Artists Books

Nicholas and Helena Roerich have been in my life since the early 1970's when a wise old friend introduced me to their books and their remarkable lives. I have a good collection of their books and was excited to see this new history of their work. I was not disappointed. The author writes with an artists touch and makes the story come alive in words an images. The research on this book and the sources accessed make it the best book on these heroes of the planet to date. I hope that other authors will follow this path and go even deeper into the lives of these unique and special forerunners of a future humanity. A humanity that has learned to live in harmony and cherishes all the signs of beauty that fill our planet. For me this book was inspiring and left a beautiful deep impression on my heart, mind and soul.

I just finished reading "Nicholas & Helena Roerich: The Spiritual Journey of Two Great Artists and Peacemakers," and want to express my appreciation for your book. Although I knew how it would end, I was moved to tears when I read of the passing of Nicholas and Helena. I have been a student of the Roerichs for over 30 years and I greatly value the love and consciousness your book embodies. Thanks and blessings to you, Ruth.

The lives of Nicholas and Helena Roerich as recounted by Ruth Drayer have enlightened my being. Just as the Roerich's used their artistic genius and clear intention to discover inner peace and create a world where the kernel of spiritual peace could live in all humanity, this book demands that one look inward and ask the question, "How can I make a difference in my life?". Helena and Nicholas will touch your heart, stir your dreams and remind you of the power and perseverance of the human spirit.

I'm so glad a friend told me about this book. I love the paintings - so clear and fresh; simplicity with depth of meaning.

It is gratifying that the author was able to compile such a detailed record of the Roerich's life, work and travels. I enjoyed traveling in my imagination by way of the diary entries - and to places I would NOT want to endure physically - 17,000 foot mountains, for example.

The entire book stretches my imagination - that Helena received so much direction and information in non-physical ways, all the miracles of perfect timing, the pull of India and how they overcame obstacles to visit and live there.

Truly it reads like a novel for which a movie script will be written - their story is so rich, their lives so full of adventures, and alas, there is also a betrayal - just like the movies. Plus, an index - a librarian's dream!

I recommend this to anyone interested in world history, the search for peace, and the development of spiritual understanding.

Theresa Hocking, retired Librarian, Texas

The life of Nicolas and Helena Roerich has been veiled by various conflicting assessments. Some coming from guru worshiping admirers others from sceptics or jealous opponents. In her book, Ruth A Drayer's vivid text is that of an intelligent observer showing the reader a dispassionate canvas yet fully aware of the amazing quality of these two people who are still an inspiration to artists and esotericists from all over the world. I could not put the book down and would invite anyone not to miss the reading of a very special journey--an adventure of two exceptional souls.

I am a russian, so I am not enogh good in english.
But this book contain a little of words and a lot of beautiful images
This is one of the bect books in my library. Ullustration are wery good and blow-ups show all art kinetics of Nerdrum.
By the way - book is very cheap. Similar books in Russia cost at last two times more!

Odd Nerdrum is the most talented artist alive today -- though he feels he's been ostracized by the art community to the point he rejects his work to be called art. His work is kitsch he says (which I find rather silly but apparently it is an art movement). I've yet to come across a painter with such interesting work. As a warning it can be graphic. Nerdrum is not shy about painting the male body, disfigured bodies, and people defecating.

Many of the paintings are masterpieces. What's disappointing is the lack of commentary. Nerdrum says his work hides nothing -- therefore what requires explanation? A lot. His paintings appear to be highly symbolic; for example, the man on the road -- disfigured with guts spilling out -- was actually Andy Warhol and his rejection of the modern art movement. There are other paintings of fathers finding sons, certainly a reference to his own personal life...

overall I could not give this master anything less than 5 stars with a book so very reasonably priced!

