No comments about The Altarpiece in Renaissance Venice.

1 comments about Auguste Rodin: Erotic Sketches Erotische Skizzen (Prestel's Erotic Sketchboo Series).

1. Though very small in format and in brevity of content (a mere 64 pages with 38 illustrations), this little book serves art lovers and art historians well. Contained in this slight volume, and interspersed with cogent commentary by Norbert Wolf in both English and German, are Auguste Rodin's final sketches in pencil, watercolor and gouache of the female nude. Quite in contrast to his monumental sculptures these sketches reveal a different aspect of Rodin's genius - he introduces nude and nearly nude drawings of women in tandem, works that at the time of creation were scandalously dismissed as pornography.
   
   In today's harsher light these fine sketches provide a glance at not only Rodin's psyche but also at his amazingly fluid style of committing drawing to paper, a style in significant contrast to his strictly anatomically correct sculptural figures. The book is a delight to read and to peruse and allows us entry into the climate of the late 19th and early 20th century art realm. Grady Harp, September 06

No comments about The Art of Letter Carving in Stone.

No comments about Tony Smith: Architect, Painter, Sculptor.

No comments about Carving Egg Animals (Schiffer Book for Carvers).

1 comments about Leonardo da Vinci: Origins of a Genius.

1. The title of this book should probably be 'Leonardo Da Vinci Origins Of An ARTISTIC Genius'. It was the title that intrigued me and made me want to read this book. Leonardo's education and maturation process in relation to painting is really not that unusual.

   This book does demonstrate with a lot of precise details how Leonardo's involvement and association with paintings from his early period can be proven or disproven. In some cases advanced scientific techniques such as x-ray analysis are cited to disprove or clarify statements made by previous authors about Leonardo's supposed involvement in various paintings. This book would be very helpful if someone was, for example, writing a paper about Leonardo's early career as far as exactly what paintings he worked on.

   However the mysterious aspect about Leonardo da Vinci is not his painting which he eventually grew tired of and he sometimes didn't even bother to finish his own paintings. The mysterious thing about Leonardo is how did he all of a sudden become (at least in his own mind) an engineer, architect, scientist, etc., when he was never trained in any of these things ? How did someone who was trained as a painter and artist make that transition ? That's where the mystery deepens about Leonardo da Vinci.

   As far as the books I've read so far that mystery has never been fully explained other than he was self taught. His art was very important for this transition because it allowed him to record his basically limitless ideas at a time when photography didn't exist yet.

   But a good follow on to this book would be called 'Leonardo Da Vinci Origins Of A RENAISSANCE Genius' or 'Scientific Genius' or something like that.

   Whether some or most of Leonardo's scientific ideas were valid is I think open to debate. But he did have some of the characteristics required for true genius which are intense curiosity, being very observant, and having almost unlimited energy. And he was a good painter, that much can be stated positively.

No comments about The Art of Fabergé.

4 comments about Outdoor Monuments of Manhattan: A Historical Guide.

1. Selecting 54 outdoor sculptures that are of personal and aesthetic interest, the author takes you on a guided tour of Manhattan starting from the Statue of Liberty in the south all the way north to El Cid by Anna Hyatt Huntington.
   
   An easy read for all, each essay gives a brief introduction into the sculptures stylistic elements. It also compares them to how they could have been different and what that would have done to the artwork's meaning. The author also provides background information on the sculpture and its subject to further enhance our appreciation.
   
   Of course when it comes right down to it, Durante shows us through sculpture great minds at work (artisan and innovator) who have accomplished much in their pursuit of values.



2. Manhattan's streets and parks are packed with historic monuments, and some fifty of them are included in OUTDOOR MONUMENTS OF MANHATTAN: A HISTORICAL GUIDE, which offers up background history, surveys of American sculptors, and analysis of each sculpture, its influences, and its history. A 'must' for any Manhattan resident or library seeking background information on the area's best outdoor monuments to use as either a take-along travel tote or a study.



3. As a native New Yorker, at one time or another I've passed by and gazed at every one of the 54 sculptures listed in this excellent book. What I learned was how great each one is. Several of my favorites are mentioned (Columbus, Washington, Hamilton) as are some less publicized gems, like Verrazzano and Dr. James Marion Sims. By breaking down the categories of About the Sculpture and About the Subject, one can learn so much about these outdoor gems in the city. Dr. Durante's style of writing is very clear and she gives a practical guide in "how to read a sculpture" with an objective basis.
   
   Pick your style of heroism and you'll find it here. Whether it's celebrating a job well done (Washington in Union Square) or charging into the battle of a new project (El Cid up in Harlem) or refusing to submit to defeat in the face of death (Nathan Hale in City Hall Park) you are sure to be uplifted.
   
   Every New Yorker should own this book, as it will give them a chance to fill their lives with inspiration by simply traveling to a location simply mapped out in the book. As for non-New Yorkers, this is yet another reason to come here and enjoy the greatness of this magnificent city.



4. Apart from Ayn Rand's own work in esthetics (The Romantic Manifesto---and several other articles outside of it) and Dr. Leonard Peikoff's Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand, Dr. Dianne Durante's Outdoor Monuments of Manhattan is the first published work to apply some of Miss Rand's revolutionary esthetics to works of art. This is a MAJOR achievement.
   
   In order to shape a culture dominated by by a rational philosophy, the Objectivist ethics is THE most important idea to get into the culture. And a number of outstanding philosophers have each, independent of one another, done admirable work in this area.
   
   The second most important idea essential to changing our culture is Miss Rand's esthetics. Dr. Durante opened the door to this with her criticism of the thoroughly reprehensible exhibition in New York's Central Park of Christo's Gates. She stood firm against invective. Now she is offering more details as she applies Miss Rand's esthetics to Outdoor Monuments of Manhattan.
   
   Outdoor Monuments of Manhattan is a clever organization of facts and commentary. It is also a welcomed introduction to important ideas that offer the reader rational guidelines to better appreciate and understand art in general and the outdoor monuments of Manhattan in particular.

2 comments about Constantin Brancusi: The Essence of Things.

1. Photographs not as extensive as I had hoped, but still a good overview



2. Published to accompany the first expedition of skilled sculptor Constanti Brancusi (1876-1957), Constantin Brancusi: The Essence Of Things is a colorful showcase of his work with an extensive commentary on the pieces and their philosophy, his redefinition of the partial figure, and much more. A remarkable and collaborative work by Carmen Gimènez (Curator of 20th-Century Art at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York) and Matthew Gale (Curator at Tate Modern), Constantin Brancusi: The Essence Of Things strikes to the heart of the meaning found in the simplest of sculpted forms.

No comments about Carving the CCA Circus: Cartooning in Wood by America's Best Carvers.