2 comments about From the South Seas.

1. One of the latest books dedicating the oceanic art world (in this case even including a little bit of Indonesian tribal art), originating from a private US collection now on hold and show in the Museum of fine Arts in Boston, MA.
   
   The collection of Bertha and William Teel shows not only Oceanic but also African art in general.
   This book covers a very good part of their Oceanic art collection from areas like Indonesia (Nias, Sumatra, Borneo, Timor), Melanesia / Papua (Asmat, Korvar, Sentani, Keram, Yuat, Biwat, Korewori, Papua Gulf), Melanesia / Islands (Trobriand, Tami, New Britain, New Ireland, New Caledonia,Admiraltity, Witu, Solomon, Banks), Micronesia (Kiribati, Matty, Marshall) and Polynesia (Fiji, Austral, Rapanui, Marquesas, Aotearoa).
   
   The pieces are very well photographed and described (esp. worth mentioning are detailed information about pedigree/history, aquired from and when and bibliography). Mentioning when and of whom they once have been aquired is something pretty new in art books and i personally like a lot.
   
   As some pieces have a very good (means special or very interesting) pedigree, the preface of the book shows a deeper insight into this early periods when collecting begun; like Johan Cesar Godeffroy, London Missionary society or Richard Parkinson just to mention a few.
   
   Overall a very informative book for the novice of Oceanic (tribal) art with lots of good pictures and informative stories as well as the collector/dealer who knows about as it has new pieces not too much known or published untill now and deeper insight into early collecting periods.Art of the Senses: African Masterpieces from the Teel Collection.



2. Oceania is a region of the Pacific Ocean that ranges from New Guinea to New Zealand, and from Easter Island to Hawaii. The native populations have created a unique tradition with their sculptures, pots and paintings that are now acknowledged for their artistic values. Compiled, organized, and edited by Christraud Geary (Curator of African and Oceanic Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston), From The South Seas: Oceanic Art In The Teel Collection showcases some 80 Oceanic works of art, each of which is superbly illustrated through full-color photography with an accompanying text describing the object's form and function. An informative introduction by Michael Gunn (Associate Curator for Oceanic Arts, Saint Louis Art Museum) places these showcase works within their historical and cultural context. Curator Geary discusses provenance and survey scholarship to a simply beautiful presentation of Oceanic artifacts. From The South Seas is a prized and highly recommended addition to personal, academic, and community library Art History reference collections.

1 comments about A Broken Beauty.

1. Suffering poses one of the central dilemmas of the modern age -- an era that, arguably, with its world wars and mass genocides has inflicted more of it and on a vaster scale than any other in recorded history. What meaning can human suffering have in a world paradoxically devoted to notions to salvation through technology, on the one hand, and, on the other, to an aesthetics of despair that, in the name of authenticity, refuses all invitations to hope?
   
   "A Broken Beauty" boldly enters into this nexus with a presentation of contemporary figurative painting and sculpture that both engages with contemporary themes and, with equal if not greater daring, shows with what power and versatility classical artistic forms and iconography still speak to the human condition today.
   
   There's nothing facile about the work or the attitude on display in these pages. The art of this landmark exhibition does not assume that Christianity, or that artists of faith have easy answers to either the dilemmas of modernity or to the ongoing crises of postmodernist aesthetics. What "A Broken Beauty" does assume is that classical Christian and artistic perspectives direct an important challenge to an art world that appears to have lost faith in itself, and, indeed, perhaps in the value of the artistic enterprise. In "A Broken Beauty," there is the fragmentation, the "brokenness," that is part and parcel of modern consciousness, but there is also beauty, the perception, however "darkly" glimpsed, of original wholeness, of the transcendent value of the body, and of human life itself.
   
   While there is much to praise, the catalogue's essays, particularly the defining ones by editor Theodore Prescott and the exhibition's curator Gordon Fuglie, are worth the price of admission. They rarely settle arguments, but none of the five essays plays it safe, either; none casts anxious glances in the direction of the latest academic theories (that alone is refreshing!). Each essay is full-blooded, passionate and informative as it tries to situate this landmark effort in the context of its historical antecedents, and, even more importantly, in the context of today's profound aesthetic crisis. If we ever manage to free ourselves from the debilitations of a half century or more of the aesthetics of despair, it will be due to efforts such as this, to the kind of bravery and vision exhibited in "A Broken Beauty."

No comments about Amusement Parks of Virginia, Maryland and Delaware.

No comments about A Brief History of Curating.

2 comments about H.C. Westermann.

1. This is a comprehensive look at the sculpture work of H. C. Westermann. Excellent paper stock, solid binding, and large, full-color illustrations throughout. This really is one of the best books production-wise and of course, the artwork is excellent. With this book it felt like the definitive story of H.C. Westermann has been told.
   
   Note of confusion: This entire book is duplicated in the "Catalogue Raisonne" book, but the other book also includes a section section containing many black and white images of his entire sculptural output. This is done mainly as a reference resource and not really intended for visual enjoyment (which is why the images are black and white and not color). I personally find black and white images of artwork not enjoyable to look at because much of the texture and nuances are missing so unless you are an H. C. Westermann scholar or collector, the Raisonne isn't necessary in my opinion.



2. This book is invaluable for Westermann fans. This is the first publication to come along that is comprehensive and includes little known works. There are only a few publications on this artist and they are nowhere near as complete as this one. The photos of the works are large, crisp, and show the details in the work. The history on the artist and his life is informative as well. I highly recommend this for those who know Westermanns work and for those unaquainted with it...this book will win you over.