Ok, so now there are two great huge books on Nerdrum. One by Richard Vine and now this one. If you are a Nerdrum freak you might as well buy both, but if you have to choose one, here's the facts. The 'Themes' book has more paintings than Vine's book as there are about 100 pages more in it. And though both books have good close ups, 'Themes' has more and better details for those artist who wish to torture themselves drooling over Nerdrum brushwork. However, Vine's book has the better quality reproductions. The color has more lustre, and the colors in 'Themes" seems just a bit too dark at times, plus a couple of the close ups are slightly out of focus. Both books are great in that they consist almost entirely of pictures only. But though the article by Richard Vine is insightful and informative, the article in 'Themes' sucks, being a kind of attempt at lashing back at the narrow critics who have been biting at Nerdrums heels since the day he invited them to do so. I don't see why Nerdrum, given that he is the greatest painter of today and possibly equal to any of the past, should give a damn about their existence.

So pick your choice and celebrate the fact that modern art is dying, while true painting lives on.

This book is definitely for those who not only love Odd Nerdrum's paintings but are interested in seeing the brushstrokes that create his magnificent creations.

The whole book is photos with many detail shots. This is a must see book for the modern painter.

Warning: If you already have the 2001 book by Richard Vine on Odd Nerdrum this book will mostly just be redundant. And if you don't have either i would recommend getting the 2001 book first, and only .
I was highly disappointed when i finally got the chance to look through this book. I was expecting a collection of new and never before seen paintings but instead found that it was mostly just full of paintings shown in the Richard Vine book, and the reproductions are far inferior and include far fewer closeups. The main disappointment was that it contained only a handful of new or recent paintings, though it did contain some old paintings that i hadn't seen before. It also contains fewer drawings than the previous book. It also misleadingly lists 'Sculptures' in the title when only containing 3 or 4 tiny sculptures of faces and cacoon-like babies.
One good thing about this book however is that it includes a lot of thumbnails and quick sketches of ideas for his paintings, giving an insight into his working process.

This is not a bad book, just a little disappointing and not as good as it should have been. And again, if you have the 2001 book, you won't find much new here.

This remarkable tale appeals to all ages. It's about the wisdom that comes from reflecting on history, the value of courage in facing one's fears, and the importance of love. Best of all, it features an artist who happens to be Chinese and demonstrates that "the brush is mightier than the sword," even in "slaying" a dragon.

This is a lovely story on multiple levels with a visual presentation that captures the attention of young children. I've been reading many picture books to my little one and it's always a pleasure to find a book that honors their innate intelligence and provides a positive message. I find it one of those rare gems that delights the young and more mature alike.

This is the most wonderful children's book I have ever read. I loved it and my seven year old daughter loves it also. It tells a wonderful story about Chinese culture,love and courage. The illustration is absolutely beautiful!I've recommended it to many friends with children.

The Paper Dragon has captured the heart of all the readers I have given copies to (I am on my eighth copy). The story of a humble artist sent to task against a fierce dragon, is portayed colorfully in word and pictures. The gate style print of the pictures lend themselves to become an intergral part of the storyline.

A touching lesson is given to us all, when we find that the dragon is thankful to be released from his reign of terror, and allowed to sleep again. I have heard my five year old tell the story to her friends.

This peaceful story is a lovely way to introduce another culture to young readers, and Robert Sabuda's artwork is beautiful. Mi Fei is an artist who is content to paint scrolls and live within his community until the villagers hear that a dragon has awakened to threaten the countryside and nominate him to face the foe. After a long journey, Mi Fei finds the dragon, who offers him a series of riddles/challenges to perform. Sabuda, better known for his pop-up masterpieces, brings the story to life with breathtaking images of vibrant color and flowing imagery.

Wonderful tale.

Compulsion pulls you through the powerful woodcuts in a few minutes. Each successive reading takes longer as you discover and savor character, plot and craft. Masereel lived by the nitroglycerin theory of rhetoric--the fewer the words, the leaner the lines, the more powerful the message.

"Passionate Journey" and "The City".
Both books of woodcuts are produced by Dover Books. The presentation of both is simple but the reproduction of the woodcuts is very good. These woodcuts are as fresh today as they must have been radical when first published in 1919 and 1925 respectively. These 'books without words' are fascinating in their portrayal of the human condition. "Passionate Journey" I believe to be a true work of art. One criticism of the editions is that they lack detailed information on Frans Masereel's life and times. I would liked to have much more on the impact of his work at the time and the context with regard to German Expressionism and the Weimar Republic. These books will hopefully introduce the work of Masereel to a much wider audience. They also represent reasonable value for money.

