this show was staggering is something of an understatement. I have seen art shows on Magritte, Degas, Dali, Tutankhamen, the Celts, various Chinese exhibits and the like and I can say that this was probably my second favourite show, right after Treasures of Early Irish Art where I was able to see the Book of Kells, the Ardagh Chalice and the Tara Brooch.
   
   Here was able to see works rather less known, but of such fascination and splendour that I have trouble trying to describe them. Luckily, this book exists.
   
   The book not only has marvelous colour photos of the items from the exhibit, including many detail plates, but also in situ photos, especially of Palanque, the primary focus of the exhibit. On top of this the text of this book is incredibly helpful for those of us (most!) who know little or nothing of the various Mayan courts, their art, their mythology, and their history. No, this is not a complete history, though there are many excellent books on that topic that have been written since the decoding of the Mayan language (especially since the great leap in understanding since the early 1980s). Instead, this book provides basic understanding of the art and the context in which it was created.
   
   This is a beautiful book, lovely to hold, well-bound, and full of great wonder. To leaf through it is to glimpse through the smoking mirror of Mayan folklore, receiving prophetic statements not always clearly stated, but intriguing nonetheless. To read the book is to glimpse behind that mirror and begin, somewhat, to understand a lost yet awesome culture.
   
   Look, read, enjoy.



2. Mary Ellen Miller and Simon Martin build upon their previous triumphs with this excellent volume.
   Mary Ellen collaborated with the legendary Linda Schele to co-curate The Blood of Kings exhibition and produce an exquisite catalogue in 1986. The exhibition was one of the seminal events in allowing the public, avocationals and their fellow scholars to witness the grandeur and magnificence of ancient Maya culture and science. Their groundbreaking research into concepts of Maya kingship, history, daily life, and Linda's work on the decipherment of the ancient Maya hieroglyphic writing system were brought together in that excellent catalogue.
   In 2000, Simon (who has published extensively on Maya epigraphy and culture) co-authored Chronicle of the Maya Kings and Queens with Nikolai Grube. This work is one of the most readable, detailed and well organized volumes on Maya history to date.
   These authors' continuation of building strength of their presentation through multidisciplinary collaboration makes their current volume, Courtly Art of the Ancient Maya, a huge success.
   The pages show their individual and shared strengths and skills as art historian, artist, epigrapher, as well as writing with a thorough grasp of their entire subject matter. Each, having collaborated with many colleagues in the vanguard of Maya studies, brings the comprehensive sum of the latest knowledge into this work.
   One suspects that many comparisons will rightly be made to The Blood of Kings, and doing so seems a great compliment to this current work and the authors. Just as the 1986 exhibition and catalogue presented many very famous art objects and placed them into historical and cultural context in Maya history, the collection presented here may surpass the former one in terms of the variety and most of all the timeliness in which many objects are exhibited. Some of the highlighted objects of the current collection have only been excavated in the past decade. In particular, the exquisite platform tablet from Palenque Temple 21 has only come to light during INAH excavations in the past 5 years. It's presence in this collection is indeed remarkable. Additionally, the many beautiful pieces from Tonina have only been placed in that site's new regional museum and been available to the public in the past 5 years as well.
   The value of this volume is greatly increased by the addition of detailed descriptions of the art objects, their context, and especially translations of the hieroglyphic writing, where present. The advances made in the writing system's decipherment in the past 20 years make the objects even more accessible to both students of Maya history and culture, and non-Mayanists as well. The beauty and quality of the photographic images and line drawings are especially impressive.
   Anyone who has taken an interest in large art exhibitions of objects housed in such world-wide institutions has to stand in awe of this collection coming together. Those of use familiar with the art of Mesoamerica and the Maya world have looked forward to an exhibition of this type and scope in the U.S. for many years. It is a great tribute to the talents (and undoubtedly the great diplomacy) of Mary Ellen, Simon and the other curators to bring these objects into one great show. The catalogue that they have produced is not only a visual joy to linger over, but will be a valuable reference work for many years.
   Having been elated with this catalogue, I cannot wait to travel to either (or both) Washington DC and San Francisco to view the collection first hand.

5 comments about The Provencal House: Architecture and Interiors.

1. Wow, what a gorgeous book. We look at it again and again for indoor and outdoor inspiration. You will be completely delighted by this book which captures golden light!



2. Pure and simple, for most of us PROVENÇAL HOUSE is a coffee table book filled with exquisite detail found in several dozen homes in the south of France. Author, Joanna Thornycroft, has classified the structures Andreas Von Einsiedel photographed into `Town', `Manor' or `Country' houses. Short on text and long on photos, the premise of this publication seems to be a picure is worth a thousand words. Beginning with houses in the French Rivera and ending with Le Murier in hameau das Auvis, the author takes you on a trip through the land painted by Van Gogh and Pagnol.
   
