Artists Books

This book has the absolute best reproductions of Bosch's surreal masterworks, plus a boatload of other images that help demystify the peculiar themes and images that have dazzled art lovers for so long. It gives the artist a human face without taking anything away from the art.

My only complaint would be that the layout is a bit cumbersome(it is annoying to be on page 194 and have to look back at figure 2A on page 3)and at times the text can be a bit hard to wade through. That being said, I urge anyone interested in Bosch to face the text head on, stick to it, and you will not be disappointed.

I've always been fascinated by Hieronymus Bosch's work, but I've never been satisfied with reproductions. In this book there are amazing reproductions that aren't too small or too dark or too fuzzy. The close-ups of Bosch's works are great. They really let you see the minutiae - the brushwork, attention to detail and the sheer amount of activity going on in his paintings. Well worth the cost - if you buy on book about Bosch, it should be this one.

Hieronymus Bosch History of world's art knows a very few artists whose contribution can be compared to Hieronymus Bosch's
oeuvre-this enigmatic Flemish master has set bar extremely high,& only Pieter Bruegel The Elder & perhaps Francisco Goya were able to expose real truth about human nature with almost equal depth and conviction-and today apocalyptic and sarcastic paintings of Hieronymus Bosch are as modern as ever...
This particular book about Hieronymus Bosch is arguably one of the best amongst countless attempts to capture elusive magic of this old Flemish painter, and spectacular quality of art reproduction can take you as close to the original painting as you can possibly get, so there is very little left between mesmerizing Revelations of Hieronymus Bosch and reader of "Hieronymus Bosch" by Larry Silver.

This is a beautiful art book. If you are a fan of Bosch you will relish the gorgeous color plates and the insightful window into this artist's life. Very well done!

Ho trovato questo libro molto ben fatto.
Le riproduzioni sono bellissime e ognuna e' dettagliatamente ed analiticamente spiegata.
Lo consiglio vivamente

Loved the selection and quality of the prints. Great as a gift to someone who is interested in the subject

There are too few book editions of the print series of Hiroshige. There are a few books featuring his "100 Views of Edo" such as the excellent one by Uspensky which I own; a smallish paperback version of the first edition of "53 Stations of the Tokaido" by Muneshige Narazaki; and a book featuring his early bird and flower prints. This book by Marije Jansen is a fine and welcome addition to the few books we have.
The book illustrates Hiroshige's "Rokujuyoshu Meisho Zue", "The Famous Views of Sixty-odd Provinces", meaning "more than sixty provinces". The prints featured are from the first edition set owned by Professor Gerhard Pulverer, and were once owned by Frank Lloyd Wright. The introduction features the ubiquitous biography of Hiroshige, followed by an overview of his well known landscape series, an overview of the Provinces series illustrated, a discussion of the format used, later editions of the series, and an explanation regarding the Pulverer prints.
After the introduction, there is a map of Japan showing the locations of every print in the series. The map, and the accompanying key on the opposite page, show that the prints were arranged geographically.
The main body of the book has explanatory text and images on the left hand pages, with a full page print from the series on the right. There are 70 prints. These include the table of contents print, 68 prints of the Provinces, and a print of the capital Edo (#17).
The author gives a brief explanation of each print and what it depicts. A great deal of research has been done on the historical, artistic, and literary background of each scene.
In the upper left of the text page there is factual information on the date, the censors, the block-cutter, and the publisher. The location of the various seals is explained for every print. At the bottom of every text page is a smaller version of the print keyed to a description of how later editions degraded in quality. These include things like poorer colors, missing colors, loss of wood grain, etc. There are usually 10-12 items described per print. This is invaluable for collectors and artists studying wood block printing.
Unlike his prints of the Edo and Fuji environs, and his Tokaido series, Hiroshige did not visit all the locations shown. He was one of the first Japanese landscape artists who actually did make prints from sketches of places he actually visited. It was customary for artists to use the sketches or verbal descriptions of others to make prints, and many of the prints in this series were taken from the guidebook "Sansui Kikan" by Fuchigami Kyokko (26 of the prints), as well as other sources. The prints are wonderful however.
The images are large and beautiful, and this book will give you many hours of enjoyment. You'll want to look through the prints again and again. I know I do.

the book is totally wonderful! completely met my expectations. i couldn"t be happier with it or the service.

