3 comments about Relational Aesthetics.

1. I became interested in this book after viewing Ben Lewis's BBC Four documentary on Relational Art, of which this book was the axis. It was a fascinating look at a dynamic and provocative development in the relationship between people and their environment; some approaches being more overtly political than others.
   
   Anybody familiar with Fredric Jameson's theory of postmodernism's cultural logic will see an economic imperative in this conception of art. It also meets at a juncture with the Situationist desire for the supercession of art. Which then lends itself to Baudrillard's theory of the disappearance of art.
   
   All very stimulating areas of discourse at the social/economic/cultural interstice.
   
   Anyone at all interested in the peculiar and fascinating forms developing in our time of metaphoric and symbolic fluxian will wholeheartedly appreciate these critical insights.



2. This is an excellent book for anyone interested in performative and relational art. The translation is a little dodgy at times but the book is well worth it's price for provocative ideas, critical insight, and inspiration.



3. I am just beginning my venture into critical discussion of the Arts and reading Relational Aesthetics sparked my interest in art's effect of linkageing and relating. The author explores and gives names of many artists working in the 90's that used human interaction as their medium.
   
   The bad parts about this book are the many misspellings and the major stylistic shifts in the writing and translation.

5 comments about Human Anatomy for Artists: The Elements of Form.

1. The book is very informative. I'm using it for a figure sculpture class and we have studied the bones and the muscles. Very pleased with the service of Amazon.



2. This book is invaluable for reference. At 1st I was 'so so' about the illustrations but as I started to require detailed information for the sculpture I was doing showing the muscles - i discovered the exact information I needed was contained in this book and the more anatomy I do the more it is this book i use.



3. 'Human Anatomy for Artists: The Elements of Form' by Goldfinger is just perfect, especially if you want to know where the muscles actually attach to bone, something many anatomy books for artists simply don't cover. The Goldfinger book, for each muscle or group of muscles, has one or more side-by-side series of illustration and photos that shows:
   
   - the naked bones in a given area with highlights that show you the surface areas where an individual muscle attaches, even if that muscle is an underlying muscle that normally is completely covered by surface muscles.
   
   - the muscle or muscles in question attached to their bones in isolation (no other muscles illustrated).
   
   - all the muscles in the given area to show the relation ship between them and the muscle that is the subject of the series, even if the muscle in question is virtually covered up.
   
   - a photo of a well-toned human model in the same pose as the illustration series with labels to the various muscles.
   
   - one or more cross-sections (up to five or more) of the area being illustrated with each muscle labeled to show clearly how the muscles over-lap and lay across each other and the underlying bone.
   
   - if necessary, the model will be shown in a pose that shows how an underlying, virtually hidden muscle is important to the artist when the subject is in a certain pose (e.g., an underlying muscle can lift and change the form of the surface muscles when it is in contraction and/or the body is in a certain pose).
   
   - a series of 'mass' diagrams that may be of use in building a 'shorthand' for the muscle or group in question.
   
   - It's not just a picture book. It has a lot of descriptive text for each of the series of illustrations, and covers aspects important to artists, such as the different types of muscle fibers, etc.
   
   
   I counted at least 17 of these series dealing just with attachments to the clavicle, but I might have missed some since the organization is by area (trunk, neck, upper arm, forearm, etc.) and there are a lot of attachments to the clavicle from more than one of these areas. Also, there may be more than one series dedicated to a given muscle or group of muscles so that it is shown from back, front, side, and/or above, sometimes. The illustrations are as good or better than the best I've ever seen in any other anatomy book, especially ones for artists, which can be sketchy to a degree.
   
   I really don't think you need a library of anatomy books if you get just this one.



4. This is just what I needed just gives me all the mechanical functions of the body. Only thing is the examples are of the male body only there isn't much on the female. Anatomy of male and female are the same in some ways and other they are not, not just the sex organs, but the skeleton and chemical balances that go on. Just thought there could have been more about the females as well.



5. Excellent book, quick delivery at a competitive price. Excellent value. I'll use the book for years to come.

5 comments about Draping for Apparel Design.

1. Really like this text. Lots of good illustrations, good technical instructions. I have her flat pattern book, too, and like both as good solid reference and teaching books. I've learned a lot from these books.



2. I received the book in a timely manner. It was shrink wrapped and the corners were in perfect condition.
   
   Thank You!



3. it's required txet book for our college.
   it's readable and understandable easily.
   if you are a serious learner in this field, it's the one for you.



