3 comments about Art Deco Textiles: The French Designers.

1. Terrific forward that puts the work into context. The images are wonderful -- the colors have printed well to the pages, good amount of detail. A fascinating period in textile design, well handled.



2. I'm a textile and clothing designer and have a large collection of print reference books. Since I first purchased this book it has been the first book I pull out when I want inspiration. Because of that I have also given it as a gift to several other designers, and it has become one of their favorites too. The collection is inspired and diverse and the printing shows beautiful detail. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves great contemporary design, as well as those interested in vintage textile design.



3. Art Deco Textiles is an informed and informative survey of art deco fabrics which packs in color examples drawn from a diverse range of designers in the field, from Marrot and Benedictus to Chanel. Alain-Rene Hardy's research through museum holdings, manufacturer's archives and private collections alike produces an unparalleled reference 'Bible' of both hand made and machine-made textiles, creating an outstanding textile oriented history and survey of the entire field.

5 comments about John Singer Sargent: Figures and Landscapes, 1874-1882; Complete Paintings: Volume IV (John Singer Sargent).

1. Sargent excelled in all media and this book, the third in a series, clearly shows why he was the best of late 19th century American artists. Many of his paintings have become icons of American art, and here they are shown in the context of his life and artistic development. The color reproductions are superb and the book offers many hours of repeat perusal.



2. These books are the epitome of scholarly research into Sargent's work, made even better by the researchers inclusion of intimate personal and professional details. This presents a great background to viewing the well printed illustrations. One should not just purchase one of these volumes, indeed the experience palls UNLESS all three are not bought . One cannot praise this sort of in depth research and the resulting publications highly enough. The only quibble is one of size, given that Sargent revelled in life-size compositions, it is a a pity that pure economics forbid the printing of larger volumes- I mourn the death of the "elephant folios" so derided by librarians.



3. A wonderful collection of amazing images. This book will be looked at for many, many years.



4. The best book on a painter I have been able to buy for quite a while. As with the other three volumes so far published of Sargent's catalogue raisonne, this is absolutley stunning. Paintings are all in colour unless they have been lost, and the figures and landscapes are breathtaking. The text is anecdotal and interesting, with contemporary correspondence and criticism. This is what a catalogue raisonne should be, and never is - something exhaustively illustrated and investigated, rather than an artist's lifetime crammed into one volume with highlights followed by black and white "postage stamps" at the back (as long as the artist is worth it - and Sargent is worth it). A great tome on a great artist, and unbelievably good value. Go out and treat yourself.



5. The color reproductions are awesome. This books is a collection of Sargent's less known work which is refreshing. Some oils are not as polished as the more well known work which helps to show his technique in early stages---a plus to serious professionals and students. To me, this book provided a wealth of visual clues to understanding his thought process and technical principles. The writing, however, is the typical stuff used to fill most coffee table books. No insight whatsoever into Sargent's painting principles, tonal procedures or color palette. The author obviously knows little in that regard but there is so much information out there the text could have been more illuminating. Buy it for the reproduction quality and awesome collection of works. Worth every penny in that regard.

5 comments about Splash 9 - Watercolor Secrets: The Best of Watercolor: Watercolor Disoveries (Splash).

1. Sometimes Rachel Rubin Wolf"s Splash books all seem to be one and the same. But each one really does have a different flavor to it.
   
   This one is heavy on the still lifes: fruits, flowers, plants.
   
   I am always inspired by Wolf's books. There are some paintings that are so well done that attaining that level seems impossible. Others seem easy and friendly enough to maybe attempt to do something similar and excel.



2. High quality reproductions. Excellent book for artists to see the techniques that others are using. Also the quality that would allow you to set it out for others to enjoy.



3. I have the whole series, which is the only reason that it was not 5 stars.
   I have an earlier favorite. But this one is great in that you get to read the artists' thoughts on why or how. I've always been interested in what inspires other artists. This one gives me/us that.



