5 comments about Frida Kahlo.

1. This book is one I have been wanting for awhile, so it was very exciting to finally have a copy. I studied Frida's work whilst at University and have remained an admirer of what she stood for and what she created.This book is firstly a lovely hardcover, with good photos of her work. It includes written reference to her life in Mexico, her family, loves, creativity and sadness. I have previously read work by Hayden Herrera so this book met my expectations from that perspective. If you find Frida's story and work intriguing, then this will be something to add to your art book collection. Personally I enjoyed this very much but if you are new to her work then this is an excellent reference book to start with.



2. I bought this book after seeing the landmark exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The show included a number of photographs from Kahlo's own albums and from other photographers. What startled me was the difference between the woman we see in the photos and the person Kahlo shows us.
   
   The photos show a person who is more vital, more dynamic than the iconish character that Kahlo paints. I appreciate the usual art history stuff about her biography and influences, but I wish someone had the courage to approach the distortions that made her art.
   The reproductions in this book are excellent and I passed it on to my daughter who, like many women of her generation, finds Kahlo to be a touchstone.



3. I have several books on Frida Kahlo in fact an earlier version written by the same author, but I felt this addition stands on its own & warrants keeping as there is enough new information, visuals to make it a keeper.



4. My wife and I saw the recent Frida Kahlo exhibit at the Walker in Minneapolis. We both thoroughly enjoyed it. I bought the book "Frida Kahlo" on line from Amazon as a gift for my wife. My wife has a bad back as did Frida. The pain in her body comes through in her art, and I think my wife felt a strong connection with Frida. My wife loved the book, and she was very happy with the gift.



5. To say that this is a major catalogue from a major exhibit is to ignore the more important point...this is a collection of brilliant essays on Kahlo and stunning photographs of her painting and related works and people in the Kahlo circle, but also Mexican folk art, history and the modernist movement in Mexico. He is also a thrilling writer and critic on the use of allegory and on Kahlo and RIvera's hatred of what Zamudio-Taylor calls "the modern capitalist universe" against which both Kahlo and RIvera rewrote "Mexico's fragmented and violently interrupted history." As Z-T states, "Kahlo's mexicanidad prefigures postmodernism's distrust of progress and linear readings of history. This, most striking article, however, by Zamudio-Taylor who has apparently had extensive contact with her work and its curiatorial special questions, emphasizes Kahlo's work as existing at the cross-roads of a history and of conflicting narratives. He links her concerns not only with other Mexican painters and writers, but also the avant-garde in Paris; namely, Andre Breton. This article is amazing both for its erudition and its multi-dimensionality and detail.
   This work is a collection also of fabulous paintings, photographs, time lines and for these reasons it is a must have in any library on Mexican art, modernism etc. Z-T is perhaps the most formidable of the authors of essays, but the book has also other major contributors, ie Carpenter, but especially Hayden Herrera and who interrogate Kahlo's legacy also as it influences those who followed, while also following up on the specific riffs in the work of others on the body, on the poetics of self that have their roots in Kahlos combustive images.

5 comments about Rescuing Da Vinci: Hitler and the Nazis Stole Europe's Great Art - America and Her Allies Recovered It.

1. I have always been a museum addict. If the Metropolitan Museum of Art would let me place a cot somewhere, I would probably take up housekeeping. So, it was extremely rewarding to read this story of how so much of the stolen art from WW2 was found, protected, recovered and finally returned to rightful owners. These "Monuments Men" should all have received medals. The world owes much to them for making so many artistic marvels again available.
   
   The illustrations are quite good. Many are available in other sources but so many, at least for me, were viewed here for the first time. The attempts to protect many objects - e.g., St. Marks in Venice - were also interesting. When I visited there a few years ago I was very appreciative.
   
   Mr. Edsel is to be commended.



2. Excellent book with many historical pictures and historical comments of the war's effect on the art of many countries.



3. I was really surprised by this book. I thought it was going to contain more text but it's really all about the art and the people who rescued it. The result is a very impressive, easily readable 'coffee table' style book that's beautiful and informative. Teachers should grab this up for the classroom and it also would make a great gift for anyone interested in WWII and it's aftermath. I can't say enough about the photos and the story they tell. Bravo!