4. Excellent book about drapping and worth to buy especially for the beginner who learn how to modify your basic pattern, it would be better if in the next edition shown how to modify the pattern more specifically, with measurement sample.



5. I wanted to wean myself off dependency on commercial patterns and having invested in a dress form, I came across this book. It's a bit pricey but it turns out that it's a fashion school text book, hence the price tag. The text is very well-written and illustrated. The author has the reader analyze a fashion drawing, and identify the structural components of a particular garment as most embellishments can be broken down to basic components (i.e. dart excesses).
   
   My only peeve was that some definitions for terms I wasn't familiar with (e.g. Princess Line) couldn't be found in the back of the book. Also, not all the formats seen in fashion are portrayed in this book. Most, if not all, garment examples have a waist or empire seam, and designed for woven fabrics (no knits); and as far as I can tell, the author doesn't direct the reader/student on how to accomodate for that. However, I am happy that there is a section on bias-cut gowns (the info. is very hard to come by on the Net) As a self-taught sewer and wanna-be designer, this book will definitely help me to go to further.

5 comments about Basic Stained Glass Making: All the Skills and Tools You Need to Get Started (Stackpole Basics).

1. Excellent layout and binding that allows you to leave it open to the page your following. Easy to follow instruction and pics for the visual learner. Love it and looking forward to the projects!



2. Very detailed and organized. I am glad I bought the book. As a beginner in stained glass this met my needs.



3. The title says it all. I went from never having worked with stained glass to completing the first two projects in the book - and it was fun! Now, I'm working on my first original stained glass design. This book is great for anyone new to stained glass - the step by step instructions would probably be excrutiatingly slow to someone who already has a lot of experience, but they were exactly what I needed to get started! I also really liked the explanation of all the most common tools and equipment.



4. Quick, easy and lots of pictures. Binding allows all the pages to turn easily, preventing the pages from 'closing' up on you while you try to follow the instructions.



5. I have been checking out many of the books that are available and this one gives the best directions and it has made my first project half way easy.

5 comments about Sargent Portrait Drawings: 42 Works by John Singer Sargent (Dover Art Library).

1. I selected this book as a gift for my husband. He was delighted to see the drawings of Sargent and is planning on developing his skills by copying the works found in the book.



2. This book is one of the best buys i did this year. Sargent paintings are very famous but the drawings from this little book are amazing! Some of these portraits were done in the later phase of Sargent work and show great mastery of the drawing media (pencil, charchoal). There's a small text about Sargent that is very good too.



3. A good book full of great drawings by one of the best artist I have ever studied. The price is right and you should not waist one more minute before you order it.
   I always like to see how the great artist draw, since drawing is the back bone to good painting in my mind.
   I really get a kick out of artist who say they can't draw and can only paint, sure.. Thats like saying you never learned to walk and that you can only run.
   Sargent used to say you should draw every day and I think he was right.



4. The book is great. The ones who sent it didn't package it well. It is a paperback book and it came all bent up.



5. A remarkable bargain and a must for anyone interested in John Singer Sargent or his work. An 8 by 11 inch, less than 50 page paperback. Published by Dover. B&W reproductions of 42 portrait sketches by Sargent. Mostly done in charcoal. Two long pages of lucid and informed, really excellent text by Trevor Fairbrother, author of books devoted to Sargent and several articles as well. The reproductions are competent, but, as always, can be nothing like the originals, one of which I've many times had the privilege of admiring in person. Although here again, any one familiar with works on paper has seen how even the interposition of the protective glass, sadly, visibly degrades the viewing.
   
   The 42 sketches span a remarkable, interesting and even entertaining range. Arranged in almost chronological order, they stem from early in his career, but not his childhood, to near the end of his productive life, when he had almost entirely quit portraiture. Fairbrother skillfully has chosen an eclectic lot of Sargent subjects, well illustrating yet another facet of Sargent's personality. Although said shy unto retiring, Sargent must have liked people, at least the varied types of people. He certainly depicted all kinds. Here from a boy little more than an infant to the elderly and "important". The serious and the frivolous. Talented, self-made artists and performers to the witless-looking heirs and dismal aristocrats.
   
