1 comments about Draw 50 Baby Animals: The Step-By-Step Way to Draw Kittens, Lambs, Chicks, and Other Adorable Offspring.

1. My sons love this book. It helps them make realistic animals. I highly recommend this series.

2 comments about Modern Art: Impressionism to Post-Modernism.

1. This solid introduction to the modern painting tells and depicts a little bit of everything. The writing and publishing are good to a satisfaction of an average reader. It does not seem to have much of competition in its class.



2. I just purchased this book, it looks wonderful. It has the quality of a textbook, but it does not read like a textbook. that is to say it does not drone on and on, it reads well for those who have an interest in modern art. I cover all the periods of modern art and gives concise background to the artists and events of the perod in which the mode of art occurred.
   I highly reccomend this book.

5 comments about Factory Records: The Complete Graphic Album.

1. There really was something compelling about Factory when they started. I still have many of the original UK records on vinyl (Joy Division, Section 25, New Order). CDs don't do the designs justice - too small ! They were concieved as RECORD sleeves and worked as art objects that way. I remember my delight at figuring out the color coding on Power, Corrruption and Lies after staring at it for a while.
   Has any other label managed to build a design mystique like it (Blue Note perhaps ?). Their output got less interesting and less elaborate later on.
   This book is a great nostalgia trip for any original factory fans, and hopefuly conveys the same sense to younger readers. Nice coffee-table book.



2. Complete catalog of the Factory cover art, posters, etc. Factory perfected the symbiosis between the music and art.



3. This book is an awesome look back at some of the best artwork and packaging of its time. The footnotes for each "Fac" are interesting and the reproductions of the artwork are showcased nicely. I only wish there were some photos of the packaging, for instance the famous Blue Monday single with the die-cut, it would have been nice to see how it looked. Still, I think this is a great book!



4. I've always been a huge fan of Factory Records and the designs of Peter Saville so this book was a dream come true. Pictures of all the artwork from Fac 1 onwards, all the New Order, Joy Division, Happy Mondays, Durutti Column - everything you could want.
   A wonderful gorgeous book, the pictures are bright and clear, plus history and stories on major aspects of the artwork - highly recommended fro any Factory / New Order / Peter Saville fan.



5. This is an excellent book for fans of Factory Records. Factory was label that always had beautiful graphic design work. The album covers and poster art were a showcase for the design work of Peter Saville. I highly recommend this thorough book to fans of the label.

5 comments about Andy Warhol Portraits.

1. Everyone is familiar with Andy Warhol's famous portraits like the Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, and the Mao. But fewer people know the many portraits he did of famous, glamourous, or simply wealthy patrons.
   
   I have read the Andy Warhol Diaries, his Philosophy book and other Warhol related works, so it is now very interesting to see what his many portraits look like. They are each colorful, creative and interesting.
   
   The book is a nice hard-bound large format coffee-table edition.



2. This is an execellent recource for someone looking to see all of Warhol's ouvre - it includes practically all there is to see from his portraits. I loved it but I would only recommend it to someone with specific interest in the subject. Otherwise some other book featuring less but more varied works woud be more appropriate.



3. When most people think of Andy Warhol, images of Campbell's soup cans and a vividly colored Chairman Mao come to mind. For those who know Warhol better, memories also include Marilyn Monroe, Jackie Kennedy, most wanted posters, and self-portraits of the artist.
   
   What few appreciate is that portraiture was the bread-and-butter that Warhol used to finance his experimental work at the Factory. Before this book, you could not see the full range of this work. Unframed and grouped with similar and complementary works in the same time period, these 300 portraits show a considerable range of style and expression that will be a new perspective for all but collectors of Warhol portraits. I found the work to be so impressive that it totally changed my sense of who Warhol was as an artist.
   
   In this book, the portraits do the talking. The brief essays merely describe the processes that Warhol used and that he tried to make people look good . . . and larger than life. But you knew that already, didn't you?
   