4. This book shows and tells another side of war. It is the story told in picture of Hitler and his Nazi thugs pillaging Europe and stealing priceless art objects, painting, statures, books, even ancient scrolls then hiding them in caves and bunkers in Germany. What I loved about this book were the photos of US Army units rescuing those stolen art treasures then returned them to the towns, churches and cities. The author has done an exemplary job of finding photos and stories which has made this an important work. Photos I've never seen and story I have never heard about. I think this book needs to be in every high school library in the country. Students need to be shown how our American Army worked to recover all this lost art. His book made me proud to have serviced in the US army.
   
   Thank you for writing this book



5. This is one of the most fascinating books i have ever read. The period images are amazing, just the photo of italian masons bricking up Michaelangelo's iconic David is worth the purchase. After reading this book I was stunned that so few art treasures were destroyed. I had no idea that much of the treasures at the National Gallery of Art in D.C. was stored at Biltmore because of its remote setting. I was also blown away to see the images of workman removing winged victory from the Louvre, I just had no idea all of this went on leading up to the war and during the war. The German pillaging of the great European art treasures is disgusting of course, especially the art they looted from the weathy Jewry like the Rothchilds and others, some of which even to this day are trying to get back art work that is rightly theirs. I highly recommend this great book to anyone interested in art, history, art history, or frankly has an inquisive mind. I want to thank the authors for a job well done.

5 comments about The Business Side of Creativity: The Complete Guide to Running a Small Graphic Design or Communications Business, Third Updated Edition.

1. Cameron Foote's books and monthly newsletters are truly must-have resources for graphic designers, from the lone freelance to a busy studio. I teach design, and this book is one of about three that I have recommended to every class.



2. A fantastic book full of valuable insights. Most of these "how to run your business" books are drab and full of what amounts to blah blah blah. I have found this book to be revolutionary in the way that I organize my business strategies, developing a more proactive mind set, and restructuring the entire operation of running a creative studio. Amongst the hundreds of design books on my shelf, this is the one that is currently helping me the most. The tone is not pretentious, nor laymen. Designers are demanding individuals, and as a professional designer, this is necessary reading.



3. Very helpful, concise and confidence building resource for information on how to run a small design firm.



4. Cam Foote's book is a complete resource for new freelancers and a great "reality check" for experienced creatives. I have read his material for many years and always found it practical, clear, realistic, and helpful. Although his focus may seem to be almost entirely on graphic designers, as a copywriter I found most of his information applicable to my own business.



5. I read a lot of business books so I tend to think I won't get much out of any one book. That's not the case with this book. I highly recommend the book to anyone who works in any kind of creative/freelance setting.
   
   Cameron Foote really gets to the heart of the details of creative business. Most books like this take a 10,000 foot view of all the issues. I end up being frustrated with not really learning tactics, just strategies. With this book, even the generic business issues are dealt with in a way that's relevant to creative/freelance businesses.
   
   When I first got the book I skipped to the chapter on how to go after the right business. I then read the chapters on how to make money in the business. After those chapters I realized there wasn't anything in the book I wanted to skip. I wound up reading the whole book back to back (and for a business book that's a big compliment--at least coming from me).
   
   This may sound like a glowing review--that's because it is. I was very impressed with the level of detail and relevancy the book has to what I wanted to know. I found a few mistakes I was making with the way I was running my own business. I used the tips Foote gave and improved the issues immediately.
   
   One last reason you might consider this book--in the Appendix there's a ton of helpful resources. Not only that, if you log on to the author's website, you can find about two times the forms found in the book. I wound up using 3 forms the author gives away on a daily basis.

No comments about Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy (Metropolitan Museum of Art Publications).

5 comments about Dead Children Playing: A Picture Book (Radiohead).

1. It's worth the comments alone from the less artistic guests that happen by. Nice little compilation of Radiohead inspired or inspired by art.



2. There really isn't a bad recipe in this book. I was a little turned off by some of the "progressive" stuff at first, but my wife insisted and I loved it. Really gives you some great new ideas about food.



