Artists Books

The book is interesting reading eventhough the narrator sounds a bit self-righteous to me. Too much of "I always knew best" for my taste. This is only referencing the personal remarks in the book; the description of the grinding poverty in the big cities and what the Depression years did to the people is really well written. All in all, I'd wish that especially young people read this book.

"A Choice of Weapons" is one of my favorite books. The compelling autobiographical story captures for us the experience of one of America's greatest treasures, Gordon Parks. His path from poverty and isolation to riches and notoriety is much more than just a story, it's an accounting of his life as an African American with rural roots in an America that was not welcoming nor supportive-- despite his amazing talent. He overcame that to become one of the world's best-known photographers, filmmakers, poets, and musicians. A fine person, strong with his mother's teaching, he brought his spirit to the world.

Mr. Parks was recently buried in his hometown (Fort Scott, KS), not long after coming home to a wonderful celebration of his life and work-- a celebration that is an annual affair as part of the Gordon Parks Center for Culture and Diversity that has been founded there. I met him during the first celebration in 2004, going into the old Liberty Theatre to view a retrospective of his films. He was charming and personable, and his eyes sparkled with happiness; the peace of forgiveness and homecoming emanated from him. He had struggled and triumphed, and the prairie wind was still fresh within him.

I encourage everyone to read this book and to explore the huge body of Gordon's work. You will be moved. You will be spurred to find the best of yourself...

I write this after hearing the news of his passing. This book gave hope to another youth who had lost his parents and was looking for a reason to become a man. The effect this book had on me cannot be overestimated. It was to set me on the path to becoming a photographer, and to pursue writing among other things. It was required reading for me when I was in High School, and the only book I read all the way through.

I absolutely love this book.
I am an avid reader but reserve my recommendations for very few books and authors. I hold dear a carefully chosen list of books that receive unjustly low profiles and recommend them to always-thankful friends. This book, by Gordon Parks, (as well as Manchild in the Promised Land, by Claude Brown) rank high on my list. Gordon Parks is an amazingly gifted human being.

.... In my opinion,its imagery and descriptive scenarios will have you imagining as if it were you in the midst of the Great Migration. Concluding that "youth as it should be at seventeen was not for me, and that full manhood must come quickly if I was going to make it", Parks describes the journey in which he endures in order to make it through various seasons in the year. In trying to conquer the obstacles that each season brings, Parks learns to rely on his "choice of weapons" which allow him to see different walks of life. If you do choose to read Parks' autobiography, please don't forget to reflect upon what choice of weapons you have chosen in coping with life.

If somebody wrote the true story of William Haines as fiction it would be universally panned as stereotyping - a gay man comes to Hollywood in the silent era, becomes the heart-throb of millions and a top box office draw, faces being outed and is ordered by his studio (MGM) to either enter into a fake marriage or lose his contract, picks love over career, and then goes on to have a sucessful 40 year career in interior decorating. However, sometimes fact is stranger than fiction and this is one of those times.

This is a beautiful book full of the decorating work of William Haines. I haven't found another book like it anywhere, and I highly recommend it if you've only heard of his reputation and are curious about what the man's design work actually looked like. It's a shame that his movie work isn't as well remembered as his design work. Haines made a successful transition to talkies, and probably would have continued to do well in the movies if L.B. Mayer hadn't forced him to choose between the love of his life - Jimmy Shields - and his MGM contract. Haines chose Shields, and that was the end of his film career. However, he and Shields worked together successfully for the next forty years decorating the homes of Hollywood's elite, with a little help and some recommendations from friends such as Joan Crawford, a lifetime friend of Haines and costar in several of his films. Besides photographs of Haines' work, this book includes quotes by Haines on his design philosophy, quotes by members of his firm's design team, and a pretty good biography of Haines including his Hollywood years.

Haines and Shields stayed together from 1926 until 1973, their relationship severed only by Haines' death. Their joint legacy lives on in their design work of which this book is an excellent record.

This is a very visual account of the life of one of the greatest decorators of our time. Billy Haines started out as a silent movie actor and when he refused to keep his sexuality in the closet he was fired, forcing him to change careers - and thank goodness. Schifando & Mathison take us on a journey, via photos, sketches, and other images, through the life of Haines and the evolution of his personal style. His classic interiors, which often included a touch of chinoiserie, a unique custom lamp, low chairs, quilted fabric upholstery, and other unique pieces will never go out of style.