   The range of the ways he captured the spirit of his subjects is what's most impressive in this volume. Repetition of the same image in one work with different treatments could help us see many different expressions of the person (see Natalie 1962). In other places, many images of the same person in one work express mood, movement, and a story (see Sixteen Jackies 1964). In other cases, multiple images of the same subject give us deep insight into personality (see Ethel Scull 1963). In other cases, the multiple images show the reality as well as the personality (see Merce Cunningham 1963 and Triple Rauschenberg 1963).
   
   Exploring different use of colors and backgrounds, Warhol could totally change our emotions as viewers (Silver Liz 1963 gives us a sense of coolness and elegance while Liz 1963 shows a woman of great emotion and passion).
   
   In Warhol's process, subjects were photographed around 100 times using a Polaroid camera. The subject then picked the images (or image) that she or he liked best. The images were turned into silk screens. Then, Warhol added the background and color to capture what the mere shape could not. The degree of focus also creates more or less power and immediacy (compare Donald Judd 1967 and Robert Rauschenberg 1967).
   
   The portraits also create dialogues, such as when married couples had their portraits done around the same time. In the book, these images are often on facing pages. You'll be arrested to see Nelson Rockefeller 1967 and Happy Rockefeller 1968 looking off into the same spot in space . . . but not each other. The color overlap is minimal, emphasizing their differences.
   
   These images are even more arresting when the pair are portrayed looking away from one another as with Gianni Agnelli 1972 and Marella Agnelli 1972.
   In places, painterly backgrounds add remarkable depth and power to the images as with the Agnellis.
   
   In places, the painterly treatment is sufficient to remind one of the work of Degas such as Lee Radziwell, 1972.
   
   Portrait creators have always arranged sitters carefully to emphasize a certain point. Warhol does this in a very minimal way, often adding more than part of a hand touching the face or a bit of clothing. Because of its slight use, the impact is much stronger.
   
   How do the subjects fare? Those with strong personalities do best. Those with complex personalities are rendered beautifully, but aren't as accessible. Subjects who want to look physically attractive often appear merely decorative, like a background model at a party.
   
   Warhol's talent can best be seen by comparing the various ways he renders eyes. Male and female subjects alike receive slashes of color that sometimes resemble eye shadow and other times seem like tiny masks.
   
   There isn't much that's soulful about these works. They are more about promotion than about moral uplift. It's all the more surprising when that soulfulness appears as in Farah Dibah Pahlavai (Empress of Iran) 1977.
   
   Seeing Judy Garland 1979 and Liza Minelli 1979 made me wish that Warhol had done more mother-daughter combinations. These two stunners crawl right inside you.
   
   Part of Warhol's art comes in knowing something about the person. Where the subject is unknown, you'll find yourself a little more baffled about what the message is. Think of each of the celebrity portraits then as being in part a reflection of the public image and our current perceptions. Warhol uses this celebrity awareness to good purpose in creating very minimal works that express the dominant impression of a person (see Martha Graham 1980).
   
   As his career continued, the works became more daring. I was particularly drawn to the line drawings with bold bands of color such as in Paul Delvaux 1981 and Jean Cocteau 1985.
   
   Some of these portraits will cause you to stop and rethink what you know about the people. I had that reaction to the pairing of Prince Charles 1982 (coolly displayed as a young symbol of the monarchy) with the almost flirtatious Princess Diana 1982 (appearing as a powerful force with an earthy grounding).
   
   The portrait of John Lennon is simply stunning (1985-86).
   
   For a good sense of Warhol's progress, you'll enjoy seeing many of his self-portraits.
   
   Enjoy a good look!



4. This book enables the reader to discover some rarely seen paintings by Warhol, representing many personalities from the sixties, seventies and eighties, from O.J. Simpson to Pelé, from the Queen of England to the Shah of Iran, artists, art dealers, art collectors, musicians (John Lennon...), actors, fashion designers and friends of the artist's. Even though it was this kind of work that drew the harshest criticism (Robert Hughes, critic for Time Magazine, dubbed Warhol the new Van Dongen, meaning by that that he only painted superficial portraits of the rich and famous of his time), they still show the scope and depth of Warhol's creative power. The book is lavishly illustrated and the text was written by leading Warhol authorities (dealer or critic). A very complete checklist of all the portraits illustrated is given at the end of the book. A valuable addition to the albeit extensive Warhol literature.



