Artists Books

First off, the paper and print is very good. Some of the posters in this book are great, specifically the Sean Connery "From Russia with Love" posters (which there are a lot of). My only issue is really that many of the Bond posters are awful. Specifically the Roger Moore era... The posters are so bad that they are in some cases comical. Overall, there's enough content to please fans, but I think it would be great if there were even more classic and foreign posters.

I purchased this for my James Bond fan and he loved it--much larger than I expected and a very cool collection of posters and images.

I bought this book as a present for the huge James Bond fan in my life and it was perfect. He really enjoyed looking at all of the classic posters from the various movies. If you have someone who really is a Bond fanatic, this is the way to go!

I bought this for my husband's birthday, he's a HUGE Bond fan...he was really excited about this book, and i was impressed with the large format and the posters from around the world for the different Bond films. Definitely worth buying, even as a book to leave on the coffee table for people to flip through.

This is a wonderful collection of James Bond Movie Posters. The illustrations and quality of the images are outstanding. They are crisp and sharp and very colorful. This book covers Bond posters from all over the world. The composition of the Japanese posters are quite eye catching and innovative. This is a wonderful and essential book for James Bond enthusiasts.

This is must for true RMS Titanic robust person who is in love with story that is Titanic.
Ken's artwork is always great and much sought after for a reason. One look at this fine book will squelch all doubts about a pictoral Titanic history. Even in the book his early in life drawings of the Titanic are better than most accomplished artists. It focuses some on his fascination with his favorite subject Titanic. It even gives a fictional look at what the Titanic was cheated out of --- a New York welcome. The book is also one that will capture anyones imagination of the true, and fiction of Titanic. If your a true lover of White Star Lines, or Titanic buy the book!

Ken Marschall reveals a stunning display of beautiful Titanic artwork AGAIN!!!!!!!!Ken also shares with ushow his interest started with Titanic and his amazing paintings. Packed with excellent imformation, but do not get this if you are a beginner historian on the "unsinkable ship", stick with books that you could learn until you're up to my and tons of other's levels of Titanic knowlede on the ship.

Ken Marschall reveals a stunning display of beautiful Titanic artwork AGAIN!!!!!!!!Ken also shares with ushow his interest started with Titanic and his amazing paintings. Packed with excellent imformation, but do not get this if you are a beginner historian on the "unsinkable ship", stick with books that you could learn until you're up to my and tons of other's levels of Titanic knowlede on the ship.

I discovered this wonderful book at a Titanic Historical Society convention and it is one of my most prized possessions of all my books on the subject. Ken Marschall is not only a foremost Titanic historian, but a maritime artist of great talent. Like many, he fell in love with Titanic legend as a child and his passion for art soon combined with his passion for the "unsinkable" ship. This book is a presentation of his love, from art he did as a young boy, to his later paintings. There is art of Titanic in her moments of grand triumph when she was the "ship of dreams" -- and then heartwrenching ones of her in her final moments that freezing April night. We see detailed, haunting Marschall works of how she is now in a watery grave, based on photographs taken by Dr. Robert Ballard, the oceanographer who discovered the wreck site in 1985. Near the book's end, however, is one of my favorite Marschall drawings, one of a scene that never happened, a beautiful Titanic entering New York harbor as her maiden voyage ends. This alone is worth the price of this magnificent book that belongs in any Titanic buff's library.

Ken Marschall has become the definitive artist of the Titanic, and his art has the reality of the photographs we so often lack. This book includes much of his Titanic work, including his very first painting of the great ship, and as a bonus includes some of his other liner artwork, of the Lusitania, Mauretania, Queen Mary, Normandie, and the Andrea Doria, as well as Titanic's two sisters Olympic and Britannic. The Titanic was simply the most beautiful ocean liner ever built - her lines are absolutely perfect - and Marschall captures her with love and respect. Very highly recommended.

When I gave this as a gift to cat-loving friends I knew I was doing the right thing. It has been received with great appreciation, not only for the subject matter, but for the beautiful way it was written and illustrated. Judy Chicago is a master at what she does.

