4 comments about 19th Century Art.

1. I'm not an artist, I'm a historian, with a special interest in physical social and cultural history: Costume, domestic architecture, social mores, all that stuff. Photography is the obvious source for that, at least from the Civil War on, but an artist's interpretation can also be very useful. For those reasons, I learned early in my career to pay attention to the Realists, especially Bingham, Breton, Millet, Tissot, Eakins, Degas, Whistler, Winslow Homer, John Singer Sargent, and some of Monet and Manet. While studying that lot, I also developed a taste for the Pre-Raphaelites and the later artists of myth and dream, like Burne-Jones, Leighton, and Alma-Tadema, who don't get much attention these days. I lose interest when I get to the Post-Impressionists like Seurat, Van Gogh, Gauguin, and Munch, however. (So sue me.) All of which is to say that the authors, both of whom are NYU professors in the fine arts, have done an excellent job of surveying the entire century in which all of the above had their careers. The discussions cover not only artistic influences but political and familial factors as well as relevant biographical details. There are more than 500 illustrations, though fewer than 90 are in color, and many of them are rather small -- which seems inadequate for a coffee-table-sized art book. And, frankly, I'm puzzled how any survey of the 19th century could completely ignore Frederick Remington and Charles Russell. Otherwise, it's an excellent book for slow perusal.



2. Note: Your "helpful" votes are appreciated.
   
   Nineteenth-century art has a wonderful depth to it, and this book has almost a hundred full-color pictures and some 400 in black and white. The quality of the book is fantastic. This is a must for anyone interested the 19th century painting.
   
   I love pictures that tell a story. Look at the mystery and story on the cover of this book. It's full of other wonderful paintings ane well-worth the price.
   
   If you like black-and-white engravings from the 19th century, get "A Celebration of Humanism and Freethought," by David Allen Williams. This book is full of rare 19th century engravings that match its quotations from the Humanist perspective--a beautiful art book that has been overlooked because of it's title.
   
   Click here to see the images: A Celebration of Humanism and Freethought



3. Price and service were excellent! The book arrived within 2-3 days; thank you.



4. Whether you're familiar with Dr. Janson's previous work or not, you'll immedately recognize the quality and value of this book. The information is very well organized, divided into four sections based on time periods. Each of those sections is divided by the type of art (paintings or sculptures). With more than 500 illustrations (89 in full color), the book is not only an excellent source of reference, but also just plain interesting reading. Many of the stories are fascinating, encouraging the reader to dig even deeper. The details are impressive, particularly with accurate journalism being a relatively recent concept. Obviously, the information could only have come from extremely knowledgeable sources. Excellent book for art lovers on any level!

1 comments about Art & Today.

1. Art is an umbrella term that encompasses a wide diversity of formats in which men and women work to create items of beauty that range from the simple to the complex and are in an continual state of evolving discovery as new techniques and mediums for artistic expression are developed with each new generation of artists. "Art & Today" is a massive, coffee-table compendium of contemporary artworks; the one common aspect of the 400 emerging artists surveyed is that they all engage in a postmodern willingness to transcend traditional boundaries. Full-color illustrations on almost every page introduce the reader to a vast variety of artistic creations, from painting to sculpture to photography and much more, while extensive essays offer insights into the backgrounds, themes, and messages of the individual artists. Organized around a set of sixteen themes ranging from "Art & Popular Culture" to "Art & Nature and Technology" to "Art & Globalism" and "Art & Politics", Art & Today lives up to its self-appointed Herculean labor of surveying what today's art as a whole has to say about humans and the world we live in. Highly recommended especially for public library and art book collections.

5 comments about In the Shadow of No Towers.

1. I used "In the Shadow" as a segment in a group project for an undergrad presentation on "Maus" to further understand and psycho analyze Spiegelman's mental conflict. While short, the art is dense and the possibilities for analyzation are endless...leaving you with a worthwhile experience. Anyone who is a fan of Spiegelman's work, or anyone who wants to see how Spiegelman uses an event that is in his personal history (not his past generation's) then definitely check out "In the Shadow"...you won't be disappointed.



2. In a small series of comic strips originally designed to be printed as large, two-page newspaper spreads, Spiegelman illustrates his personal experiences of the attack on the World Trade Center. He focuses mainly upon four themes: his concern over the safety of his daughter who was attending a school right near the towers, his growing paranoia over the government, the funny but disturbing display of blind patriotism that arose amongst the US population and media following the tragedy, and, lastly, how slow he is at producing comic strips.
   
