5 comments about Legacy: Paintings and Drawings by Frank Frazetta.

1. We have been Frank Frazetta marks for a long, long time. So of course we have not only all of his earmark books that have his cover art on them, such as Conan and Tarzan, but also the more recent art books such as this compiled works of such a legendary giant icon of sci-fi/fantasy artists.
   
   Only Boris and Julie Bell can rival this awesome artist that can create art that woes you and can crreate an enture storyline to the eyes of people like us. This is a must for people who love art.



2. By looking at the cover is more than clear that what is inside is the perfect artwork putted all together to created a wonderfull book full of perfection.



3. i bought this thinking it was going to be an art book... you know, some sort of collection of works. turns out is more of a documentary about how frazetta got started and different jobs he had and different comics he drew. there were actually a surprising number of comic related pages. there's not really that much art... what there is was sort of a let down. if you're collecting frazetta books, add it to the collection. if you want an art gallery, this aint it.
   
   "death dealer" not pictured. major let down, in my opinion.



4. Another wonderful addition to my illustrator collection. Was instantly hooked on Frazetta's style as a kid reading Edgar Rice Burroughs. Legacy is a fabulous title covering Frazetta's career with commentary included on each illustration. Book was received quickly and in fabulous shape.



5. Frazetta was an artist with a different style, yet seemed to capture and captivate so many foreign lands of barbarians and beasts...then bring them end gently place them on the table in front of us. From Conan to Tarzan and so much more, this is a great book. I call it a coffee table book because I had a rougher copy that I kept in the living room. Whenever someone came over they would start looking at it. Many couldn't put it down. Then they start realizing they KNOW Franks work...they see Death Dealer, they see the Conan like images, and they're hooked!
   
   The book is full of colorful images and as an artist and writer myself I ofter find myself referring to it. No artist captured a battle scene, or a scene where a person is in the middle of a motion filled movement, like Frank. Leaping hero's weilding swords to scared to death damsells and wench's cowering before a giant god of epic proportions. The book is not just pictures, there is a ton of text talking about Frank, his life, and his LEGACY. A strong recommendation for anyone who likes art, Conan or Tarzan, or illustration in general. Frazetta was the King!

No comments about Kohei Yoshiyuki: The Park.

5 comments about Andy Warhol 365 Takes: The Andy Warhol Museum Collection.

1. The package came faster then I thought especially right before christmas. Also it came sealed which was great.



2. My girlfiend really loves the book. It seems to be an interesting book of writings, facts, and art.



3. Huge book - don't let appearance on the internet fool you, it's a brick (about 3inches thick!) and packed full of information; Andy's life, his work, his love his passion it's amazing.
   
   The book takes you on a journey through early years to his death and how his art transformed throughout his career. It shows Andy's sketches and un-released art and art from his private collection.
   
   Fascinating and a brilliant coffee table book.
   
   Stunning 5 stars



4. This is a thoughtful book which does not leave much out until you get to the index on pages 740-742. The pages are long horizontally, usually presenting text and a large number running from 1 on the page after page 5 to 365 on the page two pages before page 736. The index lists the big numbers only, the "Take" number. Are punching bags in the index? No. Is Jean-Michel Basquiat in the index? Yes, for six Takes under "Basquiat, Jean-Michel" and for three of the same Takes under "Jean-Michel Basquiat" (portraits, only one of which includes "and urine on canvas"). Is The Last Supper in the index? Yes, for three Takes. Do any of the Takes listed for Jean-Michel Basquiat coincide with Takes listed for The Last Supper? No, neither three or six, none! Which Take has ten punching bags? Take 255!!! How many times is Take 255 in the index? Just once, for "Ten Punching Bags (Last Supper)." Obviously, to use the index you need to know precisely what you are looking for.
   
