1 comments about The Art of Monhegan Island.

1. This book is basically a collection of images of Monhegan paintings from the late 19th century through the present. I found the majority of the works technically and artistically limited. The two Hoppers from the Whitney (on pages 96 and 97)are beauties! These are among the very few exceptional paintings in the book. The Henris, Bellows, Kents and Stoddards selected are not the strongest that I've seen. Most of the contemporary work is hopelessly stiff, thin, weak or empty. The Schwartz family collection accounts for a good little chunk of the book, which makes me wonder if Mr. Little really picked what he thought was the best Monhegan art, or simply chose works that were easy to get permission to include. Considering the great Monhegan art that has been produced over the last 120 years, the works presented in this book are disappointing.

No comments about Courbet's Realism.

2 comments about Six Monet Cards (Small-Format Card Books).

1. I ordered several of these booklets based on the reviews of others. If you're looking for something small to frame, this is not it. The quality of the picture is poor (color and clarity). the selected pieces are also a disappointment. three of them are of women (not my favorite). the other three are landscapes. If you're looking for an unusal postcard, this is ok. you get what you pay for. they may be ok for a school bulletin board but again the quality is so poor that I would hesitate to share with students.



2. One of a series from Dover that includes Cassatt, Dali, Degas, Gauguin, Homer, Kahlo...you get the idea. Ridiculously inexpensive, you should collect them all. Once you have them, you'll resist ripping them out of the cute little booklet & mailing them. Maybe, like me, you'll keep them in a drawer by your computer as handy fine art stress relievers.
   
   Bob Rixon

4 comments about Composition in Landscape and Still Life.

1. The overview of all compositional matters are set throughtly.
   
   One drawback is the pictures he is discussing in the text are sometimes not on the same page. Need to flip back and forth alot.



2. This is a 208-page semi-classic on pictorial composition, as far as composition is concerned. Analyzing about 135 paintings, 8 of which are reproduced in color, the basic principles of design here can be applied to more modern applications if necessary.
   
   Originally created in 1959, no painting pictured is more modern than that. That's OK- the principles here are mostly timeless, as demonstrated by Marvel's great Stan Lee & John Buscema in How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way. In Marvel Way, Buscema actually illustrates more modern examples of the principles laid out by Watson, and that was enough for me to want to get this immediately.
   
   I'm so glad Dover gave this book a chance- its been out of print for years. One thing I can't currently do is compare this with other composition titles; it's just not a subject I've yet to heavily invest in. What I *can* say is that upon seeing this title's contents, I'm satisfied that it's at least not a waste of money- most people can certainly learn something here. It's a bit more wordy than I'd like, but Ernest Watson is an author worth reading. My favorite of his books is The Art of Pencil Drawing; it's definitely worth checking out. Few of his other titles survive today; I recommend people get them while they can.



3. I am fond of old books on painting and drawing, and this reprint of Watson's title originally published in the fifties lived to my expectation.
   Composition and design are most important ingredients in painting, yet there's a very few books on those subjects around.
   This one should be on every artist's shelf.



4. First of all, I love Watson's pencil drawings, which is why I bought the book, that and I need to work on my composition. The illustrations are mainly small black-and-white photos of paintings. While one may wish to see the pictures larger and in color, for the purposes of studying composition, the colorless versions are fine because it forces you to look at the values.
   The book was written in the fifties, and Watson quotes contemporary artists on composition. Some of the quotes are a bit pretentious, but still have something worth noting.
   When I have read further, I will report back on my observations. So far I have learned about how the human eye tends to move across the picture. We will see if I can find a practical use for this later in the book.

5 comments about Strapless: John Singer Sargent and the Fall of Madame X.

1. Amazingly well researched and written. This lovely book goes into the details of how one of the most controversial portraits came to be. I was thrilled to have found this book on one of my favorite painters and one of my most favorite pieces of art. I had been enchanted by Madame X when I had seen the portrait in person. While in college, I looked at a print of the painting daily wanting to know more about the cool, mysterious, woman.
   
   This book offers insight into the world in which Madame X thrived. As you might expect she was a spoiled young woman looking to continue & improve her life of luxury via a wealthy husband. She found it, a fortunate (well, contrived) marriage to a rich older man, whom she doesn't seem to have loved, thrust her from a New Orleans socialite to the forefront of Parisian society. As an American-born, European-raised man, John Singer Sargent's Bohemian-gypsy childhood served as a rich foundation for his life as an artist. As his fame and reputation grew, his desire to run in the privileged circles of Parisian society also grew. He was taken by X's unusual beauty and translated her cool, seductive, unattainable persona to canvas. This book follows their steps and sheds light onto one of art's mysterious subjects. Bravo!



2. When I was younger, I saw this image in an art book and, without reading anything about it, decided that it was a fasion plate from the 1950's. I picked this book up because I instantly remembered the white shoulder. Davis's book puts the painting in a cultural context that greately helped me understand it. There is a black and white print of people at an outdoor cafe on the day of the Salon in which Madame X appeared. The women are covered in bustles, multiple skirts, gloves and hats. I now understand what that audience found so dangerous about her wayward strap.



