No comments about Figural Planters: A Pictorial Guide With Values (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

3 comments about Thrown Rope.

1. Provincetown Arts Press published two books on the occasion of Peter Hutchinson's retrospective at the Provincetown Art Associaion and Museum in 1994: "Narrative Art," the exhibition catalogue with essays by Brian O'Doherty, Ann Wilson Lloyd, and Douglas Huebler, and "Dissolving Clouds," a collection of the artist's writings. In the catalogue introduction, I wrote that the term "Narrative Art" was coined by John Gibson for the title of an exhibition at his gallery in New York in 1974. Hutchinson was one of several artists, including Bill Beckley, Jean Le Gac, and Roger Welch, who were introducing language into aspects of visual art, not merely as another collage element, but as a medium independent of the visual image. Hutchinson's typical practice, then and now, combines image and text emblematically so that the separate mediums interact to make a total statement about art and life. Generally he uses his own photographs and his own written anecdotal descriptions as documentations of an action in a specific time and place that was intended consciously to be a work of art. His texts provide parabolic commentary on the action, but they do not depend on the photographs for their context or their sense of completeness. In this new book, Hutchinson presents his mature self in an elegant summary. The book, beautifully produced, reproduces touchstone images, but they jump to life in their accumulated orchestration.
   
   When Hutchinson throws a rope on a lawn, it is with the purpose of finding an accidental line where he will plant the flowers that materialize into his works of art. The unseen, presented through documentations of its existence, becomes mysteriously animated as an idea greater than the forms that represent it; and what is ultimately called the work of art is an entire cycle of creative process, including destruction, rather than any one of its states, however finished. It seems natural that Hutchinson often works in series and that he incorporates fundamental systems in science and language--cosmic, atomic, chemical, numerical, and alphabetical--while relishing the power of a system to blindly organize random information. Such a rule of system is what makes the Conceptual artist successful in terms that are somewhat strictly defined. From an airplane, on a clear day, any volcano might look beautiful, but knowlegede that Hutchinson has walked the sterile rim and scattered bread--moistening it, and covering it with plastic to grow mold--alters what you see.



2. This is a great chronicle of some of the many wonderful works by this cutting edge conceptual artist. Like his work, each page of the book is carefully touched by the genius behind the work. It is beautifully edited and is a great read.



3. It's been a long time coming and it looks wonderful.
   Princeton Press & Blind Spot have provided a well deserved place in the art book world for Peter Hutchinson and his art.
   Lots and lots of beautiful photos chronicles a long career and helps us understand better conceptual art through the wisdom and talent of Peter Hutchinson.
   A must-have!

No comments about Haim Steinbach.

No comments about The Medici Aesop: From the Spencer Collection of the New York Public Library.

No comments about Grayson Perry: Portrait of the Artist As a Young Girl.

2 comments about Jeweler's Resource: A Reference of Gems, Metals, Formulas and Terminology.

1. This book is a must-have reference for anyone in the jewelery business, but probably too technical for someone interested in learning about jewelery. Nicely organized.



2. Having been in the industry for several years I found this book an excellent resource. It has tables to review formulas for all types of gold, silver, and platinum. The only thing it is lacking is the specific gravities for different gemstones. It has several pages of the many types of cuts for diamonds. This book is so invaluable that I lost it, and now I'm buying it again.

1 comments about Lefton China: Old and New.

1. I'm an amatuer collector of animal figurines and planters. just getting started and with the aid of this book I am able to identify my purchases. It helps me tremendously in satisfying my curiosity about each piece. This is the second book I own by the same author, and I plan on getting the others. Of course, there are way too many items out there to all be decribed in just a few books.

No comments about Picture-Gallery Old Masters: Masterpieces of Dresden.

1 comments about Justin Lieberman: Hopi Basket Weaving.

1. Here Justin Lieberman is at his best, mixing razor sharp wit while oozing a reckless amandon. Notable among his "mid-career" peers, Justin's writing is not only ahead of its time, but it seems, is also from a time long past, in this way, it is timeless, also in this way it is a time machine, capable of crossing through superficial boundaries of space and time, mixing meanings, and misrepresenting the history of the world, as he sees fit. He lays all of this out in his earth shattering essay "Towards a Meta Language of Collage" which is included in this chilling tome. In the end Justin is especially surprising for all of his exuberance, especially at his age, when gusts of energy and inspiration come not at will, but by nature's own time clock, one of this artists strengths is learning to obey that very clock, which keeps us all ticking in these chaotic times. I definitely recommend this book for fans of: Mitt Romney, Rage Against the Machine, and English Prog. It saddens me ultimately to note that Justin has nearly reached the end of his long, and exhausting life, I wish him well as he passes swiftly through eternity.

5 comments about Earth Transformed: Chinese Ceramics in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

1. A very nice text for a scholar of Chinese ceramics, and or cultured individual. Covers examples from Neolithic to Qing Dynasty. All of the photos are extremely well rendered, and scaled when appropriate to show close up details of the more important technical aspects of style. Many of the pieces are shown from various angles so as not to obscure hidden structure and detail. Every item represented is provided with dimensions which makes this book a valuable reference source. The author's very disciplined selection of pieces represent as broad a perspective of relevant styles as possible for a book of it's size, and single museum souce. Highly Recommend.



2. A very nice text for a scholar of Chinese ceramics, and or cultured individual. Covers examples from Neolithic to Qing Dynasty. All of the photos are extremely well rendered, and scaled when appropriate to show close up details of the more important technical aspects of style. Many of the pieces are shown from various angles so as not to obscure hidden structure and detail. Every item represented is provided with dimensions which makes this book a valuable reverence source. The author's very disciplined selection of pieces represent as broad a perspective of relevant styles as possible. Highly Recommend.



3. Overall, the book is of high quality. All the pictures were well taken. The pieces included were exceptional good pieces from different Chinese Dynasties. It is a book for those who have profound interest in Chinese works of art.

   Readers should pay special attention to the Ruyao saucer which arouses lots of discussions among professional dealers and serious collectors. It is a very controversial piece which needs to be more thoroughly studied and examined; and compared to the existing samples in different museums and private collections around the world. Without seeing and examining the piece in person, one cannot say for sure if it is a well-sought-after Ru ware or just a later copy.




4. Almost eighty objects covering 5,000 years of art history are featured in this roundup of Chinese ceramics in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Not only are the objects discussed in depth and presented in full color, but a timeline, sidebars of facts, kiln maps and other detailed information makes for a treasure-trove of insight and knowledge.



5. Earth Transformed: Chinese Ceramics In The Museum Of Fine Arts, Boston by Wu Tung (Matsutaro Shoriki Curator of Asian Art and Head of the Department of the Art of Asia, Oceania, and Africa) is a gorgeous, coffee-table art book filled cover to cover with more than two hundred beautiful color photographs of seventy-nine smooth, elegant, picturesque and varied examples of the art of Chinese Ceramics throughout a 5000 year history. From decorative pottery to Buddhist sculptures, each ceramic is displayed with a detailed aside informing the reader about its origin and contextual meaning. A wondrous and beautiful book of three dimensional works of art, Earth Transformed is an enthusiastically recommended addition to personal, professional, academic, and community library ceramic art and art history reference collections.