1 comments about Mixed Blessings: New Art in a Multicultural America.

1. Covers minority art, lots of colored pictures and artist comments/barriers in representation and discrimination. A must read for all artists.

1 comments about Framing America: A Social History of American Art.

1. This is a great book for a survey course in American art or for someone who wants to get into American art and just wants a general overview. The text is written in a very approachable manner, and the images that are included are of excellent quality and represent some good instances of characteristically American works. I used this book for an art history course in American art that was of a very limited time period, but the book is essentially written to cover everything in American art fairly broadly, from colonial times to the late twentieth century. A good read, and a good deal.

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

1. This may be a decent book for kids who are in elementary or middle school. There is too much attempt at trying to be humorous and cute- it is really frustrating when you are trying to actually learn the facts. Would not recommend it to anyone who is over the age of 12.



2. 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.



3. 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.



4. 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.



5. 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 comments about Hollow City: The Siege of San Francisco and the Crisis of American Urbanism.

1. alas, this is not an outdated book. sf has only become more homogenized since its publication (a topic that is crucial to the book, and covered very well in terms of past creative types who've inhabited sf).
   
   the book's overview of sf history is fascinating, and well-presented. solnit did a thoughful, unbiased job of evaluating the housing crisis in sf and its effect on the creative energy of the city. her metaphors are apt, and overarching points are salient.
   
   a highly recommended read to anyone who cares about san francisco history, or who has bemoaned the exodus of its artistic inhabitants.



2. I was outraged when I read this book... but not in the way you would think.
   
   Published in 2002, this book is already quite dated. Now that it is 2006 and the dotcom boom has become the dotcom bust, this author's hysteria over gentrification and urban renewal in San Francisco-- all blamed on the dotcom phenomenon, mind you-- has been proven to be unfounded. In fact, in relative terms rents are more affordable now than they were back in 2002.
   
   Where to start? This book is simply a long list of gripes and sour grapes about how San Francisco has gotten too expensive for spoiled "bohemians" to live in because they don't want to work. Perhaps most galling is how Solnit puts urban "artists" at the top of her self-righteous hierarchy of those who "deserve" to live in the City. Urban professionals are likened to "dirty old men" who follow around the innocent "schoolgirls" who supposedly are the artists.
   
   The crux of the problem is that in her myopic, NIMBY-istic viewpoint, Solnit fails to acknowledge the fact that space in San Francisco has ALWAYS been severely limited. The city itself is only about 49 square miles and it has ALWAYS been expensive... it has always gone through change, sometimes rapid. Manhattan is the center of a worldclass, GREAT city. How does she think all of those tall skyscrapers got there? When Solnit mourns the loss of an unused, empty lot to development, I have to laugh.
   
   You will find that the author considers herself a "radical" and associates with the originator of "Critical Mass", a regular, planned, and deliberate snarling of local traffic by disgruntled people on bikes. She also is in league with a local carmudgeon in the Mission who, over perceived "gentrification" in the neighborhood, put up fliers encouraging others to vandalize expensive cars on the street.
   
   With an attitude like this, it's not hard to dislike such people as these who arrogantly call themselves "radicals" and "bohemians". All the while they are complaining about the high cost of living in SF (join the club!), they petulantly claim that to get a REAL job would compromise their ideals.
   
   Give me a break.
   
   The author also makes the extremely simplistic assumption that all "true" artists are by nature poor or "downwardly mobile".
   
   I have news for the author-- San Francisco is-- and always has been-- made up mainly of hardworking people. This city was built upon that industriousness, ingenuity, and enterprise. Art has its place, but none of it would be possible without those taxpayers who HAVE JOBS. As a property tax paying citizen of the city I love, I resent her and her ilk assuming that it is their right to inexpensive or free rent in one of the most desirable places to live IN THE WORLD.
   
   The thing that amazes me is the fact she can't see that it has ALWAYS been that way... for decades and decades. I had to laugh at the idea that this book actually mentioned a parody of how, in the height of anti-gentrification hysteria, the last Mexican would soon move out of the Mission.
   