Like the Tarot, the images here are universal and transformative. They have the additional benefit of a wry sense of humor and subtle undercurrents of a humanist sensibility.

A must have for any searcher or thinker.

-- or is it? Masereel's remarkable little book declines to explain itself.

These 165 expressive woodcuts present snapshots from the life of one man, or so we assume. He's not all that special - he's not a great hero, leader, or lover, though he's each at one point or another. He doesn't rise above or sink below anyone else, except in the usual ways. As with Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man," this book celebrates the ordinary. And, when seen in such detail, the ordinary becomes quite extraordinary.

The book opens with the un-named man's arrival by train. The crowd and surroundings excite him, as does the mechanism of the train itself. Then, he's off to his new life in the city. We see that life in an uneven, even surreal pace. Masereel's vivid, expressive images hopscotch through the years of his life. Sequences of unrelated images seem to compress years into just a few pages. Other times, long sequences examine individual stories in detail - the adoption of a daughter, his happiness in her, and her final illness and death may be the most moving. It's a life-changing event, and sets the anonymous man off on a lengthy voyage, perhaps to lose himself or to find himself again. He returns to the city life, and eventually retires. The imagery changes radically at this point. It suggests Van Gogh's "Sunflowers" and "Starry Night," and also hints at Van Gogh's death.

Or maybe not. The imagery speaks volumes, but speaks a different volume to each viewer - and will probably speak differently to me when I read it again. Although it's an illustrated story, it's not for children. It is for anyone who wants to see the grandparents of today's illustrated fiction, or who appreciates woodcut in itself. This Dover edition is a beautiful reproduction, with richly saturated blacks but paper opaque enough to keep each page from bleeding through. It's easy to enjoy - so go ahead, enjoy it.

//wiredweird

When my sister gave me this book for my birthday, it was one of the greatest presents I ever received. I was inspired, comforted, and emboldened by Masereel's wordless tale of a questing spirit. Despite the fact that I've read it literally hundreds of times (almost every night when I was working in Calcutta), I always see something new in the subtle, highly expressive woodcuts. Besides the brilliance of his technique, the story Maserel tells is exciting, complex, hilarious and moving. A treaure I wouldn't trade for practically anything.

My son loves to read (and eat...) this book. He's only 5 months old but already I can see that he is fasinated by the illustrations. Great gift book.

This is one of those books that the more you look at the pictures, the more you see. The illustrations are both beautiful and whimsical. I also really like how many of the images are repeated throughout the book. The book is sturdy and pages are easy to turn. I've given this and its companion by Alison Jay, "ABC: A Child's First Alphabet Book," to many new parents with rave reviews!

This is an amazing book! My son is 14-months old and this has been his favorite book for a few months. He loves looking at all the pictures and has learned many of his first words from this book. He also loves searching for the little pictures in the background of each page. This is also my favorite children's book that we have. We have had it for a year and I am still finding new ways in which all the pictures are interconnected with each reading. I never tire of reading it to my son and we read it a lot! Because it is a picture book with a single word description on each page it leaves the reader freedom to elaborate and make up stories about the people and objects. It is an excellent book and I plan to give it at every baby shower and birthday party I attend.

What an amazing book! Seemingly a simple book at first, with each page "Picture This" increases in complexity and fascination. Each picture refers back (or forward) to other illustrations in the book in clever, intelligent ways. This book is a joy to read through. My son and I can't put it down when we reach the end; we immediately bounce back to the beginning to recommence our journey. I plan on giving this to every child (and perhaps an adult or two) I know.

This is a great book for a variety of ages of children. You can start by reading the little ones this book because there is only one word or label per page, such as "hill" or "snowman". So the ones who are impatient can keep flipping those pages fast as you read! When they get older and learn to read it's a great book to start with, because they can match the word with the picture in the book. And at any age it is fun to examine the gorgeous illustrations. Not only do many of the objects reappear from one page to another, but if you are paying close attention you can watch the progression of the seasons. I loved this book so much I bought it as a gift for a friend, and now we are both hooked on all books with Alison Jay illustrations!

