5 comments about The Art of Bruce Colero: Heavenly Bodies.

1. I have to agree with the reviewer from New Zealand. In that, yes Colero's women are Perfect specimens.It seems if I want to see an average woman I should move to New Zealand. That said, Colero is a digital master and i love this book. there is a huge variety of topics covered - from schoolgirls and mermaids to angels and demons, all done with Colero's definitive erotic touch. Though new to the scene, it wont be long before he takes his rightful place as king of the pinup artists.



2. I have to say I disagree completely with Richard Manks' review. While it is clear Bruce Colero's art is computer generated (and isn't suggested otherwise), that should by no means be held against it. In fact this book is a stunning feat of what can be achieved with 3D art. I have enjoyed the works of many fantasy and pin-up artists (and too numerous to mention here) and have enjoyed Bruce's work no less. Each picture within the book features beautiful women of various themes and emotions, homages to comic book characters, pirates, mythical fables, movies, science fiction, traditional fantasy or just beautiful pin-ups. The work and level of detail that has gone into each piece of art is breath taking. The lighting, the colours, the scenery, his effects like fire and water...it is so impressive seeing what Bruce has achieved using the medium of 3D art and how his talent and imagination has brought each picture to life. There are so many good paintings in this book that it is hard to pick a favourite. When I saw Richard Manks' comment about how each painting lacks energy and is repetitive, I was puzzled as to how he reached that conclusion. There is plenty of energy in each picture, you only have to look at "Corsair" or "Vigil" to appreciate what I mean (and I am picking at random here). They look like a snapshot of a fully moving and dynamic scene. The only thing that could be classed as repetitive is that all the women are beautiful, and that is hardly a complaint.
   
   Another one of Richard's comments baffled me also. His remark about the women in Bruce's imagery having "ridiculous perfect body shapes", seems both absurd and ignorant, as if it was a fault exclusive to Bruce's art. Women in fantasy and pin-up art almost always look perfect. The artist takes the basis of reality and makes them the most enchanting and beautiful they can. They will try to capture the very essence of beauty and sexuality. That is what the artist aims for, in that subject matter. It doesn't matter which artist it is or what medium has been used.
   
   Creating truly beautiful 3D art and of that which is, in my opinion, of similar calibre to other famous artists that use different mediums, isn't as easy as it appears. It is still down to the artist to have the talent and imagination to create something to that level. Bruce has shown he has the skills to consistently produce art that is of a much higher level than what can often be "freely downloaded in the millions". I also view a lot of 3D art from websites and while I always enjoy seeing what other artists have produced, no matter what their calibre, Bruce's work was of such high quality and so distinctly unique that I really wanted to order the book.
   
   I am certainly glad I did.



3. I picked this book up, flicked through, and put it back down. The art is obviously computer generated - if you can't tell from the lifeless faces the ridiculous `perfect' body shapes will be a clue. Some parts look like they were taken from real photos and added to the digital stuff.
   
   The images lack energy and are repetitive. You might like to look at it, but there are thousands of artists and millions of images like this available for free on the web.
   Instead use the search box and spend your money on hand-painted images by Royo, Sorayama, Dorian Cleavenger, Dave Nestler... the list goes on.



4. Having tried my hand at digital art with Photoshop, I have to say that I really...REALLY admire the hell out of artists who work well with it. OK..I'm no trained artist but I'm still mesmerized by the technique when someone can master it. One of those who has truly mastered digital art is Bruce Colero. SQP has just released Heavenly Bodies: The Art of Bruce Colero. It's my first time seeing his art and I was absolutely blown away. Digital truly requires a whole different approach than traditional artwork. The enhancements of light, shadow, and the use of color is so integral to digital art. Bad technique stands out like a sore thumb while masterful technique is dazzling.
   
   This 48 page collection is full color and shows off Colero's vast talent with the female form. The themes range from fantasy, to Sci-Fi, to horror and to comic books, each page featuring Colero's dynamic artwork. One painting that strikes you right off the bat is "And Lead us into..." This piece shows off a striking female demon, nude but with flames swirling about her body in all the strategic places. Now you really have to pay attention to the flames here. I don't think I've ever seen flames in a piece of art look as real as they do in this painting. The coloring, the shape...you can almost see the flames moving around her body. It's a brilliant piece of art!
   