5. Andy Warhol is one of the best known American artists of the 1960s and renowned for his uncoventional life and art as well as is enduring influence on American pop culture. An influence that continues down to the present time several decades after his death. Famous for his iconic images of Marilyn Monroe and Campbell Soup Cans, he also made art out of the facial images of political, social, entertainment, sports, and music celebrities of his day. This particular body of his work has been compiled and edited by Tony Shafrazi, who enhances this 320-page coffee table art book with 350 color illustrations and informative essays by art critic Carter Ratcliff and art historian Robert Rosenblum. The men and women whose images were made immortal by Warhol range from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Giorgio Armani, Truman Capote, Jimmy Carter, Joan Collins, Clint Eastwood, Herman Hesse, Alfred Hitcock, Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Lenin, Robert Mapplethorpe, Liza Minnelli, Princess Diana, Yves Saint Laurent, O.J. Simpson, Elizabeth Taylor, Tennessee Williams, Natalie Wood, Mao Zedong, and hundreds of others. An important contribution to academic library 20th Century American Art History reference collections, "Andy Warhol Portraits" is a 'must' for the personal collections of Warhol's legions of admirers.

3 comments about Bernini.

1. sculptor. architect. child prodigy... Bernini's real name was Michaelangelo, but he hid the fact so that his own work would stand apart from that of the greatest sculptor of all time. Here is a tribute to a man who fufilled a great potential to create beauty in this world. The Galleria Borghese in Rome will attest to this. A wonderful volume about a truly incredible talent.



2. Wittkower has created a book that is easily enjoyable for those familiar of Bernini, or those starting to learn about art/archetecture of the Baroque. I highly reccommend this book to anyone remotely interested in this period, as the photos are clear and the explanations are not filled with jargon a lay person could not understand. bravo.



3. Wittkower's work is simply stated an artistic anthology of the achievements and life of the chief architect of the Roman Baroque. His perseptive commentary and pertinent factual information are extremely useful to all who attempt to comprehend the complex messages behind all of Bernini's work. While the author stays committed to rendering the artist as a sculptor and architect, one wishes that Wittkower would delve more into the environment, particularly political and religious movements, that continually serve as an impetus and background to Bernini's chef d'oeuvres. Regardless, Wittkower's inclusion of both color and detailed black and white plates allow the viewer to observe the Baroque master's works in their appropriate light.

5 comments about Seventeenth Century Art and Architecture (2nd Edition).

1. I have read this book, not for enjoyment, but for a course in Baroque art. Therefore I cannot say it was enjoyable. It is a good book if you are looking to see many works. The pictures are fairly good, although I HATE a book that depicts color art work in black & white photography. About 2/3 of the photos are in black and white. Also, this edition is FALLING APART & I don't think it was used, or at least not used much by whoever owned it previously. The pages are coming apart from the back of the book.



2. I am currently enrolled in a Baroque and Rococo art history class at my university. I was told to get this book, and I excitedly did. After reading it for a bit, I noticed a few aspects that bothered me. The text is informative and explores the artworks wonderfully. Unfortunately, in the description, the authors describe the colors of the piece and how critical they are in the piece, which would be wonderful, except for the fact that half of the images in the text are in black and white! I would have to wait until class or find the images online in order to see what they were talking about.
   
   So, if you are looking to buy this book, just be aware that the writing and historical knowledge are wonderful, but the images are dull and mainly colorless.



3. Where can the interested reader find so much in one book about the great seventeenth century masters of art such as Caravaggio, The Carracci, Bernini, Rubens, Rembrandt, van Dyck, Velazquez, Hals, Vermeer, Poussin and Claude? The answer is in the recently published text "Seventeenth Century Art and Architecture" by Professor Ann Sutherland Harris.
   
   In this wonderfully written and very well illustrated book - there are 411 illustrations of which 176 are in excellent color - Professor Harris glides through the seventeenth century with the grace and ease of a ballerina, covering the Baroque period from its inception in Catholic Italy to its final days in the Golden Age of the Dutch Republic. Major artists and a number of less well know artists are covered succinctly, lucidly, and without pedantry or reference to obscure scholarly works. The author is so well-versed in the subject matter that she is able to convey it clearly to the general reader with almost every painting described and discussed in detail.
   