   Guess that was a wrong guess, eh?
   
   Finally, as if it were a suprise, the author in her closing acknowledgments thanks, among a number of other parties, both Critical Mass and "the bar at Place Pigalle" where some of the work for the book apparently took place. I wonder if it ever felt vaguely hypocritical to the author to be condemning urban development and trumpeting the plight of the poor over $8 glasses of Belgian ale?
   
   Extremists on either side are self-absorbed, self-righteous, and unrealistic in the extreme. I strongly disagree with everything George Bush stands for, but at least he doesn't have the gall and arrogance to assume such an air of superiority over the rest of us, especially those of us who actually work for a living. I only agree with the author over one point: idiots who drive big SUVs in the narrow streets of San Francisco are idiots. Other than that, I plan to continue enjoying San Francisco as a San Franciscan who does their fair share to keep this city vibrant, alive, and relevant. Let others stew in their own sour grapes.



3. This book has an interesting subject and lovely photography. I am sympathetic to the plight of gentrification. However, the tone of this feels as though she were a professional complainer. Neighborhoods change, that is a fact of life. The residents who were displaced in this book were undoubtedly not the same residents from the time it was built. You get the sense that the author feels like everything about every neighborhood is worth saving. It isn't. I'm not going to cry about a neighborhood with less crime. And what solutions are offered? Should one never try to improve a distressed neighborhood, so that no one ever has to move? What sort of building *should* be allowed in a city? Ms. Solnit has some very valid points in this book, but she comes off as anti-change and not really offering anything close to a solution, other than fossilizing San Francisco in the "good old days", whenever that was for her.



4. The historical journey Solnit takes through the reoccurring demise of San Francisco's bohemian culture only leads to sob stories in the end and does little for her cause. Remember, these now run-down neighborhoods and homes were expensive and new when first built 100 years ago. Yes, it's horrible that in our time the materially rich are pushing the spiritually rich out of the city, but the book only shows that artists will one day come back again. It may not be the same as when we first came, but that's life - nothing stays the same.



5. Although Rebecca Solnit writes with a deliberate and sometimes myopic agenda, her style is extraordinarily effective in evoking sympathy. It is elegaic in nature and the entire book reads as a eulogy, a fact reinforced by the shuttered structures and funeral processions presented in Schwatzenberg's photo essays. The digressions into such realms as the origins of Bohemia don't seem irrelevant or excessive but merely an extension of the beauty of the writing and presentation.

   Although the issue has become less pressing with the collapse of the fervor of the internet economy, it should be noted the type of mass evictions in favour of live/work lofts is still a common occurrence in San Francisco, and that housing is still beyond the means of many ordinary San Franciscans. Despite the less fervent pace of gentrification, those in the funeral procession presented in the opening pages will not be returning to their homes; the character of their neighbourhood will not be restored.

   The work is a mild success. Although somewhat obsolescent, it is still relevant, whether because of its still necessary impressions on the hearts of those who read it, or as a presentation of a historical phenomenon. But furthermore, as a literary work, and as a visual work, it is beautiful both in its prose and photography.

No comments about Northern Arts: The Breakthrough of Scandinavian Literature and Art, from Ibsen to Bergman.

5 comments about The New Sins.

1. I thought it was thought-provoking and great.



2. What did I just read? Is DB for real? I'm sure this photo book parading as a small gideon bible from an alternate universe would make for a good coffee table conversation piece, but beyond that?

   As a software engineer, Byrne places me in the seventh circle of hell.




3. I have read both of David Byrne's books, I own all of his musical albums, as well as all of the Talking Heads albums. Byrne has always been my prime influence, I started a band last summer, because I was inspired by his great musical talent. But, when I read his books I saw a whole new level of talent. His books are so well written and very poignant. My dream is to meet the David Byrne, ever since I was 7, he has been my favorite artist. I am now 16, I recieved both of his books for my birthday, now I am not only a fan of his music, but also his writing. Very well done Byrne, you are an inspiration to us all!