   In my previous review of a DVD on Andy Warhol as a great artist of the 20th century, I believe I understated how many times the word "JUDGE" appears on the ten punching bags. In the view shown in the photo in Take 255, I can count 5 times on the first, 6 times on the second, then 3, 5, 4, 4, 1, 1, 3, and 4 times, respectively, on the third to the tenth bag. Most of the bags look black and white, but the eighth bag has a blue crown or dark halo which might obscure a second "JUDGE" or "JESUS," a blue shape like a torso with head, the words "LEAD" and "ASBESTOS" and possibly BS, with a copyright insignia after the "JUDGE" at the bottom of the eighth punching bag. The bags are hanging so close together that a physics student is bound to wonder how many bags would start swinging if viewers had the opportunity to give a bag on one end a good punch into the rest of the line. The head of Christ appears to be largest on the first, fifth, and sixth punching bags, with the second and eighth having the smallest heads, to produce a standing wave effect even when the 14 inch diameter by 42 inch long bags are hanging stationary from chains to big beams in the ceiling. The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh used to be a big warehouse, and Ten Punching Bags (Last Supper) might still be hanging there, because Entry 255 is not listed in the Photograph Credits, unless the bags are included in the bragging rights claimed by "Except where otherwise noted, ownership of all material is The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh." (p. 742). I hope they never catch me walking into that place with my practice gloves on.



5. Think of this as an Andy a day keeping the aggravation away. Compiled by the staff of the Andy Warhol Museum (located in Pittsburgh, PA, and this year celebrating its tenth anniversary), this is a monumental, if scattered, collection of everything Warhol, deliberately non-traditional and open-ended. Fashion sketches from the `50s, Polaroids, the Brillo boxes, stills from his movies and television appearances, silkscreens and pencil drawings, the Death and Disaster Series, the Three Marilyns, the collaborations with the Velvet Underground ... it's all here, and it's all interlaced with quotes from Warhol, and "experts" on Warhol. The experts, today, sound like bozos, but there is humor and humanity in all of Warhol's comments. 365 Takes is a big book, perhaps too big, since Warhol is best savored in smaller doses. Still, the book certainly whets one's appetite for more concentrated, linear works of this great artist. Warhol's take on the middle of the twentieth century is astoundingly accurate and informed. Certainly very much the artist as an outsider observing the current culture, his views are surprisingly kind and simple. Let's face it: We all love gossip, dirty pictures and celebrities. Maybe we couldn't admit it back then, but it was true. And, of course, we all love Campbell's Soup.

5 comments about Splash 9 - Watercolor Secrets: The Best of Watercolor: Watercolor Disoveries (Splash).

1. Sometimes Rachel Rubin Wolf"s Splash books all seem to be one and the same. But each one really does have a different flavor to it.
   
   This one is heavy on the still lifes: fruits, flowers, plants.
   
   I am always inspired by Wolf's books. There are some paintings that are so well done that attaining that level seems impossible. Others seem easy and friendly enough to maybe attempt to do something similar and excel.



2. High quality reproductions. Excellent book for artists to see the techniques that others are using. Also the quality that would allow you to set it out for others to enjoy.



3. I have the whole series, which is the only reason that it was not 5 stars.
   I have an earlier favorite. But this one is great in that you get to read the artists' thoughts on why or how. I've always been interested in what inspires other artists. This one gives me/us that.



4. If you like your watercolors with lots of intricate details and reflections in crystal, you'll like this latest Splash. If you're looking for something different, experimental and creative, don't bother. I have the entire series, and I'm thinking of reselling this one. (I won't be purchasing any future editions without checking them closely first.) The Splash series was quite cutting edge in the early years, striving to showcase the new trends. But it hasn't kept up. Now it just feels like a profit center for North Light.
   
   Of 130 pages, only 12 pages (the shortest chapter) is devoted to experimental watermedia. And even then, one painting includes reflections in crystal (just so you don't stray too far...)
   
   Publishers, it's time for a change. We need a new series for the 21st Century (edited by Betsy Dillard Stroud or Nita Leland?) devoted to the exciting trends in watermedia, mixed media, collage, monotypes, and digital hybrid art.