   Another magnificent example is "Rio" showing a nude blond, with her back to the viewer, wading into knee-high water on a beach as the sun sets in the background. The coloring and shading is just unbelievable. You look at how the sun reflects off the water's gentle ripples and you wonder how Colero manages to be so precise and so accurate in his rendering of this paradise. The female form has rarely looks this good, even if it is a bit exaggerated in its perfection.
   
   Highlighting the book for me is the inclusion of several well known subjects such as Lady Death, Vampirella, Elektra, and The Black Cat. The Black Cat is perhaps my favorite piece in the entire book. She sits crouched upon a building's ledge, contemplating her next move but poised for action. This is one piece of art that would like great on your wall. "Heavenly Bodies" is a collection that any fan of pin-up or glamour art should own. SQP has delivered another outstanding art collection!
   
   REVIEWED BY TIM JANSON



5. Colero's "Heavenly Bodies" are exactly that: Beautiful fantasy art reminiscent of the golden age of Borris Vallejo and Frank Frazetta - yet with a modern and fresh perspective coupled with contemporary pin-up and sci-fi themes. The beauty of the female form and her strength are celebrated throughout the pages of this illustrated collection of works. I highly recommend this book to anyone who appreciates artwork, surreal fantasy, and particularly those with an affinity for beautiful women.

No comments about Joan Mitchell: Leaving America.

No comments about Treasures of Luxor and the Valley of the Kings: Cultural Travel Guide (Rizzoli Art Guide).

2 comments about Black Panther: The Revolutionary Art of Emory Douglas.

1. Sometimes when images from newspapers or TV are taken out of context they can fall flat out of meaning or context. Not so for the revolutionary work of Emory Douglas. Douglas who was the Minister of Culture for the Black Panther Party from 1968-1980 and it's weekly newspaper artist amassed more works for the paper in a short period than most artists in a lifetime. But quantity is not the focus here but quality, growth and diversity. Emory Douglas is a prolific artist; his one page pieces included in the Black Panther newspaper were captivating and profoundly moved individuals all over the world no matter what language they spoke. His work has influenced every generation of artists/writers/activists who found their way into his work. It is interesting to note that while Emory's finished work was incredibly elaborate looking his tools of choice were simple pen, marker, tape and paper. His palette always represented and reflected the working class.
   Black Panther: The Revolutionary Art of Emory Douglas focuses on many of Emory's best works and includes forward and texts from former Panther Chairman Bobby Seale, Kathleen Cleaver, Amiri Baraka (still NJ Poet-Lauriat in my book)and Danny Glover among a few.
   
   A definite must for anyone and everyone!!!!!!!



2. This is a must-have for the Black Panther memorabilia collector, the African American art collector or any great art book lover's collection! A beautiful and unique book. The pages are printed on a paper that really makes it look like the original Black Panther papers. I love this book.

1 comments about Landscape of Slavery: The Plantation in American Art.

1. As is my habit with art books, I leafed through to view the images before reading the text. The bucolic scenes transported me back to a genteel time, when American was young and rich and full of promise.
   
   Which is precisely the dilemma of plantation art. Typically hung in the landscape section of galleries, it reinforces the seductive myth of the Antebellum South as paradise lost. But in reality plantations were slave labor camps, and mostly absent from the paintings are the slaves upon whose labor the plantation rested and who, when depicted at all, are merely quaint accents or contented pets of benevolent masters.
   
   LANDSCAPE OF SLAVERY serves as a companion to a traveling exhibit of the same name organized by the Gibbes Museum of Art and the Carolina Art Association. It explores the complex and incompatible experiences of plantation life represented in works by diverse artists, from picturesque painters such as Thomas Coram through Winslow Homer (who, as Michael D. Harris writes, appears to have been "more sensitive to different notions evoked by the word `plantation'") to Hale Woodruff whose work is full of rage.
   
   All of the essays provide thought-provoking commentary on this complex dynamic. "Picturing the Plantation" provides an overview of the landscape tradition and its idealizing vocabulary, while "Identifying Spaces of Blackness" explores the African aesthetic found in rituals, ceremonies, dance, music and art created by slaves as a means of resistance and survival. "The Most Famous Plantation of All" about the politics and painting of Mount Vernon sent me to the internet where the web site of the Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens offers this rationale for why the Father of Our Country owned human beings:
   
   "George Washington was born into a world in which slavery was accepted."
   
