3 comments about Birth of the Cool: California Art, Design, and Culture at Midcentury.

1. This book is beautiful, and would look great on any book shelf or coffee table. It really gives a good feel for the time. But it seems like all of the contributors have read the same sources, and have nothing to add of their own. This makes the reading (rather than the perusing of the great photos) tedious as the writing is very repetitive. A book about the modern movement in art, design, and culture should include more ideas and discussion.



2. A brave and fascinating attempt to pull together the various strands of, mostly, commercial creativity in southern California in the middle of the last century. Case Study Houses and other modern architecture, the output of Pacific Jazz and Contemporary records, abstract art by John McLaughlin, Frederick Hammersley, furniture design by Charles and Ray Eames are some of the exciting design ideas that blossomed during the affluent tailfin fifties in the sunshine of the Golden State.
   
   The book concentrates on architecture, abstract art, movies, furniture and graphic design. Missing (and I would have thought a good contributor to 'cool') is beat writing but as the book is a catalog to a visual exhibition it's hardly surprising that it only gets a passing mention. Of the nine essay contributors I though those by Elizabeth Smith and Thomas Hine the most interesting. Smith is the author of the most thorough book on Southern California architecture (Blueprints For Modern Living) and her essay `Domestic Cool' puts architecture exactly in context. Hine's contribution: Cold War Cool really belongs in the front of the book as a succinct overview of the subject.
   
   The visual importance of 'cool' in the book is revealed by a chapter that looks at the photographic work of William Claxton. He probably took a photo of every West Coast cool jazzman which were used extensively on the LP covers of Pacific Jazz and Contemporary Records, he designed many of them, too.
   
   As the book is a permanent reminder of the exhibition it covers I thought it was a pity that the editorial has several flaws. There is a thirty page chapter devoted to the year 1959. The editors considered this a pivotal time and wanted to put the book's essays in context. These pages just contain large news photos and related graphics and as such assume much more importance than they are worth. The idea is a good one but a spread devoted to a text timeline would have worked as well freeing up pages for more images in the rest of the book.
   
   The page design seems very arbitrary to me. Many pages have a deep eau de nil band running horizontally across the middle but on some spreads it is missing. The inclusion of this band seems pure designer whimsy and if it wasn't included readers would not be aware of something missing. They unfortunately would be aware of the many missing page numbers though. Frequently captions refer to images on a particular page by their number, also the forty-three pages of historical printed material have no numbers at all but items in this section are often referred to in the index. All of this is really inexcusable for a quality publication though I understand it is not untypical of exhibition catalogs.
   
   The book celebrates the up-market aspects of cool in a particular place and time. To read about down-market cool have a look at 'The Catalog of Cool' by Gene Sculatti. He surveys popular culture at the other extreme in mid-century California and America.
   
   ***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.



3. This is a wonderful book, beautiful looking and a delight to read. The credits above omit several of the contributors who make it so good. These include Thomas Hine, Bruce Jenkins, and Elizabeth A.T. Smith, who wrote essays, and Lorraine Wild, who wrote an essay and was one of the book's designers.

5 comments about Art Marketing 101, Third Edition: A Handbook for the Fine Artist (Art Marketing 101: A Handbook for the Fine Artist).

1. Art Marketing 101 is really aimed at emerging artists who would like to start selling their artwork directly to the public. If that's your ambition, as it was mine, this is a great resource. I really appreciate the fact that it's action oriented. You'll find yourself getting motivated to quit dreaming and get moving. Yes, some of the material will become outdated because technology is changing the art business so rapidly that it's impossible for a book to keep pace, but the author's done a good job of updating with each new revision. Overall, you'll find plenty of solid direction and great ideas that you might not have thought of without it.



2. Great Must Have Book for any Artist!!! This book gave me great insite on what to do once I was finished creating art. It helped me place my artwork in the right market place and sell my art. I think anyone who paints or creates needs to have this book.



3. I took so many notes when reading this as a library book that I've decided I'd better just own it. One of the best books on marketing my artwork and making a living as an artist that I've ever come across, and I've read several.



4. The book is an eye opener for artists that have painted for years and they have no clue as to how to sell their art.
   It is wonderful !



5. This guide to art marketing is especially usefull for the individual artist. Concise, precise, very user freindly with plenty of usable advice on getting into the marketplace and being a success.

No comments about Tara Donovan.

5 comments about Dangerous Liaisons: Fashion and Furniture in the Eighteenth Century (Metropolitan Museum of Art).

1. I'm a Theatre Costume Design student. For me it's very important to be as historically accurate in my designs as possible. Sadly, there are more bad costume books out there than good ones. Since this book features pictures of actual historical costumes (costumes that were, at the point they were originally cut and sewn, physically worn), there's no doubt of its reliability as a source.
   I highly recommend this book not only to people like myself, who need a great book for research and inspiration, but to anyone and everyone. The pictures are high quality and excellently posed and, of course, the clothes and furniture are beautiful. Then again, 18th century France? How can they not be?