5. With this ninth book in the remarkable Splash series I was rather disappointed. To me the strength of the previous eight books has been the remarkable diversity of painting styles. Even though each had a rather loose theme you could turn the pages and not really know what to expect apart from the fact that every picture was a watercolor. So many of the paintings just make you stop and look and look and frequently wonder how an artist achieved that painting. Luckily part of the editorial format in each book allowed artists to reveal their creative thoughts or techniques in words next to the picture.
   
   All of this is true of book nine but I just didn't feel it had the excitement of the other books. Many of the paintings seem rather casual, the range of subject matter and composition perhaps too ordinary, safe and predictable and plenty seem to have sombre dominant colors, like the front cover for instance. Essentially I think that I've seen better versions of so many of these paintings in the previous eight titles.
   
   Still there is plenty to enjoy though. Three from Laurin McCracken caught my eye, she likes to make things difficult by creating still life compositions with crystal glass and silverware. Equally interesting is how she works: with a digital camera and pc to improve the composition even before lifting a brush. Paul Sullivan creates some almost photo-realist paintings of everyday scenes from Milan, Rome and Sienna. His exterior detail of a church in Milan is amazing. Diane Maxey does wonders with flowers, so much so that her Poppy Parade looks just like an oil painting.
   
   I've just looked through Splash 1/America's Best Contemporary Watercolors, which came out in 1991 and what an amazing start to the series and it does rather overpower this latest book. I'm hoping book ten will continue the magic so evident in the previous eight books.
   
   ***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.

4 comments about Saint Petersburg: Museums, Palaces, and Historic Collections: A Guide to the Lesser Known Treasures of St. Petersburg (Museum Guides).

1. I happened on this wonderful book by reading all the reviews written by one of its reviewers. It is small, light weight and so very easy to use. The pictures are beautiful. We went to St. Petersburg last December with the book in hand. Each night we decided where to go the next day. Planning is important because each museum is usually closed at least one day a week. Unfortunately the museums were so interesting, that we often stayed way longer than we planned to. We never would have gone to some of the museums had we not had this little book. We especially liked the maps showing the ocation of each museum in relation to the others. Because of this book, we will return to St. Petersburg in the off season and enjoy many more of its amazing little museums -- after all what better way is there to spend a cold December day?



2. As the founder of a company devoted to business and cultural travel to Russia, it pains me that so many tourists come to St. Petersburg for a day or two and only visit the Hermitage, Peterhof, and a ballet. Russia is like a Fabergé egg-a beautiful exterior with a hard-to-open but spectacular hidden interior. Among the little known gems in St. Petersburg are the Museum of Theatrical and Musical Arts, the Nabokov Museum (former residence of Vladimir Nabokov), the Russian Ethnographic Museum, the Rimskii-Korsakov Memorial Apartment-Museum, the History of Religion Museum (formerly the "Anti-Religion Museum), the recently-opened Museum of Toys, and the Museum of Russian Vodka. All these treasures and more are fondly catalogued in Cathy Giangrande's Saint Petersburg: Museums Palaces and Historic Collections (Museums).
   
   To appreciate this book a traveler needs to understand the unintentional irony of the chapter titled "Also well worth a visit are ..." listing the Hermitage Museum, one of the world's premier cultural treasures (and the most popular tourist site in Russia). It makes a great companion to such guides as DK Eyewitness's St. Petersburg guidebook (far more sights and coverage of the Hermitage, but without lengthy descriptions of lesser-known museums).
   
   Its small size makes this a "laptray book", but for the visitor in body or spirit to St. Petersburg is just as enthralling as a five pound coffee table book. One-to-four pages are devoted to each of the over 40 lesser known attractions in St. Petersburg. Each listing had a clear address, directions, phone and web site (if available).
   
   Books like this will help St. Petersburg, and Russia, become one of the world's premier tourist destinations in the next 10 years. There are literally thousands of such treasures throughout Russia as these listed here, but few people know about them. Truly, this book will help anyone interested in truly discovering Russia.



