No comments about American Dream: Collecting Richard Prince For 27 Years.

No comments about Wildflowers of the Plateau & Canyon Country.

No comments about Donald Sultan: A Print Retrospective.

No comments about The Art of Romance: Harlequin Mills & Boon Cover Designs.

1 comments about Olympia - The Archaeological Site and the Museums.

1. So you've seen a bit of Greece on tv while watching the 2004 Summer Olympics. Or maybe it has always been your dream to vist Greexe, perhaps take a sabbatical there. This book focuses on Olympia, where the first Olympic Games took place in about 776BC.
   
   There is a brief history of the area, as well as the original games, as well drawings and color photos of the area. The sculpture is gorgeous, as well as the reproductions of drawings from some vases. But what is even more beautiful is the land itself. The areas look sunny and bright, even the areas where the ruins are featured. Some of the evacuations of the ruins are detailed in this book.
   
   
   though this book will never substitue for a trip to Greece, it is considerably easier to obtain. It's also easier to enjoy without the hassle of trying to get vacation time off at the right time and getting somebody to feed the bunnies while you are enjoying Greece.
   
   So if you're interested in Greece but can't quite spring the cash or time to nake the trip at this time, read this book. You can be inspired to make the effort to make the trip to Greece.

1 comments about Cut/Film As Found Object In Contemporary Video.

1. This is by far the best book I have read concerning the use of feature films as a medium in contemporary art. Douglas Gordon's "24 Hour Psycho" takes the spotlight and the cover. Christian Marclay's montage of film clips featuring phones and instruments is also discussed. It is a good beginning for people interested in the use of feature film by fine artists.

3 comments about Arte Latino: Treasures from the Smithsonian American Art Museum (Further Treasures from the Smithsonian Museum).

1. This is a fine catalogue in general, but the description of the art of Carlos Alfonso creates a strange impression of this great artist's work. After reading the description you'd think that his paintings give off a sense angst and even powerful agitation. After seeing the great Carlos Alfonso show at the Freedom Tower in Miami during the Art Basel Miami Beach 2006, I can say that the effect is one of sublime beauty and fantastic imagination. That he
   uses images like daggers and other imaginary-occult symbols certainly does not mean anything about violence and it seems silly to suggest it does. Alfonso was simply a great artist, who happened to be Cuban, thus the images from Santeria and the like. I suspect what lies behind the misreading of his art as hugely angst-ridden
   is a crypto-political point about his status as an Cuban exile. All great artists are alike in taking the accidents of life and making them something more. Crypto-politics almost never have produced great art. Alfonso had a health problem and had suffered from political viscisssitudes of our time, but the angst this might have created are not the source of his art. The Freedom Tower show, as well as the Hirshhorn show in Washignton DC a few years ago make this very clear.



2. How do you highlight 200 years of Latino art in the United States and Puerto Rico in a book from a world renowned collection? Well you don't do it in a 108 page book from the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Having visited the said museum it is a pity that this small book is an offering they produced to represent the vast collection. The book uses the term "highlights" but it is just not enough. It is like a variety of crackers offered in a fine restaurant; it'll hold you over but not satisfy your hunger. The collected pictures are beautifully presented accompanied by very short analysis of the piece and usually a paragraph about the artist. If you like looking at a few nice pieces than this book will do.This book is like fast food for the art aficionado. Since the represented art is in various media it results in a disjointed but varied whole. Most of the featured artists in the book are contemporary but there is the occasional misplaced unknown colonial artist or noted 19th century santero Felipe de la Espada that just doesn't fit or do justice to the subject. There is a lack of continuity and thematic cohesion with the book. When the book is thread together it is when the art of New Mexico artists are featured , most notably the works of santeros and wood carvers, George Lopez, Gloria Lopez Cordova, Luis Tapia, Horacio Valdez, Jose Benito Ortega, Ramon lopez, George Lopez, Felix Lopez(yes, it a long family line of Lopez santeros) and Patrocino Barela. Again the problem here is that they are placed between other media like oils, acrylics, fiberglass, woven cotten rug, colored pencil, granite and silver prints for a resulting weird representaion. The book has no chapters and unfortunately it could have used them. This book just scratches the surface and falls short. This book is for someone just beginning on their quest for knowledge about Latino art. Possbly from this point you can depart to finding out more about some of these artists but this book is only a starting point. If you are looking for a Latino art appetizer than this book is for you, otherwise look elsewhere to satisfy your appetite.



3. This is a great source book of contemporary art productions which includes contemporary Latino artists. The selection of art represented is varied and the text gives readers sufficient background for understanding the works. Very colorful and clear photographs of the works are each full-page sized with a full page of text next to each to help capture the image and short biographies and artistic interpretations of the artists at the turn of each page.

1 comments about Great Smaller Museums of Europe.

1. A nicely done survey of notable smaller art museums in Europe: James Stourton, an expert in his field, gives enough material on the history and collection of each institution he has selected to satisfy without overwhelming the reader.
   
   This book, and the pictures it contains, should inspire many a person to tour Europe just to visit the whole collection of museums covered in this most entertaining work.

No comments about The Drawings by Rembrandt and His School in the Museum Boymans-Van Beuningen, Rotterdam 1988.

1 comments about Louvre.

1. This 320 page book is the next best thing to actually being at this museum in person. The full color photographs of the artwork is stunning. Every piece is accompanied by a short description describing it's significance.
   The book is divided by style (e.g. "oriental antiquities", "paintings", "European sculpture", "decorative arts") and includes an extensive bibliography. Definately worth the purchase!