This book is exquisite: well-researched, superbly-written, and the art is incredible! I love cats and love art - she has done a masterful job capturing the feline essence, and the relationships she and Donald have with their cats.

I've been sharing my life with cats for twenty years, and thought I knew feline behavior and physiology pretty well. She taught me things I never knew before.

I plan to give this as a gift to many of my friends. I am proud to have it as a part of my personal library. It is a true treasure that I will always cherish. Every time I open it, I find something new to marvel at. Her feline companions are very lucky to have found her; her love of, and understanding of, those she has made a part of her family, shine through on every page.

Bravo, Judy!

As an artist and an animal person, I treasure this exquisite book. Not only is it beautifully painted (in the challenging medium of water color no less!) but it has a rich feel of the Medieval with its purples, golds and parchment divider pages. Hence the sub-title, "A Feline Book of Hours." I share my home with several cats as I have my whole life. This book honors cats by not just showing one's daily routine with them, but also shows the dignity, courage and humor cats possess. It also shows, from the artist's perspective, the joys of daily life in the companionship of cats and the tragedy of inevitable loss.
It is a joy to see cats represented as the unique creatures that they are by one of the most gifted and brilliant artists of our time.

Kitty City: A Feline Book of Hours caught my attention because of the author's name, Judy Chicago. I have always admired her work in the world of fine arts. This book is a wonderful surprise. It is beautifully illustrated and truly influenced by the illuminated Book of Hours treasured during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The pleasing illustrations are enhanced by the use of gold and vellum.

To my delight, the reader is allowed a very intimate look at the life of the artist with her husband and their feline family. The day-to-day joys as well as life's harsh reality in the loss of a loved one.

Kitty City makes a great gift for anyone that has ever loved an animal or is interested in feline history and feline facts of life. Little known tidbits about cats and their place in the world add to the uniqueness of this book.

If you are familiar with Judy Chicago's work, you know that endless hours of research precedes each project, and this one continues in that tradition. The text is lively and informative, and the illustrations prove once again what a fine artist Judy Chicago is. Her sense of color is just amazing. Even if you're not a cat lover, this book is a treasure.

This book stands as the best introduction to one of the best comic strips ever produced. Not only is it packed with hard to find "Krazy Kat" strips, but it also includes a biography of the artist, George Herriman. Some consider Herriman the first African-American mainstream cartoonist. His colleagues didn't know his ethnicity (and Herriman didn't tell them) so some called him "the Greek". He felt he had to hide some of his features from the public. For example, he kept his very curly hair closely cut and hidden under a hat. Not only that, his birth certificate shows his parent's ethnicity as "colored". The prejudices of the time likely would not have allowed an African-American the mainstream status and freedom allowed to George Herriman. So through "Krazy Kat" we get a glimpse of what early 20th century American culture may have missed out on due to its racial myopia. For "Krazy Kat" stands as an absolute masterpiece of its genre.

Herriman found some modicum of fame in his lifetime. William Randolph Hearst (the newspaper magnate) loved Herriman's work and rewarded him with a lifetime contract (according to the biography in the book, Hearst once read a "Krazy Kat" Sunday page and immediately demanded a raise for the artist). Herriman's success didn't come quickly, however. His first big break came in 1897 with the sale of a sketch to the Los Angeles Herald. Around 1901 he landed his first job as a "Staff Cartoonist" (a person who literally reported to the office every day and rattled off strip after strip; very different from today's cartoonists). Between 1901 and 1916 Herriman penned numerous strips (the book includes samples of many of these strips - many in color), including: "Musical Mose" (this strip's overt racial humor would not fly today), "Professor Otto and His Auto", "Acrobatic Archie", "Two Jolly Jackies", "Major Ozone's Fresh Air Crusade", "Home Sweet Home", "Baron Mooch", "Mary's Home From College", "Gooseberry Sprig" (considered to be a direct forerunner to "Krazy Kat"), "Alexander the Cat", "Daniel and Pansy", and finally, in 1910, "The Dingbat Family" (which changed its name briefly to "The Family Upstairs"; it was Herriman's first hit). It was in a "Dingbat Family" strip in 1910 that a mouse first "beaned" a "Kat" with a projectile (in the "running boards" of the strip). Eventually the Kat and mouse sideshow surpassed the main strip's popularity, and "Krazy Kat" debuted as a daily in October 1913 (the famous Sunday pages began in 1916). Herriman kept experimenting with other strips through 1923 when he finally placed his focus squarely on "Krazy Kat".