3. I began reading Cathy Giandrande's little guide to St. Petersburg with a great deal of skepticism. As I kept exploring the book, all my doubts quickly disappeared. That alone came to me as a surprise. Unlike most Russians who still suffer from a mild identity disorder, Petersburgers have a strong sense of local patriotism and know what they are and what their city is about. From time to time, their patriotism mutates into a peculiar kind of city chauvinism. It is taken for granted that no temporary visitor, be he or she from Moscow or Paris, can know the city or truly appreciate it. I am no different. As a Petersburger, I would never think that an outsider, least a foreigner, least someone from a culture many Russians perceive as hostile and extremely russophobic, would be able to put together a concise guide to the lesser known museums and landmarks of the city and do it in such a low key, friendly and unbiased manner, that the final work is a joy to read and is more useful from any practical standpoint of city exploration than many far weightier and thicker "serious" guides.
   Cathy Giangrande's St. Petersburg is a guide to the city museums and lesser-known landmarks. If the author "missed" any museums, then I have a feeling, that she excluded them deliberately because they are so obscure (like the Museum of Armed Forces Medical Academy) that almost no locals are aware of their existence. On the other hand, the guidebook contains information on some really obscure museums, such as the new private museum of toys.

   The book is a journey of exploration and is a pleasure to read "as is" from cover to cover. Alternately, it can be used as a helpful reference manual.

   The guidebook has its own share of minor irritants, such as the occasional misspelling of French and English words transliterated backwards, but they are not very significant.

   The book is beautifully printed on high quality paper and is richly illustrated with color photographs. It contains a helpful map or rather an outline plan of the central part of the city, a schematic plan of St. Petersburg region, and a well-designed plan of St.Petersburg "Metro" (or the city's subway system). All museum and landmark entries include detailed address and contact information, and indicate the nearest subway or suburban train station.

   Among all foreign languages guides and books on St. Petersburg, that I ever came across, this one is the only work that is worth translating into Russian. Even locals would find this book a great aid in exploring their own city.




4. I began reading Cathy Giandrande's little guide to St. Petersburg with a great deal of skepticism. As I kept exploring the book, all my doubts quickly disappeared. That alone came to me as a surprise. Unlike most Russians who still suffer from a mild identity disorder, Petersburgers have a strong sense of local patriotism and know what they are and what their city is about. From time to time, their patriotism mutates into a peculiar kind of city chauvinism. It is taken for granted that no temporary visitor, be he or she from Moscow or Paris, can know the city or truly appreciate it. I am no different. As a Petersburger, I would never think that an outsider, least a foreigner, least someone from a culture many Russians perceive as hostile and extremely russophobic, would be able to put together a concise guide to the lesser known museums and landmarks of the city and do it in such a low key, friendly and unbiased manner, that the final work is a joy to read and is more useful from any practical standpoint of city exploration than many far weightier and thicker "serious" guides.

   Cathy Giangrande's St. Petersburg is a guide to the city museums and lesser-known landmarks. If the author "missed" any museums, then I have a feeling, that she excluded them deliberately because they are so obscure (like the Museum of Armed Forces Medical Academy) that almost no locals are aware of their existence. On the other hand, the guidebook contains information on some really obscure museums, such as the new private museum of toys.

   The book is a journey of exploration and is a pleasure to read "as is" from cover to cover. Alternately, it can be used as a helpful reference manual.

   The guidebook has its own share of minor irritants, such as the occasional misspelling of French and English words transliterated backwards, but they are not very significant.

   The book is beautifully printed on high quality paper and is richly illustrated with color photographs. It contains a helpful map or rather an outline plan of the central part of the city, a schematic plan of St. Petersburg region, and a well-designed plan of St.Petersburg "Metro" (or the city's subway system). All museum and landmark entries include detailed address and contact information, and indicate the nearest subway or suburban train station.

   Among all foreign languages guides and books on St. Petersburg, that I ever came across, this one is the only work that is worth translating into Russian. Even locals would find this book a great aid in exploring their own city.

