2 comments about Silver Cities: Photographing American Urbanization, 18391939.

1. Students and enthusiasts of photography and its history have long considered Peter Bacon Hales's SILVER CITIES indispensable. First released in 1984, it was one of the first, most readable, and most visually interesting, of a crop of new histories of photography that saw the medium as part of a larger sphere of cultural history. This new edition is really welcome-- much longer, even more lavishly illustrated, dramatically revised, beautifully redesigned. Hales has incorporated many of the ideas and discoveries of writers since the book was first published; he has added many new illustrations and changed the old ones, and he has pushed the book well into the 20th century, treating photographers like Walker Evans, James VanderZee, and Edward Steichen. The writing is better, too-- more conversational and fluid, easier to read. If you have a copy of the old SILVER CITIES, you'll have to buy this one, too. If you don't, this is a real eye-opener of a book.



2. "One may view this book as a study of American attitudes toward the city as revealed in one of its most important media or as an ongoing history of an urban art form," writes Hale, a professor of art history and director of the American Studies Institute at the U. of Illinois - Chicago. The nearly 250 photographs relating to American cities from the pre-Civil War decades to the eve of WWII are roughly divided into the four stages development, maturity, transformation, and diffusion. Earliest photographs from the 1830s and '40s capture plainly the crude, clustered buildings sprouting up in open spaces, as in uncomprehending witness to what was unfolding. Photographs from the latter 1800s reach into the impoverished, fragile, hectic lives of immigrants flooding into the cities. Jacob Riis's photographs figure prominently in this period. Into the 20th century, the photographs again change in subjects and perspectives to go along with modernism's tenets of Promethean, prodigious, growth, large-scale enterprises, and celebration of technology and design. Springing from the "discipline [of] American cultural history," this revised and expanded edition of the 1884 publication not only contains additional photographs, but also related added text reflecting the growth of government sponsorship, mass-market reproduction, the place of women and African-Americans, and the diminished presence of "individual studio practice." Yet despite this last new topic, Hale also in one part brings out the "photographic studio as itself [in italics in original] a part of the developing American urban fabric." Like the earlier edition which has now become a collector's item, this revised edition is patently the leading study on photography as it took cities as subjects and reflected evolving attitudes toward them.

No comments about Georgia O'Keeffe: Nature and Abstraction.

No comments about Infinite Possibilities: Serial Imagery In 20th-Century Drawings.

1 comments about The Angel Tree: A Christmas Celebration.

1. Each time I visit the Met at Christmas and see this exqusite creche, I am in awe at the magnitude and splendor of detail. The book was fascinating. I appreciated the in-depth history of Neapolitan artists who meticulosly hand carved the individual figures with such fastidious, detailed execution..

4 comments about Byzantium: Faith and Power (1261-1557).

1. There is a great need for such books on Byzantine Art. These three expo. and books by the Met on Byzantium are magnificent! I wish others will follow on Post-Byzantine Art.



2. The first exhibition, "The Age of Spirituality", shown in 1977, was organized by the eminent scholar, Kurt Weitzmann, Professor Emeritus of Princeton University (1904 -1993).

   It is also important to note the essay written by Archbishop Damianos of Sinai, Pharan, and Riatho, Abbot of the Holy Greek Orthodox Monastery of Saint Catherine, Sinai, Egypt who on page 335 writes,"...holy icons are more than artful and historical objects. They are a vital entity and a vibrant presence in the liturgical life of the Church, which is the very context that sanctioned and fostered their creation, existence, and use from early Christian times." He goes on to say, "Indeed, by their captivating formal purity, transparency, and clarity, icons create what we may call a resonance or an uplifting in the spiritual sense. They are statements of faith ..."

   Lastly, mention must be made of the conclusion of the catalogue and exhibition, which focuses on the influence of Late Byzantine icons on Northern Renaissance art. Many masterpieces are exhibited including Memling, van der Weyden, Jan Van Eyck and Gerard David. They are breathtaking, but perhaps too much icing. A preview of Ms. Evans's next exhibition?