3. This book is about the French-via-Creole socialite Amelie Gautreau's interaction with American-expatriate painter John Singer Sargent, an encounter that resulted in a painting that altered both of their lives. In weaving together the story of these two people, author Davis has created an engaging volume that simultaneously provides a window into 19th-century French society and a biography of the great painter Sargent.
   
   Sargent's decision to paint Gautreau's portrait with a strap hanging off her shoulder at a time when he was trying to promote his fledging portraitist career was a calculated decision to glean publicity on the heels of Manet's "Olympia." There's a saying that "any publicity is good publicity" -- true in the case of Sargent. The strength of his work outlived the short-term scandal caused by the painting, which was so disturbing to him that he soon repainted the shoulder with the strap back on (now in the collection of New York's Metropolitan Museum). Unfortunately, the scandal ruined Gautreau's life, although simply growing old probably would have had the same effect on Gautreau, whose self-worth appears to have been inextricable with popularity, appearance, and youth.
   
   The author is to be commended for trusting her intuition in following a very small detail -- the dress in Sargent's painting -- and finding the mystery behind it, revealing in the process a fascinating story. In so doing, she has created a marvelous glimpse into the art and society of late 19th-century France, as well as an easily-read biography of Sargent, certainly one of our most complex and greatest 19th-century American painters. I have always loved Sargent's work but have never read a biography of him, and was glad to have the opportunity to do so in such an interesting context. A very good read and interesting book.



4. In a brief, readable book, Davis does a good job giving us an overview of Gilded Age Paris, the social changes between Sargent Madame X's debut and paintings of Mrs. Gatreua just a few years later.
   
   She also gives us some nice background into lives of some of Sargents subjects, and the fraternal band of painters at the time. The only thing I would take with a grain of salt is her 'was he gay theories' some of the examples of drawings she uses to speculate into this show a lack of understanding about the artistic process. I know several professional painters who read the book and liked it but laughed at her 'proof' - the drawing over of a young many with a similar silhouette as Madame X - this is done all the time by artists, sometimes your subject 'turns into' another.



5. Two very interesting lives that leave you with the desire to know more about "Belle Epoque". Looking forward to another book by Deborah Davis.

1 comments about The Principles of Harmony and Contrast of Colors and Their Applications to the Arts.

1. I'm not sure about all editions of this book but the one that I own (paperback...) has NO color inside at all! Who ever heard of a book on the subject of color that didn't include any? What were they thinking? I'm sure it's a fascinating read but if someone is interested enough in color to read this hefty tome, you've got to think they might also enjoy looking at it too. This is an oversized thick book which is at least 95% text. There are very few black & white diagrams either.

1 comments about Watercolor Pencil (Artist's Library Series).

1. This was a gift for my sister in law who is studying many kinds of Painting, watercolor paint, watercolor pencil, oils etc. She seemed to enjoy receiving the book and made good comments about it.

1 comments about Turning Point: The Abstract Expressionists & Transformation of American Art.

1. This removed and often second-hand journal of the 1950s School of New York is a mostly dry read whose uncommon interesting whirls really resolve themselves like a flaky TV episode of Chuck Norris. Too often, these complex characters are conceived by the author as stereotypes of American fairytaledom. Their frailties are not well-enough addressed and sparsely dotted among habitual drone and American folk imagery. Elaine deKooning, Lee Krasner, and other groundbreaking artists of the time such as Frankenthaler and Hopper, who may not represent the core of the Expressionist flame, but nevertheless burned bright have been neglected alongside other surrounding artistic circumstances. Besides these prominent shortcomings, the author is also lacking in bravery of prose. This is not an exciting read, but it is adequate in that it does not defeat itself while getting across the vital struggle for serious contemplation of American Art in the 1950s. Certainly not a "turning point" in literature, it provides facts and lore in a predictable and easily understood manner

1 comments about Pierre Bonnard: The Work of Art, Suspending Time.

1. This book makes me want to see a Bonnard "in person"! The publishers did a fabulous job of depicting the dreamy and lush colors of Bonnards paintings. Faintest shades, brush strokes, lines, tiny details -- it's all visible, and everything contributes to the liveliness of the reproductions. It is certainly hard to capture the emotions that a painting exudes in an art book, and I have not often come across such quality prints.

1 comments about Degas: Pastels (Watson-Guptill Famous Artists).

1. The cover caught my attention. While I am familiar with Degas' work, I had not singled out his pastels. But I have been loving every page I have seen so far. The cover art is breathtaking with its stage light glowing from below. Interior art is reproduced well and flows nicely with commentary. Degas used very dynamic angles in many of his compositions which adds interest and drama visually. Easy to understand why impressionists had a hard time being acknowledged in their day and why they continue to look fresh to us today.