4 comments about The Codex Nuttall.

1. El códice Nuttall es uno de los varios códices mixtecos que resaltan por su belleza y maestría de la composición.

   Pero son más que simples representaciones. Son una forma de escritura, que aún no se ha terminado de descifrar del todo. No sólo inspiran creación artística, sino también constituyen un legado cultural de nuestros antepasados; en ellos se plasmaron sus conocimientos históricos, medicinales, matemáticos, astronómicos, literarios, etc.




2. This is an interesting reproduction of the original document that is now kept in the British Museum. Essentially it is a historical geneological representation of the Mixtec kings lineage from 838 A.D. to 1330 A.D. Most of the information centers around the great military and political hero 8-Deer Tiger Claw. The Codex Nuttall is very difficult to understand and very little explanation of each plate is given. On the flip side, the pictures if studied carefully, are quite revealing and graphic in nature. As Meso-American art it is a wonderful depiction of Mixtex kings and their lives. The colors are true to the originals and rich with hues of red, brown and green mostly. This is a good book for anyone intersted in Meso-American art, either to reproduce or inspire to create something new borrowed from something old. As an archeological artifact it is a superb collection of drawings that inform as well as visually entertain. If you're into Pre-Columbian life in Mexico or want to learn more about the ancient civilizations that existed, this is a book for your collection.



3. I'm sorry if this confuses you but this book is actually a Mixtec manuscript, not Maya. In the edition I read, the colors are not as good as the reconstruction of the Codex Borgia. The Zouche Nutall codex contains stories of Mixtec towns and persons. The most interesting one is the story of Eight-deer. This books is a wonderful source of information for those interested in Archeology, Art, or simply curious



4. The Codex Nuttall is a graphical transcription of Mayan hieroglyph of uncomparable beauty and emotional impact. The original is exposed at the Peabody Museum; in the book is depicted with hi-fidelity colors and printed on quality white paper. It results very close to the original and better than photographic reproductions available. It is indispensable for all that works with design so as painters, architects, tattoonists.... But it is a powerful tool for who are interested to know about the magical simbolism of the Ancient Mexicans.

   Stefano Bianca designer musician inventor

4 comments about Ed Emberley's Big Orange Drawing Book (Ed Emberley's Big...).

1. All of Emberley's books are wonderful. The Big Orange Drawing book specializes in things that are orange so a lot of it is Halloween themed. I loved working through these books as a child and still have some of the Halloween decorations I made from this book.



2. This book is from a series of 4 books from Emberly are the easiest books on drawing there are, period. Anyone young or old can learn to draw some great critters and vehicles from these books. ANYONE! These are a great first step. All of his Big Color books are great, (They are a series, each named after a color). Famous for the easy way it shows you how to draw step by step, what appears to be a complex Haunted House, but it is simple when you do it his way. This book includes a number of fun ideas including robots, tiger, military ships, Halloween holiday drawings, and more. He even shows you how to make yours unique rather than a copy of his drawings. You can be the doodle hero of your classroom or office after using this book. He does it simply using very simple steps, lines, and basic shapes to start you off. My favorite in the series would be the Purple Book, because I am partial to the pirate ship instructions.

   If you want to move up from here and learn the terminology of what you are doing, and really become an accomplished artist, the next step after these are the terrific books by "Jack Hamm".

   If you just want to have some fun, get this book!




3. I am a 21 year-old artist. I forgot all about Ed Emberley until a couple of weeks ago. Emberley was my first artistic inspiration and I developed an interest in art through the direction of his variety of juvenile instructional books. I highly recommend these books to any children who express an interest in art. His series of books are EXTREMELY simply to understand and children at any age can grasp his artistic expertise.



4. Believe it or not children's drawings end up looking much like Ed Emberley's. Line by line and shape by shape the Halloween related objects take form. Our other family favorite was Emberley's "Big Red Drawing Book". Absolutely love these books!

5 comments about Weirdo Deluxe: The Wild World of Pop Surrealism & Lowbrow Art.

1. If you read Juztapoz and High Fructose, worship Mark Ryden and Coop, love art but are disappointed with contemporary conceptual and process work, THEN BUY THIS BOOK!!!! The out and out bible of pop surrealism and low brow. Savy mixes of graffitti street culture with fine art. I have to say that the discovery of pop surrealism, which I first saw in this book, revolutionized my own art work and has radically changed my ideas about the trajectory of art. Needless to say I like it.