   Of course, the "acceptance" of slavery depended upon one's vantage point. Ditto "nostalgia." I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in American art in general, and Southern history and culture in particular. It will definitely enrich your next visit to the landscape gallery.

1 comments about Art Space Tokyo: An Intimate Guide to the Tokyo Art World.

1. This gorgeously illustrated little book takes the reader on a stroll through Tokyo's neighborhoods. Its twenty interviews and half dozen essays successfully mix the voices of artists, gallery owners, journalists, art producers and art lovers.
   
   (Disclaimer: I took part in one of the interviews. By far not my favorite part of the book, but... I am very fond of the rest.)
   
   What really seduced me, however, is how the guide introduces each area with a wealth of tips on where to eat, shop, or what to see on the way to the art spaces. It succeeds not just as valuable insight on how the art world works, but as one of the best guides to date on my favorite city.
   
   Who would I recommend this to? Perhaps not novices to the art world, but to any art professional or lover of Tokyo looking for a different way to roam the city, definitely.

2 comments about The Voyage of the Icebergs: Frederic Church's Arctic Masterpiece.

1. This is a truly amazing piece of art. To truly appreciate it you need to see it in person as one can sit for hours in front of it. But it's story is also amazing - laying hidden away for decades. Forgotten. Love the art. Love the book. If you love American art, this is a must have book. And if you are ever in Dallas, please go see it in person at the Dallas Museum of Art.



2. If you want to know about Fredric Church's Iceberg paintings, this is the book. Other than a little background on the artist, this doesn't say much about anything else. Almost every page has excellent color prints.

No comments about The Law (in Plain English) for Galleries, Second Edition (Law (in Plain English Series).

1 comments about Steel Remembered: Photos from the LTV Steel Collection.

1. If you are a photographer, photography buff, LTV retiree, history buff, or 4 year old boy, this is the book for you. As a photographer and history buff, I enjoyed pouring through this book and viewing all the photographs from back in the day. The author really seemed to care about the content of the book and included some amazing photographs from the LTV Collection. It had the feel of the old Farm Bureau Admin Photographers.
   I also loved reading the history behind the photos and the book. The writing was good and the history informational.
   My 4 year old son loved pouring through the photos in the book. The trains, boats, and steelyards were definitely attention catchers for him.
   And my favorite part of the book is the front cover. The dark ominous steel yard photo is perfect for such an amazing bit of our history here in Ohio. It also made me feel upset that so much of our steel industry is out sourced now. That so many people have lost their jobs etc.
   This was a great book and I definitely recommend it.

4 comments about William Christenberry.

1. I think of Faulkner when I view his work. I just saw his exhibition at Savannah's Telfair Museum and was mesmerized. He records the beauty of a culture in a process of decay. I am definitely buying this book.



2. Aperture are publishing some of the best printed and produced photographic books available. William Christenberry is an artist who uses photographs as part of his work that includes paintings, sculptures, constructions and installations. I purchased this book because of the photographic work, but I enjoy the paintings and sculptures also. My appreciation of William Christenberry as an artist grows everytime I look at this exceptional monograph.This is one of the better books of its type currently available, and the essays that accompany the plates are excellent.



3. After ordering this book based on the solitude of the cover image, I was not disspointed with the excellent content. Christenberry has an ability to capture the questioning and mystery of quiet images. He stops and watches for natural arrangements that probably go unnoticed by just about anyone. (Except those also blessed to see the intrique that can lie quietly waiting for imagination to find them.) This photographer has the great gift of finding the unknown quantity. He is skilled like a painter, to catch the light that can turn a shed into something that can stop you dead in your tracks in wonder.



4. Christenberry photgraphs and crafts replicas of the landscapes in Hale County, AL. This is the same area in which Walker Evans photographed the people and places in the 1930's for the US Gov't and the classic "Let Us Now Praise Famous Men."
   Christenberry's images are every bit as poingnant and timeless as Evans and like Walker he captures the old farms, buildings, signs with a great eye, circa 1966.
   Chistenberry also consturcts replica models of the building and scenes he captured on film which are stunning. Any afectionado of Evans or photorealism should have this book.
   
   Jeff Rose