4. If you like your watercolors with lots of intricate details and reflections in crystal, you'll like this latest Splash. If you're looking for something different, experimental and creative, don't bother. I have the entire series, and I'm thinking of reselling this one. (I won't be purchasing any future editions without checking them closely first.) The Splash series was quite cutting edge in the early years, striving to showcase the new trends. But it hasn't kept up. Now it just feels like a profit center for North Light.
   
   Of 130 pages, only 12 pages (the shortest chapter) is devoted to experimental watermedia. And even then, one painting includes reflections in crystal (just so you don't stray too far...)
   
   Publishers, it's time for a change. We need a new series for the 21st Century (edited by Betsy Dillard Stroud or Nita Leland?) devoted to the exciting trends in watermedia, mixed media, collage, monotypes, and digital hybrid art.



5. With this ninth book in the remarkable Splash series I was rather disappointed. To me the strength of the previous eight books has been the remarkable diversity of painting styles. Even though each had a rather loose theme you could turn the pages and not really know what to expect apart from the fact that every picture was a watercolor. So many of the paintings just make you stop and look and look and frequently wonder how an artist achieved that painting. Luckily part of the editorial format in each book allowed artists to reveal their creative thoughts or techniques in words next to the picture.
   
   All of this is true of book nine but I just didn't feel it had the excitement of the other books. Many of the paintings seem rather casual, the range of subject matter and composition perhaps too ordinary, safe and predictable and plenty seem to have sombre dominant colors, like the front cover for instance. Essentially I think that I've seen better versions of so many of these paintings in the previous eight titles.
   
   Still there is plenty to enjoy though. Three from Laurin McCracken caught my eye, she likes to make things difficult by creating still life compositions with crystal glass and silverware. Equally interesting is how she works: with a digital camera and pc to improve the composition even before lifting a brush. Paul Sullivan creates some almost photo-realist paintings of everyday scenes from Milan, Rome and Sienna. His exterior detail of a church in Milan is amazing. Diane Maxey does wonders with flowers, so much so that her Poppy Parade looks just like an oil painting.
   
   I've just looked through Splash 1/America's Best Contemporary Watercolors, which came out in 1991 and what an amazing start to the series and it does rather overpower this latest book. I'm hoping book ten will continue the magic so evident in the previous eight books.
   
   ***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.

5 comments about Spilling Open: The Art of Becoming Yourself.

1. Seriously.
   
   I got this book when I decided to start journaling my own ordeal with breast cancer. As a former architect, I have some drawing skills still, but they're rusty. So I got this book in order to kick my creative juices into high gear.
   
   The pages are all so similar. Similar colors, similar self-depricating thoughts and self doubt, similar media and technique (no, SAME technique and media)
   
   While I could appreciate a page or two, a whole book of this "I hate myself, and I need to be loved" BS was a bit much.
   
   I probably would have churned out a similar, steaming pile at the age of 21, but at 42, I'm looking for more variety, more design elements, more work and less blah-blah about how much she worries about having freckles, (gee, would I offer to trade cancer for freckles? Hmm.) And similar stuff.
   
   It's enough to find this at any bookstore and leaf through it in 2 or 3 minutes, you will not devour, or refer back to anything here.



2. Sabrina Ward Harrison has always been a huge source of inspiration for me, and I turn to her books over and over again for inspiration, beauty, honesty and layers of intriguing details. A wonderful gift of yourself and anyone in your life interested in the art of becoming their most authentic selves.



3. As an Artist and a Graphic designer I found this book abolutely inspiring. It encouraged me to create my own journal which has become a major part of my creative process. This is a great way to put ideas together and from there find answers about my work and myself.



4. best book everywhere..i take it everywhere with me, its a wake up call to life i think/



5. I was given a copy of this book when I was twenty and it honestly changed my life. It made me realize that I wasn't alone in the thoughts, doubts, fears, and "aches of inadequacy" that I was going through. This book is an open heart spilled onto the page/canvas and any young woman going through life with any amount of uncertainty and lonliness will benefit tremendously from just being with this book.

5 comments about Icons and Saints of the Eastern Orthodox Church (Guide to Imagery Series).

