2 comments about A Concise History of Modern Painting (World of Art).

1. An excellent introductory book on modern art. A must. Very well written, very clear in its concepts and, I think, a classic of art history.



2. I love the "World of Art" series. It is definitely published with the artist and art student in mind. You get a lot of art at an affordable price. Most art books in this price range are thin volumes of washed-out color and dismal black and white, with a sprinkling of superficial text. Their subject is usually limited to the handful of artists that are wildly popular with the public, such as the impressionists. Not this series!
   
   "A Concise History of Modern Painting" is especially well-packed, with 500 illustrations, 118 of them in excellent color. Pages are semi-slick so the art reproduces well. The plates are very well planned. Thumbing through the book, you get the feeling of color, color, color! Black-and-white plates are reserved for drawings (graphite, ink, charcoal), prints, and a few sculptures. All of these are well-suited to reproduction in black and white (although there is also a 43-page appendix, "a pictorial survey of modern painting", featuring 6-8 black-and-white illustrations per page). "A Concise History of Modern Painting" discusses artists who work within styles the author describes as specifically modern (as distinguished from earlier periods). It focuses on ideas, works and movements. All illustrations are chosen within that context. (Realistic artists are not represented.)
   
   The book includes text references, a bibliography, a list of works reproduced, and an index. It's a 6"x8" paperback edition, about an inch thick--a good size for packing. The binding is glued, not sewn, but it seems durable, and I think it will last. I carry mine on trips, though I haven't had it long enough to see how well it wears. I discovered the "World of Art" series while travelling and bought several titles. They're the best art books at this price I've ever found.

2 comments about Francis Bacon: Portraits and Heads.

1. I expected something else. In 'Van Gogh and Expressionism' the Bacon images are vibrant and colorful and interesting. They include studies for portraits of Van Gogh as well as self portraits. They look much like the cover of this book. Unfortunately, the only image I liked WAS the cover. Had I looked through this book in a bookstore I would not have purchased. Perhaps i am not much of a Bacon 'fan'. Let that be a lesson to me.....more research in the future before purchasing.



2. FRANCIS BACON: PORTRAITS AND HEADS is a superb catalogue that accompanied an exhibition in the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art in Edinburgh last summer and unlike most of the Bacon retrospectives, this exhibition focused entirely on the many heads Bacon painted. As other artist come and go Francis Bacon continues to be one of the more 'published' artists of the twentieth century and it is refreshing to see that there are still new things to say about the work of one of the most significant painters in recent years
   
   Included are self portraits, portraits of famous people some of whom actually commissioned portraits while the majority are of friends, lovers, fellow artists, and images from photographs. Bacons small works carry as much power as the large canvases, perhaps that is due to the lack of need to place the figure in a constructed environment or space. Or perhaps when Bacon concentrated on only the head, his probing eye could explore and paint the model's psyche (as well as his own responsive psyche!).
   
   The reproductions are superb, on excellent paper, and given full attention in the catalogue. There are two fine essays in addition to the obligatory Introduction and comments from the curatorial staff. Though most of these paintings can be found in other catalogue raisonnes of Bacon's work, seeing the small head portraits in a single space is a fine idea and one from which we continue to learn about just what made Bacon unique and inimitable! Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, August 06

3 comments about Paint Along with Jerry Yarnell Volume Six - Learning Composition (Paint Along With Jerry Yarnell, 6).

1. The book arrived as stated and in excellent cond. I feel it will be a vaulable tool for teaching composition. I own 5 of Jerry's books and enjoy all of them. Have also attended 2 of his workshops which were very informative. I'm also signed up for 2 more workshops in June.



2. His artwork is good. It is helpful in learning techniques to eventually graduate in doing your own work by just looking a scene or picture. All of his books are great, predictable, but great.



3. A very straght forward and very simple to understand book on composition. Sure there are more complex and detailed book on comp on the market, many of which are on my book shelf, but this one is great for beginners and intermediate painters. His video on compostion makes a nice companion to this book.

2 comments about Sumi-E Just for You: Traditional One Brush Ink Painting.

1. This was the best of the five books I ordered; simple, insightful, and helpful. My interest is in using sumi-e techiques in brushing oxides on ceramic pieces. Some modification of techniques is required. I "paint" on curved surfaces rather than paper and , use iron, cobalt, and copper oxides instead of ink. But the simplicity and suggestion of sumi-e assists in transending literal interpretation in desigh. It is this spirit that makes this a superior text for my purposes.



2. I found this book very helpful. I have a number of books on sumi-e, and I found that this book shows how to do the sumi-e brush strokes more specifically and clearly than other books I've read. It describes the materials you need, and shows how to use the sumi ink and brush to paint a variety of different subjects. I recommend it!

No comments about Gorgeous Glass: Sparkling Ideas For Painting On Glass & China.

2 comments about Mary Cassatt: Paintings and Prints.

1. I am a huge fan of Mary Cassatt as well as the Impressionist. This book as beautiful illustrations and very easy to read and easy to understand explanations about the paintings. I first checked this out at the library and enjoyed it so much, purchased it through an Amazon reseller for my personal enjoyment.