4. There is this bit in the Confessions of St. Augustine (I suppose people tend to call them "THE" confessions) that makes me think of this book. The thing about this particular sweenist book, is that it has the same hushed cuteness, the same relative boring polished and prim ah has, the same foolish urgency to play cool and harlotous with the easily distracted mind: and that is what is expected, we like it, we're all in on it, we are adept it is what is provided. "A" for wearing the right tie darling. And, yes don't worry, it still fits the procedural gust of being a book that will exit the mind before digestion, do not worry dear conscious reader, this author is speaking directly to us, is entering our homes, is talking us through his messes, all glamourous and descriptive with every detail scraped of any ambiguity and leaving as quick as cash. I mean, we love pictures in color that this book provides. But why should we expect any more? St. Augustine said that:
   "Crimes are committed, if the mind's disposition for vigorous action becomes vicious and rises up in an insolent and disordered manner, and deeds of shame are done if that affection in the soul to drink the carnal pleasures is left unchecked."
   If this book was only a crime... But I suppose it has to make everything safe and classified, and for that, I love it. Because I love the present, it is so safe. And I will flip through this book when I doubt that the world has forgotten emotional sins, and become simple cute procedures. And smile.



5. David Byrne stopped earlier this week in Oxford to do a small private bookreading for people who purchased his book. It might seem wierd that Byrne stopped to a small Mississippi college town, in the midst of his current musical tour, but the William Faulker (former Oxford resident) influence in this book, he claims, brought him here. This book is a very tongue-in-cheek attempt to show the "new sins" of our time. This book has to be read to be understood, and even then it can be hard to grasp. If you are a fan of the avant-garde, and David Byrne as a lyrical and prose composer you will be pleased. The book also features a nice collection of photographs by Byrne.

No comments about Shaping Space.

1 comments about Modern Masters Volume 17: Lee Weeks (Modern Masters).

1. I just finished plowing through this "Modern Masters" volume, my third after John Byrne's and Mike Wieringo's. All three have been fantastic.
   
   This TwoMorrows series of profiles is an excellent value on two counts:
   
   First, each one I've read consists entirely of fresh interview material, not others writing *about* the profiled artist. The interviews are substantial and long, and you'll feel indulged and satisfied as you read them.
   
   Second, there's more than enough artwork included to give a well-rounded view of the artist's strengths and style. These are black and white books, and are not really intended to showcase the art in the same way a nicer volume might. But you get a WEALTH of great information and insight for a great price.
   
   So, it's a great series. But this volume in particular was a treat, because I knew very little about Lee Weeks going into it. I enjoyed the story of his long journey into an accomplished career as a professional comic artist, and especially his sharing about his Christian faith. I appreciated his transparency, and his obvious enthusiasm for his work. He's gained a new fan.
   
   I'll definitely be buying more books from this series in the future, and I highly recommend the three I've read.

4 comments about Masterpiece of the Month.

1. The projects in this book are clear and simply explained. The concepts are appropriate for the grade levels. You will need to find a source for the prints needed for study before you can do the art projects.



2. A great book, pictures would have made it perfect. Her "Month by Month Masterpeices" sounds like it has addressed this issue, with 10 poster sized pictures. Do not be put off by Pollack's drip paintings being 1st or 2nd style presented, if you can not handle the thought of a mess, move to the next one.



3. Easy to follow art projects for elementry grades. I wish the authors had included pictures of the masterpieces, a line drawing of the artists and a short, kid-oriented biography. Nice variety of art vocabulary and artists.



4. This a great book if you are looking for lesson ideas on introducing art terminology and practice into your classroom. This book offers 9 lessons per grade from k-5th. The only thing that I found lacking was a print of each masterpiece--I was unfamiliar with some of them and it would have been good to see.

No comments about Contemporary Art Culture.