Being an admirer of nearly all things vintage Hollywood, I was most eager to read a book on this almost forgotten silent screen legend. I was most impressed by the great detail on the man, his loves and hates and his metamorphosis into a highly successful interior designer in later years. The thoroughly entertaining anecdotes throughout also kept me interested until the very end. It gives the reader an insight into a period in Hollywood that has long since been buried by time and our bizarre fascinations with the likes of Britney Spears and Paris Hilton et all.

A must read for any reader of the good old days of Hollywood.

Having purchased most of the major design books in the past 4yrs...this one is right up there with the best...5lbs of old hollywood chic mixed with todays blue-blood..must have for any coffee table

I am so thrilled to have found this book. I have tried for years to find pictures of William Haines work. This is such a magnificent book. I just wished there were more of what there was. This book is an amazine find and a delightful addition to my collection.

This book will be a very helpful tool for anyone using the new image-editing software to improve drawings and paintings. There are a number of examples that show what today's software will allow an artist to do. It gave me new ideas to try as I experimented with software, my scanner and digital camera. This book would be great for anyone who is looking for some great ideas and new approaches to art!

As a novice artist and computer user, I found this book so important and useful. It is a one of a kind book, extremely innovative and ties together both the art world and todays technology. Not only is it timely for today but will be important for the future. Bravo!!

This book was extremely helpful. It provides clear instruction and beautiful examples of how many different artists have used computer software to explore innumerable possibilities for a painting in a short period of time. Pollard and Little have presented the material in an easy to read style. It gets right to the point. An excellent tool for any artist.

This book encouraged me to buy Photoshop Elements and get started learning this powerful and complex software (I have used Microsoft's Picture It! and a watered-down version of Phtoshop before, the latter for several years). This book coveres several types of media. A number of different artists put together paintings using the software to aid in explorations of graphic ideas and planning. Basically, it is an introduction to using Photoshop (or, "...Elements") or other image editing program that demonstates the advantages, and some of the ways, a computer can be used by artists. It's chief value lies in getting you excited about expanding your tools and shows you how a computer can enhance your creativity, making it easier and quicker to explore the possibilites.

As an artist taking a Photoshop class, i was hopelessly lost in a deluge of material. This book sorts through the material and focuses only on what is necessary for an artist. Great way to take the pain out of thumbnails and value studies!

This book provides many clear reproductions of Schiele's preliminary drawings. There are even a few smaller reproductions of some oils. The text is easy to follow and goes chronologically with his work. The only down side is that the pieces are sited in the text and then one has to flip to the page to see them. However, they are grouped by year so you do not have to stray far from the page that you are on. This methold also seems to allow for nice size reproductions. The book is some what small for an art book, but I think the scale of the work allows for it.

Following the introduction, the book is arranged chronologically; the first chapter covering the years up to 1907 when the artist was seventeen, followed by 1908-1909, with the successive chapters covering a year each up to 1918. The chapters open with about six or seven pages of illustrated text, to be followed by the relevant drawings; there is no bibliography.

A very readable book, the text provides a year by year account of the artist's progress; his family situation and personal life, his education and development as an artist and what influenced him. It is an intelligent and reasoned account.

The vast bulk of the book however is taken up with the drawings and watercolours. All the images are reproduced in full colour, including the monochrome drawings. It contains over three hundred illustrations which, with the exception of those illustrating the text, are presented one to a page, with the a few double page spreads. The printing is excellent and the images appear rich and strong, well conveying the subtle textures evident in the artist's work.

This is a most handsome volume, fairly modest in dimensions, but at nearly 500 pages certainly not in content. It is beautifully produced and presented; the choice of font for the text has quite obviously been given careful consideration, and perfectly complements Schiele's drawings. The images combined with the sensitively written text cannot but draw one to Schiele, and highlight what a tragic loss that he should enjoy such a short life. If anyone has any doubts about the genius of Egon Schile, a little time spent perusing this splendid book will surely put that to rights.

This is a book that gives the reader a unique opportunity to discover Schiele's art through his works on paper (which, in my opinion, convey a much better idea of the importance of this artist than his paintings). There is a lightness in these works, and, at the same time an urge to express the uneasiness, the anguish that the artist feels towards the outside world, that is very well shown in the book, through countless high-quality reproductions. The text is very sensible and written by the leading authority on Egon Schiele.
Highly recommended.