2. She called herself one of the Independents. The world remembers her as the Impressionist who painted "The Boating Party," the choice for a first-class U.S. postage stamp and one of the most widely reproduced paintings. She was behind America's first purchase of Impressionist art: a Degas painting. In fact, friend and mentor Edgar Degas advised her on the farther window light and floor for "Little Girl in an Armchair" and praised "Girl Arranging her Hair," the Japanese woodblock print inspired "Bath," and "Mother and Boy."

   The book's first plate, "The Bacchante," lets viewers know what MARY CASSATT: PAINTINGS AND PRINTS were all about: women communicating with others and hinting at states of mind behind beautifully lighted and shaded fabrics, such as "Woman with a Red Zinnia"; flesh, such as the swiftly scribbled modeling to "Mother, Young Daughter and Son"; and furnishings, such as the Opera House banquette and chandelier ovals taking up the ovals from the figure and reflected figure of her sister "Lydia Leaning on her Arms, Seated in a Loge." Art critic and historian Frank Getlein backs his well-written text with 72 well-chosen plates. His book and Griselda Pollock's MARY CASSATT: PAINTER OF MODERN WOMEN give the perfect examples for Michel Melot's THE IMPRESSIONIST PRINT, Paul Smith's IMPRESSIONISM, Gary Tinterow's ORIGINS OF IMPRESSIONISM, and Helene Barbara Weinberg et al's AMERICAN IMPRESSIONISM AND REALISM.

No comments about The Science of Paintings.

4 comments about Dome.

1. A great artbook and a fine addition to any collection of erotica. Luis Royo knows his way around the figure and definitely knows how to use it.



2. Very,very sexy erotic art. I just wish my wife would dress like that. But then I am a sucker for anything erotic.



3. This was a x-mass gift and she loved it.It arrived very fast so I didn't have to woory about not gettting it before x-xmass



4. First, I hate when I watch a book here at full price & finally decide to go ahead and buy it,then it drops to 32% off as this one has when I recieve it, read it, & it's time to rate or review it. *sighs* On with my review . . . This thin book briefly chronicles Royo's commission to paint a gentleman's modern Russian castle's dome with 45 life-size nude women. (Think Michaelangelo's Sistine Chapel on a much smaller---though still large--scale with Royo's sapphoric/lesbian sex-themed erotic Prohibited series' content.) The only males are three cloaked & hooded voyeurs in one panel, one of whom is definately Royo and the others may be his son, who helped his father all those months to execute this arduous project, and the owner of the dome. The text is brief but sufficient to basically explain major stages of the project. The photographs consist of his studio pre-work; his dome transfers; his dome paintings-in-progress; pieces of his final works; then the dome itself. I would have liked to have seen each panel have its own picture in the end and read more details about the execution of such a long & complicated project. This book is obviously not like his others due to the content, but it is a nice book about a wonderful project for a great artist of our time.

1 comments about Dialogues With Marcel Duchamp (Da Capo Paperback).

1. This interview with Marcel Duchamp by Pierre Cabanne provides clarity to the myth that surrounds Duchamp and his non art. Duchamp gave the interview about 2 years before his death. He answers directly and in context the meaning of his work and non work. Others books attempt to tell us not only what his production means but try to tell us what his words mean as well. This books makes clear that Duchamp did not like the art world (although he used it to his advantage), he did not like art that appealed to the eye, he did not make art, he amused himself making objects and he played games. Its an honest interview and needs no interpreters. You can understand the valve of this mans ideas and what they mean to current conceptual art. Or is it conceptual non art.

3 comments about Andy Warhol Portraits.

1. When most people think of Andy Warhol, images of Campbell's soup cans and a vividly colored Chairman Mao come to mind. For those who know Warhol better, memories also include Marilyn Monroe, Jackie Kennedy, most wanted posters, and self-portraits of the artist.
   
   What few appreciate is that portraiture was the bread-and-butter that Warhol used to finance his experimental work at the Factory. Before this book, you could not see the full range of this work. Unframed and grouped with similar and complementary works in the same time period, these 300 portraits show a considerable range of style and expression that will be a new perspective for all but collectors of Warhol portraits. I found the work to be so impressive that it totally changed my sense of who Warhol was as an artist.
   
   In this book, the portraits do the talking. The brief essays merely describe the processes that Warhol used and that he tried to make people look good . . . and larger than life. But you knew that already, didn't you?
   
   The range of the ways he captured the spirit of his subjects is what's most impressive in this volume. Repetition of the same image in one work with different treatments could help us see many different expressions of the person (see Natalie 1962). In other places, many images of the same person in one work express mood, movement, and a story (see Sixteen Jackies 1964). In other cases, multiple images of the same subject give us deep insight into personality (see Ethel Scull 1963). In other cases, the multiple images show the reality as well as the personality (see Merce Cunningham 1963 and Triple Rauschenberg 1963).
   
