2 comments about Nature and Its Symbols (Guide to Imagery Series).

1. I was disappointed in this book because the format is too small to do the art justice. Such a beautiful book with wonderful information should have been published in a larger format. Difficult to see the detail.



2. In "Guide to imagery series" books I found the books on art
   that give an exceptionally clear presentation of the subject.
   I bought 6 books ("Nature and Its Symbols" among them)
   and I really found what I was searching for. You can study Old and
   New Testament as well as ancient mythology reading these books,
   understand the role of different details, symbols drawn on each picture. Inside each book there is a short description of the specific topic followed by full-colour reproductions of the pictures on this topic from different museums all over the world with detailed explanations to each picture. It was amazing to find and understand the meaning of different pictures I saw in art galleries in St.Petersburg, Berlin, Munich, Dresden, Venice, Naples and other places. Really a great selection of art works is presented in each of these books. I strongly recommend all these books to everybody who wants to understand the meaning of the pictures and get a nice art collection at home.

3 comments about Dramatic Light: Paint Eye-Catching Art in Watercolor and Oil.

1. I really enjoyed the book, bought it for a friend and could hardly bear to pass it on. I have taught art for years and still learned from it. The author really knows his stuff. Good value for money and useful as reference when teaching. Aimed at adults, but easily understood.



2. The example paintings in this book (such as on the cover) are the drool-over sort that you want to paint but can't--or can but don't.
   
   The author lets you in on secrets; how to paint translucence, using a banana and a fictious cellophane screen. Then you move on to copy an exercise of those translucent shopping bags from trendy little boutiques. After that, you will have little problem rendering translucent windows, bags and even diaphanous material over skin.
   
   There are bags of sweets in cellophane, glass jars, sheer curtains, stained-glass windows and water. A lot of material on differently-lit surfaces and scenes. And the book is not just for watercolorists--oils are also included (by figuring out how oil works, you could probably extrapolate these studies to acrylics.)
   
   A very nice book just to peruse, helpful for the actual examples and 23 different studies-in-progress. Big Thumbs Up.



3. I purchased this book based on the available descriptions. It is well laid out and a really good book for a beginner. It includes demonstrations and description of needed materials to achieve the various desired light effects. It has lots of organized color photos and would be a good first painting book for special effects. I gave it 4 stars only because I am well beyond the beginner stage and was looking for more advanced information. If you are serious about starting out, this could be good for you.

1 comments about Signs from the Heart: California Chicano Murals.

1. I bought this book for a CHICANO/A studies course that I had and it really sank inside of me. It shows pictures of the beautiful murals that can be found in CALIFORNIA by some well known chicano/a muralists and others by popularly known organizations such as SPARC. Coincidentally SPARC which stands for SOCIAL PUBLIC ART RESOURCE CENTER are also the community artists that pained a 2, 435 foot long "GREAT WALL OF LOS ANGELES" which can be viewed at Coldwater Cyn and Oxnard St near Los Angeles Valley College. Very inspirational as well. These murals are also depicted in the book, but I recommend breathing in the life of the murals on your very own. It creates a sort of "ZEN" between you and history. Very powerful images!

   It includes inspirational and pride-filling pictures from "CHICANO PARK" in San Diego, East Los Angeles Ramona Gardens MURALS, murals from BERKELEY, murals from freeway underpasses, and San Francisco. These of course are only a couple of localities, there are more. It is an empowering book that really lets you see what struggles the Latino people have had to overcome. It depicts scenes from earlier pre-colonial struggles to recent political views. It is a book that you will pick up and want to add to your collection. This is a 2nd copy that I own and thought that I would share the knowledge with others. It really makes you want to go out and see for yourself what beautiful pieces of art lay within the urban chaos that we live in.

5 comments about Watercolor Fairies: A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating the Fairy World.

1. David Riche and Anna Franklin have created a stunning and glowing instructional manuscript for individuals who love to explore the fairy world. This book is ideal for artist of any level who aspires to explore how to create a picturesque and alluring work of art involving all facets of the fairy world. One may never have considered drawing gnomes, until paging through this elaborate and in-depth manuscript.
   
