1 comments about Silver Wonders from the East: Filigree of the Tsars.

1. I have really enjoyed reading this book. I found a number of historically interesting chapters about filigree work. The pictures are great and have given me much more knowledge about the craft and some ideas, too. Being a jeweller I found this book helpful.

No comments about Art Works Perform (Art Works).

2 comments about Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.

1. Normally on the 26th of October, I view the 1957 movie
   "Gunfight at the O. K. Corral" with Burt Lancaster and
   Kirt Douglas. I know exactly what I am getting which is
   entertainment.

   This year I flipped through the Thom Ross book by the
   same title and again I was entertained. The Preface said
   History but my gut reaction said entertainment. The
   history here is fast and loose. Like the movie this book
   is FICTION and should be accepted as such.

   Enjoy the exquisite paintings. but ignore the connection
   between the paintings and the text. And between the text
   and History because it isn't here. In fact ignore the text
   altogether. Buy this book for the paintings.
   and you have a bargain

   I do not wish to list the many historical errors of the Ross
   and Hutton book here. That might ruin your enjoyment of the
   paintings. On this the 120th anniversary of the gunfight
   between good and evil, stay focused on the main event.
   Don't worry about desecration. Think consecration. History
   can wait. this is the age of art and entertainment. If you
   have to blame anyone, blame the proofreader. What does he
   know?




2. Thom Ross knows his O.K. Corral history -- there's no doubt about that -- but it is the O.K. Corral myth that he really seeks to translate into the painting contained in this book. Whereas most Western American art is firmly realistic, often almost photographic in intent, Ross's art dares to venture into the realm of the abstract to better capture those elements of myth. In nearly fifty paintings, accompanied by his own text, Thom Ross tells the story of this most famous gunfight in history. I cannot think of another book which has ever sought to achieve such an end, so I believe that Ross deserves double praise for his creativity. If you don't know much about this event, then "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral" is not at all a bad place to begin learning. But even if you have read a dozen books about that day in Tombstone, Ross's book will still have a powerful impact. And after you close the covers of this slender volume, those images remain in your vision, haunting and somehow very alive.

No comments about Temptation in Eden: Lucas Cranach's Adam and Eve (Courtauld Institute of Art Gallery).

3 comments about Dreams of Spring: Erotic Art in China : From the Bertholet Collection.

1. This is a wonderful book. It's coffee-table sized, allowing reproductions large enough to show their many details. Every image is beautifully printed, with lush, strong color. The examples cover a variety of styles. Most of them are paintings on paper or silk, though a few ceramics and other works appear. Notes are sketchy, but most of the images seem to date from the 17th or 18th century forward.
   
   Across the whole period covered, a few things stand out. First is the whole tone of the works: they all depict affection between the players. Some of the pictures show an illicit love, or a senior wife unhappy at attention given to a concubine. None of scenes depict coercion or aggression, however. They are all about people happy together, or who were happy until found out. The second is the wide ranges of practices. Most scenes depict coition, in numerous, often improbable poses. There are also repeated themes of caresses, genital kissing, toys, multiple players or helpers, and same-sex couples. Although the male usually held the dominant position, nearly every practice was practiced for him and her both, by him and her both.
   
   The paintings usually display intricate detail in the surroundings, to invoke rich furnishings, fine clothes (often discarded), or outdoor scenes. Most of the reproductions here are large enough for even fine detail to be visible. In fact, the relatively few small pictures became frustrating, since it was harder to read the finer marks in the pictures.
   
   Text is very helpful. It often explains fine points that I might not have understood otherwise. It also contains extracts from stories and poems about physical love, and the first section skims nearly two thousand years of Chinese history. I found that helpful for placing the pictures and passages shown in a larger historical context. Given its generally useful content, I found it nearly maddening that so few of the comments told when, where, or by what artist any picture was created. Just a few sentences more per page would have made a huge difference.
   
   There's a lot to say about the images, the culture behind them, and the historical shifts in surroundings, practices, and visual style. I'll let you see that for yourself, though. This book really isn't about the text, it's about the pictures.
   
   //wiredweird



2. When reading the introductions and admiring the illustrations i felt i was before art so wise and so deep i felt happy. Very simple and very true. Reading this won't make you want to run away from it but rather takes you inside the scenes. You certainly want to be part of the escenarios. The tenderness and passion of chinese erotic art has quite a different flavor from the more agressive, macho-like of the japanese. They make a good combination, though. See and enjoy.



3. My friend give me this book as a birthday gift to teas me. She didn't know that my father collect some of it's kind for his literature studies (seriously) since fifty years ago till he passed away seven years ago. I've been reading this kind of pictures and books in my father's lab located at his University in Taipei since I was little. The contents are erotic but artful,cuturing and healthy. The printing of this book is very good. It's a very sophisticated book. It's great for your bed- room collection and art collection. It's the best...

1 comments about Art for History's Sake: The Texas Collection of the Witte Museum.

1. The book is an encyclopedia of early artists from 1840-1940 who had a Texas influence. The book provides a strong reference section, bibliography section and is well foot-noted. If you collect Texas Art, this book is a must, especially for the price. One drawback is that except for the feature plates in the beginning of the book, all others are in black and white.

No comments about The Uffizi Gallery Tour.

No comments about Before 1948: American Paintings in Georgia Collections.

No comments about New American Art Museums.

No comments about Julian Schnabel: Versions of Chuck.