As an owner of many art books, this one is in the top 20 favorites just because of the quality of the item. The quality of the reproductions, the number of reproductions and the price cannot be beat. This publisher has really put out some nice art books. Lets hope there is more to come!

There are three things that I liked about this book: (1) great art well reproduced. The colors are well saturated and vibrant. (2) Each section begins with a brief history of the artist's life and points out how his work changed (or didn't) during that period in his life. (3) There are enough illustrations so that you can truly observe his progression and maturation as an artist.

Schiele was clearly enamored by the human figure and he captured its allure and beauty as few have. This is an excellent art book that is also well priced. Highly recommended.

Egypt: Yesterday and Today

After reading this beautifully illustrated table-top book comparing Egyptian scenes of the past and present, we purchased it for our granddaughter who is planning a career as an Egyptologist. The artwork is super, and the narrative is clear and crisp. An outstanding gift.

Many books on David Robert's are small or not generous enough to allow you full scope to enjoy his paintings or they focus on his Levantine paintings.

This book is probably the best around that is not to expensive but gives you a feel for his grand Egyptian paintings. Some really nice ones of Sphinx, pyramids and also some of the lesser temples feature. The only other book which is now out of print that deals with this subject well is Peter Clayton's the Re-discovery of Ancient Egypt. Thames and Hudson.

This book is no more available in France (I'm from Paris), and I saw some sketches of David Roberts a trip in Aswan, so wished discover his work. I am delighted with this book. The high quality of printing, the intersting texts (even for a french citizen) are what was expecting. The most spectacular sketches are those of Isis temple that show the paintings on columns and ceiling nowadays disapeared. It is also fascinating to see the evolution of egyptian civilisation from 19th century and today, regarding way of life and architecture.
In one word : thank you mister Roberts.

As in the previous Roberts books, this format of a real-life photograph side by side with the artist's rendering of the same scene gives the reader a very reflective perspective into the Ancient World.

This is a most amazing book, it has both water colours and photos of the sights of Ancient Egypt. As a reminder of a special holiday or a factual account it is the best. The size of the book makes it prominent coffee table book and easy to just pick up and dip into another wondeful page.

I like how this book shows how Gehry's architecture progressed from his Senior Thesis Project to his recent works. It's interesting how simple his architecture once was, to how much more complex it is now. Buy this book, you will always enjoy it.

i did not have a good impression of gehry until i got this book. i got it because i had to know what this guy is thinking when he comes up with what i thought was "ugly" stuff (i now feel ashamed to admit that). now i see the beauty of his work.
my eyes have been opened. i now have a greater respect for what he is doing.
the photography is amazing...the book provides sketches and insight into what gehry is trying to do.
must have for architectural students/interns

This book represents all what Frank Gehry is. With beautiful photos and good texts, you can know all work of this that's one of the best architets of actuality. Frank Gehry's Complete Works must be bought and read, it's like a bible of desconstrutivism architetury. The price is wonderfull and the quality too. I love it.

This is a book to people who have a bad idea of gehry work, like i had, because is amazing how the author made an retrospective of gehry work with so much quality and quantity work. And remember, this book is really "cheap" because is very good. IN MY OPINION, JUST BUY IT!

Architecture is my first love although I am a Art History Major. So without any dobt I knew this publication would be right up my ally. To say the least I was not dissappointed. A brief, illustrated synopsis was given on all projects right up to the current "Music Experience" extravaganza. One point I found of particular interest was that in most of the Bios it gave the Budget that Gehry had to work in. It is a massive book and printed on top quality stock. One that will last a lifetime in my Library. It is a book worthy of any one interested in cutting edge design. Although alot of the projects are in Europe as they seem to be more accepting of his progressive designs the commissioned works in America are just as fine. I can only anticipate the "New Guggenheim"in New York.

When the book first arrived, I just flipped through it quickly and wasn't overly impressed. Some of the pages looked like the artist was simply sketching ideas for characters. Then I sat down and read the book.

The story is told through the pictures. The text is sparse, but amazingly powerful (albeit slightly difficult to see on some of the darker pages). By the time I got to the end I felt like I had been on a journey and had just returned to the present.

I would not have believed that a book could be that compelling.

This book is incredible. Rien Poortvliet is an extremely gifted individual. He has captured the essence of the "Suffering Servant." Because of this book my library includes all of his inspired publications. Indeed, I have gifted most of his collection to my family (and friends).

I love it. What I find most illuminating is that it reflects Jesus in the faces of the people around Him. He still has that effect today.

I'm thinking about buying a copy for our church library.