2. Together with Peter Swirski's 'From Lowbrow to Nobrow' this is one of my favourite books on popular art, aka lowbrow, pop, junk, genre, and so on.
   Jordan's focus is very much on the visual aspec ts of lowbrow art, an orientation which is only enhanced by the graphic design of the covers and the book itself. I was quite familiar with many of the artists represented in his book, so I was a little less than completely enthused.
   One of the chief drawbacks of this very engaging book is the palpable lack of a more historical/analytical framework in which to situate lowbrow art. Another thing I would have loved to see is, especially since Swirski usefully traces it, a detailed treatment of nobrow culture and nobrow art which appears to have been around longer than most critics and commentators would have us believe. All in all, I give Matt Jordan a well deserved four stars, reserving the top score for the book which is really a companion rather than competition to his, From Lowbrow to Nobrow.



3. This book is a fine introduction to the work of a younger generation of painters who eschew the cold, minimalist aesthetic that afflicts contemporary art like herpes on Paris Hilton's nether regions. These bold dudes and dames draw instead from the pop culture all around them--and the pop culture of long-lost bygone eras, like the '80s. If you're at all familiar with psychedelia, punk, hot rods, comic books (and underground "comix"), "classic" TV, tiki culture, advertising art & design, fast food, celebrity magazines, steers, beers, queers, freaks, geeks and of course serial killers, then you should find the art in this book accessible as a beer bottle bong in a Phish fan's dorm room. What sets them apart from the pop artists of yesteryear is the young bucks approach the culture as the warm embryonic bath from which they were weaned, lost their virginity and will drown in. Whereas even Warhol had to keep at least one foot in the "high" culture (his bread & butter, after all), artists like Gary Panter and Robert Williams would be just as happy plastering their wares on T-shirts and album covers (and don't bring up Warhol's dalliance with the Velvet Underground; most art snobs still dismiss that amazing band as so much juvenile effluvia). While a great deal of snark and irony can be found here, there's also a genuine appreciation of subjects they were supposed to grow out of.
   
   While everyone will have their own personal faves, and it should be noted that there are a wide range of styles represented here, for me the standouts include the goth-tastic Camille Rose Garcia and Mark Ryden, the gonzo surrealism of Scott Musgrove and Skot Olsen and the cubist comix art of the great Gary Panter. Many will be familiar the highly influential Robert Williams, whose work suggests a coke-addled Salvador Dali on a high speed road trip through the trashiest regions of American culture with a bunch of Hell's Angels as tour guides. Don't hate him just 'cause Guns n' Roses used one of his pieces for an album cover--hate him 'cause he disses pretty much every artist that came in his wake. Still, I have to admit his stuff is pretty rockin'.
   
   Now for the downside. While the reproductions here are generally clear and well-presented, artists who use a lot of detail, like the disturbing, obsessive Joe Coleman, are hemmed in and almost incomprehensible. Even more disappoiting is the cover desigh and title; sure, most of these artists have an appreciation of kitsch, but their work isn't kitschy. It's one thing to wear marginalization as a badge of honor, it's quite another when one of your supporters (Matt Dukes Jordan, the author) marginalizes you, if only by accident. One could also fault the lack of graffiti art here; if "lowbrow" is not really a movement, then why not? All in all, though, "Weirdo Deluxe" is more fun (and informative) then shaving the hair from Ed Asner's back.



4. As a contemporary artist and fan of post war american art I found Dukes Jordan's tome to be a fascinating blueprint of both cutting edge "Lowbrow" art and it's genesis in US kitsch kulture.
   
   I've been subscribing to Juxtapoz for years, so I'm already familiar with most of the artists featured by Jordan. Nevertheless I snapped up his book RIGHT a way. It's cool to have a mini monograph of so many cool artists at my fingertips. The art reproduction is first rate.
   
   His time line describing the key events in 20th century american pop culture culminating in the Lowbrow movement was particularly fascinating. He ties together all the disparate cultural threads as he traces the history of this art form.
   
   All in all a fabulous art book.



5. A first-rate introduction to an underground art movement that blends cartoony pop culture elements with fine art sophistication. True to the spirit of the art, the book is fun to read and packed with colorful details about the artists, their work, and the history of the movement. The selection of art provides a good overview of each artist's work and the print quality of the art is excellent -- clear, bright, and detailed. The book's zany and beautiful design complements the art. Highly recommended.

2 comments about Naked City.

1. Weegee knew what kind of photos the editors of the New York daily tabloids wanted, in-your-face gutsy black and whites to capture the reader's imagination over the breakfast table. He always delivered too. This reprint of his 1945 book captures the energy of the Big Apple and yet there are no shots of skyscrapers. Instead the (mostly) ordinary folk of the city are shown getting on with their lives and deaths.
   