   Some of the homes are "simple" cottages, others the more ornate domains of the landed gentry or super-rich movie star. My favorite shots were taken in gardens, and show flowers, pots and rustic gates across cobblestone walkways that lead to the lane or another room of the garden. Small details such as a decorative window latch covered with several centuries of paint, delft-like kitchen tiles, and a rooster weather vane, remind me of the land of the Cathars-those God-fearing people who lived in this land that once harbored them as heretics who may or may not have been far from God but who must have understood how blessed life can be when the sun shines.
   
   Architects may get some ideas from the recessed windows, the red tiled roofs, the stucco blue walls, and the marble bathroom fixtures, but the fabric-lined antique china cabinets, and nifty little accent touches in the various rooms depicted so lovingly make this book a must for interior designers and others seeking the "look" of Provence.



3. I can be critical of design and house books after seeing so many, so it's a relief to finally be able to give a book five stars. The photographs are authentic and detail everything from interior to exterior, including gardens. The essence of French provincal style is captured and distilled here. The writing is clever and concise, although you'll hardly notice it because the pictures are so brilliant. This is an essential book if you're trying to capture the French provencal look in house design or interior design. This book gives you an authentic source reference.



4. I'm an architect with the task of designing a "French" style home. This is one of several books I ordered to use as references. The appeal of this book for me is that it includes exterior architecture, interior design/decor, & gardens/landscapes. It is extensively illustrated with color photos & captions (my kind of book...). I can't critique the text because I have not yet had time to read it. But I can't get enough of the pictures!



5. I picked this book up from the table of new releases at a local bookstore, sat in a chair, and didn't move except to turn the pages for the next 90 minutes. In more than 200 color photographs, The Provencal House explores the beauty of 16 Provencal homes - interior and exterior details, uses of color playing off the landscape, curves and arches and doorways. It's a beautiful celebration of an architectural way of life rooted in the land and its traditions.

4 comments about The Shape of Time: Remarks on the History of Things.

1. This book is a must for anyone who follows a structuralist view of art. Clear, simple but nonetheless covering the widest possible scope in relation to "things", it is an authentic theoretical jewel, a brilliant work by Mr. Kubler, one of the most serious and broad minded academics of our time. HIGHLY reccomended!



2. Few people treat the concepts of *fast* and *slow* time in a cultural sense, (not a clock sense), quite so well. In this context Kubler also provides a clear working definition of an artist's entrance into an era, and what comprises real artistic invention as opposed to the replication of stereotypes. Still fresh decades after Kubler wrote this core text; Kubler defines the dynamics of artistic innovation with the same clarity that Thomas Kuhn did for the sciences in that other core text: The Structure of Scientific Revolutions.



3. The target audience for this text resides in art or anthropology departments. Because it is often seen through those specializations its influence is less than its deserts.
   
   It stems from a structuralist orientation but in a dimension that school rarely considers. Since structuralism tends to think of the passage through time as just the instance ("parole") of a simultaneous expressive system ("langue"), it misses Kubler's insight that time too can be thought of as a dimension of a trans-era historical structure. As in evolution in biology, all temporal fields then become suject to formal relational analysis.
   
   In addition to its insights, the book is lucid, brief, and articulate. It has the benefits of theory without the ponderous vocabulary and tortured syntax that sometimes mars that field.



4. This is a book about art history, written by an art historian, though it was given to me by one of my professors of anthropology while I was studying archaeology at Arizona State University. For one reason or another, I have taken this volume off my bookshelve many times, opened it to a random chapter, and read a paragraph, a few pages, or a chapter at a time. Never more than that. I have often tried to connect the theory in this book to archaeological questions, but I have mostly failed in my attempts to visualize an operational method of applying its lessons. It has become increasingly evident to me, as I struggle with the contents of this work, that this is in fact less a theory of art history and more a history of historical and cultural change: a work of anthropology, or at least one of anthropological interest.
   
   Kubler is not attempting to explicate the influences of history on stylistic changes in art. He is, in reverse, introducing the analysis of art forms to issues of historical change. This may be (perhaps suitably) a distinction of little merit to some. However, it is enough to curl the toes of at least some members of the anthropological community. Stylistic or symbolic interpretations of art through history--perhaps a more traditional history of art--are replaced by the notion that human actions or ideas, manifested through time, are reflected in art across history and that differing works of art can be recognized as manifestations of the same actions or ideas through time. If you don't understand this, then perhaps you are as confused as I am right now.
   
