2 comments about Pleasant Journeys and Good Eats Along the Way: The Paintings of John Baeder.

1. John Baeder is one of the most talented artists to come out of the photo-realist school of the 1960's. This volume is a survey of his painting career and catalogs a current traveling museum show that will be in Asheville, NC this summer and in his home town of Nashville, TN in December. Anyone who is interested in the built landscape of the 20th Century, masterful painting or Diners and their history, will truly treasure this volume. It's just interesting on a number of different levels from history to architecture to our social culture to art. It's a very nicely made paper cover book and is quite reasonably priced.



2. For 30 years, Atlanta-born artist John Baeder has been known for his atmospheric depictions of diners, which were disappearing from American highways and byways when Baeder began painting them in the '70s; in fact, many of Baeder's subjects are buildings in various stages of deterioration (plenty of metaphor there!). Over the year, "roadside retro" since become a subject that resonates not just with collectors but the American public in general. As for diners, those icons of the American road they have resurged big-time, at least in the Northeast (albeit in gltizy, supersize versions), for an eating public hungry for nostalgia.
   We can give most of the credit to Baeder for both trends.
   The University Press of Mississippi's "Pleasant Journeys and Good Eats Along the Way: The Paintings of John Baeder" is a good survey of Baeder's work that includes not only his newer diner images but lots of lesser-known gems, such as his paintings of Los Angeles taco trucks.
   The book is a knockout, although bigger would have been better: As devotees of Baeder's work are aware, he's done a lot of fantastic images yet unpublished in book form. Nonetheless, "Pleasant Journeys" will definitely hook the uninitiated; "roadside" devotees, who know him well, will find even more to appreciate. I guarantee: Leave this book on your desk in your office wheere your coworkers can see it, or in your living room when guests are over, and it will be picked up and passed around in no time flat.

1 comments about Japan & Paris: Impressionism, Postimpressionism, and the Modern Era.

1. The aim of the Honolulu exhibition of Western and Japanese paintings was to "explore the history of collecting French painting in Japan...and the impact of early European modernism on Japan's painting traditions." The European modernism influenced Japan's traditions mostly through Japanese collectors rather than independent curiosity on the part of the painters, or contact with Western painters. This exhibition catalog is organized to efficiently educate readers on this little-covered influence. Individual paintings by Western and Japanese painters are dealt with with a picture and facing one-page analysis from the perspective of the exhibition's focus. Among the Western painters are Rouault, Matisse, Monet, and the lesser-known French artists Raphael Collin and Jean-Jacques Henner. Morita Tsunetomo, Wada Eisaku, and Kume Keiichiro are among the Japanese artists. It's interesting to see, once it is brought to light by the analyses, the Western modernist influence on the Japanese paintings. New light is shed on both modern European and Japanese art.

No comments about The Genius of Rome 1592-1623.

No comments about A Brief History of Curating.

1 comments about Surrealism Usa.

1. I was fortunate enough to see the Surrealism USA exhibit on tour in Phoenix in July. The collection was astounding. I found this book in the Phoenix Art Museum Store, however, $50 seemed like a lot to spend on a book while on a weekend vacation. I was thrilled to find it on Amazon for much less. The book is beautiful, the photographs are museum print quality and oversized, mostly one or two on each page. The book contains a thorough history of the surrealism movement in the United States during the last century. I would not hesitate to purchase it again.

2 comments about Rome Explorations: The Ancient Rome Walking Tour.

1. This is a fine book that delves into a subject that is usually just a side bar in the more comprehensive travel guides. For the interested traveller, this walking tour is an invigorating and enlightening experience. Recommended.



2. I was planning my first trip to Rome and had a huge interest in Ancient Roman History but all of the travel books that I looked at had sparse information on Ancient Roman society and landmarks. Luckily I came across this book on amazon.com. I spent a full four days following the tour in this book along with traveling to some of the extras that are listed in the back of the book. It was an excellent tour and not only did it give my girlfriend and I a ton of exercise it also allowed us to take in the overall feel of each section of the city that we journeyed through while following the books directions. On top of that it actually created interest in history from my girlfriend which is rare in itself. I strongly suggest this book to anyone who is going to Rome and wishes to take in the grandeur of the Roman Empire. As an added bonus the book lists the author's e-mail address which I used to write him a letter after completing my trip. He is extremely responsive to everything I said about his book and would enjoy talking to anyone with an interest in Rome. A definete 5 star product.

1 comments about Joe Colombo: Inventing the Future.

1. This is an unbelievably beautiful catalog of the work of a very proficient designer who, unfortunately, died "before his time". Long overdue! The illustrations are gorgeous. The major problem is the cost, but it is understood with the design and production of the work. Most of the illustrations are in color. The book's "housing" is certainly in his "style".

1 comments about T.BOR A Book (To Keep) +30 Postcards (To Send).

1. The postcards chosen for this book give a nice overview of Kalman's career. Once you have removed a postcard, you are left with a thumbnail view stub of that postcard's image. Each "stub" has quotes or interesting info about Kalman. The book and its construction follow in the vein of Kalman ( and M & Co.'s) work, using subtle quirky graphics and text.

No comments about Once Upon a Time . . .: A Treasury of Classic Fairy Tale Illustrations.

No comments about Hou Hanru: On the Mid-Ground.