3. The Metropolitan Museum of Art has put together its third monumental exhibition reflecting early Christian and Byzantine art. The first exhibition, "The Age of Spirituality", organized by Helen C. Evans was shown in 1977 and explored Christian art between the third and eighth centuries. Twenty years later, the persevering Ms. Evans was responsible for the wonderful "The Glory of Byzantium, A.D. 843-1261". This exhibit, "Byzantium: Faith and Power (1261 - 1557) is the last of this historic trilogy and is a testimony to Ms. Evans and her team, including Mahrukh Tarapor, who visited 35 countries and in a feat of international diplomacy convinced 129 museums, churches, monasteries, collectors and libraries to part with their treasures. Approximately 350 examples of Byzantine art have been contributed with only the monasteries of Mount Athos holding out. The exhibit runs through July 4, 2004.
   The eminent and long respected icon dealer, Dick Temple, writes:
   "The exhibition 'Byzantium, Faith and Power (1261-1557)' currently at the Metropolitan Museum in New York is, in my view, the greatest icon exhibition I have ever seen or ever will see. There are loans from 27 countries around the world. Monasteries and museums in Greece, Egypt, Russia and the Balkans as well as the great collections of Europe and the USA have given up their most fabulous treasures for this incredible event. If, 20 or 30 years ago, someone had said to me that one day I would see under the same roof the Annunciation from Ohrid, the Twelve Apostles from the Pushkin Museum, two monumental icons by Andrei Rublyov from the Tretyakov Gallery, 40 icons from Saint Catherine's Monastery at Sinai, the British Museum's icon of the Triumph of Orthodoxy and other similar wonders, I would not have believed them. Well, it is happening now."

   There are many other important examples that Mr. Temple could have used. This sumptuous and amazing exhibition should not be missed. The one in 1997 drew nearly 500,000 visitors and this one should top that.

   The catalogue, which accompanies this exhibition, is massive. It spans 680 pages and contains more than 800 color plates. The illustrations are beautifully reproduced. It contains important essays and descriptions of the objects by a renowned group of over 100 scholars. Please, please please - do yourself a favor and see this once-in-a-lifetime exhibition and purchase the accompanying catalogue, which will give you much pleasure. Ms. Evans is owed every civilized person's gratitude for her awe-inspiring effort.




4. This book details late Byzantine art (mostly icons, medallions, and manuscript illuminations) during the reign of Constantinople's last ruling dynasty, the Palaiologoi. Illustrations are small and the art historical writing reads like a random collection of graduate-level symposium papers (on such topics as church vestments and late tomb sculpture) and largely failing to engage the reader. The lack of narrative focus and quality works of art also lends an overall impression that this exhibition represents a culling of whatever happened to be at hand to produce yet another "blockbuster" that lacks much of either faith or power.

No comments about Peggy Guggenheim Collection.

No comments about Petite Pattern Book - Pop & Modern (Bnn Pattern Book Series).

3 comments about The Art of Rockefeller Center.

1. Rockefeller Center is one of the great Art Deco set pieces. It was conceived and built at the depths of the Great Depression, at the height of Art Deco and it's importance to the nation at the time is impossible to quantify. The art of the complex is arguably the most important assemblage of Art Deco artwork in the world. This book is a fantastic tribute to Rockefeller Center and all the artists and craftsman that built it. The text is highly informative, without feeling like an academic dissertation and the images are very well presented, though frankly there could have been more. I highly recommend this book to anyone with any interest in Rockefeller Center or Art Deco.



2. The publishers, in a neat marketing move, issued this book in two editions. The 320 page version and a much smaller pocket-sized paperback that was invaluable when I visited the Center in 2006. Without it I don't think it would have been possible to find all the exterior treasures on the twenty-two acre site or read Roussel's text about them.
   
   This Art book is a vastly expanded comprehensive look at all the exterior and interior public art contained in the fourteen buildings and spaces. It originated with Christine Roussel when her company was commissioned by the Rockefeller Center to restore all the artwork and the excellent contemporary color photos (after any restoration) are by Christine or her designer daughter Dianne. What I particularly like about the book are the historic photos of artists creating the works that you can see today. There are so many of these that I assume the Rockefeller's saw the PR potential of Fine Art in progress and arranged for as much of this as possible to be photographed.
   