   The book's incredible spectrum of people / types and Sargent's genius at capturing both their surface and their interior, can form the center of quite a game easily played today via the Internet. For example, the portrait of a friend of Sargent's, one Earnest Thesiger. From this sketch one infers quite a character, seeming a person perhaps of manic ebullience. The very amusing facts in his bio on the web's Wikipedia rather bears this out. One learns further that Thesiger was the nephew of General Frederic Augustus Thesiger, 2nd Baron Chelmsford, famously incompetent in needlessly losing his entire army in a massacre by the Zulus. (One can imagine a portrait of a dim and blimpy character here. Thankfully, nowadays the British select more professionals for their general officers.) Sargent's jolly Earnest Thesiger further was cousin to the famous Wifred Thesiger, author of the autobiography, "The Last Nomad". Wifred Thesiger was a war hero, diplomat, author, explorer and skilled photographer. Among his other accomplishments, the autobiography describes Wilfred's tireless toiling in the Sharm el Shatt (where the south of Iraq borders the south of Iran) to bring modern male circumcision to the primitive marsh Arabs. (A people so independent in their watery wilderness that the late Saddam Hussein ordered the draining of their protective confusion of still waters and bogs.) Well, odd as it might seem, Wilfred's medical procedures were clearly an improvement over the native's, I imagine especially over a ceremony for teenagers involving a low-banked fire built in a shallow sand pit. But, I digress.
   
   However, that is the point, digressing from Sargent's wonderful portraits. What do they tell us; how can we follow up on our impressions? I'm returning to Fairbrother's book to select another sketch subject to mine for edification. I'm confident because Sargent has been described as having a large circle of interesting and talented friends. Except for those portraits of blimps.
   
   Again, an excellent book at a very reasonable price.

4 comments about History of Modern Art.

1. this textbook of sorts is super informative with great color and black and white pictures of paintings discussed in the readings.



2. Academic reading and art criticism, well suited for undergraduate and graduate coursework. Dry reading for aficionados, on the bombastic side descriptive. This book speaks to art as a critic would describe the sunset.



3. Blah blah blah - Good quality blah blah. You know the drill, just BUY IT already!



4. Having taken art history in college, I wish this was the addition of Arnason I bought. Kalb is a gifted editor. The original text is streamlined and energized with beautiful new plates. I thought the later chapters that Kalb wrote on contemporary art brought this classic to the 21st century. I bought it again.

5 comments about Kirby: King of Comics.

1. I picked this up in my library stacks and started thumbing through it. Five minutes later two hours had gone by and I had relived a substantial portion of my childhood. Some of it brought me close to tears remembering how much Marvel Comics meant to me when I was a kid and above all, how much Jack Kirby's art meant - as for many, I am sure, Kirby was the first comic book artist I recognized by style and name. But just as moving was Mark Evanier's portrait of who Jack Kirby was and what he meant to those who knew him. Some of the reviews on this book seemed to miss the mark to me, complaining that the book wasn't what they expected. I didn't have preconceptions about what it should be and so it took me by the hand and heart on a journey along old paths. (Just as a parting aside, though I didn't agree with much of what Norbert J. Rozek had to say, I must sheepishly confess: Vince Colletta was always my favorite Kirby inker too - it's probably why my favorite Kirby comic was Thor).



2. 
   Filled with phenomenal examples of Kirby's art, KIRBY: KING OF COMICS is a great primer to the work of one of comics' true legends. "Street Code," Kirby's look at childhood on the mean streets of NY, alone is worth the price of admission, but the book is filled any number of rarely published pieces, often from the original pencils. The text from Mark Evanier, a talented writer and longtime Kirby associate, proves to be a bit of a disappointment. Evanier does a fine job of encapsulating Kirby's life, focusing on the high and low points of Kirby's storied career, but the work is simply lacking in the depth that I have come to expect from current biographies. Simon and Kirby, the Marvel years, the creation of the "Fourth World" are looked at, but it's little more than a cursory glance. Less than half the book is text, and even with the oversize pages, (Great for the art repros!) it still feels skimpy on details. Maybe, at some point in the future a definitive bio will come out; until then fans will have to make due with this loving tribute.



3. I began collecting comics in the mid 90's and didn't start looking backwards to the masters until several years later. I had seen Kirby's work here and there and never really was that impressed with it, but years later I pick up this book and read it (for hours last night and all afternoon today :) and I couldn't put it down. I was really taken with the work and life of this (now I see it) comics "master." Into the first few pages I was hooked on the writing. It moves along at a quick pace and Evanier doesn't get bogged down with the extraneous stuff... he just keeps speeding forward, which complements the art tremendously. His writing is not overly sentimental and yet Evanier clearly admires Kirby and his work and it really shows through with the heart behind the writing. Many passages were really quite moving, and some very funny.
   
