1 comments about The First Emperor: China's Terracotta Army.

1. 
   The First Emperor: China's Terracotta Army is the catalog of the British Museum's exhibition September 2007 through April 2008. (Much of the material is archived on its website.) The exhibition featured the largest group of important objects relating to the First Emperor ever loaned abroad by China.
   
   Most of the 120 objects displayed in the exhibit and book came from the tomb of Qin Shihuangdi, the First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty. He reigned from 221 BCE when he unified China to 210 BCE. One of the key points of the exhibit -- apart from the marvelous art which is displayed in superb reproductions -- is to correct "[t]he written record [which] is distorted by bias, and the 'portraits' of him [that] date from the Ming dynasty onwards (AD 1368-1644) and are purely imaginary." The first half of the exhibit and catalog focus on his accomplishments and the second half focuses on the contents of his tomb.
   
   The photographs and text are much too rich to summarize here; one of the best illustrations is of two recently discovered terracotta musicians, one sitting, one kneeling, with three bronze birds. The musicians are about to play and the tame, trained birds -- a swan, a goose and a crane -- are about to dance.
   
   This short extract gives a fair indication of the quality of the text:
   
   "Today his large burial mound occupies the centre of the compound. This artificial hill has the shape of a truncated pyramid, with a base of approximately 350 square metres, planted with bushes and trees. The terracotta army is buried in four pits to the east of the tomb mound, outside the walls of the tomb complex. It is as if it were placed there to guard the tomb from attack from the east, where all the conquered states lay. The four pits seem to represent a complete garrison: the total number of figures is estimated at over 7,000. All the warriors originally carried lifesize real weapons, many of which disappeared when the pits were looted and burned in the rebellions after the first emperor's death.
   
   "It is perhaps the enormous scale of the terracotta army as well as the quality of the depiction and manufacture of its members that moves visitors so greatly. These mature, life-size sculptures seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, as there was no tradition of such large or such realistic sculptures in the centuries preceding the Qin. Although the warriors have been described by some as individual portraits in clay of actual soldiers, it has now been shown that their manufacture was a great and early feat of mass production: a small and quite limited repertoire of body parts was produced using moulds, coiling and slab building. (3) They were joined together in a multitude of combinations, with details worked by hand afterwards before the whole figure was painted. Endless variety, for example of costumes, hairstyles, hand positions or facial features, was therefore possible (Figs. 5-10), but in no way are the figures individual portraits."
   
   The catalog contains eight pages of bibliography with four pages devoted to a glossary and to a chronology. (The over-all chronology covers 3000 years so the short portion for the Emperor's life is crammed and difficult to read, and sometimes not expanded in the text.) The maps are superficial and not particularly helpful to a general reader. Nonetheless, this is a very good survey of the First Emperor, and as Jane Portal writes:
   
   "It is predicted that excavations at the site of the tomb will continue for generations, as new discoveries are made year after year and new techniques of conservation and scientific research are introduced and perfected. It will doubtless take longer to excavate the first emperor's tomb complex than the approximate 36 years it took to build."
   
   Consequently, the general reader will have to continue to buy new books to keep up with the discoveries. This wonderful catalog is a great way to survey the current state of knowledge.
   
   I've given this catalog only four stars, not to reflect any real weakness in the book, but merely to recognize the greatness of The Eternal Army: The Terracotta Army of the First Chinese Emperor (Timeless Treasures). The reviews here on Amazon are accurate and glowing; Roberto Ciarla's text is fuller and much more detailed, and there are more photographs, some in extraordinary detail.
   
   That written, the best approach is to buy both books. I learned a great deal from both of them.
   
   Robert C. Ross 2008
   
   Robert C. Ross 2008

5 comments about Carving the Human Face: Capturing Character and Expression in Wood.

1. If you want instruction on how to carve the ultimate in realistic looking faces, any of Jeff Phares books can help you.



2. If you are interested in carving NA faces or cowboys, you will love this book. The instruction will also be useful in general for any type of face, though the artist seems particularly concerned with aged, lined, character-rich faces.