   Given the emotions still surrounding 9/11, it would take extraordinarily bad writing to fail to get any reaction from a reader, and perhaps that is why Spiegelman is so lazy and sloppy here. I'm sure he felt emotions while he was writing this, and he DOES do a good job of making the reader feel some of his anxiety over his daughter's safety, and some of his anecdotes are interesting (his never-used TV interview about how "American" 9/11 made him feel -- it didn't -- is quite humourous). But overall the writing lacks direction, is amateurish and hackneyed, and surprisingly ineffective at eliciting a strong emotional reaction from the reader given the subject matter. It usually wasn't so much Spiegelman's writing that made me feel emotions, but the memories it drew from inside of me (like the images of people falling from the towers). Without those memories, it was just history.
   
   The problem may in part be due to the format of his stories. In each spread we tend to get a glimpse of a storyline, then we get to the next strip and we see basically the same glimpse of a storyline with much repetition and little progression, rendering his storytelling completely choppy. It reminded me of newscasts where they keep repeating the same "coming up" message over and over again, and when they finally get to the story itself, it winds up being even shorter and less informative than any of the multiple previews you sat through. And sometimes he doesn't even go that far. To illustrate, Spiegelman repeatedly tells you how paranoid he felt. But he does not get his feeling of paranoia across. He doesn't make the reader feel any of his paranoia or really show its effects on his life (other than some lost sleep). And it comes across as completely matter-of-fact. He might as well be telling us that he ate a salami sandwich for lunch yesterday without even describing its taste, his hunger, etc.
   
   Some of his artwork is interesting as he draws upon classic strips from the early 20th century for inspiration, but this technique rarely adds any depth to the story's content. It is interesting style, but that's all it is -- style. It makes for pretty pictures, but fails to redeem the text.
   
   Overall, Spiegelman has nothing new to say on the subject of 9/11. It has all been done far more competently and compellingly elsewhere by numbers too great to count. Ultimately lightweight, Shadow is printed on nice, thick boards to create the illusion that it is far more substantial than it is. It includes reprints of several interesting vintage comic strips which are included both to allow the reader less versed in comics to see where Spiegelman drew stylistic inspiration, and to pad out the books extremely small page count.



3. I thought this would be more of a story of the artist's personal experience & less political. I don't disagree with his politics, but it was still somewhat of a disappointment. Spiegelman's artwork is always amazing, often moving & thought provoking. I was really moved by his quote: "I finally understand why some Jews didn't leave Berlin right after Kristallnacht!" I also enjoyed the section on old political cartoons



4. Before this book, I had never picked up a book on 9/11, being that I assumed they are all so politically biased (be it one extreme or another). There are also so many of them, some released very soon after the attack. It is frustrating to look at the "new books" section of the local library and see ½ the shelves filled with 9/11 books. I couldn't help myself with this curio, however. I am a fan of history and comics. Browsing through the large, thick, colorful cardboard panels of "In the Shadow of No Towers", I saw a vintage newspaper page on the shooting of President McKinley (the author doesn't elaborate on why this was used, must be the terrorism theme, in this case anarchism) and what looked like on first glance a vintage comic on the Titanic (it turned out to be an even older comic). I knew this book was right up my alley. Having never read Maus, I wasn't sure what to expect but looked forward to checking it out.
   
   It didn't take long to find the politically-biased stuff I dreaded.. On the very first plate: "In those first few days after 9/11 I got lost constructing conspiracy theories about my government's complicity in what had happened that would have done a Frenchman proud. (My susceptibility for conspiracy goes back a long ways but had reached its previous peak after the 2000 elections)." In fact, in his "...No Towers" comics that make up the first 10 panels of the 18-plate book, the author reveals a preoccupation with the 2000 elections. At one point he calls George W. Bush that "creature in the White House" (7). This book came out before the 2004 elections, so one can only wonder if the author has yet to let 2000 go. On panel 7, he has a red/blue zone look at the 2000 elections "the one that put the loser in office," with what I'm guessing is the percentage of the popular vote showing Gore the winner (of course, it is not the popular vote that determines the winner).
   