From roughly 1913 to 1944 (when Herriman passed away leaving a week's worth of unfinished Krazy Kat's on his drawing table) "Krazy Kat" developed from a "Kat" and mouse game (filled with puns, misunderstandings, and musings on the imperfections of language) into a complex love triangle between Krazy (the "Kat"), Ignatz (the mouse) and Offisa Pupp (the dog). Ignatz's entire being revolves around "beaning" the "Kat" with a brick, and Krazy interprets this as an act of love (unbeknownst to Ignatz). Offisa Pupp loves Krazy (in a fatherly sort of way) and his obsession revolves around catching Ignatz in the act and jailing him. Three obsessions collide in an almost jazz-style derivation of themes. Herriman developed this theme brilliantly over 30 years of strips. But overall it defies analysis: the strip can only speak for itself.

Sadly, though "Krazy Kat" counted such dignatiries as e.e. cummings, George Gershwin, Gilbert Seldes, James Joyce, and other literati, as fans, its popularity waned dramatically throughout the 1930s (as it became more surreal, esoteric and unabashedly uncommercial). It was kept in print by Hearst himself. The book does not cover the frustration of Hearst editors at the inclusion of the strip in their papers. They rebelled against it in some cases. Many simply tried to remove it from circulation only to find Hearst himself yelling "keep it in!" So we have, of all people, the controversial William Randolph Hearst to thank for the continuation of "Krazy Kat". By the end of its run "Krazy Kat" only appeared in some 30 papers.

The main focus of this book lies in its numerous incredible strips. The book includes daily strips (most dating from 1938 to 1944) and Sunday pages (dating from 1916 to 1944 with some in color; it also includes both the first and last Sunday pages). If one reason exists to purchase this book, here it is. The strips retain their amazing character even after decades of aging. And the artwork remains astounding. Not only that, the book includes samples of hand colored drawings of Herriman's, and photos of Herriman and his family. All in all, this book opens the door on one of the comic strip medium's most celebrated strips. Those that get hooked should continue thier obsessions (in the true spirit of Krazy, Ignatz, and Offisa Pupp) with the Fantagraphics' series of Sunday pages, and the Pacific Comics club's reprints of daily strips. Someday every Krazy Kat strip Herriman drew will finally appear in printed form. We can hope, at least.

This is a wonderful book for Krazy Katz fans to own. It is large, colorful and very informative on one of Americas great cartoonists. The delivery through Amazon was fast and effortless. The book, a treasure to own. Worth the lower price through Amazon.

This is what all popular art forms should be. A social commentary as love poem. And poem this is. There is very little that someone can write about the Krazy experience without treading in the same terran as this wonderful book. This is were your Krazy love afair begins. And unlike Ignatz you don't show your love with a brick.

This is a wonderful introduction to George Herriman's great comic strip Krazy Kat that ran for several decades in the early twentieth century. This introduction provides biographical background to Herriman's art, a survey of some of his influences, and a very healthy dose of Krazy Kat panels, both color and black & white. It also discusses the way that Krazy Kat became a cultural phenomenon, easily one of the most highly regarded comics of the century, and permeating many other arts as well.