   Many of the photos are taken at night, a Weegee trademark. Inside buildings he used infrared film so he could shoot in near blackness and capture his subjects displaying emotions they would hide, had they known a camera was about. Out on the street he captured the latest human tragedy in stark close-up with a blinding flash of his Speed Graphic camera.
   
   The contents of this book are an amazing selection of photos but I was very disappointed by the reproduction, so only three stars. As far as I can tell, the photos have been scanned from the 1945 book rather than from original prints. The paper is coarse which doesn't help the reproduction either. This looks not much better than a book of photocopies. Far better I think to go for Miles Barth's Weegee's World. Although it does not have every photo from 'Naked City', the 250 included are printed as duotones on glossy paper, I particularly like this book because it shows many photos as original un-cropped prints. For instance, in his famous photo, 'The Critic' the three bystanders to the left of the two socialites are usually cropped out but here you can see how great the original was. This book also has three excellent essays about Weegee and his influence on other photographers in the Forties.
   
   Another choice might be Weegee's New York Photographs, 1935-1960 with 335 photos from 1935 to 1960 and like the Barth book it is large size and beautifully printed (the photos are duotones) on glossy paper and could possibly have all the photos in Naked City.



2. A fine selection of Weegee's unposed, spontaneous vignettes of life in the city, at least, as it was in the 30's and 40's, equivalent of today's TV "fuzz and the wuzz". His accompanying commentary, unghosted and punchy, mirrors the b/w images; snappy, to the point. The paper stock used here is cheap, but then, these photos usually appeared in the morning paper...in a time when there were newspapers.

5 comments about Newspaper Designer's Handbook with CD-ROM.

1. I have taken this book apart and used it in the classroom. I bought it used and didn't receive a CD-ROM with it. My students are able to glean many ideas from it for our school newspaper.



2. Tim Harrower provides a very practical guide to newspaper design. The art of newspaper design tends to be very subjective, so this book lays down some facts and guidelines to put to rest some of the indecisive elements of design.
   
   For a beginner, this is a book that will give you the confidence and understanding to conquer page layout.
   
   The CD gives the novice an even more practical guide than the book can deliver.
   
   One criticism is that the book is printed on light gloss stock and is spiral bound. I am not sure how it was survive rough treatment.
   
   Brian Hurst



3. When I accepted my first "real" job in journalism as a page designer for a local weekly I was struck by a horrifying thought, I really knew nothing about newspaper design. I had done it before for my college paper, sure, but this was the big time. I needed a refresher course and I needed it fast... Tim Harrower and this spiral-bound book came to my rescue.
   
   Although it was first published in 1989, this book will be relevant as long as newspapers exist, even in this age of computer design. Harrower explains and shows why certain designs are good and bad and he approaches it in a situational, problem-solving format. For example, he explains what should be done when you have to design a page with no art, when you have butting headlines, or two horizontal photos etc. Harrower says that most page designers stumble into the job and from this point of view he explains what exactly, a good design is. This book will always be on my desk.
   
   (I wish my publications professor used this instead of the worthless $105 monstrosity he made us buy (and that we never used by the way).)
   
   So, after some mild freaking out followed by a lot of reading, I can start my new job with confidence thanks to this book.



4. I am an editor these days.
   I came on this book quite a few years ago when I was a sub. It was recommended to me by an old hand in the newspaper game.
   Without doubt, it is the single best aquisition I have made in terms of newspaper design.
   In the places I have worked, I have been regarded extremely highly for my layout skills.
   This book, with a little creativity, is the basis of almost everything I do in terms of layout.
   If you are serious about the newspaper game, get it, study it and then apply what you learn. It will help our career enormously.



5. This textbook is awesome. I've never seen a better textbook. It lays everything out, and makes it simple to understand. It tells you what to do and what not to do in simple language and clear pictures. It's one of few textbooks worth keeping for future use in your career (provided you're going into the newspaper industry)!

2 comments about Isaak Levitan: Lyrical Landscape.

1. I am a painter and am always scouring book stores and sources for good books on other artists.I am also intersted in exploring artists from different countries. It is fasinating to discover their influences and their lives with their contemporaries. This man has the same sensitivity to the landscape as many of my favorite impressionist landscape painters. It is a lovely book and I will be looking for more about Levitan.



2. Superb book - as a guide and as a reference. Isaak Levitan was a real master of Silver Age of Russian painting - apart from excellent skills, he was able to capture the mood. Highly recommended

5 comments about The Complete Engravings, Etchings and Drypoints of Albrecht Durer.