5 comments about Crafts and Craft Shows: How to Make Money.

1. The second updated edition of a craft-maker's classic business reference is a pick not just for business libraries, but for general-interest collections catering to home craftspeople. Here's a compendium of tested advice on how to sell in today's craft show and Internet markets, from planning a general marketing strategy for each of these areas to understanding how changing economic and fashion trends affect crafts sales. It comes from an established jewelry maker who provides a range of tested insights, from how to price crafts to handling street fairs and other public show venues. A 'must' for any involved in crafts.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch



2. I read this book along with some others on the subject because I'm considering starting to participate as a vendor in craft shows, and I found this book to be very helpful. It dosen't sugar-coat anything, giving a lot of detail about everything involved in the craft business, even the difficult parts of it. It's kindof a wake-up call for anyone like myself who held a rather romantic notion of the business. I think that for anyone thinking about doing craft shows, this eary-to-read volume would be very helpful.



3. I dislike purchasing books that offer more in the title than they deliver. I would have preferred more specifics in this book than narrative generalities. B/W photos were poor. The promised section on booth design left me with more questions than answers. This book offers nice filler information, but if you're looking for nuts and bolts, look elsewhere.



4. This book is hands down better than any of the other books out there about making it as a craftsperson selling at fairs. This book covers it all and is an excellent resource for beginners and more experienced crafters alike.



5. This book has been lots of help as I venture into my first year of selling my potter at shows! It tells you all the little secrets about promotors and events. Lots of great advice on setting up and maintaing a successful booth.

No comments about Joan Miro 1917û1934: I'm Going To Smash Their Guitar.

3 comments about N.C. Wyeth: Catalogue Raisonne of Paintings.

1. I do understand why other reviewers are miffed at the small reproductions. But in balance I felt there were an ample number of decent single page images. Yes there is heaps of whitespace but the worst excesses are around the chapters of text, it's not so bad in the image sections. The reproduction quality and colour balance is gloriously good, so the full pagers are a real treat and even the 1/9th page images are enjoyable. The best thing about the volumes is the quantity of images - there are literally thousands that have been tracked down and reproduced. If they were to give each the full glory treatment of a page apiece, then there would be several more volumes and a price tag many times higher. I would commend that Wyeth fans buy this set and, rather than moan to Brandywine about the average image size, lobby the publishers to produce some supplementary volumes that can expand on themes within his work - eg: Wyeth pirates, Wyeth cowboys, Wyeth civil war etc. It would be great if supplementary volumes could be done in a similar manner - slipcased, cloth bound hardcover and at this large folio size.



2. I have long awaited the arrival of a good N.C. Wyeth book. When I saw this book was released I was elated...a bit taken back by the price though. Well I justified it seeing that it is a 2 book box set. When it arrived the first dissapointment was bad shipping. This set had inadequate protection and recieved a hole through the box from an shipping. Secondly, and most disappointing, was the fact that the images were often soooo small. Some that I've seen previously published much bigger are shown so small I felt compelled to get a magnifying glass. Because I'd seen them larger I knew it was a possiblity. I personally feel that the Brandywine museum should be ashamed of this publication. The Wyeth family should be outraged! As the first reviewer stated, the white space is huge. In some areas, 4-5 inches large, while the images are small! I have to say, since I so longed to see this publication, or at least the one I had hopped to see, my heart actually ached after the waiting and the cost of this item. My recommendation is to save your money till they lower the price even more and do what I plan to do, send a letter of complaint to the Brandywine Museum. After all the great publications on Andrew, this is what we get to represent N.C.? How disappointing!



3. It's great to see the length and breadth of N. C. Weyth's work, but this Raisonne despite its size (at 10 pounds a book) and quality printing, suffers from the artists own prodigious output. So exciting too see so much unseen work, but so disappointing to see so much of it so small. The exhaustive technical descriptions and layout choices to leave tons of white space around everything makes it time and again feel like a collection of stamps. A third volume was needed to do this the right way so the best of the art could be shown at the size it merits. More is less in this case.
   That said this is a long overdue book that clearly shows the N.C. Weyth was unfairly overlooked in the art histories as a master who should have not been over shadowed by his talented, but rendering oriented son. N.C. was a painter; Andrew is a fastidious observer of detail. The combination of Weyth seniors style exploration, staying to long in illustration, his early death, the ugly discrimination of the art world, and his son's overriding pureness of personal vision prevented N. C. from being considered one of America's most important artists. I hope this book corrects that perfect storm of ignorance of his greatness. I urge the publishers to a expanded version that shows more the art at a good size, I'll buy it too.

1 comments about Mirror Images: Women, Surrealism, and Self-Representation.

1. Although the publication of "Women and Surrealism" by Whitney Chadwick in the 1980s brought about a larger appreciation of women involved in the movement, there is still a surprising shortage of material published about surrealist artists such as Leonora Carrington and Remedios Varo. "Mirror Images: Women, Surrealism, and Self Representation" offers a series of insightful essays on these and other artists' images and ideas of self. Most interestingly, many of the essays discuss the work of Surrealist "descendents," including Cindy Sherman and Louise Bourgeois. Overall, very well constructed and written, with essays by the leading scholars in this still under-appreciated area.

No comments about The McGraw-Hill Museum-Goer's Guide.