3. Great book if you like making wrinkled old men all of the time!



4. World Champion carver Jeff Phares is kfamous for his lifelike busts and masks and in Carving The Human Face: Capturing Character And Expression In Wood, he shares his techniques for creating masterful human portraits in wood. Part One showcases more than 20 of his current works, focusing in on the wise and weathered expressions of Native Americans, frontiersmen and cowboys. Part Two offers more than 350 instructional photographs taking the aspiring sculptor from a block of butternut to the finished facial mask of a Native American warrior. Part Three of Carving The Human Face includes more than 20 diagrams explaining facial anatomy and how it relates to Carving Masks and busts. Woodcarvers and sculptors will find the material and techniques comprising this single volume "how to" guide and manual to be invaluable in honing their skills and improving their work.



5. For this being his first book it is very good. It explanes everything step by step, from begining to end.I have my own copy and I am awaiting the next book. You are inspiring to every person who would like to become a woodcarver

1 comments about The Color of Life: Polychromy in Sculpture from Antiquity to the Present.

1. The Color of Life is a good surprise. An enjoyable and educational book that I find quite inspiring. Ancient and contemporary works of art with polychromy. The quality of the photography is excellent. But the most impressive aspect is the selection of unique sculpts.

5 comments about Origami Insects.

1. Out of all the books in my collection; this is the only book i still haven't completed all the projects. All projects in this book are for Advanced skilled. Most require complex folds that takes much time and effort to complete. The results are INSANE! The level of detail of these bug is unreal. Mine have been mistaken for real bugs on several occasions.
   
   Anyone feeling like they want to take it to the second... or third level this is a must to have!



2. I see I'm in the minority on this book, and I'm sure I'll get a bunch of "unhelpful" votes from people disagreeing with my opinion, but I found this book really frustrating for the amount of steps that are just so difficult to get through. To be honest, until I got this book, I'd never really had major difficulties with any origami I've done, I've been folding for over 30 years, I had even folded Lang's previous monster the Cuckoo Clock from The Complete Book of Origami, Montroll's Stego and other such complex models. I've done plenty of insects before (I loved the mantis in his Origami Zoo book) but the majority of the ones in this book just drove me nuts. He clearly loves sinks and those in particular often just really tripped me up for the complexity of the layers you were having to sink. There were a few that I simply could not figure out, they just seemed totally inexplicable how you were supposed to get those layers properly reversed. I'd try such models again and fail again, and I personally just do not find that enjoyable to put so much time into something only to get totally stuck and unable to continue. Sure, it happens once in awhile regardless...but with this book it became commonplace. For me, what makes an origami book great is the ability to take extremely complex, interesting models and diagram them in such a way that a reasonably competent folder can accomplish them with a concerted effort. And this book definitely missed that mark.
   
   I'd certainly recommend you avoid this book until you have quite a few years of experience folding and can easily handle any type of model, and advanced steps like reverse folded sinks, etc. But I'd also suggest you consider whether you are the type of folder that doesn't mind spending an hour or two on something and have nothing to show for it, but is able to move on and try again (and again and again...) I am used to messing up a model on the first try once in awhile but there are models in this book I tried several times and honestly felt like I just could do over and over and still not figure out. I personally just don't have quite that level of perseverance, so this book tends to sit on my shelf while I do other, not necessarily easier models, but ones that at least have more reasonable steps to get from point A to point B.



3. Although Lang's Origami Insects & Their Kin is several years old, it still stands as the premier origami book, and it still is a masterpiece because it offers many detailed true-to-life models; two spiders, butterfly, dragonfly, ant..., and ends with a scorpion, and for around $11.00, this book is a steal.
   
   I did fold one model from the book, nope, not the ant, LOL! but the praying mantis, and it turned out great, just like the real thing, so much so, that I almost squashed it. Wait! I think I did squash it, Ha Ha Ha!!



4. This book is the best one for the paperfoldinging advanced beginners, this have many advanced origami and the results are very great.



5. I was able to fold one of the models in this book (the ant.) I aspire to fold the others someday, after much, much more practice with easier books. They look really cool, so they give me a goal to aim for, but I am not certain if I will ever get there.
   Five stars because they are great designs.

1 comments about Mark Dion: Contemporary Artist (Contemporary Artists).