   This book would not only benefit a beginning artist but an artist perhaps who draws exceptionally well, yet wishes to explore working with watercolors, or vice versa. A beginning artist who buys this book could essentially create a wonderfully radiant picture from start to finish without even a prior knowledge of drawing or watercolor techniques.
   
   My daughter who is 14, has been drawing fairies for years, after she received this book for her birthday she was very excited to see all the exceptional designs inside the book. I also draw, although I had never had an interest in drawing fairies before, yet after looking through the book for quite awhile, I am quite fascinated and enchanted with the fairy world and am ready to explore my own possibilities of fairy artwork.
   
   The fairy world is so enchanting and radiant and to think I might be able to create my own little enchanting vision. I do not believe anyone who truly loves drawing or painting fairies will be disappointed if he or she buys this book.



2. This is a great book. It covers everything from sketching to color techniques. Another bonus is that there are several framable prints inside as well. Worth every penny.



3. A little simplistic for what I was hoping for but great for kids.



4. a fabulous and inspirational book. Full of beautiful illustrations.
   Highly recommended.



5. My students loved this book and begged for assignments to recreate the pages in advanced drawing and compositions class. Beautiful work! They are excited about drawing again.

1 comments about Painting in Spain, 1500-1700 (The Yale University Press Pelican History of Art).

1. I am delighted with this book. It is ideal for teaching university students. It not only provides fresh insights into the social milieu as well as the the paintings themselves, it also has an excellent updated bibliography of the literature on the subject. For the past two decades I have lamented the fact that the Kubler-Soria Pelican book on Art and Architecture in Spain had become first increasingly outdated and then out of print. This book fills that gap splendidly - although I do wish it had been possible to include sculpture in the book as well: the interactions between these two art forms is very important. One other minor criticism: the book emphasizes the importance of the regional schools of painting in the 16th century, yet nowhere in the book is there a map of Spain showing those regions! Next edition of the book, I hope one is included.

5 comments about Advanced Airbrush Art: How to Secrets From the Masters.

1. Ii think it's a really good book. This one includes really detailed step by step of several work and with different artists. They explain how they do to ackomplish the result. Then it's a small interview with every artist, how they got into buissness, what gear they use and so on..
   
   All work in the book is painted on motorcycle-tanks. Recommend this one! Nice photos and many of them, easily to follow the procedure.
   
   This book fits for people that has some knowledge about aibrushing.



2. First of all, this isn't really a book. It's more like a magazine.
   
   Second, the airbrushing exmaples inside (while very well done) aren't what I expected.
   
   If you're interested in airbrushing a flaming skull on a motorcycle then this book (er, magazine) is for you.
   
   But if you're like me, and interested only in airbrushing illustrations, then this isn't for you.



3. This book has some good techniques for someone who has some knowledge, but does not have any step-by-step projects for beginners. The step-by-step projects it has are for someone who has some knowledge and experience of painting and airbrushing. It seems nice for this purpose though. I wanted a book for an absolute beginners such as myself. I will keep the book and probably will use it after I learn some about airbrushing. I know some about painting so I can see how this would benefit someone with some skill and knowledge. It shows procedures and tips for painting gas tanks for motorcycles.



4. I look forward to using the advance techniques that this book provides.



5. Superb book for learning. I only wish this group of ten painters, will do it again, with different subjects...

5 comments about Odd Nerdrum: Themes.

1. I am a russian, so I am not enogh good in english.
   But this book contain a little of words and a lot of beautiful images
   This is one of the bect books in my library. Ullustration are wery good and blow-ups show all art kinetics of Nerdrum.
   By the way - book is very cheap. Similar books in Russia cost at last two times more!



2. Warning: If you already have the 2001 book by Richard Vine on Odd Nerdrum this book will mostly just be redundant. And if you don't have either i would recommend getting the 2001 book first, and only .
   I was highly disappointed when i finally got the chance to look through this book. I was expecting a collection of new and never before seen paintings but instead found that it was mostly just full of paintings shown in the Richard Vine book, and the reproductions are far inferior and include far fewer closeups. The main disappointment was that it contained only a handful of new or recent paintings, though it did contain some old paintings that i hadn't seen before. It also contains fewer drawings than the previous book. It also misleadingly lists 'Sculptures' in the title when only containing 3 or 4 tiny sculptures of faces and cacoon-like babies.
   One good thing about this book however is that it includes a lot of thumbnails and quick sketches of ideas for his paintings, giving an insight into his working process.
   