1. This is a very comprehensive and beautiful work on the icons of the Eastern Orthodox Church, and includes Byzantine, Russian, and icons of other traditions. Each icon's significance in the life of Our Lord or church history is detailed. The description and symbolism of each icon is informative without being scholarly or overly long, and each has the Biblical quotation and reference as well as the particular feast day observed. The size is perfect for use in browsing a gallery, the quality of the paper and the color reproductions are excellent. The various types of icons are well represented, and arranged in a convenient fashion. Many of the icons shown have not found their way into any of the books I have previously read, making this a real treasure.



2. This book on icons is probably the most useful book to have in a collection of books on icons. It has a good index, something that is frequently missing from books on icons. The information is concise, helpful and useful for expanding a person's knowledge of iconography. The color illustrations of historical icons helps with recognition of icons and is also useful for those who write (the preferred term) icons. Many books on icons are physically very large; this book is relatively small and easy to handle. I recommend this book highly.



3. Although I agree with most of the comments made by the others who have offered critiques, I don't believe this book deserves a 5 star rating. This book has a lot of beautiful icons, and I enjoyed learning about the meaning of the imagery. There is high value in the diverse collection of beautiful icons. The book had three flaws that disturbed my enjoyment of the book:
   
   1) Icons are tied together by some general imagery. I am fairly ignorant with regards to icon imagery, but I know a little. For example, the use of the mandorla. A mandorla (round or almond shaped device behind an image) is used to mark something that can only be seen through the eyes of faith. The general meaning of colors like blue and red on the icons of Mary and Jesus, as well. A short guide explaining some of these general rules of imagery would have been a spectacular aid to those, like myself, who are woefully ignorant on the topic.
   
   2) The author expresses some theology in language that is inaccurate and likely confusing for the non-Orthodox Christian reader. For example, he uses the word "worship" to describe the Orthodox veneration of icons. Icons are never worshipped. Worship is for God alone. For the reader seeking to understand the Mystery of Orthodox icons, this would be a devastating and confusing statement. Icons are venerated (greatly honored), never worshiped. The teaching is that this veneration passes to the person represented in the image.
   
   3) The book was so small it was difficult to see some of the details in the imagery that the author was trying to illustrate.
   
   Overall, a very interesting and educational book with a wealth of knowledge about iconography, however, it could have been much better.



4. I have a lot of books about icons, orthodoxy, saints, and to be honest I never believe at I can find a new book that can teach me more. But miracles
   happens and this little book was a revelation. So full of information and images, this book is a gem.I sincerely recommended.



5. When it comes to the Eastern Church's wealth of Icons, so many are near impossible for westerners to discover. Many were either hidden (and often lost) during the Communist rule of eastern europe, or many were destroyed by the powers that be during that era. Other Icons in the book come from Lebanon, Egypt (St. Catherine's monestary), and Greece, some dating back to the 6th century. So, for a complete overview of the Orthodox love of Icons, this book has a plethoria of icons not seen until now, and never in such a complete overview in one book. The only orthodox Icons not covered, are those from India, and Ethiopia, which are apparently outside the scope of the book. Some of these icons are beautiful beyond imagination. With each icon, all in FULL COLOR, and covering a single page, comes simple little remarks as to what the imagery represents in each Icon. Also, the book is divided into sections, with Icons of Christ, Mary, Saints that lived in towers, Saints who were martyrs, and so forth. This makes it easy to study the iconology of TYPES, and not a simple alphabetical approach, as in the western art book in this series does. (St. Ambrose, St. Boniface, etc.) I sadly have this warning to give however. I had a FIRST EDITION of this book. However, it was "Borrowed" from me against my will, and they refused to return it to me, and I had to replace it. I ended up with a SECOND EDITION of the book,and the color isnt right on the prints. THe red plates are supersaturated, and the black plates seem too saturated as well, on many of the pages. I so much enjoyed this book, that I bought the COMPANION BOOK in this GUIDE TO IMAGERY series. If you are interested in the artistic representation of religious figures, the book SAINTS IN ART does for the western religious art world, what this book does for the eastern religious art world. Both books are from Italy initially, and are printed by the PAUL GETTY MUSEUM in the USA. The big difference, is that the western art, is obviously well known to anyone with college level art history study, and access to big city museums. These icons are art not seen in other books until now, for the most part. My other beefs with this book, are as follows. Besides the problems with the color in the second edition, most of these pictures are just TOO SMALL to really examine properly. This book is about 6 inches by 8 inches, so the pictures are reduced too far, to see the smaller details, where many of the symbolic features of the Icon can be found. Also, when they show what the icon is about, they draw black lines thru the pictures. But the pluses outweigh the minuses, and its well worth the cost. I only hope, that if they go into a third printing, they will fix the color balance to the book. I can highly recommend this book without reservation.

