1 comments about Yakimono: 4000 Years of Japanese Ceramics.

1. gorgeous photos, and a lovely selection of pieces. a must for anyone interested in japanese ceramics

5 comments about Striptease: The Untold History of the Girlie Show.

1. This book really started my serious fascination with Burlesque Striptease. It truly deserves status as an art form. Shteir has broken it down and explained the history of the style from its inception, in a studied and reverant way. If you really seek a firm understanding of the history of this art form (perhaps to better appreciate the burlesque revival we are currently experiencing) this is a wonderful book for you. Ladies will enjoy the astute feminist take on the topic, as well as the empowered women of the Burlesque world. Gentlemen with likely appreciate the eye-candy, as well as the vintage element of the tease--buy a copy, and tell prospective girlfriends that you are "...so tired of explicit internet images..."



2. After Ms. Shteir wrote a "hatchet job" of an article on a recent conference I organized, I had to take a look at her book. I wish I had done so before I had allowed her to attend and write about our conference. Her article was so filled with errors, misquotes, and mean-spiritedness. I was reassured to read the reviews online here about her book and to find that many others shared my concern about her sloppy attention to facts. She is the most unprofessional writer I have encountered. In breezing through her book, I had no faith in her historical accounts and noticed a style more concerned with its own edgy language than in conveying an authentic and accurate description and mood of its subject matter. I would alert any potential reader of this book to beware. It is self-serving, self-promoting, and provocative for the sake of being provocative. I'm sure there must be better books on this subject.



3. Shteir's thorough research is fleshed-out by her concise writing and moderate tone. This is a scholarly but entertaining review of how show-business from the early 19th century to the present has explored its outer limits, and how the clientele have responded. It will take its place in due course with contemporary accounts of gladiatorial contests, bear-baiting and the bullring: those times and places where entertainment as either the living spectacle, or the distant retrospective confronts us with just what sort of people we are, that we get our jollys in such a medium.



4. This was probably the worse book I have ever had the misfortune to examine. Did the author check anything she wrote in the book, or did she just blindly copy her "National Enquirer" type sources? Dixie Evans is NOT an alcoholic and Rose LaRose was NOT a pornographer.
   
   Burning to death from tap shoes is probably the silliest thing I have ever read!
   
   Stick to "Gypsy" or "My Journey Burlesque" for first hand accounts. There are other excellent reference books available.



5. I own a number of burlesque-themed films on VHS, mostly actual stage performances from the 1940's and 1950's. These films are discussed in the book, and I was surprised to find descriptions that sometimes seem drawn from thin air.
   
   On page 287, author Shteir tells us, "For example, in A Night At the Follies (1956), a murder provides an excuse to see undressed women backstage." There is no murder nor any other plot and no visits backstage -- it simply films an actual burlesque show.
   
   On page 287 - 288, stripper Tempest Storm in A Night In Hollywood is described as "guiding audiences through an evening of burlesque striptease, comedy, ragtime and jazz music, and stripping." Storm doesn't guide anybody through anything. She does not appear until the very end of the show, as was the custom for the star, and dances for eight minutes without one audible word.
   
   On page 288, describing female impersonator Vicki Lynn's act in Varietease, "In the last moments, Lynn takes off the wig to reveal her bald head." Actually Lynn has a full head of hair, without any sign of baldness.
   
   On page 289, turning to mainstream movies, Shteir comments on the 1958 hit The Naked and the Dead, and stripper Lili St. Cyr's role. She tells us the movie "pumped up the sex and violence considerably, partly by casting St. Cyr to play Croft's wife." Wrong. Sergeant Croft's wife was played by Barbara Nichols. Lili St. Cyr played Private Wilson's girlfriend, and she was only in the film for two minutes. Shteir does not mention the brevity of St. Cyr's role, but tells us, "St. Cyr plays a selfish, cold, neurotic, sexually omnivorous stripper - a cartoon of a woman." Wrong, wrong, wrong. The only thing right is that St. Cyr played a stripper. Everything else is completely at odds with the film, where Lili is a warm, smiling, light-hearted woman who knows she'll be arrested if she strips but performs as usual because, "I gotta have integrity with my public, even if I gotta pay for it." All we see of her act is a slow dance that resembles a hula (and reveals less). Wilson adores her, and she sends him money when he's overseas.
   
   Shteir has academic credentials and a reputable publisher, but I wouldn't trust anything she says.

1 comments about Uta Barth (Contemporary Artists).

1. This splendid monograph on the work of Uta Barth lays out in lavish detail how she deconstructs vision into a series of sensations and effects. She began making pictures of the backgrounds of snapshots, and then photos of the backgrounds of action film stills. Her aim was the periphery of conscious sight, and the results have been dazzlingly effective. She has progressed in this investigation of vision by adding the effects of the passage of time, and investigating the visual collapse that occurs from an extended stare. Her pictures are always rigorously composed and stunningly beautiful, and they are accurately illustrated in this superb book. The essays are smart and insightful, and the interviews are enlightening. Well worth the cost.

No comments about Fiona Tan: Disassembling the Archive.

2 comments about Catalina Island Pottery and Tile Island Tr (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

1. I was born in Avalon MANY years ago, and raised there for many years; and I have always loved the lore of the island. I have also become a collector of pottery and turned my attention to the wonderful items that came from my hometown. Super book! L.P.