   There are more than a hundred pieces of art from forty artists presented in color and the very comprehensive text puts their work in context and in case you are wondering there is a full explanation about the destruction of Diego Rivera's fresco: Man at the Crossroads, which was to be in a prominent place on the main lobby wall of 30 Rockefeller Plaza. Lee Lawrie contributed most to the Center with fourteen pieces and his Wisdom (Rockefeller Plaza) and Atlas (International Building) are now world famous. There are seven interesting historical photos about the making and positioning of Atlas in the book. Missing, I thought (and maybe as an Appendix) were a few photos showing the various stages of construction of the Center, it take nine years after all and a page or two, with photos, of the various roof gardens.
   
   Rousell's book celebrates the public art of these remarkable New York buildings which are now registered as a National Historic Landmark. The book's production is first class (though unfortunately not sumptuous) with the photos in 175dpi on reasonable art paper. There is a slight editorial annoyance with a back page listing of the artists and technical details of their work, these really should have been presented on the relevant pages so the reader could avoid having to keep flipping back and forth to find out a bit of information.
   
   The perfect complement to this book is Daniel Okrent's Great Fortune: The Epic of Rockefeller Center telling in great detail how the Rockefeller Center was built.
   
   ***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.



3. Built in the middle of the depression, Rockefeller Center became a part of and a symbol of America. The buildings of Rockefeller Center were not designed as the steel and glass monoliths of today. Art from some of the best artists of the day was incorporated into virtually all aspects of the building. The most famous is the statue of Prometheus delivering fire to the mortals of the earth amidst the waters of the Plaza. But there is much much more. There are the bas-relief stone carvings on the facade, there are murals, statues, even specially designed patterns for the carpets.
   
   This book is the first comprehensive study of the art in the center. It is a large format, beautifully printed edition of the art as it is now, and in many cases historical photographs of the artists as it was being produced in the 1930's.
   
   Ms. Roussel is the Archivist of Rockefeller center. To produce the book she had unprecedented access to the records and files of the center.

No comments about Tom Friedman.

4 comments about Rear Ends: Found Photos.

1. A very entertaining collection of photos that would be a perfect off-beat gift for anyone who enjoys found art - especially of real people by real people. The lay-out is clean, not cluttered and allows the well chosen snapshots speak for themselves. Plus half the fun is bringing your own story to each of these images. For anyone who appreciates found art, this one tells a great tale with a very satisfying ending.



2. The rear end of human anatomy always fascinates us, particularly in these found photos. The fact that they come from non commercial photographers provides more than mere sociological appeal. They charm us and remind us of former times and places, and the innocent sensibilities that surrounded them. Those who like this book will find a companion book, "Couples," equally appealing.



3. In case you can't tell from the product description, this book is a collection of photographs the author compiled from photo albums he found at antique stores or garage sales or where ever
   
   They're not funny, they're not sexy, they're not in the least bit interesting. Its just dozens of photos of people's (or in some cases animal's or statue's) rear ends.
   
   There's a one-page introduction at the first that does nothing to enlighten you as to why these photos were chosen, or what they have in common, other than that they are all obviously pictures of rear ends. Other than that there are no words in the book, just picture after picture, most of them of very old or very fat people's butts
   
   From the cover I expected it to be a sort of tame collection of vaguely sexy photographs rescued from the trashbin, or something like that. At the very least, i expected the back grounds or compositions to be interesting.
   
   Its just randomly selected pictures of people's butts though. Most of the photos are very old, from the 30's and 40's. I'm not sure how that makes them more or less worthy of publication, but apparently it figures in somehow.
   
   Do yourself a favor and skip this one. I wish I had



4. If you're looking for a tasteful book about people's posteriors then you've found it here. This hardcover tome has over one hundred photographs culled from thrift stores depicting average people's bottoms throughout the 20th century. If you're an aficionado of found objects or just a fan of butts then this book's for you.