I'm totally blown away by this book, after seeing these drawings at the Walker I had to own it. Check out his website to see all the drawings on line.

If you live anywhere near Minneapolis get yourself over to the Walker Art Center, where every single one of Zak Smith's drawings/paintings/sculptures (yes, some are three dimensional) for this project are displayed on one wall. (All are in the permanent collection of the Walker.) How do I know it's all 750+ artworks? Because I counted. 45 columns by 17 rows. You could spend hours staring at them and not exhaust this monumental project. I'm not sure how long they'll remain on display so don't put it off.

Zak Smith a genious, and this book the best.
if you like concept ilustration, you'll love it...

and the prize it's great!

My two sons (Zachary and Alexander) have been saving their allowance and doing extra chores to save money for a Nintendo DS (they save half, my wife & I pay half). This has been a huge deal for them because they each really want one.

Yesterday, my wife took the boys to a bookstore, and 7 1/2 year old Zach saw Zak Smith's book based on Pynchon's "Gravity's Rainbow". He could not, would not put it down; he was mesmerized. He's not one to want, want, want, but this, he had to have. He looked at various and sundry art-related books for at least a half hour, and kept coming back to this book. Which was $40. After much discussion and pondering, Zach was resolute: My wife had a $16 credit at the store which she let him use and he kicked in $20 of his $27 to get the book. The point is, he gave up his Gameboy money for an art book. A big deal. He said "You know how interested I am in art, Mom!"

I've read a bit of Pynchon ("Vineland") but when I've leafed through "Granvity's Rainbow" in the past, I've thought it challenging, circular, dense. Very much like, though not so much as, the uber-interpretive "Finegan's Wake" by James Joyce (referenced, coincidentally, by Zak Smith's book). So at once I was impressed; thumbing through Zach's Zak book, even more so. It IS mesmerizing; page after page of fascinating, provoking, stirring beauty. You can get lost in there.

Not only do I now have a renewed vigor to tackle "Gravity's Rainbow", but am inspired to have (with Zach's permission) Zak Smith's profoundly astonishing book along for the cerebral roller coaster, a benevolent guide to provide dazzling clues as I navigate the former's intellectually demanding jungle.

Whether $26.37 or $39.95, worth every penny...

I just saw the Zak Smith exhibit at the Walker Art Center in Minn. where I had gone to see the "Picasso in America". But this Gravity's Rainbow page-by-page is, by far, the reason to go to the Walker right now. Mindboggling. Buy the book and picture each page lined up like a grid covering an entire wall. The Pynchon book is quite challenging to read so try to imagine Zak Smith capturing the concept of each and every page with a drawing or picture. Number 404 looks like an inch thick melted white plastic mess--does anyone know what happened in the book on this page? I noticed that one of the "tags" for this product is "genius." Believe it.

I have visited the Big Bend more than two dozen times over more than that many years and have never found a book that captured the land and the people as well as this one by Bill Wright. I remember years ago searching for something like this. I could only find a photo book of the canyons back then but this is a book with much greater depth and it did not stop at just the geological. Wright does a top notch job of introducing the wild characters who inhabit the spaces between mountain and desert; the ones who live on the sand road that goes back behind the mesa. You won't regreat adding this book to your home library.

I live in the greater Big Bend area; and, was surprised to discover my newest neighbors were Bill and Alice Wright. Bill's reputation is that of a great photographer; but, it will become immediately apparent to you when you read this book, that Bill is a great story teller. You will not soon lay this book down, nor forget the colorful stories revealed in his experiences of the Big Bend area.

This fine book will give the reader a good look and feel for the Big Bend of Texas.

Although I am a native Texan, I have never visited Big Bend. Through the author's experiences with the people he met along the way, Big Bend has become more than the awesome pictures. I'm planning a trip. Bill Wright is a wonderful writer as well as photographer - I hope there are more books to come. Sounds as if he has travelled the world.