5 comments about Basic Figure Drawing Techniques (North Light Basic Painting).

1. I needed this book for a class. It's a very good book for someone new to figure dawing. It has some parts that are a bit redundant, but some sections are very helpful, such as; specific points about drawing human hands and heads.
   I wish there had been more of this sort of instruction instead of the huge portion of the book dedicated to gesture drawing and basic forms. In my opinion, these sections could have been greatly reduced.
   Overall, this book is worth the price and very helpful for beginners.



2. I would recommend this book after you have taken a basic drawing class. First you must master the ability to see all around you as basic shapes. After you have completed that task, this book is the next logical step.
   
   From the begininng, this book offers different ways of observing the human body. Nothing much is needed to begin drawing the human body than a pencil and paper, this book will lead the way. However, for those advanced (or really motivated beginners) this book offers a list of other items to purchase.
   
   Each part of the body (except for the feet!) is nicely described in the form of observation and basic shapes. Once you've learned that the human torso is nothing more than a irregularly shaped egg, the rest becomes easy.
   
   J. C.



3. I looked over this book very carefully. At first I thought Greg Albert was the author. [I just finished SLAMMING Greg Albert for a different but poorly authored text elsewhere on Amazon!] But looking carefully, the cover states that Greg Albert is only the "editor" of this book, published by NORTH LIGHT.

   There was something disturbingly familiar about the illustrations which are excellent...and then I realized, that North Light was the same publisher for WALT REED's "THE FIGURE", published in 1976, and that what North Light Publishers have done is invite GREG ALBERT to do a revision and update of WALT REED's "The Figure" with some new illustrations added, and slapping on an entirely new title. Well...okay...

   This may give me an unpleasant feeling concerning authorship, but I did give Walt Reed's text a FIVE STAR rating on Amazon.com, and this has new illustrations added in.

   This is an excellent book on beginner drawing, full of Walt Reed's original BLOCK FIGURES and human puppets. NORTH LIGHT PUBLISHERS was wise to update and revise the current text and continue to polish it.




4. I had high expectations for this book, thought it would teach me the correct way to render my sketchings of people better... I really think the sketches in the book could have been better, I thought it looked a little amateurish. Although the author covers many things and tries his hardest to convey what needs to be done, I think the photo lacks more instructions and step-by-step advice.

   For instance: he will start with a semi outline of a body and just show you how to fill it in... it wasn't until later in the book he actually tries to show you porportions.

   And in the beginning, he has you starting off my scribbling. Maybe that worked for others, but not for me.

   I am starting a college drawing course in about 9 days and have been practicing my techniques from different books, but this is one book I'd rather leave on the shelf.




5. An excellent choice, for beginning artists. This book includes many essential tools in figure drawing; such as the underlying bases of the figures, many different distinct poses, and also a good introduction to anatomy from an artistic view, yet still easily understandable by beginners. Within, this book you will find many introductory techniques that start from scribble and transform into to beautiful life forms as well as, well-written passages thoroughly explaining everything every step of the way. Therefore, if your interested in figure drawing and have never before even picked up a pencile;this book is your best choice!

5 comments about Artforms (8th Edition).

