Artists Books

I originally bought this book to give to my then 3-year old granddaughter. Then went back the next day to buy one for myself. It has given me pleasure every time I open it.

The 36 full page drawings are beautifully done and there are so many stories to be told and embroidered about each of them.
With the book on your lap, all the drawings are approximately life size, so there is an immediacy to the stories you will "write" about the pictures. As you tell the story, it is almost as though you are also drawing the pictures yourself.

"Magpie Magic" by April Wilson, sub-titled, "A Tale Of Colorful Mischief", Dial Books, New York, 1999.

The words in this book stop with the copyright page. Then, the entire story is told in colorful illustrations by April Wilson. The magpie, a black and white bird, first is drawn, and, with a backward glance, flies off the paper. The illustrator's hands attempt to catch the wayward bird, who soon returns to eat the luscious, red cherries that also pop up off the paper. The orange balloon is soon popped, too, but then the magpie helps the hands to draw with the yellow pencil. The story continues through the colors of the rainbow, green and then blue, and finally, to a purple (violet) cage into which the magpie is lured with more bright red cherries. A brown lock is drawn to secure the cage and the brown key is erased.

But! The magpie has seen how the gum eraser works, and uses it to escape from the cage. The bird then creates mayhem until the illustrator erases most of magpie with the white gum eraser. The magpie struggles to re-constitute itself , and does so using every color of the rainbow. A most colorful story, indeed!

A gift of a magical box of colored pencils produces some surprising situations. Your child will tell his own story from the emotions that are implied by the beautiful illustrations. You will see at the end of the story how the magpie "reinvents himself" to suit himself!

I purchased this book for my 3 year old daughter for Christmas. It was one of two books that we had borrowed from the local library over the course of the year that we wanted to keep. (My wife tends to borrow about a dozen or two books a week as the library is right next to the preschool.) It was wonderful to provide my daughter with the chance to tell the story herself. The drawings and story line drew her in. The editorial reviews do a good job of describing the book, so I won't. This is one of two books out of the hundreds that we have borrowed that we elected to purchase, so my high rating isn't just inflated. ("The Lion and the Little Red Bird," by Elisa Kleven was the other.)

Excellent collection of Newman.
Everyone does environmental portraits these days.
Newman is the original and the best.
A beautiful and inspirational collection.

I just got back from the Newman exhibit at the Corcoran Gallery in Washington D.C. and although I thought I had seen most of his work, I was stunned by the boldness of some of the photo collage work and color work which I had previously only seen in B&W. The book has all of the show and many more. It was $40 there and they were selling like hotcakes. The book is beautiful and has $1 million worth of images in it. Hard to pick a favorite. Certainly Picasso and maybe Isaac Asimov too.

I'm an amateur photographer, so when I heard an interview with Arnold Newman on NPR's Morning Edition, I knew I had to get this book. Newman is considered the inventor of "environmental portraits," in which the photographer uses surroundings to capture essential elements of his or her subject.

The photos collected in this volume span Newman's entire career and range from Senator John F. Kennedy to President Bill Clinton. The collection is mostly black-and-white. Leafing through the book, I've gotten many ideas for my own photography, but I've also gained a new appreciation for many of the historical figures Newman captured in his work.

The book is large and heavy, very satisfying to hold and look through, and will make an excellent coffee table book. Whether you're into history or photography, you'll really enjoy this book.

Arnold Newman died recently at age 88 but his photographic work will live one. Newman was known for his environmental portraiture - capturing the famous faces of his time in the atmosphere in which they created their magic and lived their lives, sometimes private, but most times public.

In this superb collection of Newman's work there are the famous photographs of Igor Stravinsky at his piano, Marilyn Monroe ('she was terrified of aging'), Carl Sandburg, Mickey Mantle, Truman Capote, Pablo Picasso, Frank Lloyd Wright, Sir Cecil Beaton, Diana Vreeland and many more. Each subject is part of a personality scape, accompanied with the trappings that made them famous.

Arnold Newman felt that a subject's environment illuminated the subject, and while many other photographers have followed his lead, Newman remained at the top of his genre. This book is an excellent tribute (though not published as such!) to an artist departed whose legacy will linger. Recommended. Grady Harp, June 06

I was entirely satisfied with the conditions of the book. The content is by clement greenberg, so it is very "greenbergian"...

Clement Greenberg was an art- historian and literary- critic who had major influence on the artistic world of his time. He is also a writer rich in ideas whose analyses and interpretations add new dimensions to the meaning of the works he interprets. In this work of collected essays he writes upon the forebearers of modernity, Renoir , Picasso, Braque, Soutine, Chagall . He also writes about more modern artists Marin, David Smith. He also writes on TS. Eliot, and on Kafka.
In a sense Greenberg was one of the critics who helped define ' modern art'. In this he equated modern art with the 'avant garde'. The avant garde artists were for him those for whom the subject of art had become art itself. The artists and poets he focused upon he understood as being without a kind of secure public that for a period of time in Western Art had supported the 'elite work' which is art. In this he saw Yeats, Rilke, Stevens as Rimbaud, Mallarme, and Valery poets whose real effort was in an effort to make a world of their own art- language and form.
We are now nearly half a century since Greenberg wrote these seminal essays. And it seems that while he may well have helped define a moment in the history of Art and even of Literature , Time and History have not stood still. And the question of a content in art and literature which comes from human life and experience, and too relates to our social reality is still with us, and has returned in greater strength. And this while it also possible to maintain that Greenberg's interpretative line really only partly defined the world of for instance a Stevens or a Yeats whose fictional and imaginative universes were too anchored in Key West and Sligo and other real spaces of our own dark beautiful and recalcitrant earth.