I had a school assignment for reporting the life of a contemporary female artist, and while browsing through the National Museum of Women in the Arts' website I ran into Hollis Sigler's work. I was greatly impressed by her art and her courage. I purchased the book and it is a wonderful memorial to Sigler, who embraced her fate and empowered herself by raising awareness of this devastating disease. The vibrant images and sensitive introduction by the artist are worth the money. I highly recommend it.

Creating art work that passes on a political message, that is spawned in part from social awareness, is almost impossible to do well. Holly was always an artist first, and the paintings and drawings in this book testify that she broke the rules to become the exception--while rendering her rage over her breast cancer she transcended it to make a thoroughly beautiful body of work.

Hollis Sigler has created a visual language, easily learned and powerfully understood, using images of a woman's everyday life to portray wildly varying emotions of a woman diagnosed with re-occurring cancer. "Hollis Sigler's Breast Cancer Journal" show's Hollis' own incredible strength in living and painting life to the fullest while concurrently fighting serious illness. Her drawings and paintings reflect the experiences of women living with breast cancer and those who care for them, while providing a means of immediate, almost organic emotional understanding to their families, neighbors, and friends. Hollis is brave, powerful, and very much attached to life. Her struggles are all of ours: through her art we learn to better understand ourselves. From 1994-1997 The Society for the Arts in Healthcare (SAH) sponsored with the National Museum of Women in the Arts a national tour to 24 hospitals of replicas, donated by Polaroid Corporation, of 14 Hollis Sigler drawings and painting about living with breast cancer, all of which now appear in "Hollis Sigler's Breast Cancer Journal." Hollis' powerful images provided a vehicle for patients and families, doctors and nurses, visitors, medical students and non-professional staff to consider breast cancer from a visually articulate patient's point of view. Kathy Miller of the Cancer Wellness Center in Northbrook, IL wrote at the time about the art and Hollis Sigler: "The art is thought-provoking for people of all ages and in all stages of health....Women have a lot in common -- her work says it all." Hollis Sigler's work is important, a series of visual statements with the same emotional validity as the writings of Elisabeth Kubler-Ross or the choreography of Bill T. Jones. I have shown some of Hollis' images which appear in this book during arts-in-healthcare talks to medical students in Ohio, patients in New York, and healthcare professionals in Japan. The images have always met with visual and emotional appreciation and immediate understanding from the audience. From the standpoint of this particular reader and member of the Arts in Healthcare movement, "Hollis Sigler's Breast Cancer Journal" is a Must Read!

This book is a success story, not in the sense of finding a tidy, happy resolution to a difficult biography, but of illuminating both the human capacity to act bravely and forcefully and the power of art to communicate about impossibly difficult things. "On the wall of deadly silence about the disease, I aimed to hang my Breast Cancer Journal. This work was an outcry." And it still is. Breast cancer is an immense epidemic, affecting more people than AIDS, yet it gets far less attention. It is just as complicated emotionally because of the way that death shadows it and the blows it deals to the literal form of femininity. Through her quirky, poignant, personal art, Sigler depicts a universal experience of how it feels to live with disfiguring disease, with loving others while ill oneself, with ignorance, with the trauma of treatments more drastic than the disease. She deals with the loneliness of illness and with the power of art to communicate, to create community, to produce social action. This is an instructive, inspiring and truly spiritual book.

Lanford Monroe's paintings are sensitive and ethereal. She had the ability to evoke a place and a moment in time that either makes you want to go there, or will help you remember a special place you've loved.

While she would be classified as a wildlife artist, her animals don't take center stage. It's as if you were present at a beautiful place and a fox or deer appeared suddenly. The setting was perfect without the addition - but what a gentle surprise a moose, chickadee, or flock of geese adds to the view.