Photographer and writer Bill Wright comes from the West Texas town of Abilene: roughly eight hours drive at a steady seventy from his beloved Big Bend National Park. In Texas that, along with the fact that he's been visiting the park since childhood, pretty much makes him a local.

Texas has a considerable modern history, quite apart from it's more ancient nomadic inhabitants, and Wright maintains a consciousness of this in his travels through these southern borderlands of the USA. Passport controls do indeed exist at the border bridges into Mexico, along with stern warnings that it is illegal for Texans to carry guns into the neighbouring country, but the border patrols continue for nearly sixty miles across the desert into the USA with major checkpoints ocurring at the towns of Marfa and Marathon. The area South of these checkpoints, where Wright's portraits were made, are known as The Badlands and have been for the past 150 years.

Put simply Wright has an abundance of curiosity, the essential requirement of the documentary photographer; and a considerable degree of patience in the fact that he only really began making this book after a lifetime of visits. Be he visiting with the photographer Etta Koch, writing about "Crazy" Angie, who apparently isn't and operates the theatre at Terlingua Ghost Town, or photographing the rancher Buck Newsome, the white hat line on whose forehead clearly explaining how his life has been spent, Wright, while mentioning the people he was with and the details of the trip, never puts himself over the people or places he introduces to his readers. The border in West Texas might be described as permeable, with several unguarded but regularly used fords exisiting along the river. One such ford exists at a place called Lajitas, today a resort town bought lock stock and barrel by a billionaire and now boasting "the world's only international golf course", but Bill Wright digs deeper under the surface harking back to the time when the ford was an important crossing on the trail from Mexico city to the Spanish province of Nueva Viscaya. He remarks upon the "politically constructed" nature of the border between the States and their Southern neighbour, and the fact that locals continue to move freely across the Rio Grande even to this day. In an aside his thoughts wander to the realisation that where in the past Texas Rangers patrolled these areas, to keep international cattle rustling to a minimum, today the trade is reversed and the border patrols and enforcement agencies are more concerned with preventing the importation of illegal drugs. But for the local populace life continues much the same and Spanish remains the predominant language.

In many ways the story as a whole is about Wright and his experiences, but more about the manner in which the place molded him over the years than any form of personal recollection. For Texas is very much about the land. He has been absolutely true to his subjects and in this book he presents that very rare sort of travelogue that will be enjoyed by visitors, people who only ever visit far flung lands from the comfort of their own living rooms, and especially the residents of the Big Bend itself; who will understand.

I LOVE these books!!!! I've purchased all that are offered and will purchase any new titles in the future. My daughter is 16 months & loves them!!!!! I would definetely recomend them and will purchase as gifts in the future.

Only bk that 2-yr old wants to read 3 times in a row! We love it too! Very peaceful and calming and soothing pictures...

These are great books. We purchased our first book, Picnic with Monet when my daughter was a newborn. She is now 20 months old and she has the Mini Masters Boxed Set (a great deal) and Quiet Time With Cassat. She loves these books! She will bring them to me one-by-one and ask me to read each one over and over. I think she enjoys the lyrical quality of the text as well as the paintings. She loves pointing out the different items in each painting and commenting on what is taking place (playing, sleeping, dancing, etc.) It's interesting that even though some elements in certain paintings are rather abstract, she still knows what she is looking at. I love fine art and grew up seeing many of these paintings, so I'm glad that I can expose my daughter to the Masters in such a fun and positive way.

I had gotten these out of the library and liked them so much, I purchased 6 of these mini-masters for my 8 month old.

I think this book is one of the best of Julie Merberg's masters series. The art is just gorgeous and every single one contains a child or children, most with a parent, so kids will probably be drawn to this one. My 2 1/2 yr old daughter loves it and loves looking at all the paintings of children. Sweet portraits and great writing! One of my personal favorites.