This is the best book of criticism of early/mid 20th C. art ever written, maybe the best one that ever will be written. it is the fundamantal text for the art of the period. Giving it 5 stars, or 10 stars, seems meaningless. If you want to know about the art of this time, look at the art, then read this book. After that you can get into the details.

Clement Greenberg does an excellent job of explaining how the individual and society experience and identify art. His essays on avante-garde, kitsch, and modernist painting are especially interesting, although his socialist "tendencies" tend to undermine objective discussion and mix art and politics (not always inseperable anyway, though). If you read Greenberg, you should also check out T.J. Clark, who takes issue with many of Greenberg's ideas.

As I read the novel, I could only picture the buildings, locations, and associations in my mind. David Morris has lifted the veil, and has given a new meaning and apprciation of the book. The great photographs, and the well-writtwen, meaningfull and very discriptive text, makes the book a "must buy" for anyone who has read the novel, and especiallyto one who is planning to read it. I can only hope that Mr. Morris is working on a similar companion book for "Angels and Demons". David, you must.

Excellent book! This book actually lets the reader see the places and pictures mentioned in Dan Brown's book The Da Vinci Code. It really helped bring the book to life. This book is a MUST HAVE whether or not you're reading The Da Vinci Code.

What a tremendous addition to a great work. As a published author and someone with an insatiable appetite for reading, I was, like so many others, mesmerized by The DaVinci Code. What a tremendous bonus to discover 'The Art and Mythology of the DaVinci Code by David Morris. If you attempt to conjure images while reading (don't we all?), this work is nothing short of remarkable. While well read, I am not well traveled, making this work all the more enjoyable. I found myself re-reading DaVinci!! Don't miss this masterpiece.

I have truly enjoyed every minute of it. The perpetual beauty of the book is remarkable. The perfect view and clearity of the pictures give you a 'being there' feeling; however, the knowledge that pours from the words are eqaully superb. Overall, this is a must have book to complete one's collection.

i am still waiting to receive this book
what happened?
why such a long wait?
thanks
M.A.

Guercio's exploration into the symbiosis of the artist's life and work will change the way art is viewed and appreciated.

The monograph theory is sound and very interesting. The jargon is wearying, however. Why do philosopher's seem incapable of writing clearly?

Although the monograph seems like an obsolete form, there are many reasons, art historical, political, and human, to rethink the genre today.
The author furnishes extraordinary primary research and delivers an important message that admiring artworks must incorporate a thorough knowledge of the life of the artist. This knowledge is mediated by the humble efforts of hundreds of years of chroniclers--art historians, critics, connoisseurs. Gabriele Guercio pays tribute to art and the science of art.

Punk is an art and Winston displays it as it is

Punk is an art and Winston displays it as it is

Winston's work to me is so amazingly awesome that I can not define how great the book is. Check it out for yourself and you will understand

Winston Smith takes retro drawings and paintings from thee original picture, and turns them into collages. Thee collages are intended to inform and amuse you. In thee opinion of me, Winston does with pictures what people like William S. Burroughs and Jello Biafra have done with words. Most of these pictures are very funny and very thought provoking. This book also makes for a great conversational piece for your coffee table or whatever. Also included are album covers he has done for Dead Kennedys, Green Day, Tijuana No! etc.. There is a four page pull-out of the banner for Tijuana No! and a two page pull-out for the cover to Dead Kennedys' album Bedtime for Democracy which you can find in thee music section of this site. I reccomend this book not only for punk rockers but for free thinkers of all shapes and sizes. There is so much to look at in one picture you can read this one again and again.

An excellent reference book concerning the work of Albert Paley. This book really drives at the esence of the sculptor's medium. Many fine examples of the artist's work are illustrated in black and white as well as full color pictures. This book does a great job of representing the scale of Paley's later public sculpture pieces and is a must have for any artist blacksmith.

One of the most inspirational metal artist's of the century. Very complete in it's cataloging.

Makes you want to go out and pound steel.

A great catalog of Albert Paley's work from his jewerly to his gates. Very detailed bio and great pictures. What an incredible American craftsman.