1. Would recommend buying from seller. Prompt and easy delivery. Books comes in exact condition as stated.



2. This book is the best that I have seen yet! Artforms goes into great details about each piece and form of art, for which gives a lttile more insight about the artist. Throughout the book there are profiles on different artists. This book is a keeper,a great source for research and a perfect collected item for your art library. Artforms is an artform in itself and illustrated very well with colored pictures from all types of artists from different eras. You will enjoy this book!!!



3. I bought this book, and the accompanying ArtNotes, as a textbook. It is, however, an old edition of the book that has been superseded. The new edition - the one assigned for the course - is the 9th edition, not the 8th. If you're buying this book for your personal use, fine, but if it is for coursework, don't. I am quite disappointed in Amazon. Next time, I buy at the college bookstore. A rating is required. My rating is not of the book, but of Amazon's performance.



4. I was impressed with the book. It was in good condition and arrived on time. I would do business with Woody's Books again.



5. This is a great book especially the abstrat things. Colors and Ancient Cave paintings. Not only was the class fun (for me) because I like van gogh, and The first abstract colored painting whoms which name i forgot. The text book gave very good information into the class and art. Then afterwards I had a dream of me and that Flower painting woman. So this class was an eye-opener into the spiritual relms of art for me, since that is who I am. Hence; Theren lies Art as a religion. Godbless everyone and you and yours...
   
   One love.
   
   Peter.

No comments about Hearst the Collector.

5 comments about Beautiful Losers.

1. ok- this book is pretty brilliant... despite the fact that the artwork included is a catalogue of some of the most important, interesting and (previously- time will tell??) underground /fringe dwelling artists and contemporary contributors in the last 25 or so years and that in itself is reason enough to love this book, you would be CRAZY not to read the essays... they are insane- so brilliant and you are not even touching the surface of this book unless you read them..
   if you have any interest in graf/ skating/ contempory artists / beautiful things / whats going down then youll love beautiful losers and regret very badly that you didnt get to see the exhibition...like i am now.



2. If you like street and pop art... I kindly raccomend this book to you!
   
   Peace and 420!



3. I ordered this book from Amazon as a graduation gift and it says that it will ship in 1-4 weeks. BEWARE! I placed my order in mid-May and received a third delay notice today saying that it will not ship until mid-August. BOLLOCKS!! I finally canceled my order, as my "happy graduation" note is no longer applicable and my guy will likely be in school for the fall semester by the time the book actually arrives.



4. Beautiful Losers exhibition is a document of an epoch centered on the twenty year history of street art and culture from the walls of urban landscapes across America to the walls of the dopest west and east coast galleries. Really great essays. Read the one by McCormick, its especially good. Well printed and designed. Everything in this book is imperative to know about if you are an artist, especially young artists in their formative years.



5. Its definately worth $25.17, or whatever price theyve stuck on it by now. Its includes pictures of, and interesting stories about a few of the Beautiful Losers aswell as full pages of artwork (in color). Its no picture book either, in addition to the stories, its got the histories of various subcultures that influenced the artists (skateboarding, graffiti, etc.) So it'll keep you busy for a minute.

5 comments about Gardner's Art Through the Ages, Volume II (Chapters 19-34).

1. This book had the wrong picture and description on the website, the description said Version 12 and it ended up being Version 11, gave me problems in my class because apparently, the version 12 has a lot more pictures than 12, oh well, my loss.



2. Book received in good condition and complete with all additional material. It was hard to find this edition complete with CD.



3. I ordered this book for a college class. It was shipped right on time and in perfect condition. I was very impressed. Couldn't beat the price either, it was a lot less expensive than the college bookstore.



4. This book is a good starting point for those trying to learn about art history. It's used in many colleges and is well written. - Noga Rosenthal



5. I bought this text for my art history class, and I must say that the parts of the book about European art are great, but it fails with regards to its treatment of Asian, African and Native American Art. If I were a member of any of the above-mentioned groups, I would be greatly offended, because it just flies through those chapters, with a very Western way of looking at things...sad! The other sections are amazing, but this way of looking non-european art is common and I should be used to it by now! Since my course is based around this text, I must say that I am disappointed by my course too!