1. Mark Dion is one of those creative people, be they artists, scientists, scholars, cryptozoologists, inventors, novelists, or whomever/whatever, who hit up against the rigid parameters of where they find their work landing - then goes beyond. This book, in photographs and text, defines for those only now beginning to be aware of Dion's efforts, a sense of the who and what of this man. To get a wonderful peek inside the mind of a genius, obtain this book. - Loren Coleman

2 comments about Modern Sculpture: A Concise History (World of Art).

1. Though not for the uninitiated, this book offers much in the way of theoretical interpretations and background information of various facets of the modernist movement. There are many fine photos and interesting quotes from the major sculptors from 1890-1960 or so. This reads like an old British professor giving a lecture he's done a million times, and who might like to hear himself talk. That's who Sir Read was, I imagine. There's much to be gleaned from these pages.



2. Modern Sculpture takes us through the thoughts and ideas that finnished a stagnated era and gave birth to true creativity. It is written in a clear, very understandable way... without loosing its depth of insight. Beautifully presented and with a magnificent choice of sculptures.... fantastic reading!!!!

5 comments about Pornogami: A Guide to the Ancient Art of Paper-Folding for Adults.

1. It's not the easiest for the novice origami person (i.e., me), but the folks I bought it for who are origami gurus found it hysterical and fun. My new bar trick is making a winky out of a dollar bill because of this book.



2. This book is a novelty and the concept is funny. However, I'm not impressed with the models.
   
   The diagrams are pictures of somebody showing the folds - so the book does not use the "normal" symbols.
   
   I think a beginner folder would have some problems with this book.



3. I am a complete & total beginner at origami, I found many of these hard or impossible to make.
   
   I also bought 'Naughty Origami' which generally has easier figures - I was able to make almost all of them after a couple of tries each, after doing them I was able to make a few of the figures from Pornogami.
   
   The figures in this book are generally more 'interesting'.
   
   The origami were very well received by men and women alike at an adults only party.



4. I bought 5 of these to give a birthday gifts. Everyone has loved them.



5. I gave it as a xmas gift and it made a few jaws drop and brought on lots of laughter . A+

2 comments about The Jewelry Engravers Manual (Dover Craft Books).

1. For anyone who engraves or is just curious about the process this is a very interesting book. 'We' have a jewelry store in Darien, Connecticut 06820 called Baubles. We engrave many items of jewelry plus iPods Cell phones, Corporate Gifts and even computers- and to everyone who works their magic in that engraving room, I gave them a copy of this book.
   When people buy a silver box and monogram it or have a name written across it- it becomes more than a gift.
   This book helps with all types of ordinary tasks or if you have ever wondered why about all things engraving.



2. This book was very useful. It give good detail on how to do engraving. My favorite part though was the fact that it covers in detail, care and sharpening of the tools used

4 comments about The Gates of Paradise: Lorenzo Ghiberti's Renaissance Masterpiece (High Museum of Art Series).

1. The book is excellent. Each chapter is written by a different person with his or her own area of expertise. Somewhat redundant comments at the beginning of some chapters recounting the history of the doors but overall each chapter is very good. Image quality is good and text is readily understood by the average person . . not an overly technical book and is thus good reading. However, the format of the book is absolutely stupid. Who would create a book illustrating SQUARE panels such as these and then print it in a tall rectangular format. Someone wasn't thinking and it leaves the reader longing for a full page image of each panel in its entirety. All we get are vertical slices of panels and no complete image of any of them. One of the silliest mistakes in a book I have seen. Also some pages are not numbered and the numerous notes at the end of each chapter can have you jumping back and forth a bit. We went to the exhibition in Seattle and the book was a great background read. Shortcomings aside it is well worth buying. Enjoy it! By the way I have not yet purchased the other book available here at Amazon but may yet do so.



2. This book, actually the catelog for an exhibit of 3 of the panels, tells you everything you want to know about the panels and the doors that are one of the signature achievements of the Renaissance. It's got well written chapters on the narratives in each panel and a detailed step-by-step description of how they were made, with beautiful diagrams.
   
   A must read if you're going to see the panels or doors...



