5 comments about Fairfield Porter: A Life in Art.

1. I started this book knowing nothing about this important painter and finished it with a great understanding of both the man and his art.



2. Fairfield Porter's paintings have a strange pale quality, and they are flooded with light.His subjects are upper class domestic,and many of them are pale and etherial. He painted his family friends,and their pvt haunts beautifully. Little did most people realize he was a torn person,and probably can be better understood by this reading.I think what amazed me the most about this book was the incredible latent homosexual exsistence that paralled and co-existed within Porter's very homey and simmering homogenous realism.The bio details his social, artistic and private relationships with a younger generation of artists. This book is a portrait of a man at war with his sexuality. His ptngs are beautifully orchestrated, sensual, understated. A must for those that want to know more about Porter's life, and the different sides that lived inside him. A good read!I love artist bios.This is a worthy effort.



3. Justin Spring's biography on Fairfield Porter, A Life In Art, is one of the most difficult and disturbing biographies I've read in some time. It's incredibly thorough, as if no piece of information was left out.

   Most biographies are bound to reveal new information, but the amount here is overwhelming. Other reviews here on Amazon bring out the detail, so there's no point repeating it. If you're only familiar with Porter from an artisitic standpoint the biography of his family life, lifestyle, manners, and politics will be shocking and difficult to bring together.

   While in the middle of reading this book I had to let it go for a few months and read other things then go back to it. Porter's activities in the late 1940's to the mid 1950's were especially difficult to reconcile considering the subject matter of his output.

   It seems the frankness in tone of the biography is totally in tune with Porter's ways of communicating. I suspect if Porter had lived longer then such an autobiography probably would have been as revealing.




4. This book displays great beauty: the paper is beautiful, the writing is flawless and the subject matter (the art work) is cool and elegant. But the artist's life was a difficult & complex equation of contractions: he was born patrician, yet he was a leftist (he attended Socialist demonstrations in a chauffeur driven limousine); he was highly verbal and intellectual, yet he painted the coolest (visually abstract) emotion; he made realist art in an abstract art time; he was married yet he had sex with men; he was surrounded by a loving family, yet he remained remote and distant; he lived in the country, yet he was always running to the city; he was bright and balanced, yet his best (lifelong) friend was mentally deranged; he made the most stable art from the most unstable life; he was slender and active, yet he died early of a surprise heart attack; he was on the verge of greatness (and nearly penniless much of the time), but cared little for fame and less for money. This assortment of profound conflicts make for a great story, and the art works themselves tower above everything in their lofty remove, quiet dignity, and timeless spirit. Find out why that is so (and what it may mean for the history of 20th century art criticism) and read this haunting and very personal book you'll not forget.



5. Justin Spring's Fairfield Porter: A Life In Art provides an excellent literary and intellectual biography, drawing important connections between Porter's social, artistic and personal lives and considering both his art and his position in the art world. Black and white and color photos pepper this in-depth biographical and artistic coverage.

4 comments about Fine Indian Jewelry of the Southwest: The Millicent Rogers Museum Collection.

1. If you like Indian Jewelry but can't get to the museum in Taos this is a great first book on the subject. If you do go to the Millicent Rodgers Museum, this is the book to help you savor that grand experience for many years to come. And it's a great reference work if you are contemplating investing in Zuni or Navajo jewelry.
   
   Wilford's Trading Post
   Gallup, New Mexico



2. This is a glorious book of Southwest Indian Jewelry with interesting info on Millicent Rogers, who herself was a work of art.
   
   A must-have for collectors of Southwest Indian Jewelry.



3. I HAVE ORDERED SEVERAL BOOKS FROM AMAZON AND THEY ARE EXPEDIENT AND HAVE A GOOD BOOKS AT A GREAT PRICE. AVAILABILITY GREAT. I WILL CONTINUE TO DO BUSINESS WITH AMAZON AND THEIR SERVICE. THANK YOU, BECKY DYER



4. Painstakingly compiled and with an expert, knowledgeable commentary by Shelby J. Tisdale, Fine Indian Jewelry Of The Southwest: The Millicent Rogers Museum Collection offers an impressively informative history and survey of the southwestern Native American jewelry that is represented in the collection of the Millicent Rogers Museum as the result of art patron and passionate collector Millicent Rogers who assembled a spectacular collection of Navajo and Zuni silver and turquoise, Hopi silverwork, and Pueblo stone and shell jewelry during the late 1940s and early 1950s. Of special interest is the chapter devoted to "The Origins of Indian Jewelry in the Southwest". Profusely illustrated and a very strongly recommended addition to personal, academic, and community library Native American Studies reference collections, Fine Indian Jewelry Of The Southwest is enhanced for scholars and non-specialist general readers alike with the inclusion of a glossary, references, and an index.

1 comments about Moma Highlights.