   Kubler begins with the following statement of assumption: "Let us suppose that the idea of art can be expanded to embrace the whole range of man-made things, including all tools and writing in addition to the useless, beautiful, and poetic things of the world." He is therefore effectively expanding the definition of art to include all material and ideological culture, thus extending the more limited discipline of art history into the realm of general anthropological theory. Actually, Kubler is expanding the definitions of both art and history. "the moment just past is extinguished forever, save for the things made during it." The accumulation of material and ideological culture alone survives to represent the evolution of humankind. This point may be self-evident to the archaeologist. However, it is a profound statement nevertheless, pointing out, if nothing else, that what may have been perceived as limits of archaeological inquiry, may be, in fact, the actual objective of such inquiry.
   
   The present is the intermediary between the future and the distant past. "Actuality is when the lighthouse is dark between flashes: it is the instant between the ticks of the watch: it is a void interval slipping forever through time: the rupture between past and future: the gap at the poles of the revolving magnetic field, infinitesimally small but ultimately real. It is the interchronic pause when nothing is happening. It is the void between events. Yet the instant of actuality is all we ever can know directly." With language like that, how could you not love this book!
   
   Jeremy W. Forstadt

4 comments about Prints and Drawings of Kathe Kollwitz.

1. This book is a great teaching aid for drawing and the transition from drawing to print processes. Great examples of the simplicity of marks necessary to create a form or mood recognisable to all. It is as much about what is left out as it is about marks made. Very dark subject matter delt with in a sensite way, a must for all for teaching and inspiration.



2. This large-scale volume does a very nice job of covering many of Kollwitz's finest works...and at a very nice price, thanks to Dover Publications.



3. Kollwitz was hated and persecuted by Hitler for taking the underside of humanity. She presents the real effects of modern warfare upon our defenseless civilians women and children. She presents the weary face of defenseless despair under relentless attack. She is the face which must be seen, like the courageous and proud Frida Kahlo, yet hers too weary for pride and fierce resistance.
   
   Get this book and LOOK . . .



4. Kathe Kollwitz shows real people dealing with the real problem of the Second World War. Her drawings are poignant reminders of the love and humanity that can exist in the midst of madness. She is also not afraid to show the horror of the war and the tolls it takes on its victims.

1 comments about Randolph Caldecott's Picture Books (Huntington Library Classics).

1. Even if you've never heard of the 19th-century illustrator Randolph Caldecott, you'll enjoy his whimsical drawings and sense of humor. This is the perfect book to read aloud to children, with lots of fun pictures to laugh about together.

5 comments about The Details of Modern Architecture: Volume 2: 1928 to 1988 (Details of Modern Architecture).

1. I guess most architects are familiar with the super famous modernists' projects, but few know what was put on the working drawings to realize it. This book does not provide actual construction drawings, but provide enough information to address what was quintessential aspects of the details. The reader would really appreciate the ingenuity of modern master's detailing by Ford's rich axonometric drawings of particular details. Ford painstakingly explains major issues involved in the details and weaves back to the historical basis of Modernism. Sometimes he makes bold generalizations to help a reader understand (and categorize) structural vs. envelope relationships. Throughout the book there is a clear categorization of attitudes towards the details; first, architects who would like to expose structure; second, architects who would like to wrap structure; third, architects who would combine the former two attitudes (expose/wrap structure). It was extremely rewarding to learn how Corb's details ("layered") differed from Mies's or Kahn's ("tectonic"). Four architects that I really enjoyed reading (because of my lack of knowledge on them) were; Asplund, Lewerentz, Greene Greene, and Aalto. I had to purchase these four architects' monographs after reading Ford's books.



2. Like the first volume, excellent book. Be prepared, however, for sentences like this, on page 127: "Perhaps because this methodology required the juxtaposition of opposites seemingly incapable of reconciliation, the irrational combination of radically different techniques, and the simultaneous consideration of multiple variables, it was one at which Aalto excelled". Both books are pretty much like that. It's interesting to read these elaborate sentences, but often they're the umpteenth re-statement of a point. After reading these volumes you'll have an overview of the important buildings and architects of the Twentieth century, complete with detailed drawings describing exactly how they were built, and a sense that architects will always agonize over the deceptions they are forced to perpetuate.



3. This book could be the greatest book in my bookshelf, but the detail drawings are so basic and naive that it's valuable almost only for the essays. I mean... I bought a book where I expected to find good and useful details, and got a book with excelent essays about construction according to the masters (from Lutyens to Morphosis). That's why I gave it 3 stars instead of the 5 the title deserved.



