4 comments about New Guinea Art: Masterpieces of the Jolika Collection from Marcia And John Friede.

1. ... is the Jolika Collection of the art of New Guinea in the new De Young Museum, though one could argue in favor of the circus cabaret at Teatro Zinzanni. SF is finally maturing as a museum city, with a world-class collection at the Museum of Modern Art, the most important Asian art collection in the USA in its own museum, a spanky new Jewish Museum, and other unique exhibitions. The Jolika collection was assembled by Marsha and John Friede; you'll find info about them in a previous amazon review.
   
   The art on display includes shields and masks, architectural scultures, decorated weapons, textiles, and bizarre objects of practical use that have more beauty in their making than one can explain by any theory of utility. Most of the materials are wood, shell, and plant fibers, though the display includes a case of pre-historic stone sculptures. Items range circa 1500 to 1920 c.e. The lighting is excellent, the labels are visible and up-to-date, and the whole museum is graceful in its lay-out. I seldom look at more than one gallery in a local museum on any one visit, but if you're coming from afar, you'll also find very focused and well-selected collections of African art and Middle-American art in the DeYoung.
   
   This is a massive tome, this book, or rather two massive tomes in a sturdy box. It's as much as a small person could carry to the corner store. The larger Volume 1 contains full color, full page photographs of every piece in the collection. Volume 2 contains three scholarly essays on the craft, the anthropological significance, and the provenance of the pieces. If you love this art, at $195 used, it's still a worthwhile acquisition.



2. I really dislike cliches, but they are often appropriate. Truly, this is one of the two or three books to buy on the subject of New Guinea art, to grab, if you treasure this topic and need to select a few titles when the proverbial house is burning.
   
   I have know the Friede's since 1971, and I am also a dealer of Oceanic art and I have sold art to them, so I can be accused immediately of writing about a friend's publication and in a field that we both do business in. Nevertheless, I felt compelled to support a work that has been seriously developed over many years and has come to fruition in this publication, along with an extensive exhibition of this art at the new museum building at the De Young Museum in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. The Friede's have never asked me nor suggested that I write a review.
   
   It is important for the readers of this publication to try to see the art physically on display, as photographs are still two dimensional and this art is particularly three dimensional. The box set of this collection is comprehensive and should give the reader a better understanding of what New Guinea art is about and the tremendous range of styles that exist in such close roximity. It is supported by fine photographs of some of the most important New Guinea art ever collected, certainly the most important body of work formed in a private collection at present. The Jolika collection does emphasize the Friede's own personal taste as well as define what New Guinea art is. It can be said that in most cases they collected what appears to be the most archaic forms of New Guinea art as well as some of the more important iconographic forms. This is a plaudit not a criticism, since we learn more about all Tribal art forms from the earlier pieces that suffered less from contact from the outside world than those pieces that show more recent evidence of acculturation. This is one of the major reasons to buy these books; nowhere are there so many high quality early pieces illustrated on New Guinea art than here.
   
   The Jolika collection publication features fine photography and amazing text to support more precise geographical locations and additional information about the use of the objects and a valuable sampling of carbon analysis which produced a range for dating the time of manufacture for these objects, not previously scientifically proven.
   
   At times, I felt I needed to turn the object a quarter turn here or there to see more or to emphasize something I wanted to view. This is probably more to do with my "tweaking" personality than a fault of the photography and this is why I urge the buyers and readers of this book set to buy a ticket to San Francisco to see the objects first hand on view.
   
   This boxed set of two books are a bargain at current Amazon pricing.



3. Lived up to my expectations. Thoughtfully collated and beautifully presented. Extensive information provided on every item. Free map as well.



4. This is an extraordinary combination of large closeup photos of 598 artifacts and descriptions of their origins (time/place) and significance in the varied cultures of New Guinea island in the South Pacific. The photos are extremely sharp -- you can almost smell the objects, which date from prehistoric to 20th century. I lived in Papua New Guinea for 15 years but thought I didn't have time for all of this information right now. I couldn't put the books down. Generally, the objects are presented from province to province in Papua New Guinea (eastern half of the island) and in West Papua (province of Indonesia). A separate map helps you find the various source places.

No comments about The Decorative Decoy Carver's Ultimate Painting & Pattern Portfolio, Series Two (Decorative Decoy Carver's).

