No comments about William Kentridge: Black Box/Chambre Noire.

No comments about Christian Philipp Muller.

No comments about Charlotte Webb's Pillow Book.

1 comments about Majolica.

1. The striking images along with rich and enlightening editorial by Nicholas Dawes, lets everyone's favorite pottery achieve it's glory in print. Whether you're a seasoned collector, casual admirer, or curious browser, if you've ever been fascinated by the magical lustre of glazes on an authentic piece of antique majolica, this book will heighten your appreciation beyond expectation. Highly recommended as the current bible on this most intriguing and treasured branch of ceramics.
   
   From the inside flap:
   "Majolica" is a lavishly illustrated and comprehensive examination of the stunning art of majolica-- the extremely poplar, highly collectible Victorian earthenware that is enjoying a revival. Nicholas M. Dawes, a specialist in decorative arts, particularly nineteenth - and twentieth-century glass and ceramics, and the author of "Lalique Glass" (Crown, 1986) traces the techniques, innovations, influences, and inspirations of the majolica artists.

No comments about Theorizing Modernism.

1 comments about Flowers Afloat: Folk Artists of the Canals.

1. Tony Lewery is an English Signwriter (Sign painter) who has made a life's work of studying the history of the English canal boat and their decoration. He is a practicing sign artist and his work still includes the decoration of the canal boats. When the canals in England were built they were made narrow and shallow to conserve funds. Consequently the boats were made narrow and long. They often were only seven feet wide and 70' long. The owners lived aboard in a small cabin in the stern of the boat and took pride in the decoration of their boats. A tradition of "Roses and Castles" evolved in their decoration. This tradition has been carried on to the present day. The book chronicles the various boat yards that built and decorated these "narrowboats" over the years and the history of the canal system itself. The boats seldom carry any more commercial cargo and now many of them are available for charter for vacations.

No comments about Best of Erotica.

No comments about The Edward Burr Van Vleck Collection of Japanese Prints (Chazen Museum of Art Catalogs).

1 comments about The Pottery Of Santa Ana Pueblo.

1. When given the opportunity to review The Pottery of Santa Ana Pueblo I asked myself, as a researcher and collector of Native American pottery, why Santa Ana warranted a detailed and exhaustive study of its pottery production. After all, Santa Ana has produced very little pottery in the last century and is not very well known to the general public. But after reexamining the 2003 release of The Pottery of Zia Pueblo by Harlow and Lanmon (published by School of American Research Press) I found this most recent volume could easily be considered the continuation of that earlier work.
   
   The necessity in analyzing wares from Santa Ana lies in the fact that the pottery of both pueblos, at least until about 1760, so closely resembles each other as to be nearly indistinguishable. Thus, to accurately define pottery from Zia (which has always been a prolific village) it is also necessary to define that of Santa Ana.
   
   In the course of their research the authors say they were able to "(d)escribe the chronological sequence of forms and designs based on evidence that has not previously been utilized." To that end they trace the evolution of Santa Ana pottery from its early roots with a discussion of Puname pottery styles (c. 1450-1760) to the first pottery style identifiable at Santa Ana Pueblo (c. 1760) up to the end of pottery making for local use at the village (c. 1925), and through various revivals up to the present.
   
   Pottery from museums around the world was examined and 300 vessels (more or less) have been illustrated in color, making this volume exceedingly thorough in scope and of enormous benefit to researchers and museum personnel. Organized chronologically, well over half the text appears to be intended for researchers and archaeologists, since collectors have limited access to pre-1880 pieces. The last two chapters will interest collectors most, because during the technical discussions of paste, temper and form (as well as at the rather monotonous litanies of design elements of each illustrated piece) the average collector's eyes will likely glaze over. Yet this detailed analysis is critical to the understanding of the fundamental differences that define pottery by period, style and village of manufacture. Certainly the discussion of the ceremonial break and associated path line in Pueblo pottery is invaluable.
   
   The author's collective credentials are impeccable, and all are associated with the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture in Santa Fe; Harlow and Lanmon as Research Associates, Anderson as Director. Harlow, who is a physicist at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, is also one of the foremost authorities on pueblo pottery and has written or collaborated on more than half a dozen publications about Southwest Native American pottery. Anderson wrote All That Glitters (published by SAR Press in 1999) about micaceous pueblo pottery, and Lanmon recently authored When Rain Gods Reigned for Museum of New Mexico Press in 2002 (SBV Vol. 2/2).
   
   The result is a nicely produced, large format hardcover with glossy pages and color photos; a beautiful-and informative-book that should become a foundation in any library, public or private, about Southwest Native American art. It is hoped the series will continue to encompass every pottery-making village or tribe in New Mexico and Arizona.

3 comments about Landscape: A Comprehensive Guide to Drawing and Painting Nature.

1. I have painted "plein air" for a number of years, first in pastel and now moving into oils. I was very glad to find this book of Richard McDaniels, which I have been voraciously reading over the last couple of weeks. His palette and brush strokes really speak to me, and his colors SING with clarity and beauty. I appreciate the many samples of his work included in the book, which inspire me to delve deeper into my own compositions and experiment with varying colors. He writes with a knowledgeable, carefully-thought-out and well-articulated manner, and is often surprisingly humorous in his prose. I have learned much by coming across this book - for example, being reminded how to approach the laying out of values in beginning a painting. This is essential, and something many people do not grasp! His many samples showing the various stages of a painting are informational and helpful.
   I have read the important "Carlsen's Guide to Landscape Painting" and Richard's book is a modern version of a classic- destined to become the Bible of Landscape Painting. We pay a modest sum for what we would've paid several hundred dollars for in a workshop, just by purchasing and reading this book. It is a must for any painter's personal library. Painting is a lifelong learning , and this book is many breaths of fresh air to help us along our way.



2. The best things about this book are the cover and frontis images. It covers everything about the rules of making art, but doesn't really inspire. Nothing in the text sings "Nature" to me, instead I felt that it had all been said before.



3. There is no doubt about it. This book is definetely comprehensive. It is also extremely well-organized and quite readible. I like the fact that the book can be used equally by a complete beginner or by an advanced painter. There is material to help a novice get started, yet the author (McDaniel) provides insightful guidance that will even help the experts.

   The demonstrations of different techniques are direct and easily understood, with clear examples and superb artwork. It is enlightening to follow the process of creating paintings and seeing the artist use such a wide variety of materials and techniques.

   The sections on composition and color are particularly informative, as is the discussion and helpful hints for painting on location and in the studio. He showed me a new way to see all the variety of shapes and color to be found in nature. The book is fun to read and has an easy, conversational style of writing that is relaxed, funnny and quite informative.

   If you are interested in fine art in general, or landscape painting in particular, this book should be on your shelf.