1. i thought this book was very much an enjoyable and fun book to look through. it amazed me how much material was put in it, considering on appearances it looks like a little publication. i thought that the art plates were beautiful and the colors well repeated. i am absulutely thrilled that i bought this book and would not hesitate to buy it for a friend for an occation

5 comments about Natural Beauties.

1. I found the quality of the photography ran the entire gamut from the very amature effort that almost anyone with a point-and-shoot camera could accomplish to some exceptionally professional work. Unfortunately, there was too little of the latter.
   
   I was, however, pleasantly surprized to see tht there was little of an overtly soft-porn mode. It seems that too much of the new "nextdoor beauties" photography is just a thinly-veiled, soft-porn eroticism. Still, there was little that would be considered fine art. But, then again, as the author says, that's not the purpose of the book. Just nice pictures of pretty naked girls. It works.



2. As a glamour and nude photographer myself, I purchased this book for ideas and inspiration--I was not dissatisfied at all. I love the use of natural lighting, sometimes less means more and this book packs more than most if you're a connoisseur of natural beauty. I recommend anyone interested in this type of photography, buy it now!
   
   As an author of Garage Glamour: Digital Nude and Beauty Photography Made Simple, and Rolando Gomez's Glamour Photography: Professional Techniques and Images I recommend this book should not only be on a collector's list, but for any student of photography--we're always learning no matter what level your photography. ---Rolando Gomez, contributing writer, Studio Photography magazine



3. I really enjoy this collection, for all the reasons the editor want me to like it for. The models are young, charming, and unaffected. Their poses are [generally] natural and comfortable. Their figures vary somewhat, as people do - some fuller of bust, some charmingly slender. Each one looks like someone I'd like to meet. The big artistic concept here is that there is no big artistic concept. I also like the multiple images and poses of each model, showing more of the variety there is in each unique woman.
   
   Still, the models do tend towards a type: European in features and coloring, twentyish and young-looking even so, and the figures vary only within a limited range. The look is beautiful (or at least pretty), but just one of the many kinds of beauty in the world of women. If you don't have to spend too much, it will add a soft and warm touch to any collection of figure photography.
   
   //wiredweird



4. It was refreshing to review a book of nude photographs of women where the photos were real, untouched & not posed in a way to exploit the models. I have always had an interest in nude photography & the beauty of the female form. Top marks to the photographers, models & editor.



5. So the premise of this cute little book is the overlapping or merged ground between art and erotica. By and large the photos are a success. the woman and settings photographed are truly beautiful, sometimes as art, sometimes as erotica, and usually as both. Some of the women have what is best described as an unusual beauty, as do some of the backdrops. There are a phenomenal number of models from the eastern block. One of the memorable backdrops is of an eastern european or russian forest which has been leveled for timber, leaving a sea of stumps... I can recommend this book as a very nice addition to either a photography book collection or a collection devoted to an appreciation of the female form.

1 comments about Progressive Nation: A Travel Guide with 400+ Left Turns and Inspiring Landmarks.

1. This book has been so needed. So often, as we travel the U.S., the only radio options we have are right-wing blowhards like Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity. The corporatist and militarist control over our media Orwell Rolls in His Grave misleads people into thinking that America is a right-wing country, but Jerome Pohlen's book helps to set the record straight. Even at 400 pages, it only touches the surface of this country's rich tradition of popular struggle People's History of the United States: 1492 to Present (P.S.). "Progressive Nation" includes famous and not-so-famous sites in every state, from Grafton, WV where we learn of the anti-war origins of the first Mother's Day, to Stafford, CA where we find the tree where Julia "Butterfly" Hill conducted her famous tree-sit. We also learn of current progressive actions taking place, such as in Tucson, AZ where solidarity groups like "No More Deaths.org" provide water and medical assistance to immigrants who risk death crossing the desert to flee the economic destruction of NAFTA and other "free" trade deals The Selling of "Free Trade": NAFTA, Washington, and the Subversion of American Democracy.
   "Progressive Nation" has an appealling layout, and is filled with photos, quotes, and media suggestions for more information.
   
   The author is a 2008 Green Party candidate for Congress in Illinois. I'm going to donate to his campaign as a token of thanks for this important book that brings to life America's proud left-wing history.
   If Pohlen doesn't win his electoral race, hopefully he'll write more books like this. Maybe more detailed state-by-state progressive travel guides.
   
   A couple related DVDs:
   Red State Road Trip
   Independent America: The Two-Lane Search for Mom & PopIndependent America: The Two-Lane Search for Mom & Pop
   Anthem
   
   A related book:
   Lies Across America: What American Historic Sites Get Wrong

4 comments about The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: A Companion Guide and History.

1. I bought and read this book prior to my visit to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum so that when I was there I knew a little about the pieces in her collection. The book is a great source of information about the rooms and the art but it also covers the life of Isabella Gardner. I recommend buying the book ahead so that you know which pieces of art you really want to concentrate on.
   