   This is not a bad book, just a little disappointing and not as good as it should have been. And again, if you have the 2001 book, you won't find much new here.



3. Odd Nerdrum is the most talented artist alive today -- though he feels he's been ostracized by the art community to the point he rejects his work to be called art. His work is kitsch he says (which I find rather silly but apparently it is an art movement). I've yet to come across a painter with such interesting work. As a warning it can be graphic. Nerdrum is not shy about painting the male body, disfigured bodies, and people defecating.
   
   Many of the paintings are masterpieces. What's disappointing is the lack of commentary. Nerdrum says his work hides nothing -- therefore what requires explanation? A lot. His paintings appear to be highly symbolic; for example, the man on the road -- disfigured with guts spilling out -- was actually Andy Warhol and his rejection of the modern art movement. There are other paintings of fathers finding sons, certainly a reference to his own personal life...
   
   overall I could not give this master anything less than 5 stars with a book so very reasonably priced!



4. Ok, so now there are two great huge books on Nerdrum. One by Richard Vine and now this one. If you are a Nerdrum freak you might as well buy both, but if you have to choose one, here's the facts. The 'Themes' book has more paintings than Vine's book as there are about 100 pages more in it. And though both books have good close ups, 'Themes' has more and better details for those artist who wish to torture themselves drooling over Nerdrum brushwork. However, Vine's book has the better quality reproductions. The color has more lustre, and the colors in 'Themes" seems just a bit too dark at times, plus a couple of the close ups are slightly out of focus. Both books are great in that they consist almost entirely of pictures only. But though the article by Richard Vine is insightful and informative, the article in 'Themes' sucks, being a kind of attempt at lashing back at the narrow critics who have been biting at Nerdrums heels since the day he invited them to do so. I don't see why Nerdrum, given that he is the greatest painter of today and possibly equal to any of the past, should give a damn about their existence.
   
   So pick your choice and celebrate the fact that modern art is dying, while true painting lives on.



5. This book is definitely for those who not only love Odd Nerdrum's paintings but are interested in seeing the brushstrokes that create his magnificent creations.
   
   The whole book is photos with many detail shots. This is a must see book for the modern painter.

5 comments about Glitter and Doom: German Portraits from the 1920s (Metropolitan Museum of Art Publications).

1. This is a nice book an the subject. Nice large plates, a must for any good art book. That's it--if you like paintings from this genre buy it.



2. I saw the collection that the Met had last year of this artwork and it was just amazing. It was provocative and raw, and just incredible. I can't wait for the paperback to come out of this so that I can afford it.



3. Finally an excellent review of what the first World War did to German culture and psyche. This book lays it all out. Hitler was a logical consequence. Unfortunately the Western world did not pay enough attention to these portentious signs. The book has beautiful color reproductions, great detailed commentary on each artist featured and enaough historical commentary to make it all plausible.



4. This is the catalogue for a beautiful exhibition held at the Met last year. The paintings reproduced here are among the best examples of the New Objectivity, a movement that was able to depict the atmosphere, the soul, the world of the Weimar Republic, that brief time span when pre-war Germany enjoyed freedom in the arts and in the minds. These gripping paintings show how ultimately doomed that world was and how the artists were the first to sense the tragic developments that were to succeed it. The front cover, a detail of one of Christian Schad's best known paintings, is a perfect illustration of a society that seems to have enjoyed life knowing that death would come too soon, with the end of that joyful and poetic decadence that was the Berlin of the 1920's.



5. Twice viewed the exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum here in New York. German art in the 20s is raw, obscene and decadent. A raucus reflection on hard times there. They had just suffered WW1, in the midst of fascism, insane inflation, etc.
   Highlight: Otto Dix is a wild artist, forever a favorite now. Also a DaDa artist.
   I am a frequent art museum visitor. Therefore, in my opinion, this catalogue did the show great justice which is not aways the case.

4 comments about Chuck Close: Work.

1. Excellent reproductions and very informative text. A good resource book for artists and students. Worth the cost to have this one in your collection.



