1 comments about Mondrian: The Transatlantic Paintings.

1. An excellent exhibition catalog that focuses on a narrow body of works by Mondrian; namely, paintings that Mondrian brought with him on his flight from World War II in Europe to New York City, and that he either finished in New York or re-worked completely, thus the name "transatlantic paintings." These works are largely a response to the vibrant city life Mondrian enjoyed in New York, seeing the city as an embodiment of his utopian ideas of life in the future for all mankind. Part of this response included Mondrian's embracing of a musical fusion of blues and jazz music called boogie-woogie.
   The photographs are made with the most advanced technology available, and give new insights into Mondrian's working methods, chronicaling his many revisions with x-ray and ultraviolet photography, among other techniques. Extreme close-ups are provided of small details that are otherwise impossible to see with the naked eye.
   This book is not for the casual reader looking for biographical or career retrospective information on Mondrain, as its focus is too narrow, but is designed for those interested in the final period of Mondrian's career, and those interested in the conservation and restoration of paintings.

No comments about Ah!.

No comments about Reflections in a Looking Glass: A Centennial Celebration of Lewis Carroll, Photographer.

No comments about Art and Design: 100 Years at the Royal College of Art.

1 comments about Quilts, Coverlets, and Counterpanes: Bedcoverings from the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts and Old Salem Collections.

1. although this is not a huge book, it contains a wonderful collection of late 18th through 19th century bdecoverings, from woven to embroidered to quilted. the examples are generally beautiful as well as historically interesting.
   
   the introduction is brief but informative, defining the various terms used for bedcovers over time and including fascinating evidence of the value owners put on their textiles. there are also short biographies for the makers of some of the bedcovers, and even portraits in whatever medium was contemporary. also included are a few photos of textile tools, some handwritten weavers' draughts (and cloth woven from them), and a handwritten notebook for embroidery stitches.
   
   the only drawback for me is the book's brevity--i wanted more, more history and biography, and details of the bedcovers, more of the collection.
   
   quilters, weavers, those interested in textile and social history will find this book informative, enjoyable and inspiring.

No comments about Manuel Manilla: Mexican Engraver.

1 comments about American Art Pottery from the collection of the Everson Museum of Art.

1. The pottery pictured in this book is beautiful so the book is really nice eye candy, but there's more to it than that. The photography is the thing! I've never seen such beautiful photography of pottery in my life. All you potters out there, this is what your slides should look like! (Good luck.) A very lovely book of a great cross-section of American Art Pottery. Obviously, very inpirational and highly recommended.

5 comments about A Brush with Disney : An Artist's Journey, Told through the words and works of Herbert Dickens Ryman.

1. I found A Brush With Disney to be an overall good book. It looks great on the coffee table and shelf, has a beautiful cover, and clear, quality illustrations. That being said, if you think this is a book full of Disney concept art (as I did) you'll be disappointed. The book is not about Disney, but about the artist and his life and work. His work at Disney takes up only about a fourth of the book. I also thought it would feature concept work for different rides, parks, etc. In actuality it only had concept work for the parks and a few of the "lands" in Disneyland (Frontierland, New Orleans Square, Sleeping Beauty's Castle, etc.) I felt a bit cheated after paying $65 because it's as if the artist is selling himself under the Disney name for publicity and name recognition. Anyone heard of Herbert Dickens Ryman before? I sure haven't. I didn't give it a one simply because the content is good, it's just not about what is advertised and promoted on cover.



2. It is a great book when you want to learn about collors and style in Disney park design, but not much on the period of Dumbo animation and other early disney design and concept art for animation in the golden period of disney animation. Still great paintings and Aquarels (study the techniques) from traveling and the design paintings, for the disney world themeparks. It gave me the Idear of buying a sketchbook for my world traveling.
   Jan Reijmerink Drontywood ART



3. I hate to sound like an ingrate writing this review: Herb Ryman has done some great illustrations. Unfortunately, this book spends too much time showcasing Herb Ryman's non-Disney art--which is pretty mediocre--and not enough space showcasing his Disney work. The highlight of the book--Ryman's first illustration of the soon-to-be-built Disneyland--is spread across two pages, but the page break makes it nearly impossible to decipher what's in the middle of the drawing. (It should have perhaps been on a fold-out, or at least on a single, uninterrupted page.) Other great illustrations, especially early renderings of Tomorrowland, are printed in extremely small 3" images, making them very hard to read. All in all, I'd say don't bother with this book. Ryman's best drawings are already showcased in many other books.



4. As a general book about the person Herb Ryman, it is very pretty and well made, and deserves 5 stars.
   But as a source of info for the Disney historian, all I can say is: get the public library near you to buy a copy.
   Personally, I feel I should have waited to buy it until I had the chance to have a look at the contents... [added later:] I would have bought it, anyway.



5. I will admit that it was strange at first reading this in the first person (I was under the impression that Mr. Ryman had passed away some time ago....If I'm mistaken...Sorry!). Other than that, the book was great.

   I think the general public doesn't give a thought to the fact that Imagineers are highly trained/skilled artists. This book really demonstrates this nicely. Who better than Herb Ryman as an example of the fine artistry Disney has cultivated over the years.

   Don't expect to see lots of pictures of Mickey and Disney stuff. Sure, it's there, but the book focusses on Ryman, as it should. We can see why Herb was great at his job with Disney because of the wealth of life experiences he had and therefore painted.

   Good stuff. Great book!

No comments about Ken Aptekar: Painting Between the Lines, 1990-2000.

No comments about Artists and Prints: Masterworks from the Collection of The Museum of Modern Art.