5 comments about Making the Mummies Dance : Inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

1. This book appeals to a select audience. Those who enjoy reading about the great chase for the treasures of the world. Treasures that wars have been fought over. Those who enjoy reading about the super-rich and their foibles. Those who enjoy reading about the intrigues and back stabbings in elite organizations (this book makes The Apprentice look like a pillow fight). And finally those who enjoy reading about a man's all consuming ambition to succeed and yet through it all remain passionate about great art. If any of the above is your cub of tea then you are going to love this. I absolutely recommend his later book 'False Impressions'. And yes, the author spares no punches in his analysis of alot of famous people.



2. This is a great book for reading and as a resource guide book. Makes you feel like your there



3. This is a refreshing book, about the author's personal quest to transform the Metropolitan Museum of Art of N.Y., during his tenure as director of the museum (1967-1977).
   When Hoving arrived as Director, he assessed the Met as a disorganized institution, a collection of collections, located in a mixture of buildings and architectures that gave "the impression of something worse than incomplete; it seemed forgotten and forlorn...." At the time Hoving was offered the post, he was commissioner of Parks, under the tenure of Mayor John Lindsay, whose mayoral campaign the author had joined with a leave of absence from... the Met, where, after receiving his Ph.D. in Art from Princeton University, he went from assistant curator to curator of the Medieval Department and the Cloisters. And indeed, it was Lindsay, when told the news about the directorship, who said: "...have you considered the boredom? Seems to me the place is dead. But, Hoving, you'll make the mummies dance." Hence the title of the book.
   The story is a fascinating, at times egotistical and gossipy account of what it took to revolutionize an institution like the Met. From the seduction of the patrons and trustees, such as Nelson Rockefeller, Walter Annenberg, Brooke Astor, Robert Lehman, to the development of a network of experts, smugglers and famous collectors, Hoving takes us on a journey that reveals a lot about the inner workings of power, expertise and glamour, in the art world.
   At the end, we are led to believe Hoving's final insight about his tenure:
   "With the creative energy of the Trustees who had been on my side and the stuff who supported me, the most sweeping revolution in the history of art museums had taken place. The Met, once an elitist, stiff, gray, and slightly moribund entity, came alive. THE MUMMIES DID DANCE......"



4. This lively look at the life and work of a director of a world-class art museum not only educates and entertains, it shocks. The mummies do, indeed, dance as Thomas Hoving takes on the Park Service to expand the museum, wiggles around UNESCO and fights a host of governments for his favorite works of art, plays one collection against another, trades, deals and bluffs his way toward making the Metropolitan Museum of Art what it is today.

   Hoving has a steam-roller personality, the energy of nuclear fission and no small amount of self-confidence. His educational background -- Princeton and an archeological expedition or two in Europe -- isn't as impressive as you'd expect, but he makes up any shortcomings with old-fashioned chutzpah.

   After some experience in minor jobs and a city job with the Parks Department, he's told he may be selected as director of the Metropolitan so he looks the place over and makes some notes: "The museum needs reform. Sprucing up. Dynamics. Electricity. The place is moribund. Gray. It's dying. The morale of staff is low. The energy seems to have vanished. You've been missing all the fine exhibits...."

   This book shows how MOMA gets from where it was then to what it is now -- the politics, infighting, backbiting, sneaking, smuggling and downright stealing it takes to make a museum one of the finest in the world. It's also a fairly realistic look at the glittering personalities and the haute monde of the New York City of a few decades ago.

   This is a rousing tale that should hold the interest of any reader, art lover or no. Never mind that Hoving doesn't hesitate to toot his own horn. This is, after all, his book. Even taking the stories with a massive grain of salt, they're always riveting and vastly amusing. No one will ever say of Thomas Hoving that he has no opinion on the people and the issues of the art world or that he hesitates to express them.

   I can't imagine anyone not being fascinated by this marvelous picture of the fabulous and often sham world of art museums and the people who support them and run them.