This is the only book that I've come across that presents the full spectrum of Albert Paley's work in crisp B/W and color photographs and that details a biography of the artist. My introduction to Paley came unexpectedly when at a function in the Wortham Center (Houston) I was greeted by his soaring Stairway Scuptures, which are included in this book. Paley goes beyond creating sculptures that stand as isolated works of art. His scuptures enhance the spaces in which they are placed and are themselves enhanced by those spaces. The author does a superb job of describing the experience of entering a vast architectural volume and the impact that Paley's monumental sculptures have by their positions within it. This book is the next best thing to having that experience for oneself. If you love Gaudi and other artists of the Art Nouveau movement, you will thoroughly enjoy this book.

The Art of Amy Brown is a great book, All the pictures of fatires and etc.. are perfect. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in her art.

This is absolutely exquisite, very fanciful, full of luschious details, and a book you can simply lose yourself in. I am pleased to have added this to my collection of fairy items; I do think it is pricey compared to other fairy and fairy tale art books. I do not yet have Vol. I but will be saving up for it.

It should go without saying that if you like faeries, Amy Brown or not, this is a choice book to keep around. Beautiful artwork, if you wanna pull the pages to frame (not recommended tho), or for reference of your own art abilities. You should get this, especially with Volume I.

Don't miss this book if you love Faeries, Amy's art is incredible, inspiring, out of this world.

If you liked The Art of Amy Brown I, you will love this one, where the designs are more colourful. If you don't have any, get the two book set that has just come out.

For those of us who are self-taught artists and look to the work of other artists for inspiration and guidance, Brian Bolland's work is, in a word, intimidating. One of the deans of comic book artists working today, Bolland's clear, clear, virtuoso style is one of the most recognizable on the comics page, and looking at his work - deceptively simple - you can't help but ask yourself "How did he do that?" The Art of Brian Bolland showcases Bolland's work and will no doubt have you asking the same question.

Published by Image Comics - which has produced a number of excellent "art of..." books over the past few years - The Art of Brian Bolland is a retrospective of Bolland's career thus far, starting with his childhood drawings and continuing to the present day. There is a lot of text in this book discussing Bolland's career but, unlike so many "art of..." books, Bolland himself actually wrote the text, and he is amazingly honest and quite droll in his writing.

While this book is certainly on the expensive side, it is well worth it - at more than 360 pages, it seems to stretch on forever (in a good way) and showcases just how talented Bolland truly is. A good number of the pieces center on his Judge Dredd and DC Comics (largely Wonder Woman) work; also, most of the work pictured is in black and white. The book itself is exceptionally well-produced: sturdy and hefty, it is printed on nice, glossy paper and all of the images are reproduced with exceptional clarity. Any fan of Bolland or of comic book art in general, should pick this book up. Highly recommended.

Very enjoyable ramble through all of his work, with lots of rambling thoughts and background thrown in. Gorgeous reproductions of some of my favourite images. Well worth the money!

I'm a bit biased here, being a longtime fan of Brian Bolland's work, but I loved this book. I've bought a few of these types of books and it's ususally a collection of artwork, but this book gets a bit personal with great interviews, family pictures and funny stories. You really get a sense of the man and his development as an artist throught the years.

Highly recommended.

This is easily my favorite art/illustration book of the last several years! Bolland is an outstanding illustrator and this thick hardcover book offers a very comprehensive look at his work over the course of his career, from obscure early art in UK underground comics to the beautiful covers he is doing these days for DC/Vertigo. The quality of the paper, binding and reproduction is top notch - a must for any serious fan of Bolland, modern comic art, or quality illustration generally!

Jessie Groeschen does an excellent job documenting chainsaw carving from the "Founding Fathers" (and Mothers) to modern day artists. She also includes summaries of some of the more prestigious events in this relatively unknown form of artwork. The biographies also include a plethora of pictures of each artist's works. To top it off the author provides a step by step pictorial to create your own chainsaw art. It would be a great coffee table book for chainsaw enthusiasts, art enthusiasts, and/or Pacific Northwest culture enthusiasts.

I am a collector of chainsaw art. My first purchase was back in 1986. I feel I can't have enough carvings. I even own a few pieces by a couple people featured in this book. Knowing some of their story makes it even more meaningful. I enjoyed the book and have it on our coffee table for others to enjoy.

I read this book cover to cover and in my opinion, no other chainsaw carving book allows the reader to feel as though they know the carvers the way that this book does! Jessie does a GREAT job at having the reader identify with the top carvers of our time! I've personally been carving for about two years and through reading about all of the various artists journeys, it has helped me to realize that someday, if I continue to work hard, I could actually meet some of these wonderful people! Jessie has made it clear that if you work hard and believe in your art, that a dream can become a reality! Thanks Jessie! Steve Rager...

I'm very happy to have this book, to show people who come to see my carvings, to inspire me, and to reinforce the idea that there are as many approaches to carving as there are carvers, and only a few of them involve bears.
The book is excellently produced, with great photos and entertaining text. I have met some of the carvers featured, and it's good to know more of their history and approach to carving.
For the record, there's one step-by-step in the book; Jessie showing how to carve a chair. If you want to learn how to carve, there are other books. But if you want to know why we carve, this is the one.