The Krazy Kat strip is utterly insane, surreal stuff. Here is the premise: Krazy Kat (who is usually female but is sometimes apparently male) is in love with Ignatz Mouse. Ignatz loathes Krazy, and to prove it konstantly kreases that kat's krown with a brick. Incredibly, Krazy sees this as proof of Ignatz's affection, and falls even more deeply in love (many panels show hearts rising from Krazy's heart when she is hit by one of Ignatz's bricks). Officer Pup, the town constable, is in love with Krazy and frequently throws Ignatz into jail for hitting Krazy, which causes Krazy to pine for her would-be lover. This is merely the barest sketch of this weird and wild world. The town of Concocino is populated by a host of equally outrageous characters, though the focus continually comes back to the three principals.

Though even the most recent of these strips are over sixty years old, Krazy Kat has stood up magnificently over the years. Part of the reason surely lies with Herriman's enormous gifts as an illustrator. The Sunday strips in particular are things of great beauty, with the frames arcing around the page in spectacular designs of considerable innovation and complexity. The content of the comics reflects a genuine wit and substantial intelligence, while the bizarre love triangle possesses endless possibilities for both humor and pathos. This truly is one of the most unique comics in the history of the medium, and even those who do not usually respond to the genre are apt to find this enormously entertaining.

When I noticed that many of my favourite cartoonists have said that Herriman's 'Krazy Kat' is the greatest comic strip ever, I decided I should check it out. It didn't take long before I agreed with them.

George Herriman is one of those rare individuals who genuinely deserves to be called a genius. That's a word that gets thrown around a little too casually perhaps, but in Herriman's case it is almost an understatement.

He was a brilliantly inventive artist, but his writing is what really sets him apart. A lot of the dialogue is written phonetically in bizarre dialects, a tricky thing to do, but he uses it to great effect.

Whereas space restrictions force cartoonists today to avoid using more words than is necessary, Herriman would often use a lot more, and much of the pleasure of reading 'Krazy Kat' comes from the sheer virtuosity with which Herriman uses language.

That a comic strip could be as funny, as intellectually stimulating, and as beautiful to look at as 'Krazy Kat' seems to me to be some kind of miracle. This book is a great introduction to Herriman and his work. There's a generous helping of 'Krazy Kat' strips, as well as some of Herriman's other work. Anyone who loves comics should have it. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

This is a good book for any John Mellencamp fan. He expresses himself beautifully in his paintings as well as the written essays that accompany the artwork in the book. I was lucky enough to see his paintings on display in a gallery here in the midwest and they are even more colorful and vivid up close in real life.

Words can not express the way I feel about his art work. It is just too beautiful.

John expresses himself quite well in his paintings. I have always been a big fan of his music and his paintings just complement his music and allows me to understand a little bit more about John Mellencamp, the person.

What an Artist! Lyrically, Mellencamp has the ability to make the listener FEEL what is going on in the song, and relate it to his/her own life. He carries this talent into his paintings also. I don't know all that much about painting, but I do know that I can look at the face of any of Mellencamp's characters, and FEEL their pain, sorrow, see the hope in their eyes...

The book is a must for anyone who enjoys John Mellencamp. All the proceeds are given to elementary school children for music. I think this is a great way for John to give back to his fans and to the world in general. Go get yours now!

Definitivamente es la mejor adquisición Floydiana que uno puede hacer de todos los lanzamientos del último año.
Thorgerson es dueño de una imaginación y talento asombrosos. En este libro que posee prácticamente todo su trabajo relacionado a Pink Floyd hay muchas pruebas de ello.
Vale la pena totalmente, junto al Libro de Nick Mason son un complemento perfecto para entender la magia que ronda a Pink Floyd en sus dos ámbitos principales: música y artes visuales.

If you like Pink Floyd, art, design or album cover, this is the best book I ever read.

Buy NOW!! =)

Storm Thorgerson is the artist who designed the bulk of Pink Floyd's artwork, and "Mind Over Matter" is a combination of memoir, scrapbook, and gallery. With the possible exception of Led Zeppelin, no British rock band of the 1970s paid closer attention than Pink Floyd to the potent magic a well-designed album cover could lend to music the album contained. Much like Zeppelin, it's almost impossible to think of Pink Floyd's music without imagining the incredible visuals on their album covers. In essence, Thorgerson is almost an adjunct member of the band.