   Orginally conceived as a college text, this book is a must read for anyone interested in the art, lives of the artists, politics, and history of the most important century in European art and culture. Although the title gives equal weight to art and architecture, much more of the art of the period is discussed than architecture, yet the reader is given a full taste of the architecture of the period as well.
   
   This is a book that one will want to read and re-read time and time again.



4. I had to have this book for an art history course. It is definitely an easy read compared to other art history books I have read in the past. I like the background information on the politics of the time, along with the stories of the artists and their works. The information you get in this book allows you to associate stories and events with the artwork you study, which makes the artists and the works discussed more interesting and memorable.



5. This wonderful book contains just about everything anyone could possibly want to know about the art and artists of the period, what they painted and why they painted the way they did, including background material on the political and economic environment in which the artists worked. Included are 410 illustrations with approximately half in color. This book will be treasured by students of art as well as those of us who are "merely" art appreciators. The writing is scholarly, but not stuffy and very accessible to any art lover. It is a book to be picked up over and over again. A real treasure that every museum-goer should own.

2 comments about Retail Buying (8th Edition).

1. I bought this book for my merchandising principles class at the fashion school. I never once referred to this book for any information. If you're interested in learning about retail buying and the accounting principles and math behind it, I would recommend purchasing a book that is specifically for that purpose. Usually, in accounting and mathematics books, there are general summary of the industry and practices, then they delve into the quantitative portion. There is no use getting this book. It will put you to sleep. FAST!



2. Diamond and Pintel's 5th Edition continues to focus solely on Retail Buying for the Fashion (softlines) industry. The focus is on high end retailers Macys, Nieman Marcus and The Limited. There is only cursory mentions of other retail types.

   While some of their basic principles are sound, the technology is 20 - 30 years behind the times. Therefore, a student interested in improving their marketability is sorely served by text that constantly refers to paper forms, "the growing use of computers" and the increased use of the UPC.

   Only a good read if you are interested in how retail fashion buying was conducted in the 1970's.

1 comments about Drawing: How to Draw 1 (HT1).

1. I love to draw and this helps to give me the skills that i enjoy having

5 comments about Artforms: An Introduction to the Visual Arts, Revised (7th Edition).

1. Used this book for an arh1000 course. We were instructed to get the 8th edition, but I didn't. It worked fine and I ended up with an "A" at the end. Our class was very dependent upon the text book and tis version was fine.



2. This book is, as far as I can tell, the same as the 8th Edition. The only difference is the cover of the book. Page numbers are the same, pictures are all the same. I accidentally purchased the wrong book, but turned out it worked just fine and I paid 1/10th of the price.



3. From the outside, the book appeared to be in great condition, but when I opened it, it was full of highlighting on almost every line of every page. I guess I will not be able to sell it back at a reasonable price. Had I known that it was full of highligting, I probably would not have purchased it.



4. This is an exciting excellent book in the area of art and the forms that art is inpacted by. The illustrations to this book are exciting and colors are radiant.



5. great condition. like new. shipped on time in a good manner. very satisfied.

2 comments about La Maison de Verre.

1. I just received the book and had no time to read the text. The NY Times article in the summer covered the history of the house up until its current restoration. The photographs look a little as if they were from the "modern" era. Perfect perspective correction, focus on the details, rendering the home's atmosphere remarkably well. I especially like the color balance of the images. I disagree with the previous reviewer about the pictures. I can not imagine any different way to introduce this spectacular building. The black and white Polaroids (?) are a bit distracting. They may serve as spacers.
   
   The "modern" is an important stage of the Western culture and deserves our attention.
   
   Akos Szilvasi (Cambridge, Massachusetts)



2. This book simultaneously (and half-heartedly) documents the owner, the architect, and the building. The text is boring, the pictures are less than spectacular, and there is an extremely limited set of drawings placed in the back of the book as an after thought.
   Overall I am extremely dissapointed with my purchase, and if you are an architect or student of architecture chances are you will be too.