4. A review of famous modern architects' buildings, starting with H.H. Richardson and ending with Wright's Usonian houses. Shows how each's ideals regarding architectural honesty are revealed and often compromised in their buildings. The theme is really not important, as long as it provides a framework for discussion of construction methods, which is the real heart of the book. (For the sequel, another theme, the influence of industrialization, is added to the discussion.) You'll learn interesting facts: Greene & Greene's Gamble House is post and beam only where it shows; FLW's Martin house owes its distinctive style to framing with structural steel and brick piers. Combine this with the second volume, and you'll be familiar with all the important Modern buildings and architects.



5. I received the books (both the earlier publication and the follow up vol 2) today after a long wait. I must say that I have high expectation of the books and reckon that they could make an important contribution to the study of architecture. In an age where students are learning only from glossy mags and have no idea how buildings are put together and how the tactile quality of construction works, I think it is right that somebody should revisit the art and craft of architecture.

   However, I am greatly disappointed with the books. Whilst the text is general reasonable, insightful and critical, the same cannot be said to the drawings. In a nutshell, they are badly drawn and poorly finished. For example, the style of the drawings does not reflect the quality of the material used. And who is going to believe that when materials of different qualities are joined together, there is no tolerance? Fixing methods are not illustrated and I have a suspicion that some of the details are guesswork. This is evident by noting the impossibility of construction sequence based on the drawings. The most unforgivable sin of the drawings is that lines are missing, or are wrongly drawn. Like my teachers used to say to us, students of architecture, the guy who did the drawings simply has no idea of construction and detailing.

   As far as trying to teach my students the art and craft of architecture, I will definitely give the books a miss. The books are only useful to show how they should not be done.

3 comments about The Best Of Shirley Thompson Quilting Patterns (Golden Threads).

1. Even though it's packed with ideas, I rarely can use them in my business without sizing them. Since I don't have a printer that will do that for me, I end up putting this book back on the shelf.



2. this book has everything in it that you could possible need,
   A must for all of Shirley Thompson fans.
   thanks for a great book



3. This book was recommended to me by a National Award Winning Quilting Instructor. The patterns are excellent for either hand or machine quilting.

5 comments about Leonardo Drawings (Dover Art Library).

1. Absolutely horrible print quality. Did you get these pictures from internet?



2. Leonardo da Vinci
   
   was an Italian Renaissance polymath:
   
   
   
   an architect, musician, anatomist, inventor, engineer, sculptor, geometer, and painter. He has been described as the archetype of the " Renaissance man" and as a universal genius, a man infinitely curious and infinitely inventive. He is also considered one of the greatest painters that ever lived.
   
   
   Portrait in red chalk, circa 1512 to 1515, widely (though not universally) accepted as a genuine self-portrait.In his lifetime, Leonardo - he had no surname in the modern sense; "da Vinci" simply means "from Vinci" - was an engineer, artist, anatomist, physiologist and much more.
   
   
   
   His full birth name was "Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci", meaning "Leonardo, of ser Piero from Vinci". Leonardo is famous for his paintings, such as the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, as well as for influential drawings such as the Vitruvian Man. He designed many inventions that anticipated modern technology, such as the helicopter, tank, use of solar power, the calculator, etc., though few of these designs were constructed or were feasible in his lifetime. In addition, he advanced the study of anatomy, astronomy, and civil engineering. Of his works, only a few paintings survive, together with his notebooks (scattered among various collections) containing drawings, scientific diagrams and notes.



3. The print quality is so low and I can hardly see anything. forget it.



4. I was very disappointed in the quality of the Adobe Reader version I downloaded. I don't know if the other reviewers were reviewing hard copy versions or digital downloads. A hard copy version might be OK, but the digital version is not worth a cent in my opinion. I was hoping to be able to make some small letter-size posters for my office at work, but the resolution was so poor I don't think any of the drawings will be usable. My recommendation is don't waste your money on the download.



5. The reprints in this book are of absoultely terrible quality. If you are planning to use them as sources for drawings forget it! There are other Dover books that are better such as Sargent's. This book is of no use at all.

2 comments about Living with Art.

1. I was suppose to receive my book no later than september 7th and I just received it on sept 17th. also the bag was torn the c.d. with the book is gone and there is no packageing slip. I had never had this type of experience I am very disappointed



2. This book is excellent for the beginner, intermediate and advanced art enthusiast. It crosses over all cultures and eras and connects them all using unique and interesting themes. It also covers the basic design elements and visual fundamentals and can be used again and again for any art class: drawing, painting, sculpture, art appreciation.