2. This really does not need to be that long. I am a huge fan of Chuck Close and have been so for years now. My personal library reflects this, with four other books and catalogs spanning his career. These books get brought out on a semi-consistent basis, as they all have something important to say about this mans art.
   
   "Chuck Close: WORK" is a definitive piece that fills in any small holes about the story of this artist that might be obscured in some out of print catalog, as well as talking heavily about his process. If you are in the market for a book that gives the full Chuck Close biography while supplementing itself with beautiful illustrations and plenty of dialog about his process, do not hesitate to purchase this book.



3. Christopher Finch has done a wonderful job of revealing both Chuck Close the man and the artist. This one of the best art retrospectives I have ever actually 'read' and enjoyed.
   
   I too had a chance to hear both artist and author speak this week. While Chuck did say this is the definitive book on his work one can hope that he still has many productive years left to continue to awe and amaze his many admirers.



4. This book is large! And it has excellent reproductions and bio of the life of this magical man. Chuck Close has made a career,while battling disabilities that would have stopped lesser men.Christopher Finch noted art writer,assists Close in making this book autobiographical and personal,like the unpretentious Mr. Close.
   The author and the artist together guide you through the evolution of Chuck Close noted modern portrait artist. You follow from air brush, to finger painting,collage disc painting, to the new color geometric masterpieces.
   Chuck personally supervised color choices in the lay-out and it is truly impressive. 95 percent of his major work is here. Self portraits,friends , his wife etc. are all vividly executed. Seeing Chuck in action shows the scale of the major works!The works are huge,and the pictures show the studio environment he works in.
   I was fortunate to attend his lecture,with both men ,and it Chuck says this is the definitive book!

3 comments about Capturing the Moment in Oils.

1. I first saw this book in the library and was so impressed with it that I just had to purchase a copy for myself. David Curtis has a truly wonderful ability to paint beach scenes with such startling clarity that I enjoy looking at them all so much. His work with oils is brilliant and this book has to be in any painter's collection.



2. Capturing the Moment in Oils....by David Curtis is a lush, lovely book depicting the painter's beautifully executed oils. Certainly he knows his stuff when it comes to painting, but this book, unlike his previous one, is woefully short on showing the painting process and long on descriptions of place and thinking. I was truly disappointed that there weren't demonstrations and sequential photos of at least a few of the paintings in progress. Buyers should know that this is more of a coffee table book than a treatise for the artist.



3. I admire Mr. Curtis mastery of outdoor painting, and it wasn't long before I decided to get this book. Strong compositional sense and an incredible ability to convey the light and mood of the subject in a realistic yet painterly manner would define his style. He paints "on the spot" but may occasionally complete a painting in the studio, while still retaining a spontaneous quality.
   
   With the title "Capturing the Moment in Oils" one would expect a book about alla prima painting and indeed, the instruction has a lot to do with different plein-air settings and the "one-hit" brushstroke approach (with no subsequent modification) that Curtis shares with other Masters like Richard Schmid. The downside is that the author doesn't go much into detail about the fundamentals (values, edges, color...well, mileage is important too) that are needed to get this "one-hit brushstroke" right. And you must be warned: this book has little information about how a beginner can get started, nor does it feature any picture of the artist materials or him while painting. Just his paintings, mostly landscapes and seascapes ones, which IMO gives the book a nice sober look. It's quite short of step-by-steps too. If you rely on the product description from the publisher, you may be in for a surprise.
   
   The text still has a lot of useful and interesting insights; it features a nice discussion about how to start a painting and it even deals with glazing, which the artist considers as an additional tool to succeed in achieving the results you're aiming for. I do enjoy benefiting from Curtis expert guidance and read about his own ways of approaching things; you just need to know that the instruction is not as focused and thorough as it could have been...no big deal; still very useful as I said before. Overall, this is a good practical guide about David Curtis equipment and how he uses it in the course of a painting. In fact, this book reminds me a lot of his watercolor book, which I also recommend nonetheless for its gorgeous gallery of moody watercolors.
   
   To sum up, I would say that the Art generously displayed in this book is masterful and highly inspirational but if you are completely new to painting, you may need a more thorough basic instruction. Anyway, the book is very pleasant to flip through and is worth buying solely for the artwork. It is a great addition to the serious landscape painter library.