3. "The Gates of Paradise" is the title Michaelangelo gave to the extraordinary bronze doors on the Baptistery in Florence created by Lorenzo Ghiberti in the mid-1400's. This book is not a "coffee-table book" for impressing friends, but is for lovers of great art or the Italian Renaissance who want to look at beautiful photos of these doors (recently restored after years of painstaking work), and to learn more about them in a serious way. The book is a collection of essays, each focusing on a different aspect of the doors; their origin (questions of authenticity, date of the work, the extent that Ghiberti [and not his apprentices] were involved; the technical aspects of casting, and then gilding, bronze in the 15th century (how Ghiberti was truly at the leading edge of his time, not just in artistry, but in technology); the difficulty and technical aspects of restoration; and more. I found this book fascinating and would recommend it highly.



4. This is the luxuriously published catalogue on the occasion of the exhibition "The Gates of Paradise: Lorenzo Ghiberti's Renaissance Masterpiece", till January 13, 2008 at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York after having been on show at Atlanta's High Museum of Art and the Art Institute of Chicago. It's about the gilded bronze reliefs on the East Doors of the Baptistery of San Giovanni, Florence (Italy), made by the Florentine sculptor Lorenzo Ghiberti between 1425 and 1452. The book contains seperate quires with photographs, mostly in detail, of the three reliefs on show: the "Adam and Eve" relief, the "Jacob and Esau" relief, and the "David and Goliath" relief, which allow the spectator to see what great masterpiece indeed Ghiberti made in his reliefs, depicting intricate scenes from the Old Testament. And these photographs do capture --since but few people will be so lucky as to see these reliefs in reality-- Ghiberti's artistry and amazing craft: his originality of invention, his majesty of designs, his vivid illusion and clarity of space as well as the diversity, intensity, and meticulousness in his depiction of the figures' physical, mental, and emotional states of mind, the aforementioned being a new realm of representation in Renaissance art. For all the expressive power and convincing vitality of human figures in early Renaissance art and their seeming to be intensely alive, only rarely are their individual and distinct states of mind and sentiment indicated if not captured the way Ghiberti managed to achieve.
   The book contains very readable essays on the artist Ghiberti and on the art and innovation in his amazing reliefs. In his essay, Andrew Butterfield offers scholars and students who still put their trust in Richard Krautheimer's 1956 book on Ghiberti (the 1970 hardcover and the 1983 paperback editions are still available) convincing arguments --based on the latest research-- to question Krautheimer's methods and results (in despite of their overall importance) which are largely based on Krautheimer's basic principal of the "single-point perspective". Mr. Butterfield argues that "single-point perspective" is a system intended for the projection of space on a two-dimensional surface, whereas relief sculptures are three-dimensional and have complex surfaces. It's a basic problem that figures in a relief must have real three-dimensional volume, and consequently there must be a projection at the bottom of a relief for these figures to stand on. This being rather self-evident for us now, Mr. Butterfield pursues his point by explaining the requirements of narrative and setting that Ghiberti faced, and fulfilled, among them the direct confrontation of but a few (usually two) figures in one scene of a relief, against the necessary depiction of large groups of figures in events in the biblical history of a nation or people in another scene of the same relief. All this is connected with Ghiberti's other primary concerns: legibility and a desire for clarity. Which stresses the need to look beyond the prejudicial notion that Ghiberti was in essence a Gothic and conservative artist, as advocated a.o. by J. Pope-Hennessy ("Italian Gothic Sculpture", 1986).
   Gary M. Radke's essay explores the realms of collaboration Ghiberti had to enter into and looked for. In his days, most public commissions knew a high amount of interaction and Ghiberti had manipulative relations with his patrons, at the same time furthering his own best interests. Furthermore, this book explores historical documentation on the Gates of Paradise, reconsiders the creative sequence of Ghiberti's doors, documents the now almost finished restauration and examines both Ghiberti's art of chasing and casting technique of the Gates of Paradise reliefs, abundantly supplied with photographs and illustrations giving overviews and many details of each relief under survey. There also is a chronology of Ghiberti's life. See "The New York Review of Books", Vol. LIV, Nr. 17, November 8, 2007 for a more professional review of this catalogue.

1 comments about Louise Bourgeois: The Secret of the Cells.

1. Of the many Bourgeois books I've seen this has the best illustrations of some of her most compelling work. Most publishers have focused more on her history and little on her current work. Installation work really must be seen to be experienced but the photography of this book captures the colors and emotions held within each cell. I highly recomend it.