Having purchased hundreds of art books over the last 40 years, I would have to rank this book in my top 10. For over a year I was enthralled and captivated by the illustrations in this book and took the book with me everywhere, in case I had to wait for an appointment or have a cup of coffee at Starbucks. Usually even the best art book is returned to my shelf in a month or two but Raffael's art is so intoxicating. I only wish the reader could see his work in person because of their large size, otherwise, please buy several copies for you and your friends.

This is the most complete book I have ever seen on Raffael's work. As an artist, I can tell you that part of what I try to do is to understand the painter as a way of appreciating his or her work.
This book is stunning and full of information.

REFLECTIONS OF NATURE: Paintings of Joseph Raffael is one of the most elegant monographs on a practicing artist I have had the pleasure of reading. Yes, "reading" is an operative word here. Too often artist monographs are coffee table picture books, lush and lovely to look at, enlightening as to a chronologial path of achievement, and even historically relevant - solely on the basis of the images: the written essays are seldom read and if they are read, they are merely perused. Such is not the case with this warmly informative and evocative collection of the works of this fine realist painter. Authors Amei Wallach and Donald Kuspit write with courage about techniques (use of the photograph as the springboard, method of appropriation form the photo image to the paper or canvas, etc) that would frighten most of our painters today, so revealing of secrets and methods publically scorned as "copying" or NOT "representational". But the real coups in this valuable volume is having the artist talk us through not only his techniques, but is personal history and vulnerabilites.

As for the paintings, there are splendid reproductions of those paintings we all know and love (koi, water, water lilies, flowers) but there are also many examples of Raffael's wildlife images, spiritual images, and those of his wife Lannis seeming to metamorphose out of her garden. This book is a fine standard for future art books that stirve to inform as well as document an artist's work. Even if you don't know Raffael's paintings, I would recommend your adding this volume ot your library - for you eye's AND your soul's sake. Outstanding!

Beautifully printed volume on the work of watercolor painter Joseph Raffael. Very comprehensive of his work as a painter through 1998, the year in which the book was published. I'd like to eventually another book showing the work that he's done during the last 9 years.

Perfect book for the student, collector, dealer or art historian interested in this important artist. As one of America's foremost buyers of Joseph Rahael paintings, I highly recommend this book. www.LawrenceBeebe.com

A common myth of all poor starving artists is that they will be discovered after they're dead and be venerated forever. In an age when you can get rich and famous by glueing broken crockery to canvas or stuffing a dead fish into a tank of formaldehyde, it is usually a case of a poor choice of publicists than undiscovered talent and the real loser is the poor fool who buys contemporary art for a high price only to watch the value crash when the artist moves on and his work starts to fall apart or rot.

But there was a time when truly great artists did suffer. We all know about Van Gogh, but Thomas Eakins was also a classic example. Everyone loves his sports pictures and his two group portraits of heroic doctors lecturing their students (the Gross Clinic and the Agnew Clinic) even make a Christian Scientist envy those who have chosen the medical profession.

But for my money, his portraits stake the primary claim to Eakins' greatness. His sitters usually refused to accept their portraits, some destroyed them, others refused to sit at all (Mr. Kirkpatrick quotes one lifelong friend of Eakins who always refused to sit for him because he was afraid that Eakins would uncover what he had spent his lifetime trying to conceal).

And I'd imagine that viewing your Eakins-painted portrait for the first time must have been an eerie, almost supernatural event. Looking at his splendid portraits today, you KNOW the subjects, their hardships and triumphs, their hopes and fears. These are not prettified and bowdlerized pictures to hang on a wall, these are the real thing. It is as if Eakins stripped away the skin of his sitters to reveal the pure psyche underneath. They are beautiful and informative and moving. Fifteen minutes with an Eakins is more enlightening than a month in a room of Sargeants.

Mr. Kirkpatrick's fine biography is one of the best on any subject. He manages to capture the man and his times and the man IN his times, in a way that few biographers can accomplish. He manages to make the story exciting, even as he takes the reader through an almost brushstroke by brushstroke description of Eakins' painting process.

