2 comments about The Lord of the Rings Poster Collection 2.

1. In the world of Tolkien artwork, two artists sit at the top of the heap: Alan Lee and John Howe. These two artists have devoted a lot of ink to sketching scenes from J.R.R. Tolkien's masterworks, and in the "Lord of the Rings Poster Collection 2," we get to see some of Lee's best work.
   
   "The Halls of Moria" is one of the most stirring pieces of artwork -- an enormous dark hall full of pillars and vaulted ceilings, with a beam of light shining over the Fellowship. "Tol Brandir" shows a tangle of leafless branches, mossy rocks and stone steps. And then there's the "Golden Hall," a beautiful landscape crowned by a hill, on top of which is Theoden's home. Lee's painted clouds look as if they are glowing.
   
   "Orthanc" shifts the focus to grimmer subjects -- Saruman's stronghold is immense, menacing, vaguely insectile with its black shiny look. And, of course, it's surrounded by floodwater. "The Siege of Gondor" is tightly packed with grinning, creepy orcs with spears, and a few human warriors, one of whom is dead. And "Two Orcs" has a pair of suitably creepy-looking orcs, not doing much.
   
   Of the two poster collections of Lee's work, the second is obviously superior. We get a range of subjects, from all three books, and it shows the different kinds of artwork that Lee can do. The posters themselves are lovely -- high quality paper, clear reproduction. As for the pictures themselves....
   
   Alan Lee does "still work" the best -- even when his subjects are in motion, they look very quiet and almost dreamlike. There's a lot of detail poured into these, since even small twigs, cracks and stains make their way into his artwork. They also tend to have muted, faded colours, lots of soft greys, browns and greens. Some of them look like sepia photographs.
   
   Looking at these beautiful posters, it's easy to see why Lee was one of the designers for the "Lord of the Rings" movies' exquisite sets. A wonderful collection of fantasy artwork.



2. This collection features six works of Alan Lee who, along with John Howe, was one of the principle conceptual artists for Peter Jackson's films based on J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings".
   
   The six works featured in this collection are:
   
   1. The Mines of Moria
   2. Tol Brandir
   3. The Golden Hall
   4. Orthanc
   5. The Siege of Gondor
   6. Two Orcs in the Land of Shadow
   
   The six works are large, stand alone posters on heavy stock contained within an attractive folder featuring "Orthanc" on the front cover. The prints--the originals were done in watercolor--have a black border with the name of the work and the artist at the bottom in small print.
   
   These prints are an excellent addition to any Tolkien fan's collection.

No comments about Conservation at the Art Institute of Chicago (Museum Studies (Art Institute of Chicago)).

No comments about Mouton Rothschild: Paintings for the Labels 1945-1981.

5 comments about Couples: Found Photos.

1. I recently came across this book, and I love it. I work in the Graphic Design Department for the Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon. As a keen photographer and lover of traditional photography, I find this book refreshing and uplifting. It is full of images that have captured a particular moment between man and woman. It reminds the viewer of a time when a photograph was a valued possession and a keepsake. I like that the images represent an intimate, personal moment between two people. Page after page depicts a different couple in a different time and place, but with the common them of togetherness and intimacy.
   
   As a keen photographer I love that the book shows the prints in their original form. The old polaroids with the white borders, the photo booth prints depicted at actual size, black and white, and hand tinted prints are all represented. This helps the honesty of the images and processes, and the realness and truth of a captured moment.
   
   This book is a wonderful collection. It is a little treasure of intimate moments between couples and now because of Karin Elsener and Roger Handy, these moments are shared with anyone who is lucky enough to page through it.



2. Though "Couples" is more than a coffee table book, if it were, it would certainly stimulate conversation. Mr. Handy and Ms. Elsener prove to possess keen eyes for the witty and purely romantic in their photographic survey of American couples in years past. The fact that the pictures are found photos makes them all the more alluring in their mystery.