Graphic artists will appreciate this collection because Thorgerson's almost Magritte-like graphic style is also perfectly and endlessly adaptable to the commercial marketing. Casual Floyd fans will get a kick out seeing so many classic Floyd images reproduced at much larger than CD size. More serious Floyd fans will savor Thorgerson's behind-the-scenes insights regarding the band. (I was surprised to learn that Thorgerson leans more towards Gilmour than Waters). Throughout,the author discusses his designs in a very straightforward, conversational, non-pretentious way. As a bonus, he also includes graphics from Floyd tour books, posters, and DVD clamcases.

Given that so little video footage exists of Floyd, this oversized hardcover collection provides the perfect collection of visuals to leaf through while you're listening to "Dark Side of the Moon" for the umpteenth time.

As a music fan, there are two things you want to add to your experience, a songlist compilation and a biography. Anything more is really too much, but in the case of groundbreaking album cover art, and knowing Pink Floyd's history of employing visual effects in their shows, a book like this is necessary, especially since albums are gone now, and the tiny graphics you get on a CD jewel case don't compare with the stuff promoters used to jam into album jackets. This book is a trip into Storm Thurgeson's head, not necessarily Floyd's. The difference is not much since Storm was a boyhood chum, and listened so well to his employer's ideas, instead of pushing his own. That's one reason the band was so successful musically as well, was Hypnosis' reliance on the members' themes. This book is not a graphic artist's design book, though I wish it were, but it would be tons bigger. It covers 30 years (and not even all the Floyd's covers (for instance, The Wall)). But you will appreciate the fact that Storm operated more under impluse as a designer than by today's modern design houses which try to render graphics in a production line style...can't be done. The author's bylines give us insight if not in technical process, then in the intellect process, and it's good fun knowing this guy was a friend to the Floyd for a LONG time, even having to uncomfortably stand in the middle of relationships for the 'Is There Anybody Out There?' live Wall issue. All in all, I'd give 5 stars for the artwork and presentation, but lose half of one for lack of technical explanation. Enjoy!

I absolutely knew I had to purchase "this" book the second I saw the book cover. Storm Thorgerson is utterly amazing, eyecatching & perhaps a bit eccentric (aren't most true artists?) I loved reading about his ideas/how he came up with them & how he laid them out in the end, and after reading this book, I now want to check out other material on him as well. Pink Floyd is indeed legendary as are the works of Storm Thorgerson. A Fantastic view of Unimaginable Talent. Check it out.

Excellent! Great images.

(Although much of the text is very technical and concerned with small and trivial details.)

This book explain a little about Rembrandt technique and some details in his paints. You can understand how could he painted so beutiful arts. But you won't be Rembrandt reading this book. Only the technique is not sufficient to be a master!
But, if you are a Rembrandt fan, you have to read this book!

This book is generous with loads of quality pictures of the masters work and an equal amount of text for the reader of history and the technical , a good buy certainly worth the money , I really enjoyed this and I suggest it to any one with even just a passing interest in Rembrandt and an insight into how he produced his work , they actually found some of his dna in his paintings (i bet that makes you curious). This and the other book " Rembrandt's Eyes by Simon Schama" is another beauty possibly a bit better than this one Schama's book spend the first half talking a about Peter Paul Rubens and the dreams Rembrandt had of being his equal , both are great companions to each other I recommend them together.

There isn't much more I can say, which hasn't already been said to reveal the great merits of this book. However I think the sheer quantity of 5 star ratings speaks volumes. This book is essential for any academic or personal study of Rembrandt, especially so for a painter as I am. On top of all the incredible detailed scientific analysis, the text is written very clearly and is even a pleasure to read. Above all, the detail shots of his paint surface, are breath taking and most instructive for any painter. They utilized different levels of magnification to reveal his work from the entirety of the picture down to the microscopic level. This book has revolutionized my studio practice!