   Here's an example of Evanier's words: "The head librarian turned to the man next to her, who happened to be Kirby, and asked him if he thought comics mirrored reality. Jack said, 'No, comics transcend reality.' The answer startled the librarian, and she said, 'If you were to mirror reality, then perhaps others could begin to understand it.' Jack popped a piece of cheddar into his mouth and fixed her with a stare he'd learned either on the streets of New York or on Omaha Beach during World War II. 'Madam,' he said, 'when you mirror reality, you see it all backward. When you start transcending it, that's when you have a real good shot at figuring out what's going on.' Then he went over to Roz and told her her he was ready to leave."
   
   The art itself is grandly reproduced, often completely covering the page and at such a quality that one can see the tones and pencil smudges in the drawings. This quality of reproduction gave me whole new insight into the beauty and power of this man's work. In the end, I've been transformed into a fan and can't wait to get my hands on more of Kirby's work.



4. A beautifully researched, written and illustrated book. Rare images and insights into the life of this prolific and influential artist.



5. Mark Evanier does a fantastic job paying tribute to the king of comic books.This would make an excellent coffee table book for any Kirby afficianado!The illustrations and uses of Kirby's sketches are also effective.
   But the book does have a sad note.Evanier writes of the injustices suffered by Kirby and his widow.This man essentially,except for Spiderman,was responsible for creating Marvel's Silver Age.Yet Marvel begrudgingly paid Kirby's widow a MEAGER pension after his death in 1994.
   The book is not only decorative but informative and with Kirby's work being so vast I look forward to a "sequel" by Mr.Evanier.Kudos!Marvel Masterworks Golden Age Captain America Comics 1

5 comments about Paul Revere's Ride.

1. David Hackett Fischer's book provides the history of the people. The events leading to the armed resistance against British forces, the American Riflemen who answered the call to arms, and the aftermath of that fateful day in history are recounted in interesting detail. It is the story of the collective effort of individuals in defense of the principles of free men against a government imposing tyrany upon them.



2. Before David Hackett Fischer wrote his Pulitzer Prize winging book Washington's Crossing he authored this historical masterpiece. Paul Revere's Ride takes readers through the early stages of the revolution at a point when conflict is all but inevitable. The book frames these early moments through Paul Revere's life but is really an overview of the people and the times that afflicted the country in the weeks and months before Lexington and Concord. Fischer breaks down the myth of the lone rider and shows the vast network that Paul Revere and others built to spy on the British and mobilize the people of New England. One of the more surprising aspects of this book for myself was the way in which General Gage approached the American colonists with a firm respect for the rule of law which given American protests at the time provide stark contradiction to many of the complaints.
   
   In addition to covering the vast network the author also gives a blow-by-blow account of the battles at Lexington and Concord doing a masterful job of showing how each side reacted. The implications of the battle are covered well and the strengths of the American colonists not only in battle tactics but experience are well illustrated. Overall this is an excellent summary of the events leading up to Lexington and Concord, recommended for those who want to gain an understanding of how the revolution began.



3. I bought this book because it was required for my son's summer reading in preparation for an AP US History class. I read part of it and found it a bit of a slog; it is definitely a serious history book. Nevertheless, it is well written and detailed enough to give one new insight into the events at the start of the American Revolution. My son says it has too much detail about the specific battles and not enough overview of the historical and political context--but he has not had any trouble finishing it. It is not a small volume, about 300 pages I think. Worth reading if you are interested in the American revolution. Does not focus on Paul Revere as much as the title and first 20 pages would imply.



4. This illuminating history revisits Paul Revere's iconic ride and brings Revere and his times back to life.
   
   Fischer is a super historian and writer who specializes in early American history. In this book, he breathes new life into Paul Revere, the Boston silversmith who rode into the New England countryside in April, 1775 to warn the people about the British march to confiscate American guns and powder. Fischer uses Revere's ride as a takeoff point to explain how the outbreak of revolution at Lexington and Concord was not random individuals fed up with taxes, but a well-organized resistance to a powerful but clueless British military administration that seemed to make the wrong choices at every turn.
   
   A captivating accounts of the ride and the battles, Paul Revere's Ride shows you history in the making. Great maps and photos. I'll keep this book and read it again.
   