3. This book is great, cheap, and you can go back and look at it again and again. Stanley Donwood is a genious. Buy it!



4. I don't imagine that you're looking at this book if you're not already a big Radiohead fan, so you're lucky that this book's target market is definitely you. There is a lot of good artwork, sketches, and lyric pages from Stanley Donwood and Dr. Tchock (Thom Yorke) from the OK Computer era through to the recent artwork for Yorke's The Eraser solo album. One of the things that I found most interesting was that the Hail to the Thief word collage/maps were identified as the cities on which they're based. Of course, NYC was easy, but you probably had to be a real geography whiz to know the rest.
   
   Anyhow, for this price, it's a good book to flip through, although your friends might give you some funny looks when they see the title.



5. The paintings are spectacular, the text is unpretentious and the price is unbeatable. I would not mind paying a little more for higher quality reproductions.

5 comments about Wall and Piece.

1. This book is great. Page after page after page of stencils and stories. There are so many things to look at, it's well-organized, and includes a little something to read on almost every page. Some of the things in this book made me laugh, and other pages really made me think about the world I live in. I guess that's the point.
   
   If you want to get into stencil painting, this book will open your eyes and give you lots to think about.



2. ONE OF THE SMARTEST, MOST PRODUCTIVE, HUMOROUS, STREET ARTISTS AROUND. WHAT ALL GOOD GRAFFITI ATTEMPTS, BUT OFTEN FALL SHORT OF A MUST FOR THE STREET ART LOVER!



3. it is interesting and entertaining. the stuff he does is really cool. some of them are a bit strange, but others are hilarious. he likes to make fun of various people and things, so someone who is a bobby, or british cop, might not like it as much. otherwise, he just does stuff for fun, such as writing "what are you looking at?" in front of a security camera. its fun to just look through the stuff he's done. he is an amazing artist. and very creative guy.



4. If you know Banksy, you know everything he has ever done is worth 5 stars. But in case you are concerned about their presentation, this book goes far to present his work with beautiful imagery and insightful commentary from the Banksy, itself!!
   
   If you do not know Banksy yet and you enjoy stencil, symbolism, absurdism, political art, graffiti or taking risks to prove a point- just buy this book, you will not regret it!



5. this is a nice coffee table book for suburbans like me who want to appear edgy. banksy's work is brilliant.

5 comments about The Interior Designers Guide to Pricing Estimating and Budgeting.

1. This book is a fabulous guide for anyone starting a business. Ms. Williams encourages and guides the new designer to be who he/she wants to be without letting fear stand in his/her way. She also give fabulous advice of do's and don'ts based on her personal experiences. I think this is a book worth reading.



2. I wish I had come across this book earlier! Then we would not have made the mistakes that we did. Williams is very right. What she experienced in America is the same as our experiences here in Malaysia. There's a wealth of knowledge to learn here and this knowledge is adaptable anywhere and in every situation. Already 8 years in this business, we are still learning and growing with this book!



3. This is a fabulous book for anyone in the industry, it is realistic, informative and motivating!



4. This is a phenominal book for pricing and structure in any business. As an independent consultant one of the most difficult things when starting out is finding the right pricing structure. This book covers that as well as many suggestions on how to effectively organize and run a business. I have already recommended this book to my husband who is in Home Improvement and a friend who has a curtain business. I think it is so well written that it could be of value to many types of businesses small and large.



5. One of the hardest things to learn about interior design, or any other service industry is that the only thing you have to sell is your time. To do this in a profitable manner, you need two sets of skills.
   
   The first is the one you know about. You've got to find customers, you've got to do the job they want done and you've go to make them happy. This is probably the job you've trained yourself to do through experience, through training, and through the basic aptitude that you had to get into that business in the first place.
   
   The second job is harder. You've got to realize that you are a business manager. You need accounting (to keep your business partner the IRS happy). You need to develop a busines plan, budgeting, etc. You need to know how to prepare and send out bills and how to handle the money when it comes in. And the most critical of all, telling the customer what your effort is going to cost him.
   