Richard T Scott
Joelle-Scott Gallery

This book is not easy to evaluate, at a first sight is a very irregular book, amazing in many passages but extremely boring in many others, a whole chapter dedicated to the canvas support !?, with a great mass of technical information about thread density and weave, I think it is too much, a very important Rembrandt's trick like "glazing and sweeping" (that it is supossed he created this technique) is just overviewed when it is perhaps one of the constituents for the most amazing passages in many of his paintings.
My conclusion is that despite of Rembrandt's Project and a lot of scholars studying his masterpieces is very, but very little what we know. How he commited his works is an enigma like in Vermeer's case, so there are a lot of books about them but very little valuable information

I can not get enough of Burton Silverman and this book was just what I needed.
I just flip open a page and study how he pulls it off, great painting that is.
I have not read the whole book, just little bits here and there.
But I sure have looked at all the pretty pictures and so should any one who likes B. Silvermans work.
Barry

You will have to admire the works of Burt Silverman presented in this well designed compilation of his work. I have followed his work for years and he's just one of those magical craftsmen that makes me just shake my head in wonder when I see what he can do with a paint brush. He is certainly one of the best artist of our age. If you love art in the realist format, you will be well pleased with this book and with Mr. Silverman's work. This one is a "keeper".

This is the story of a man's quest for truth in art in spite of a country's infatuation with its new found Modern Art. I found the book to be BEAUTIFUL, COMPELLING, ILLUMINATING, and INSPIRING...filled with IMAGES OF the LOVE that Mr Silverman has for his subjects, his kind & curious Humanist "take" on the World, and his incredible volume of awe inspiring work. He has crossed the barriers of "illustration" showing us that Art is Art when "spoken" by the true voice.

Most people who would buy this book are already familiar with Burton Silverman's paintings. The book is no disappointment; the reproductions are large and sensitive to color nuances, on heavy paper, and there are a lot of them. There are short essays by Silverman about each painting which show an honest, contemplative mind at work. It's not a how-to book; there's no pedantic bloviating, just a humble, intelligent man describing the circumstances behind each picture. At first I pegged Silverman as one of those East Coast types who paint their Greenwich Village friends sitting still with expressionless faces and vacant stares. It all seemed too academic, lacking action and vigor, like most modern art. But his understanding of color and composition is undeniable, and the personalities he depicts grow on you. They are of the type of person who can be found in artist's lofts, in front of Folger's coffee cans full of paintbrushes, wearing sweaters and spectacles, New York academics and intellectuals who go to poetry readings, listen to Public Radio, and fret about the fate of the Rosenbergs. He's a world traveller, so he has other types of people, too, but he seems to know all of them personally, and doesn't just paint anonymous models. Though his work is a little tame compared to the kind of entertainment industry stuff I'm interested in, commercial illustrators could learn a lot from Silverman's penetrating eye and calm, balanced judgement.

Just a few lines (as I chose to write below) to be an 'unhelpful' review.

My fingers wiggle when seeing the drawings. My nerve cells tingle trying to process/digest/analyze color combinations in the paintings, and half of me trying to get off the chair and get to the easel to "mix 'em colors".

Some body, catch me! I am falling... in love.

Star Wars Episode I the Phantom Menace : 20 Lithographic was
mint and mail fast.
Making this good deal.
thanks

If you think about it, a Star Wars fan has the option to buy Star Wars posters, toys, games, Dorito prizes and try to amass their own empire of collection. But think about it even more...regardless of how big of a Star Wars fan you are sooner or later you will realize that all those Star Wars paraphernalia are junk having the tendency to compile up. If you really want to get your hands on quality then you only need to look for a few places. As a die-hard SW fan, you should not be without the films themselves, the music, and most of all the pre-production artwork...where the saga really begins. The product is wonderful. Immediately after getting the product, I tore down all my other Star Wars stuff, like a puzzle I finished within a grueling twenty hours, old Phantom Menace posters, old Dorito stuff. I tore it all down. I was freed. I figured the product that I got was superb and deserved its chance on my wall.