Her rendering is nearly perfect, but the paintings never appear to be photographic. They convey a painterly quality that gives an effect a photo will never have.

This is the book I keep handy for moments when I can sit and, through the pages, travel to places that look much like my home in West Virginia. Or I can see just how the desert or a canyon would look. The text shows Lanford as a warm, down-to-earth person who had an incredible gift. Thanks to her husband for sharing her art and stories of their lives with us.

Being a long time art collector and gallery owner, I believe Lanford Monroe was one of the most talented artists of all times. Sadly, I did not discover her works until after her death. This book covers more of her artwork than I even expected. The photography was fantastic and the text very informative. Since I cannot afford any of Lanford's art, this book is the next best thing. My thanks to the Monroe family for sharing Lanford with the rest of the world.

First of all, in the interest of full disclosure, I should say that the late Lanford Monroe was a part of my "extended family by marriage" (the cousin of my brother-in-law, to be precise). As such, my opinion is hardly unbiased. Until recently I had seen only a small sampling of Lanford's work. She was actually a very prolific artist and this handsome volume is a fabulous overview of her life's work. Lanford was truly one of the great landscape artists of our time. I highly recommend this book.

"Homefields: The Art of Lanford Monroe" is a "must-have" for any artist or aspiring artist. The late Lanford Monroe was an astoundingly talented artist whom I admired for her mystique and unusual ability to capture the emotion of a scene, not just the landscape. This book, written by my good friend and her husband, Chip Thompson, is one of my most prized possessions. The writing is remarkably captivating in its honest portrayal of the life of a woman who was destined to become one of America's all-time greatest painters. [...]

Excellent book. Great photos. I bought his posters way back in the early 80's. Good to see some ink on Pete Eastwood. My copy has already been well lloked at.

Robert Williams younger years are examined here and the influence of the car culture
and motorcycle culture on his art of the period and later. I liked the book,
as it exposes more of the man than his rather outre` work reveals.
I wish that more of his hot rod themed paintings had been included, as it is
mostly photos of Robert and his cars.
A helpful book if you're trying for a more rounded understanding of this
painter in relationship to his era.
His work from the period was more furious, than the ironic and fantastic
paintings of later years.
Reboundspring

I'm married 28 years to a hot rod guy. He always told me Robert Williams was "da man." Now, having read thru this excellent art-infused history-biography, I know why. Williams imagines, then creates. Nothing holds him back. In that way he's true to the spirit of hot rodding. His stories are highly entertaining, the art is spellbinding, and the overall organization of the book is first rate. Can't ask for much more than that! Totally and highly recommended.

The Hot Rod World of Robert Williams is quite a book. For Williams fans and car buffs alike, this title delivers a pile of steaming hot information, art and vintage photographs in an entertaining format. But like the man himself, there is nothing typical about this book.

What we have here is an illustrated family album with dialog that sounds like it was recorded sitting around the kitchen table. Robert and Suzanne Williams are two very knowledgeable, articulate and funny people, with the inside skinny on the outlaw car and art worlds. These folks grew up after WWII when the teen car scene was in its infancy; they built their own cars, partied, fought and raised hell with the rough kids, and placed their own marks on the car (and art) culture. In this book, Robert and Suzanne explain what real hot rodders were doing as they show the evolution of the cars they built.

But understand, this is not a sanitized version, a tale of rich man collectors, or the Golden Book of Car Show Winners. Even within their circle of friends, Robert and Suzanne's cars and ideas were not typical. For those familiar with Robert's contribution as a trouble maker, innovator and leader in the art world, it is interesting to note that even within a group of car and biker outlaws, this guy was different, a radical who pursued his own ideas, often in the face of derision. And Suzanne is clearly his partner in crime.

