No comments about Charles E. Burchfield: The Sacred Woods.

2 comments about Rubens: A Master in the Making (National Gallery London Publications).

1. Ther first time I saw this title was @ the National Gallery.
   It was a very impresive book; unfortunately, I was not able to buy it that time; now that I see it here I get it, and my first impresion is that this one is way way smaller than the other one; anyway, just opening this book you start admiring this great person, if you are just discovering him, this is a very good start.
   If you already heard of him, will be a great asset in your collection.



2. The greatest achievement of this book is its numerous large, high quality color prints (No annoying B&W reproductions). There is not a page in this book wihout a reproduction, whether it be a painting or one of the many drawings, there is always something of Rubens' to amaze your eyes. The text is acceptable though it gets a bit redundant and mundane at times, and its main concern is explaining the ontogeny of Rubens' work in his early career. The book continually maps the creation of works from drawing to oil sketch to final painting and also compares the different treatments of the same subject in Rubens' youthful ouvre. For example the three different versions of The Battle of the Amazons that Rubens painted. The book is primarily concerned with the "making of a master" and know that it only presents works from early in his career beginning just before his eight year peregrinations through Italy and Spain to about 1617. Despite some of the texts shortcomings this book is well worth having for its beautiful prints and infomative discussion of Rubens' creative process and some of his major influences.

No comments about Yinka Shonibare, MBE.

No comments about First Artist of the West: Paintings and Watercolors by George Catlin from the Collection of Gilcrease Museum.

5 comments about Mellencamp: Paintings and Reflections.

1. This is a good book for any John Mellencamp fan. He expresses himself beautifully in his paintings as well as the written essays that accompany the artwork in the book. I was lucky enough to see his paintings on display in a gallery here in the midwest and they are even more colorful and vivid up close in real life.



2. The book is a must for anyone who enjoys John Mellencamp. All the proceeds are given to elementary school children for music. I think this is a great way for John to give back to his fans and to the world in general. Go get yours now!



3. What an Artist! Lyrically, Mellencamp has the ability to make the listener FEEL what is going on in the song, and relate it to his/her own life. He carries this talent into his paintings also. I don't know all that much about painting, but I do know that I can look at the face of any of Mellencamp's characters, and FEEL their pain, sorrow, see the hope in their eyes...



4. Words can not express the way I feel about his art work. It is just too beautiful.



5. John expresses himself quite well in his paintings. I have always been a big fan of his music and his paintings just complement his music and allows me to understand a little bit more about John Mellencamp, the person.

No comments about Zones of Experience: The Art of Larry Bell.

No comments about Charles Sheeler: Across Media.

No comments about National Gallery of Art, Second Edition (World of Art) (World of Art).

5 comments about Americans in Paris 1860-1900 (National Gallery Company).

1. The subject and it's information is fine, but I found the DVD to be too short. It's about 30 minutes and I would have liked it to have included more information on the paintings and the artists. This was my first time buying a DVD on art, rather than a book. Not totally satisfied but it's a good short DVD on Impressiontists in Paris for those who prefer to watch rather than read a book on it.



2. I think Art Guy misses the point of this exhibit and catalogue. This is intended as an entry point for a general audience not as a serious contribution to new scholarship. The show was easily the best thing I saw in London last year, and the book does a fine job of providing an overview to the lives and interests of young American artists looking to pursue a fresh direction for their painting.The discussion of the 'refinements" and synthesis of their academic experiences with their response to the Impressionist palatte is of particular note. For the most part these are artists who are given short shrift by the academic establishment because they are "followers" rather than innovators. For our current generation of new realists these artists are a valuble harbinger of a new direction. I suspect that for painters like Jeremy Lipking and his ilk, the artists in this catalogue are the very models of their own endeavors.
   This is a beautiful book, even if you only look at the pictures.



3. very informative regarding the american artists who gravitated to France.
   It follows the show at the metropolitan museum with wonderful photographs and text.



4. There was a time when serious American artists felt the need to travel to Europe's art centers to study in order to become validated as 'well-schooled' craftsmen. During the nineteenth century this was especially true, not only for painters, but also for composers, singers, writers and those in all branches of the arts. This superb catalogue celebrates the painters from America who studied in Paris from 1860 to 1900 and in examining their work the book also shows the influence of the remarkable teachers of the time - Jean-Léon Gérôme and William Bouguereau among them - and carries us through copious reproductions of paintings through the transformation of the 'Parisian school' into the unmistakably American look.
   
   Writers Kathleen Adler, Erica E. Hirshler, H. Barbara Weinberg, David Park Curry, Rodolphe Rapetti, and Christopher Riopelle offer insights as well as succinct historical documentation of the forty-year periods that saw the emergence of Impressionism and Modernism. They ably remind us of the important Salon des Refusés and its part in the beginning of a movement that would result in a distinctly American style.
   
   The book is rich in sharing the works of John Singer Sargent, James Abbott, James McNeill Whistler, Mary Cassatt, and Winslow Homer, Jefferson David Chalfant, John White Alexander, William Merritt Chase, Cecilia Beaux as well as others who were either directly or tangentially influenced by the French school. Though this book is not the first to address this period and influence it is certainly one of the better designed and catalogued of those available on the market today. For sheer pleasure of enjoying this fascinating group of painters this fine book is one of the best. Grady Harp, November 06



5. The quality of exhibition catalogs ranges from poor to excellent. In this case, we have a catalog that fulfills all most important requirements.
   For one, although some snobs describe it as "pretty pictures', the reproductions are accurate, and their size is good. Especially when it comes to paintings that belong to private collections, the only hope to be reminded of the emotions one felt in the presence of the real painting, is to enjoy a decent reproduction. So I consider it a very important quality for a catalog to present well sized, good quality reproductions of all the works of art being exhibited.
   Although this catalog is not a treatise about the subject of the exhibit (and I don't believe it should be), the texts are very accurate, while at the same time they are short and concise. This is what a catalog should provide, as opposed to being the space to host infinite, boring, and cryptic prolusions by some solipsistic scholar.
   Last but not least, the structure of the catalog is very good, with the last few pages providing small reproductions of all the artwork organized by author, with short explanation blurbs that perfectly serve their purpose.
   Overall, a very good catalog for a fantastic exhibition that brought together, in some cases for the very first time, some of the most wonderful masterpieces ever created.

No comments about Planning for People in Museum Exhibitions.