2. This book contains some very nice images of historic costumes and furnishings from the 18th Century, including detail views. It should be of value to costume designers, set designers, historians and re-enactors. The quality of the book makes it a great bargain.



3. An incredible array of beautiful photography with amazing detail. Along with the exquisite clothing, we're shown some wonderful pieces of furniture and how they both worked for or against you in society. Recommended for all interested in the 18th century,fashion history, and wonderful photography.



4. This book is a great resource for the Rococo period. Seeing the actual garments on mannequins in situ is lovely. I also like the supporting portraits, prints and quotes.



5. This is a fabulous insight into 18th Century French society. As a costume designer, I found the inclusion of paintings from that period, intermixed with the museum settings to be of particular interest. The close-up photographs of details were also wonderful. The text was fascinating and very enjoyable reading. It's very often tempting to take things out of context according to one's own interests. This publication opens up an intricately woven world where fashion and furniture play an equally important role in the mores of a society.

No comments about Landscapes Clear and Radiant: The Art of Wang Hui (1632-1717) (Metropolitan Museum of Art).

1 comments about Louise Bourgeois.

1. this is the best work on this artist that I have found. great photos great text. organized in an encyclopedic type way. great buy.

5 comments about The Interior Designers Guide to Pricing Estimating and Budgeting.

1. I have not yet had time to read this book cover to cover, however, upon skimming have found it to be very detail orientated and supplied with all of the basics. I would definitely recommend for someone just starting out in the ID field.



2. An excellent tool that is fully up to date. A real necessity for every interior designer, student, apprentice, professional or studio. It does not disappoint as so many such volumes seem to do.



3. This book is a fabulous guide for anyone starting a business. Ms. Williams encourages and guides the new designer to be who he/she wants to be without letting fear stand in his/her way. She also give fabulous advice of do's and don'ts based on her personal experiences. I think this is a book worth reading.



4. I wish I had come across this book earlier! Then we would not have made the mistakes that we did. Williams is very right. What she experienced in America is the same as our experiences here in Malaysia. There's a wealth of knowledge to learn here and this knowledge is adaptable anywhere and in every situation. Already 8 years in this business, we are still learning and growing with this book!



5. This is a fabulous book for anyone in the industry, it is realistic, informative and motivating!

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.

2 comments about Between Earth and Heaven: The Architecture of John Lautner.

1. Between Earth and Heaven is a fabulous book about John Lautner and his work. The book arrived just a few days after I ordered it ... I couldn't believe I got it so fast.



2. This book is beautiful, it has lots of pictures and drawings I had never seen before. I have been waiting for a really great Lautner book to be published because all the others show 'pretty' pictures, but I have never been able to get a true sense of the buildings (I am an architect). i was hoping this book would have the pretty pictures and more overall drawings. This book is a great complement to the 'pretty picture books' as it has images that are not regularly seen in the other Lautner books..... I just feel this book doesn't truly satisfy my need for information and clarification on these buildings.

2 comments about Buckminster Fuller: Starting with the Universe (Whitney Museum of American Art Book).

1. This book is the perfect companion to an inspirational exhibit. For those who saw it this is a perfect way to revisit the exhibit. For those who can't attend this is a great introduction to Bucky Fuller and his universal view.



2. The book has 258 pages, 44 figures, and 175 plates. The parts are: foreword, acknowledgements, introduction, five essay/articles, plates, selected contextual chronology, selected bibliography, exhibition checklist, lenders, and index. The essays are: "Fuller's Geological Engagements with Architecture" (by K. Michael Hays, co-curator), "Thought Patterns: Buckminster Fuller the Scientist-Artist" (by Dana Miller, co-curator), "Fuller's Avatars: a view from the Present" (by Antoine Picon), and "The Comprehensivist: Buckminster Fuller and Contemporary Artists" (by Elizabeth A. T. Smith). A reprint of the 1966 New Yorker magazine article is: "In the Outlaw Area" (by Calvin Tomkins).
   
   I learned many things about Fuller in this book. I also learned how he fits into our world, then and now. An essay covers artists that have been influenced by Fuller, showing how his work has a continuing impact. Like the exhibit, the catalogue focuses on his visual output: his designs for cars, structures, cities, books, and how they were built. His views on math and his starting point, the universe, aren't much in sight. It shows where he ended up as of now.
   
   In an interview in Metropolis Magazine, Michael Hays said, "We thought about calling the exhibition "shapes of the universe" because Bucky thought that a geodesic dome was what the universe looked like in some diagrammatic way. And now we know that nanotechnology actually does use that kind of geometry." On the contrary, in his essay Antoine Picon says, "Of course, we no longer believe that the universe obeys at a fundamental level the laws of synergetic geometry." Presented with such widely divergent views I'm forced, as Bucky often recommended, to do my own thinking. And it is deepened reading this book, looking at its many figures and plates, and following its leads as a valuable addition to a library of other Fuller books (both by and about).
   
   I paid $50 for the catalog at the museum. It costs considerably less online.