1. The book was marked on the Amazon "like new" when in fact it is all yellow, cover is scratched and first two pages are moldy. I am not comfortable to put this book on the shelf with my books. Does the mold spread?
   The book was sent to me in the "manila" envelope (!) which got ripped in the mail transition. The book's cover was spoiled.
   Also, our mailman folded that envelop, probably thinking that's a magazine. The book was folded.
   Man



2. This book is cheap and full of amazing reproductions of Durers prints, what it lacks in text it more than makes up for in images



3. Una gran edición a costo más que razonable para mi. Contiene todos los grabados en metal.



4. Because this book was a reasonable size I expected bigger reproductions. Most of the prints are a mere 3x5". If I live in the states I would have sent the book back.



5. If only the reproductions were half as good as the originals. I kept it but had I known the quality was this poor I would have skipped it.

5 comments about Hard Boys.

1. This book is a must have for lovers of gay erotic art. The attention to detail in this book is simply amazing. It's completely loaded with well hung guys in different types of artwork- sketching, color prints, etc- the book is HUGE too- It has over 200 pages and the biography on the artist of the book is extremely interesting as well. This book was very well done- You will love it!!



2. As an artist who specializes in the male nude, I found this book to be extremely inspiring and educational. Everytime I look at a Harry Bush drawing I learn more about anatomy, and how better to capture the male figure not only accurately but with panache. This book is a treasure trove of beautiful works from an artist who has not been sufficiently recognized for his contributions to the genre. I'm very grateful to the people responsible for making it happen!



3. Harry Bush, may have been a sad character in real life, but his male(homo)erotic artwork is exceptional. There is a lot to be learned from his drawing style. As an erotic artist I draw and paint for the adult audience. I needed to learn what male erotica could be, this book is an outstanding example.



4. I saw this book at a small bookstore and I bought it without hesitation. I didn't have to look inside, because I knew it didn't matter. It would be great no matter what. After seeing snippets of Mr. Bush's work online and in magazines, a monograph of his work has been on my mental wish list for years. As a child growing up reading comics, interested in art, and gay, I've always been taken with the precision and perfection exhibited in Harry's drawings. His art is somewhat hard to describe. The care and time put in to each drawing suggests painstaking realism, which causes the viewer to overlook some of the blatant exaggerations in the subjects' superhung endowment. Compared to Tom of Finland's work, which is too cartoony for my taste, Harry portrays a realistically exaggerated world of beautiful characters in the throes of budding manhood. The drawings are both erotic and fun, in addition to interesting to study as art. The almost all pencil-drawn pieces are crystal clear, with great care given to line weight and shading. The reproductions of the original pieces are very well done in the book, capturing little nuances like the texture of the paper they were drawn on, and notes Harry wrote to himself while drawing them.
   
   I could write for days about this book, but in short I'd like to thank the authors for releasing it. Based on the story of Harry's life and attitude, it seems it is nearly a miracle that the drawings still exist for the world to enjoy.
   
   As a college student in my early 20's, I never experienced gay culture before Stonewall; before AIDS. The art in this book portrays a care-free fun attitude throughout the '60's and '70's that I wish still existed. Even if it never really existed that way, Mr. Bush did a good job of making the fantasy as real as it could be.



5. For anyone with an appreciation for gay male erotic art, this book is a MUST! Harry Bush was (is) clearly one of the great American illustrators, and this collection of images is a brilliant testament to his courage as a gay man in a gay-unfriendly world! The images are not only titilating, but each conveys a sense of humor and charm that would make virtually any adult observer feel at ease. This book just might swing a few homo-phobics on over to the "other side"... ENJOY!

1 comments about Egon Schiele: 1890-1918: Desire and Decay (Taschen 25th Anniversary Series).

1. This is another welcome addition to Taschen's 25th Anniversary Series of large, hardcover collections. You get excellent reproductions of many of Egon Schiele's finest work along with Wolfgang Georg Fischer's expert commentary.
   
   Besides the works themselves, I found the most valuable part of the book to be the historical and biographical information. Fischer gives the necessary perspective with which to view Schiele's sometimes difficult work without being excessively wordy or academic. I love academic writing as much as anyone, but I think the intended audience here is not going to want to wade through pages of theoretical discourse.
   
   In addition to the paintings, there are some photographs of Schiele, his family, and his colleagues. After looking at his numerous self-portraits and (especially) the paintings of his wife, it's fascinating to see photographs of them in a casual context.
   
   Schiele's style may not appeal to everyone, but this book is an excellent place to begin your appreciation, especially at Taschen's extremely low price. When you look at all the $3-12k limited edition books they release, it's nice that they remember that poor college students enjoy great art books too!

No comments about Contemporary Art (Trade).