   Reviewer: Liz Clare, co-author of the historical novel "To the Ends of the Earth: The Last Journey of Lewis and Clark"



5. Excellent book Extremely well documented. Dispells some common misconceptions about the American Revolutionary War and provides great insight into many individuals who were instramental in the efforts of American Liberty.
   
   A couple misconceptions that are covered:
   
   The image Americans have of Paul Revere being a lone rider yelling "the British are coming!" is a fanciful one. First, there were many players and riders on the night of April 18th and the day of April 19th, 1775, not just Paul Revere. Second, and one of the most important things for Americans today to realize is that the Colonialists were British citizens and saw themselves that way. They had no intentions of starting a revoultion for independence prior to Lexington-Concord and they most certainly did not hear "the British are coming". They heard "the regulars are coming". These redcoats were their own troops, and the colonialists saw them exactly that way.
   
   Most people I know will give you taxation as the primiary catalyst for the American Revoultionary War. This is also a false idea. The primary reason (and the events surrounding April 19th, 1775 prove this out) was the British government's attempt to reduce the colonials' ability to resist them militarily. The British government and armed forces were seizing cannon, gunpowder and shot.
   
   Champions of the 2nd Amendment will exclaim that the Revolutionary War was started becuase of gun control, and that is partly true. The "regulars" did not in general care about the average colonialists arms, at least to begin with. There were arms in just about every household in New England, and they did not think it prudent to attempt house to house search and seizure. They realized it would be much easier to limit the supply of munitions (blackpowder especially), the bulk of which were generally stored at "powderhouses" in various communities. In this manner the British government hoped to limit the ability of the colonialist whigs to mount a sustained resistance.
   
   The successful and unsuccessful attempts to seize powder did not have the affect the goverment hoped. Read the book and find out what happened. It's your history and heritage America.
   
   I want to note that I found this book through participating in a program called The Appleseed Project, an offshoot of the Revolutionary War Veterans Association. I think the skills gained therein, and the historical narratives provided are really needed in America today. Thanks for reading.
   
   [..]

4 comments about LogoLounge 4: 2000 International Identities by Leading Designers.

1. this book helps giving ideas about logos.
   It gives good exemples, it explains the history about some of them.
   
   It is a good book, but you can easily find a much better one, with more explanations, more details... ( Logology for exemple...)



2. this book is amazing, opens your mind and you can see the creativity and innovation in the world



3. This book, like the other LogoLounge's, is very helpful. It shows different logos and always helps me find new solutions from the inspirations in the book.



4. As with previous editions, this book continues to provide designers with superb reference for contemporary logo designs.
   
   Extremely inspiring...at a great price!

5 comments about Charley Harper: An Illustrated Life.

1. the unique wildlife art of charley harper did deserve a retrospective dais of honor, but the quality of printing is so low and disappointing...
   as a collector and a passionate wildlife and wildlife art enthusiast i would have bought this book anyway, but if you are looking for high quality art books, then this is not the right address/investment.
   Ron, Israel



2. My dad got this for me as a college graduation gift, and I love it. I've always wanted this book, so was thrilled when I opened it up and saw what it was :)
   In my opinion, the matte finish of the pages suit the artwork well. The only painting that might have benefited from a gloss finish is probably the large ladybug one where the body of the ladybug is one shade of red while the background is another shade...if you have this book and know what I'm talking about.



3. We also saw the program on CBS Sunday Morning and immediately purchased the book. We have had it now for 3 or 4 months. My husband and I bring it out often and keep looking and looking. You see something different every time; the complexity of the simple and the simplicity of the complex. This man's mind was amazing. We are going to buy another one so we can dissasmble it and create a wall of pictures in our son's room that can be changed from time to time. It is one of my favorite treasures. I can't wait until my kids are a little older to look at it with them.
   
   We are not graphic artists or book people. We just buy what we love. Our book does not seem to have any issues or problems. Just beautiful picutures that inspire our mind. Oh and the box it comes in is beautiful too.



4. I gave this large format book to my son who is a graphic designer. I had seen a segment on television about Todd Oldham's admiration of Charley Harper, and the story caught my imagination. My son loved it, and recommended it to a retail store where he works near the Savannah College of Art & Design. They now carry it. Full of inspiration for the artist or the aspiring artist in your life.



5. This is a wonderful book. I will treasure it for the rest of my life. I am a graphic designer and really appreciate his way of simplifying the most complex things in nature. Charley Harper was one of a kind.