   The book has color photos of up close shots of the art and photos of the various rooms so that you can see the art in its setting.
   
   It is arranged by floor (there are three) and then by room and finally by the individual piece, making it very easy to use and it is a great size for carrying with you through the museum.
   
   The history in the book is excellent and gives a great overview of Isabella's life and pursuit of art.



2. This small museum guide available at ISGM bookshop in great quantity but difficult to find elsewhere (amazon has it)is a delight to read. Differently from other museum guides it dosen't only deal with the works exposed in Isabella Stewart Gardner's home Fenway Court, but it also briefly reviews this brillant and eccentric woman's life and so brings us even closer to her.
   The visit to the ISGM is a great experience because what we see is not a museum but a person's house, a house used for receiving, entertaining, exposing unusual things and precious objects, a house for praying and reading, and meditating, a house full of lifetimes memories and loved masterpieces. Illustrating the intermingling of Mrs. Gardner's life and her masterpiece was not easy. Mr. Goldfarb, director of the Museum is at the height of this task and with a few well done strokes draws Isabella's portrait and at the same time describes in great detail not only the works of art contained in the mansion but also their history, the way they came into the collection and many interesting news on their artists.
   The book is well illustrated with expecial focus on the disposition of the pieces and the complete description of all the rooms of the house.
   A useful tool for ISGM visit but also a book that is enjoyable before, after and also without the visit.



3. Having been to the ISGM (Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum) before reading either "Mrs. Jack" or this book, if planning a trip to the museum I highly recommend you read at least one of these books. The museum is truly magnificent, however my only criticism is that the administration of the museum cannot seem to decide if they have a "house museum" (like the Newport mansions) or an art museum. There is precious little information posted within the meusum to tell you what it is you're looking at - the guidebooks available at the museum woefully inadequate. After reading Mrs. Jack I realize that much of this may have been stipulated by Isabella herself - she expected you to know what it was you were seeing without cheats like descriptions. Art for art's sake. It did not matter if Rembrandt painted a canvas - you either like it or you don't - merely wanting to see it because it's a priceless Rembrandt is too bourgeois for Isabella to have considered. In her day, in her level of society, you could still buy a Rembrandt or a Vermeer, 100 years later this is a lot harder to do, making these paintings more rare to us than her. She knew John Singer Sargent personally, so having your portrait painted by him was probably less of a big deal than we see it as today - anyone in her level of society could hire him, so to her - what was the big deal? 100 years more time has made it a big deal to us.



4. More than a few of my well-traveled friends have raved about The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston as their favorite museum in all the world. And why not? Wait until you see it--you'll feel right at home.
   
   Imagine creating for yourself a life that is perfectly delicious. Imagine creating for the world a home museum experience unequaled in all the world. The Hyde Museum in Glens Falls, NY, held that honor for me until I learned the story and saw the pictural views of Fenway Court Isabella Gardner created as her home, which after her death in 1924 was changed to be called The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.
   
   Most museum books have wonderful pictures without so rich a story of a strong, courageous woman of impeccable, impassioned taste. No one could have created Fenway Court except Isabella Gardner. Few have created such a wonderful life for themselves and left such an amazing legacy. And, she also managed to maintain her beauty and figure. And what a negotiator she was to gain possession of a piece of art she felt Fenway must own.
   
   I feel empowered to have learned her story.

1 comments about Identity by Design: Tradition, Change, and Celebration in Native Women's Dresses.

1. I am a traditional dance dress artist, although not as prolific (or even as expert) as some of those featured in this book. If I could have given more than 5 stars it would receive them. The photos were beautifully clear, although there only one or two photos of some of the featured dresses, they showed the splendor and detail of artistry from the past. I hope this doesn't spawn more artifakes, especially those coming to the US from overseas. This book is a long-awaited dream come true.

2 comments about Talking Prices: Symbolic Meanings of Prices on the Market for Contemporary Art (Princeton Studies in Cultural Sociology).

1. The book isn't easy reading, but it has some very useful information for artists regarding pricing of their work.



2. Getting a handle on the economics of the art market is much like grabbing smoke. Dealers are loath to discuss the financial side of their business and the private nature of their transactions frustrates researchers. Even the ostensibly open world of auctions is full of slippery practices. None of that deterred Olav Velthuis, whose exhaustive research into the art market yields a fascinating economic analysis. He explores the anticommercial bias of dealers and even finds some tangible factors that influence art prices. While impressive, Velthuis' work would have benefited from a more conversational, less academic tone. His fascinating price study, for instance, focuses on "coefficients" and "t-values" rather than on actual prices. Still, we recommend this study for its ambitious and intriguing attempt to shed light on a little-known corner of the economy.

No comments about Silver Springs: The Underwater Photography of Bruce Mozert.

No comments about Inside the White Cube: The Ideology of the Gallery Space.