At first, my only reservation was the title. The point of it is to show how Eakins fame after death was his revenge for the tragedy of his career (a close and valued student conspiring to replace him, loss of reputation for insisting on painting things as they are, base and highly publicized accusations [about which Mr. Kirkpatrick carefully assembles the evidence for and against, describing the scandals as fairly and dispassionately as he can], rejection of his works, etc.), but the author discusses Eakins death only two pages before the end of the book, hardly enough time to develop the world's slow acceptance of Eakins' genius.

But then I realized that the book itself is Eakins' revenge. Very few people of even the first rank ever have a biography written about them as fine as this one. This book will be read as the classic text for the next one hundred years and it should be read, merely for its quality, by everyone no matter how slim their interest in American painting.

I find all of Kirkpatrick's books to be great reads. They combine impeccable scholarship with elegant style and profound insight. As I am interested in art, I found this one to be especially powerful -- the first major biography of Eakins that brings this enigmatic man into focus for me. Kirkpatrick has filled in the puzzling gaps in Eakins's life and brought new and unexpected meaning to Eakins's artistic and personal struggles against the conservative art establishment in Philadelphia that denied him recognition in his lifetime.

I highly recommend this well-written, balanced biography of Thomas Eakins. It would be a perfect choice for readers with any level of familiarity with Eakins' paintings. I agree with the other reviewers that the book does an excellent job of placing Eakins' work in its historical context. Eakins emerges as a fascinating personality, and a guy who would have been great to know. In my opinion, Kirkpatrick deals honestly with the controversial aspects of Eakins' character, but without dwelling on them ad nauseum.

I thought that the descriptions of the paintings themselves were especially effective. The book communicated exactly the information I wanted to read about for paintings like The Gross Clinic and Max Schmitt in a Single Scull: the main points of the design, the background and tecnhical details, the dramatic impact, and the pyschological levels. I have read very few biographies of artists that were this helpful.

The book is generously and beautifully illustrated. There are 42 color plates, and each of those paintings is described in detail in the text. There are also a number of drawings, sketches, maps, and photographs (some taken by Eakins, and others of Eakins and his family and friends). The photos in particular (such as the one of Eakins, himself nude, carrying a nude female toward the camera) underscore the independent and controversial aspects of Eakins' character.

This was a very enjoyable read, and a tribute to a great artist.

I have read and enjoyed several of Kirkpatrick's other books (on very different subjects), and was eager to see how he would handle a subject as complicated and controversial as Thomas Eakins. Through his telling of the Eakins story, the reader becomes privy to moments of nearly cosmic dimension as well as deep emotion. It's utterly convincing, lucid and intelligent, highly informative and extremely compelling. His most moving book to date.

When I picked up this very well done bio the little I knew about Eakins was the wonderful scull portraits, the shad fishing pictures and that a vague scandal surrounded his name. Now having read almost 500 pages, I want to know even more and there is a lot more to know.

Kirkpatrick covers the whole life, giving balance to each stage. It is a full book. There is no "filler". The research and background knowledge of the author shine forth on every page. The author shows great restraint in sticking to the known facts, otherwise this would be a 1000+ page book!

For instance, Eakins' fixation with the body, down to using mechanical contraptions on dead animals to demonstrate movement to students is factually presented. It is not sensationalized or psychoanalyzed. Similarly, whether Eakins was oblivious to or had discounted the consequences of asking so many females (again and again) to pose nude in this Victorian age is not discussed. The known instances of these invitations and the resulting alienation of those who said no, and the alienation of the friends and families of those that said yes are covered. With this background we learn the known facts of the tragedy of his niece Ella, and student Lillian, and about accusations regarding his sister Margaret. There are some documented opinions of family members, but the author stays with the known record.

No wonder, the self portrait that adorns the cover shows a tortured man with barely restrained sadness and anger.

It's ironic that the lack of appreciation for Eakin's works served to maintain the integrity of the collection for future generations. It's interesting that due to the nondescript Charles Bregler's collecting and acquiring memorabilia of his beloved teacher, today's researchers have a large collection of personal letters, photos and sketches to work with.

This is a very readable book. It is rich in plates and photographs that illuminate the text. I am ready for another biography to take on the "whys" of this remarkable life.