2. This is the best guide (there have been few)that has been released to date. The best thing about it are the accurate time frames and the pricing for the individual pieces. Plus the glaze and clay content history are very helpful!!! Get this while you can, because knowing Schiffer books, it will go out of print soon!!

2 comments about Yayoi Kusama (Contemporary Artists).

1. I love this artist, she is such an innovator, she rocks my world and as a young Japanese canadian artist i am highly influnced by her.



2. This book is absolutely gorgeous. I didn't know many of the artist's works before I bought this book - and it gave me a good understanding of her life and work. Chock full of beautiful colour photos. It's cool too because so many quality art books cost a fortune, but since this one is a softcover it's reasonably priced. As you can tell, I HIGHLY recommend this book.

No comments about Salt Glazing.

4 comments about The Life of Forms in Art.

1. The reason to read is the thrill of the beautiful sentences. Never mind the topic. Here is a sentence from this book which I will never forget: "Their very immobility sparkles with metamorphosis."



2. Although I ultimately disagree with most of this book, I would neverthless wholeheartedly recommend it to anybody trying to think through the issue of form in art. What is form? How do forms evolve? What is the relationship between forms and space/ time? In particular this book begins from the curious problem of how, while individual artists do not conceive of their work as a develpment of existing forms, nevertheless, viewed historically, forms do seem to have their own life, their own temporality. How do we account for this. Focillon's prose is limpid and occasionally poetic, in an almost Proustian way. I loved reading this book.



3. This book is indispensable to anyone who wants to understand art and begin to comprehend its inevitable intricacies. It is an agreeable blend of art, its history and philosophy. The author explains his positions in crystal clear form and shows many of the myriad relationships among form itself and imagery. He almost always writes well-informed by an understanding of techniques and materials. The English edition requires more concentration than the French version which is eloquent.



4. One of the most influential books in art history, The Life of Forms in Art is nonetheless horribly tedious. It was originally written in French, which is reportedly much more lucid. However, if your background in art historical study is strong, it is imperative that you understand Focillon's thesis. But I must tell you, I am a first year undergraduate at Yale, and I had to read it three times before some degree of understanding crept in; my graduate student TA read it twice! Enjoy!

1 comments about Barnett Newman.

1. Apart from the Catalogue Raisonné, this is the best contribution to the understanding of Newman's work in recent years. It is the catalogue for an exhibition held at the National Gallery in London and, therefore, carries no surprise: All the masterpieces are there, arranged in a chronological order, beautifully illustrated and accompanied by an enlightening text.

3 comments about Mermaids Volume One : A Gallery Girls Book (Gallery Girls Collection).

1. Una magnifica coleccion de sirenas, todas graciosas, romanticas, incluso picarescas; tampoco faltan los temas guerreros, seres mitologicos, accion y sencillez; me encanta el dibujo donde una sirena juega con tres criaturas marinas semejantes a hombres-pez, tambien es hermoso el dibujo de las tres sirenas sobre un arrecife (abarca dos paginas) y uno mas donde una sirena sentada en una roca parece sonreirle al lector; es notable la presencia del lapiz como instrumento de dibujo en casi todas las impresiones, y algunas parecen casi una fotografia!!
   Este fue el primer volumen que he adquirido y he quedado my encantado con esta obra...¡SENCILLAMENTE PRECIOSO!!



2. It's really terrific to see so many creative depictions of mermaids and the like in one little book. I really enjoyed the different perspectives- some terrifying, others humorous, all outstanding in their own unique way.



3. Mermaids is another fine series of Gallery Girl collections from SQ Productions. Sal Quartuccio continues to give an outlet to a very diverse and talented assortment of fantasy and erotic artists. This is the first of the three volumes currently available in the Gallery Girls Mermaids series. Mermaids have always had that enchanting allure of beauty for men of the sea. While these creatures of myth are usually presented as peaceful, playful, and perhaps a bit mischievous, many of the artists in Mermaids Volume One have a different perspective on them. The book starts out with a gorgeous, painted, wrap-around cover by Joe Chiodo whose style is well-matched to the lighthearted side of mermaids. The interior artists include Daniel Pascarelli, Tomas Giorello, Jose Torres, James Ryman, Pelaez, and Mike Hoffman.
   
   Pascarelli takes a fairly traditional approach as he shows two mermaids, a blonde and a brunette, lying on a rocky shore, soaking up the sun. Another Pascarelli piece features a blonde mermaid lounging inside of a giant clam. Mike Hoffman presents a gorgeous piece with a mermaid, armed with a trident, battling a male warrior. Hoffman is one of my new favorites among fantasy artists due to his strong Frazetta influence and his art stands as a tribute to that true master of fantasy art. Showing that not all mermaids are playful, Artist Quintabani has two mermaids locked underwater in a duel to the death. James Ryman probably gets the honor for most horrific piece in the collection as a beautiful mermaid finds herself facing an enormous beast that is part humanoid, part crab, and part octopus that looks like it just walked out of a Robert E. Howard story.
   
   A strong-willed mermaid rides a mammoth great white shark in a piece by Boada, and Capdevila provides a picturesque work of a tranquil shoreline with a mermaid reclining on the beach as seagulls fly overhead. The great Pelaez has a number of outstanding pieces in the book including one showing a mermaid discovering the bones of an ancient seaman at the bottom of the ocean. Whether these creatures are lying serenely on the shore or battling fierce beasts far below the ocean's surface, this initial collection promises to be a great new series in the Gallery Girls line. I look forward to seeing the next two volumes!
   
   Reviewed by Tim Janson