1 comments about Marine Life Patterns for the Scroll Saw: 55 Original Designs for Dolphins, Seahorses, Whales, Sportfish, and More.

1. If you need designs for all kinds of sea life. This is your book. Patterns are perfect for signs and plaques. I recommend it.

1 comments about Silver Masters of Mexico, Hector Aguilar and the Taller Borda: Hector Aguilar and the Taller Borda.

1. This book is well done. But, it is not a Morrill and Berk book on an overview of Mexican Silver and Taxco. It is more narrow in scope that its title would suggest concentrating in depth on Hector Aguilar and making him much more a personna than Morill and Berk do in their book, where he is dwarfed by Spratling. The photos in this book are of homes and people. The photos there are of silver of the Taller are good but do not again expect the detail to the Morrill and Berk book. This is a supplement and to lovers of Aguilar and those who wish to know more about the man and his life both personal and professional.

4 comments about Whittling and Woodcarving.

1. I have a love hate relationship with this book. My wife's Grandfather left it to me with some tools. It is OLD school & dry (I read it to go to sleep). However, it has a grand breadth of projects and depth of detail. It is a great reference. Don't expect full sized, exciting templates. This was written before the copy machine. Do expect a challenging variety of projects and keen insights. This book is not directly related to my goals as a carver. However, it does challenge me indirectly to become better.



2. I'm a brand new whittler and this guy is a tad dry for me. Or perhaps a little intimidating. All the wood carving stuff is beside my point. Good stuff; I just don't love this book.



3. This book is great for a beginner to learn all the basics of whittling. i was making a wooden chain in no time at all and im ready to go on to the more challenging projects.



4. Written in the thirties this is the whittler's magnum opus. Classic whittling tricks and projects, soap carving, etc. Get this book, a pocket knife and a chunck of white pine. Find a shady tree or a park bench and whittle away. Want to make a pair of operational box jointed wooden pliers?, a ball in a cage?, a wooden chain? Tangerman will walk you through the process step by step. It is easier than it looks. I have a wooden chain with a ball in a cage hanging in the shop for people to casually discover. When they do my stock goes up three or four points right away.

No comments about Making Construction Vehicles for Kids: Complete Plans and Assembly Drawings for Eight Toys that Really Move.

1 comments about A Little Book of Gargoyles.

1. I think Gargoyles have always been a little misunderstood, and this book shows then in all their glory.

   Great pictures!

No comments about Imi Knoebel: Works 1966-2006.

4 comments about Cut and Make Japanese Masks (Cut-Out Masks).

1. Fun book, Brillant and colorful. Should be a fun thing with Children,
   Large and well presented.



2. The cover of this book makes the masks look intricate and impressive. On the inside, they look cartoonish. For a Halloween costume, I had more success by blowing up photos of Noh masks on a photocopier and then cutting out the eyes.



3. You may get the idea from the cover that the masks inside are intricately made from cutting or folding multiple sheets of paper. However, with the exception of the one mask shown on the cover, they are all made from single sheets. Any 3-D effect is achieved almost exclusively through shading on the prints. Apart from that, simple triangular cuts are made in the corners of each mask so they dome slightly rather than lie flat. I found that disappointing. I'd recommend the book for young children, but it definately has nothing to offer to adults or origami enthusiasts. ...



4. Very realistic and real size paper masks of Japan. Most of masks are from traditional Noh plays. I'm taking a class of folklore in Miyazaki Municipal Collage, and the lecturer Ms. Fusako Izumi, who has been studying masks and puppets for 30 years, told me that it's really nice book with correct details. She wanted to use it as material in college class! Even in Japan, there's no such kind of books to get the concepts of traditional masks easily. It's a pity that one of masks seems to be more Korean rather than Japanese.

2 comments about Henry Moore: Sculpting the Twentieth Century.

1. This book radiates with the beauty of Henry Moore, and helps us to recognize those more recent sculptors such as Donald Wright, who have perhaps surpassed the master.



2. Moore is one of the most beloved sculptors of the 20th century, yet his work has fallen out of favor with the modern critics: this seeks to reassess Moore's crucial contribution to art of the last century, examining his early experiments with primitivism and his later probe into modernist pieces. The focus on his early works in particular provides Moore enthusiasts with a body of works and approaches not seen in many other considerations of his works.