5. This treasure was passed to me by a gallery owner who said I would love it and she was right. Hoving gives you just the right amount of background to ensnare you in Art politics and society without overdoing it and boring the reader who isn't that into art. The book is peppered with anecdotes about the glitterati of the New York and international art/high society scene that ends up having the tone of Gore Vidal but on a subject he probably would never touch.

3 comments about Art Office, Second Edition: 80+ business forms, charts, sample letters, legal documents and business plans (Art Office: 80+ Business Forms, Charts, Sample Letters, Legal).

1. It is precisely what is needed and so easy to use especially for artists venturing out into their own business. It's a great business resource for organizing, selling, marketing and simply learning how to get out there and get noticed as a serious artist! Looking professional is the first step and this book focuses on that.



2. This is a must have for any artist wishing to sell their art on their own, and for any start-up art gallery.



3. Constance Smith has been assisting fine artists in their business efforts for more than 25 years. In the space of some two and a half decades, her professional networking in behalf of her clients has familiarized her with virtually all facets of the business aspects of the art world. Now Constance Smith has collaborated with art marketing consultant Sue Viders (who herself has more than 38 years of experience in the field) to publish "Art Office", a comprehensive, 'user friendly', and confidently recommended guide to running a business in the fine arts. Now in its fully updated and expanded second edition, "Art Office" offers a compilation of more than 80 easy to use and invaluable forms and lists that range from a twelve-month planning calendar; sales agreements; customer-client records; marketing plans; and monthly project status; to checklists for a juried show; the press release; pricing worksheet; bill of sale; model releases; competition record; target market chart; and more. From daily office forms, bookkeeping forms, and legal agreements; to inventory forms, customer forms, marketing plans, sample letters; and sales documents, "Art Office" will readily and quickly enable any artist, gallery owner, or art representative to launch an organized, legally compliant, and profitable business in the fine arts.

2 comments about What is Exhibition Design? (Essential Design Handbooks).

1. As a graduate student studying Exhibition Design and totally new to the field, this book gives a fantastic overview of what the practice really is. I find myself going back to the book a lot to find inspiration for projects. The best part of the book is the list of companies and and examples of work they have created. It gives you an idea of who you may want to work with in the future. I also met all 3 authors and Mr. Berger and Mr. Skolnick frequently visit my classes and they are great down to earth guys. They have a genuine interest in meeting with students and helping us to develop our ideas since we are the future designers in this industry. Whether you are a designer or not this book is great read, and has lots of pretty pictures. It provides a foundation of what the practice is about; past, present and future.



2. This is a great introductory book to exhibition design. I keep it at work and my co-workers always want to borrow the "pink book". I was primarily intersted in seeing the way that other firms produce design documents. Since only 6 pages of the book are dedicated to this, it gets 4 out of 5 stars. The book is divided into three sections: Issues (such as "What is exhibition design?", "Who do we design for?", "But is it art?"), Anatomy (types of exhibition design from museums to trade shows to visitor centers), and Portfolios (16 leading firms are covered). The photographs of existing exhibition design are what make this book a must buy if you are interested in the subject. You'll come back to it over and over again when brainstorming to generate ideas for your projects. Happy reading!

1 comments about Masters: Porcelain: Major Works by Leading Ceramists (Masters).

1. I have to say,I am in love with lark 500 books,and this publication is no exception!
   Porcelain is a tricky clay body to work with.I have tried it,and managed it,but still have not the capacity or patience for shrinkage,coloration,or for the historical fact that at one time, the clay was made from ground bones of the deseased!- even though some of my own stuff is in permanent gallery collections,according to what I have seen in this book,I am still an amateur. The wide variety of styles,colorations and applications of techniques held are more than most people can absorb in a single viewing. It's a volume that will last me,for years to come.
   
   Very,very,highly recommended.If you want a library of the best of the best,to your personal tastes,this is a book to have and own.

No comments about The Museum of Bad Art: Masterworks.