I got this over a year ago and found the artwork stunning.

Thinking of printing with your own printer? Chances are that even if you can find some Star Wars artwork on the Internet, the printouts won't last. For example, using color ink-jets and even on special paper... after one year, the color degrades...

Today, after a year, the illustrations still look that way and there is no fading of colors at all. This is truly a collectable.

This one is worth keeping if you love Star Wars artwork and the pricing at Amazon is simply a "steal".

If you are a Star Wars artwork collector, you will like this collection of 20 prints. The color reproduction is stunning and the type of prints resembles top-notch dye-sublimation printouts. If you are looking for Star Wars artwork for framing, this is it! The price offered at Amazon is a good deal. Grab it before it goes "Out of Print" !!

this things is nice especially at this price its definetly one of my favorite star wars related items. i must say i did not enjoy the movie as much as i would have liked, however i do love star wars in general. this collection of pre-production sketches are really nice to look at. they all come printed on high quality stock and coated with a nice glossy finish. they people who put this toegther really took time rather than just throwing a episode one logo on it like most companies did. this is truly a great gift for the star wars enthusiast. lastly the packaging is excellent and comes in a nice metal tin which completes the entire package and makes this a great collectible.

a wonderful memory of a once in a lifetime exhibit. 7 years of drawing before he ever picked up a brush....

The book is much more technical than the "Letter" book I recently read. I enjoy that because I have always wanted to know how he painted or drew his pictures as well as how is life and painting developed.

This is the catalogue for a 2005 exhibit at the Met. A valuable addition to the literature on Van Gogh, it encompasses his whole career as a draughtsman, and a brilliant one of course. The images are perfect (you sometimes get the impression that you are holding the actual drawing) and the text very helpful, giving sizes, provenances and many excerpts of Van Gogh's own letters.I remember visiting the exhibition in crammed rooms on a saturday afternoon, therefore I was glad to be able to savour it once again in a quieter atmosphere, thanks to the book.

Full of drawings and descriptions of them, it is a great help regarding the importance of drawing and the use of different materials. It is the best collection of drawings from Van Gogh that I have ever been able to lay my hands on. Full of information collected from different museums
A must for those who enjoy a good drawing or are taking drawing seriously.

Lord Kenneth Clark, at the end of his book and television series, Civilization, said he had come to believe that there was such a thing as "genius". After looking through this book, so will you.

With over 350 drawings, mostly reproduced in color, and dozens more color reproductions of paintings, this will no doubt be the definitive work of the artist's drawings. We see many of his early drawings, including those enhanced with chalk, watercolor, etc. We see the drawings and watercolors done in preparation for his paintings and then we see the paintings themselves.

But the high points of the book are the three drawings in pen and ink done after each of the paintings and intended as reproductions of those works. He wanted a means to share these paintings with three different correspondents: John Russell, Emile Bernard and his brother Theo. He obviously couldn't afford the oil and canvas to reproduce each painting three more times. These laborious drawings were executed and mailed to individuals with whom Van Gogh wanted to share his work (and perhaps impress), or, in the case of his brother, to also show his love and appreciation. Slight variations among the three drawings after the same painting show further, "post-oil" development of each subject and give us additional insight into his style and his thinking. The color reproductions of his drawings allow us to see how the ink on each has faded over time and a 100-year old reproduction of a drawing shows us how the original has faded over time. Because virtually all of the drawings done as a mature artist were on 9-1/2 by 11-1/2 sheets, the reproductions in the book are almost actual size.

Fortunately, both Bernard and Theo's widow and heirs believed very strongly in his work, including his drawings, and ignored the advice of critics to throw it all away. They continued to promote the artist's work after his death, eventually leading to his broader recognition over the following decades. If you appreciate great drawing, this is a "must have" book.