   The "...No Towers" strips are very aesthetically interesting with computer images mixed with colorful comic artwork. The author relives his experiences during the tragedy, getting his daughter from the UN school near the towers, a run-in with a predictable crazy lady living on the street, etc. He then goes into his own internal struggles with what had transpired and the aftermath. My favorite line is "sometimes complaining is the only solace" (9). The vintage comics section I found to be the most intriguing as I enjoy (though I don't often understand) that early 20th century humor. Spiegelman chose is 8 comics, it seems, based on themes of buildings and American patriotism. I am grateful he includes an explanation of them, especially the Krazy Kat comic, as I would probably not understand the connection he drew between them and 9/11 otherwise. Actually, I was a little disappointed in the vintage comics used. I thought they'd deal with how comic writers dealt with other tragedies. My favorite vintage comic is the first one used in plate 1 "Etymological Vaudeville" where Happy Hooligan gets ready for bed and takes off one of his shoes that goes "Klomp!" Not wanting to wake his family, he quietly takes off the other shoe and goes to bed only to be awakened by his family cussing and yelling, "Drop the other @*g! shoe so we can go to sleep!".
   
   What strikes me the most is the reoccurring theme that the end of the world is upon us. I think that probably people from every generation felt this away about the tragic events of their time, be it war, famine, plague, etc. Spiegelman makes statements like "I worry whether New York City or I will still be around" (7). I think we all are guilty of taking our time on earth too seriously. We like to think that we witnessed the worst thing to ever happen in the history of man. Horror is all relative of course, but in the scheme of history, as horrible as 9/11 was, it was not the worst thing to happen on earth. Worse things have happened in the past and will happen in the future. Spiegelman himself hints at this at the end of his introduction: "I still believe the world is ending, but I concede that it seems to be ending more slowly than I once thought" (i).



5. There's no way this project could be as tremendous as Spiegelman's life's work, "Maus," but it's tough not to make comparisons. This book consists of just ten large-scale comic strips that Spiegelman created to explore his feelings about 9/11 and its aftermath. Spiegelman's personal experience of the disaster – his family lives and works literally next to the World Trade Center – gives his accounts a direct poignancy, with more strength and emotion than the jingoism you get from pundits who weren't there. And as always, Spiegelman's artwork is outstandingly expressive, with his gifts for artistic allegory and surrealism in full eye-popping display. However, things go asunder when Spiegelman extends his comic strips to the political aftermath of 9/11. I don't disagree with the idea that the Bush administration has used the disaster to consolidate votes and bully a fearful public into backing their political agenda, and I won't accuse Spiegelman of conspiracy theorizing as others have. However, Spiegelman's social and political philosophy is rather undeveloped and sketchy, and frankly too weak to stand next to his outstanding artwork. Meanwhile, the second half of this very meager book consists of reprints of old comic strips from the early 1900's, which Spiegelman says have influenced his artwork and his opinions on the post-9/11 American political landscape. These strips are certainly interesting from a historical standpoint, but I'm not really buying Spiegelman's claims of a direct connection to the rest of the book. [~doomsdayer520~]

1 comments about At the Edge of Art.

1. Worthy of its name, At The Edge of Art does its share of risk-taking. It is a serious offering that fills a void in the theory and contemporary history of digital, networked practices and approaches. Simply put, this book is intellectual. It is ethical in its approach, communicating an obvious care and concern about there being a space for vital cultural works and workers who "hack" at the accelerating technological spectacle. (I have ordered the book as the required text for my digital theory and practice classes.)

1 comments about Islamic Art and Architecture 650-1250.

1. This book contains the 'nut shell' of Islamic Art and Architecture. There are some plans, and many color photographs. Each project is accompanied by text explaining it and it's cultural significance. For someone who has an interest in the geometries and forms of Islamic Art this book was worth it.

No comments about E Pluribus Venom.

4 comments about Drafting for the Theatre.

1. This book does offer a lot of basics when it comes to theatrical drafting, but there are quite a few mistakes both within the text and in the worksheets given. It would be much better if updated.



2. This is a fine text for anyone needing help with establishing assignments for a drafting course (for scene designers). Other than a few typographical errors, this is a great book. I wish it would be revised and updated.



3. We use this book for my Drafting class at Southwest Missouri State, it is very good. I like the worksheets and projects that are available for further comprehension of the drafting process.