   In this book Mr. Williams gives an excellent introduction on how to do these critical things. He also includes enough war stories from his past to give you the understanding of how he learned these things.
   
   I really enjoyed his page one story of starting his own company: sold his car so as to eliminate the payments, crammed his office into his bedroom, paid off all credit cards, in general reduced his expenses to a minimum. When I started I did almost exactly the same: I had a very tiny kind of dumpy house in not too good a neighborhood - but no payments. I had an ancient vehicle - but no payments. Like with him, I was profitable the first month, but you had best not bet on it.
   
   Mr. Williams has been there, done that, walked the walk. His book makes excellent sense.

5 comments about Breaking into the Art World: How to Start Making a Living As an Artist.

1. I have worked as a street artist for years doing quick sketch portraiture but this book really sparked my interest in creating my own artwork and selling it in the same way. The book mostly focuses on selling work without going through galleries. If you are interested in doing gallery work, I would recommend another book, Taking the Leap, by Cay Lang. Breaking Into the Art World is great if you are just starting out as an artist and makes the process of selling your artwork on a smaller scale seem a lot easier with step by step information.



2. An interesting book. Very concise, gives you an alternative view on life as an artist and how to make money from your art. Very good section on documenting your work, full marks for that. I'll be implementing some of those ideas. It's nice to read of someone who's made a name for himself and managed to sell his art without galleries.



3. I purchased this book with several other titles on the same subject. If I had to pick only one of them this would be the book.
   Out of the books I've read this is the only one that gives you a solid plan and explains step by step how to make it work.
   A must read for any artist who is interested in a plan for making a living making and selling their art.



4. Although this book may not be applicable to every artist's career path it does outline _very_ specifically_ and _simply_ how this un-schooled artist went from struggling street vendor to living off of his artistic product. The career strategy outlined centers on reproduction of your original artwork. That being said, at first blush this may not seem too helpful for folks dead-set on exhibiting at The Whitney. BUT if someone keeps an open mind and is receptive while reading this book they may get an idea or two. You can plow through this in an evening. I'm an artist, and although my desired career path has nothing in common with this gentleman's, I'm glad I bought the book. You can see my artwork at www.rlmcintosh.com



5. Many artists only dream of making a living from our fine art. Brian Marshall White is doing it and telling us how in this book. His approach may not agree with everyone -- especially those who graduated from art school and are waiting for galleries to accept them. In this book he shows that if you want to create art full-time, and don't mind creating *some* that suits your local market more than your own aesthetic, you can make a living. He doesn't deal with how to submit to galleries and such, but how to get your art into buyer's hands directly. I am inspired.

5 comments about The Book as Art: Artists' Books from the National Museum of Women in the Arts.

1. This is one of those products which is true to its theme from the moment you unwrap it.Being a book about the beauty and creativity of books it has itself to be worthy, which it certainly is. It is a pleasure to hold and to explore, as the design and concept have been carefuly considered.
   The examples chosen are rich and varied and are divided thematically.The problem is that so many of the books are enormously intriguing that one wants to handle them to discover their mysteries. However the descriptions are usually very good and do allow one to at least understand the concept of the creator.If you love books as art, this is a truly wonderful possession.



2. Turning the book making into an art can make a book more attractive and collectible. This book demonstrates a lot of outstanding examples. Readers are completely satisfied by the books in this book.



3. One of the best! This book should be on your bookshelf if you are interested in the books as an art form. I would suggest it for any school or college media center. I would not include it on a list for coffee table books but if you have a serious home library which leans toward the book arts,artist journals and sketchbooks; by all means, put this out on the reading table.
   The next best thing:Visiting the Museum in person!



4. This book is wonderful! It features many artists and their foray into the world of book arts. The photos are splendid and the background information on the artists is excellent. It arrived in shrink-wrap which protected it nicely. Great book!



5. I am a mixed media artist and art teacher who has discovered a love for viewing and creating artist books. This catalogue of artist books is one of the most beautiful I've seen. Even though this isn't a how to book, it has given me much inspiration for art projects for my students and for myself.

No comments about The Artist's Guide to Public Art: How to Find and Win Commissions.