3. The book's premise is good enough to make me want to buy it. A collection of found or thrown away photographs, rescued and compiled to try to "capture the essence of being a couple" or something foolish sounding like that
   
   what you actually get are plenty of photo's of couples, some of them interesting or unusual, but many of them bland or almost impossible to make out
   
   None of the other reviewers mentioned this, but several of these photos are about 2" x 2", like the actual size of a photo you'd get from a photo booth. Many of the other ones are 3x3" or 4x3". That's fine for close ups, like actual photo booth pictures, but many of them are shot from 20 feet away or farther, and all you can see is 2 tiny people kissing or holding hands
   
   I don't know what that's supposed to teach me. Chalk that up to my own ignorance and un-refinement, if you want
   
   Some of the other ones are large enough, and have something about them that's eye-catching or interesting, maybe half of the book or so. That's why I gave it 3 stars, just because some of the photos do make you curious about the people in them, and you spend maybe 20 seconds thinking about whatever happened to them or laughing at what they're doing or whatever
   
   But you don't learn anything about couplehood, and all in all this collection is pretty forgettable. Do yourself a favor and pick it up at a garage sale for cheap. At least that way you'll have something kitchzy, a collection of photo's rescued from garage sales and antique stores that you rescued from a garage sale. Don't pay full price for it though, its just nothing special and you most likely won't flip through it a second time



4. A wonderful compilation of photos that capture the essence of relationships. Kudos and accolades to Roger Handy & Karin Elsner



5. Roger Handy's project in this book and his other two is a good example of how much talent and intelligence exists outside of the orthodox mainstream. Roger has spent years developing his vision and consequently has explored the unexplored territory of vernacular photography before anyone knew it was there. He has honed and re-honed his collection of snapshots in a way consistent only with his peculiar genius, a genius for constructing an atmosphere that is pure poetry, a poetry based on an individual, subjective interpretation of life. In Roger's books, a vision of life in America between 1900 and the present, is constructed out of raw materials supplied by the very people who lived through this period: us, our parents and our grandparents. In other words this is the real deal, the American experience: the good. the bad and the ugly. Never have works of art been available for so little for so many. May Roger continue forever to enlighten us to the banal poetry of the 20th century. This is history, this is art, this is our collective life and experience. Bravo!!!

No comments about George de Forest Brush: The Indian Paintings.

1 comments about Lee Mullican: An Abundant Harvest Of Sun.

1. Thought this book was an easy read and enhanced my visiting the actual Mullican exhibit at Los Angeles Museum of Art. I would recommend it.

No comments about To Fly: Contemporary Aerial Photography.

2 comments about Rhythms of Modern Life.

1. Gorgeous book on graphics and history; beautiful and fascinating for the student of the subject. Based on the museum exhibit, which should be seen in conjunction with reading the book.



2. College-level art libraries strong in British prints will find this title accompanies a major exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and the Metropolitan Museum, but stands well alone for art libraries across the country. It provides over 100 of these British prints, many published for the first time, and accompanies lovely full-color, often full-page designs with essays on both history and techniques. A fine recommendation for any serious art library.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch

1 comments about Art of the Maine Islands.

1. Carl Little, a poet, essayist, art critic and (to make ends meet) Director of Public Relations for College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine, has made it his life's work to glorify his great loves: language, painting, and Maine. In Art of the Maine Islands he collaborates once again with his `Comrade in Art,' designer Arnold Sklonick--this time to offer an assortment of artists all in one way or another captivated by the charm of Maine's chilly dark air, red rocks and frothing waters. Little and Skolnick have the breadth of appreciation to have included contemporary art along with the more staid efforts of the 19th and early 20th Centuries. The book's lively and diverse ninety-six pages probably are more designed to invite leafing through on a coffee table, than to increase the dry and dusty clutter on the scholar's bookshelf. It is homage to a place artists have always loved--and in its colorful pages you can see why.

2 comments about Demonic Divine: Himalayan Art and Beyond (Art).

1. Can the demonic be beautiful? When the subject is Himalayn Art the answer is YES. What a wonderful, sacred and incredible collection of artwork. The book is absolutely stunning!



2. I am an artist and Buddhist and this is one of the best books I have in my collection.