   Exploring different use of colors and backgrounds, Warhol could totally change our emotions as viewers (Silver Liz 1963 gives us a sense of coolness and elegance while Liz 1963 shows a woman of great emotion and passion).
   
   In Warhol's process, subjects were photographed around 100 times using a Polaroid camera. The subject then picked the images (or image) that she or he liked best. The images were turned into silk screens. Then, Warhol added the background and color to capture what the mere shape could not. The degree of focus also creates more or less power and immediacy (compare Donald Judd 1967 and Robert Rauschenberg 1967).
   
   The portraits also create dialogues, such as when married couples had their portraits done around the same time. In the book, these images are often on facing pages. You'll be arrested to see Nelson Rockefeller 1967 and Happy Rockefeller 1968 looking off into the same spot in space . . . but not each other. The color overlap is minimal, emphasizing their differences.
   
   These images are even more arresting when the pair are portrayed looking away from one another as with Gianni Agnelli 1972 and Marella Agnelli 1972.
   In places, painterly backgrounds add remarkable depth and power to the images as with the Agnellis.
   
   In places, the painterly treatment is sufficient to remind one of the work of Degas such as Lee Radziwell, 1972.
   
   Portrait creators have always arranged sitters carefully to emphasize a certain point. Warhol does this in a very minimal way, often adding more than part of a hand touching the face or a bit of clothing. Because of its slight use, the impact is much stronger.
   
   How do the subjects fare? Those with strong personalities do best. Those with complex personalities are rendered beautifully, but aren't as accessible. Subjects who want to look physically attractive often appear merely decorative, like a background model at a party.
   
   Warhol's talent can best be seen by comparing the various ways he renders eyes. Male and female subjects alike receive slashes of color that sometimes resemble eye shadow and other times seem like tiny masks.
   
   There isn't much that's soulful about these works. They are more about promotion than about moral uplift. It's all the more surprising when that soulfulness appears as in Farah Dibah Pahlavai (Empress of Iran) 1977.
   
   Seeing Judy Garland 1979 and Liza Minelli 1979 made me wish that Warhol had done more mother-daughter combinations. These two stunners crawl right inside you.
   
   Part of Warhol's art comes in knowing something about the person. Where the subject is unknown, you'll find yourself a little more baffled about what the message is. Think of each of the celebrity portraits then as being in part a reflection of the public image and our current perceptions. Warhol uses this celebrity awareness to good purpose in creating very minimal works that express the dominant impression of a person (see Martha Graham 1980).
   
   As his career continued, the works became more daring. I was particularly drawn to the line drawings with bold bands of color such as in Paul Delvaux 1981 and Jean Cocteau 1985.
   
   Some of these portraits will cause you to stop and rethink what you know about the people. I had that reaction to the pairing of Prince Charles 1982 (coolly displayed as a young symbol of the monarchy) with the almost flirtatious Princess Diana 1982 (appearing as a powerful force with an earthy grounding).
   
   The portrait of John Lennon is simply stunning (1985-86).
   
   For a good sense of Warhol's progress, you'll enjoy seeing many of his self-portraits.
   
   Enjoy a good look!



2. This book enables the reader to discover some rarely seen paintings by Warhol, representing many personalities from the sixties, seventies and eighties, from O.J. Simpson to Pelé, from the Queen of England to the Shah of Iran, artists, art dealers, art collectors, musicians (John Lennon...), actors, fashion designers and friends of the artist's. Even though it was this kind of work that drew the harshest criticism (Robert Hughes, critic for Time Magazine, dubbed Warhol the new Van Dongen, meaning by that that he only painted superficial portraits of the rich and famous of his time), they still show the scope and depth of Warhol's creative power. The book is lavishly illustrated and the text was written by leading Warhol authorities (dealer or critic). A very complete checklist of all the portraits illustrated is given at the end of the book. A valuable addition to the albeit extensive Warhol literature.



3. Andy Warhol is one of the best known American artists of the 1960s and renowned for his uncoventional life and art as well as is enduring influence on American pop culture. An influence that continues down to the present time several decades after his death. Famous for his iconic images of Marilyn Monroe and Campbell Soup Cans, he also made art out of the facial images of political, social, entertainment, sports, and music celebrities of his day. This particular body of his work has been compiled and edited by Tony Shafrazi, who enhances this 320-page coffee table art book with 350 color illustrations and informative essays by art critic Carter Ratcliff and art historian Robert Rosenblum. The men and women whose images were made immortal by Warhol range from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Giorgio Armani, Truman Capote, Jimmy Carter, Joan Collins, Clint Eastwood, Herman Hesse, Alfred Hitcock, Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Lenin, Robert Mapplethorpe, Liza Minnelli, Princess Diana, Yves Saint Laurent, O.J. Simpson, Elizabeth Taylor, Tennessee Williams, Natalie Wood, Mao Zedong, and hundreds of others. An important contribution to academic library 20th Century American Art History reference collections, "Andy Warhol Portraits" is a 'must' for the personal collections of Warhol's legions of admirers.