For those who need to take a moment and remember Who Jesus is and did for us, this is a must. Beautiful images with deep comments that makes you love Him and desire to be like Him.

WOW, POWERFUL!!!
The emotions that these pictures capture are amazing. My spirit just wept as I read this book. It brings to life the story of CHRIST in a way a child can comprehend, yet an adult will read over and over.
It is amazing how the simple text can pile such truth about the story of CHRIST. It is alive and real.
These pictures are a gift... one that takes you to the time HE was crucified.
I highly recommend this book for parents, teachers to read to their class or children.

Only after you have read it will you understand the gift that this book is to the truth of our salvation.

If you enjoy Edward Gorey's work, you'll enjoy this. Both drawings and text have been crafted with exquisite precision and wit.

In this sequel to "The Haunted Tea Cozy," the Bahhum Bug returns to Edmund Gravel and takes him on another journey to ponder over the fates and destinies of others. Upon their return to Gravel's home they calmly await the millennium. After all, will another day make a difference in the lives they just saw?

If you're unacquainted with Gorey, don't start with this - start with Amphigorey. But if you've already got the EG bug, here's another must for the library. This sequel of sorts (in as much as anything can truly be linked to anything else by EG), is a delight that will get you snickering everytime you put marmalade on your aubergine.

The following facts should be made clear immediately. There is not, in spite of the title, a single bust in this book (to say nothing of headlessness). There is not even, I might go so far as to say, much of a plot. But what there is lives in superb Gorey glory. The best way to approach this book is to consider it a sequel to Gorey's "The Haunted Tea-Cosy" (which actually did include a cosy of spectral proportions). Our heroes, Mr. Edmund Gravel and the Bahhumbug have finished saying goodbye to the last of their guests for the evening. Ah, but a creature soon comes to spirit our protagonists, "from place to place, where there is shame, also disgrace". The story uses such delightful and little heard words as "druthers" and "aubergine" while telling the lightly lamentable tales of a host of people. Each situation is privy to a little four line poem in the style of a-b-a-b. The subtitle of this book was "A Melancholy Meditation on the False Millennium" and by the book's end both the Bahhumbug and Mr. Gravel sit, drink their tea, and think about the new Millennium (looks of horror clearly plastered on their faces). This being one of Gorey's later works, we can't criticize it too severely. Mr. Gorey had a style all his own and there is a plot here, buried as it may be. If you're partial to Fellini-esque tales of woe, you will like this book. If not, best that you pick up a copy of something entirely different (like "Betsy-Tacy" or "Goodnight Moon") and leave this book to those who would enjoy it better.

Edward Gorey died in the Hyannisport Hospital on April 18, 2000 from heart failure. On April 23, 2000, Charles Osgood on "Sunday Morning" (CBS) aired a final interview with Gorey and gave a short memorial to him. Gorey final interest featured finials, and his final stuffed creation was the figbash. Gorey's first work was THE UNSTRUNG HARP (1953) and THE HEADLESS BUST (1999) appears to be his terminal one unless he has left some manuscripts for posthumous publication. Let's hope that he did. He's gone, but he is now draped with the robe immortality and on his way to take his place in the Pantheon of Literature next to Edward Lear and Lewis Carroll. A fitting poem for his mausoleum would be one by Walter Hamilton: "I never had a piece of toast, Particularly long and wide, But fell upon the sanded floor, And always on the buttered side."

I find this book very helpfull in learning how to mix colors. She talks about the color tones, hues, complimentery colors. Why she uses what color where. It gets you thinking about color and how to use it in your painting.

My wife and I lived in Rockport when Miss Van Wyk was still painting. We have the first version of her color recipes book in its original three ring binder form. Her book offers the beginning painter great suggestions and solutions on many typical color mixing problems. Thanks Helen.

I love this book. It's been very helpful for times when I just can't seem to mix the color I'm looking for. I look in this book and it always has good information.

Even though I have a BFA many things that would have been helpful in the real world, just weren't taught. This book fills in a lot of blanks.

Helen is a great teacher. I have taken art classes and learned 1/10th of what I learned by reading her book. I am colorblind and people argue with me about it because of my ability to use the right colors. I only wish she was still here so she could produce even more information etc.

An excellent book that covered many subjects of painting, and how to use particular colours successfully for that area, I found this very helpful and informative.

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.

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.

A wonderful collection of amazing images. This book will be looked at for many, many years.

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.

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.