4. This book fills in all the details missing from the basic theatrical drafting course, focusing on hand drafting, not CAD systems. Great for scene and lighting techs, but uses many of the same techniques as architectural drawing. Includes worksheets to practice on and explains everything clearly and with humor. Buy it!

4 comments about The Arts of China (An Ahmanson Murphy Fine Arts Book).

1. Cannot go wrong with the art book about Chinese art. It's an excellent one, used a lot as a textbook both by university art teachers as well as teachers of Chinese culture and history.



2. The colour illustrations in this book are lovely to behold. Many show restored artifacts from China's long history. Vases, stoneware, flasks, paintings, handscrolls and much more. From the paintings, you can see where the traditional misty style of Chinese landscape paintings arose. There are even genres, like bamboo painting. Just like the Europeans developed portraits of horses and landed gentry.
   
   Naturally, there is also extensive coverage of porcelain plates and containers. Beautifully decorated. The items that the Europeans would call "china"; so close was the identification of the objects with China itself.
   
   But more than just objects, the narrative also gives insight into the various Chinese dynasties from which these arose. And also the provinces, like Jiangsu and Anhui, that were artistic centers.



3. The book, The Arts of China, was book I needed to purchase for a college level Asian Art History class focused on China. Each chapter was divided into dynasties and within each chapter sections were written on: background history, ceramics, paintings, sculpture, and other various topics. There are lovely color pictures with high resolution, which are an essential to any student or scholar studying this art. The writing is clear and even enjoyable. I'd highly reccommend this book!



4. It is difficult to write "Short History of Chinese Arts". Suppose that an honest scholar start preparing his lecture note of " Chinese Arts", he shall struggle with selecting subjects and plates. Moreover, for example, he feels that he be an expert on ancient bronzes, and a beginner of export wares in 17th century. Leaving the purgatory, he would want help to a standard textbook.

   Among English books, this noted book may have used in many college courses. 1st edition(1967) and The revised edition(1973) were welcomed by many students and scholars. Even a japanese translation had been popular for many years. In this 4th edition, 84 old respectable scholar still attracts me with lucid style.

   For beginners, this should be a good introduction. Appreciating artifacts in Museum, finding something in antique shop, or reading books/papers/articles about a particular subject, it needs some elementary background knowledge for chinese arts and history. This offers such COMMON SENSE.

   For experienced scholars, this is an interesting reading. This might look a mean textbook for them. Before reading, I minded I become tired for many facts already learned, but I enjoy this book even in commute train, although this edition format is too large. Because not only this is Readable for a japanese, but also gives many (sometimes implicit) skeptical suggestions. At 258p, about Wan Hui (1632-1677, painter), "The Palace Museum collection also contains a number of clever pastiches of tenth-century and Northen Song landscapes that are almost certainly his work"; keen insight!.

   I should regretfully notice that some illustrations/items might be inadequate, blurred, or damaged. I hope that they will be changed at next chance.

No comments about A History of Roman Art.

5 comments about Art Making, Collections, and Obsessions: An Intimate Exploration of the Mixed-Media Work and Collections of 35 Artists.

1. This is beautifully done and inspirational - the artists featured are wonderful and the information is interesting - I recommend this book for those who love objects and the world of mixed media design. Kartika



2. I found this book to be an emotional book. Although this isn't the type of art I enjoy, I am drawn to look thru it from time to time and usually am stimulated to get going on a project or get something brewing in my brain. You will either love or hate this book. I guess I love it because of what it produces...go figure.



3. Great pictures, just the kind of eclectic stuff I love. The written part seems entirely superfluous--actually, I read every word and all were apt, it's just that I bought the book for the visuals and that's what I remember and go back to and wish there were even many many more of.



4. I have always loved the work of Lynne Perrella, but she has outshone even herself by compiling this book of artists from the same ilk as herself.
   Being a compulsive collecter and an artist myself, this book was irrestible and to see what other artists collect is both engaging and delicious at the same time!
   Congratulations to Lynne Perrella for this wonderful book. I have already researched several of the artists listed and to see their websites unfold is truly a delight...thanks!



5. I recently stated that I shouldn't buy any book without "Look Inside." I did and everyting is beautiful. The description is not deceptive but if you are looking for directions for projects, which I thought would be included but I didn't read closely, you will be disappointed. Perhaps I shouldn't rate the book so low because it is beautiful but I just didn't want another book by all of the greats reflecting. If you love to read reflections you should scoop up this book.