While others were chopping and welding together steel street rats, fabricating racecars, or designing from scratch exotic show cars, the Williams carefully planned, cut and built cars that were true hot rods yet preserved the integrity of the original vehicle. Then when their cars were assembled, upholstered and beautifully finished, the couple eschewed the usual high gloss paint jobs and mag wheels, driving and displaying their cars instead in glorious dull primer! Years later, when flat primered hot rods became a SoCal fad, Robert restored his car's original rumble seat and had it painted in an outrageous early race car style with an obnoxious color scheme of purple and chartreuse (!), once again offending most of the car boy purists. Why?

Buy the book and see....

It's a great read, a fun ride, and, along the way, all will be explained.

I am a re-creator of medieval illuminations for modern use. This reference contains some very interesting illustrations in the borders, scenes of people working, and charming little references to tools and such. I'm enjoying this book as a source of inspiration for my artwork.

considering this small book is printed at the orignal scale, the details are astonishing. the printing quality delievers the art work right to your hands. it is a superb full color reproduction. the introdution is an indepth study of the history of the two original copies and the process of reconstruction of the book. the related history, manuscript making of the time are well studied.

however, the published book does not translate the Latin text in to any language i can understand. but, i guess, the text is just explaining what the picture is, which the editor always gave a longer explaination paragraph for every picture in the book, in modern eyes.

this is one of the best reproduced manuscript available today.

One doesn't need to be Christian to fall in love with this book. Each tiny painting is rich in detail and imagination. There is not one careless or unnecessary brushstroke. The artists who produced this work did the very best in their power and each image glows with their intention. There is a wonderful awkwardness in many of the human figures, but the natural and imaginal worlds are depicted with loving fidelity. This is religious art that stands with miniatures from India and Persia as some of the greatest art ever created for an intimate scale.

First published in 1966, The Hours Of Catherine Of Cleves is a wonderfully beautiful work that reproduces a fifteenth-century illuminated manuscript featuring unforgettably beautiful Bible illustrations of scenes from the Old and New testaments. These artworks were originally created for Catherine of Cleves on the occasion of her marriage to the Duke of Guelders. Each page of this splendidly illustrated book is accompanied by the commentary of John Plummer, who offers insight and a descriptive vibrancy to the splendor of the illustrations. A treasure to read, view, and absorb, The Hours Of Catherine Of Cleves is recommended for Christian Studies and Christian Art History collections.

This book is a nice break from the popular "list of resources" type of book available to artists seeking career clarity. The author is actually a very skilled writer and is quite funny and creative in his meandering tale of how he became uber-wealthy making art. The book tells you specifically the critical elements necessary to create hype and sell your work. The ultimate path that this artist takes would be difficult to recreate for most. But by reading this book you should get some bright ideas of your own. It was a fun read.

This book was really entertaining. I was sad when I finished reading it as I enjoyed every anecdote, every story. Innis not only imparts his philosophies of art and artist, but gets into the nitty gritty of how to put it all together to make a living as an artist and become internationally famous. Make sure to read the introduction, as it tells you what you can expect life to feel like as a famous artist-its not what you may be expecting. He also describes other roads that artists often take to try and make it and explains why they don't work; he knows because he tried many of them first hand. The step by step path that he lays out is so clear and clever it was shocking, and struck me as completely achievable. Get this book; its funny and it gives you what you're looking for and more. I'll be keeping my copy around for future re-reading.

That want to be able to sell their work. Innis lays down a lot of information, and he has some strong opinions. While you might not agree with all he has to say, he offers straight forward advice and no holds barred points of fact.

Besides all that, it is just an interesting book to read and fun too. He offers some tips on how not to be a "pigeon" (fat lazy birds that beg and simply follow the crowd) that are just good advice and can be applied to endeavors other than painting. His writing is humorous and often blasts certain types of thinking and institutions.

He gives advice on what kind of materials he feels are best, plus tips on how to arrange certain things in you life to be able to paint.
His plan on how to launch your career is straight forward, simple to understand and seems very realistic. The hard part is the work. This is no "pie in the sky" method, Innis insists that a painter have 2 or 3 hundred paintings under their belt before presenting work to the buying public. He wants the artist to be a good draftsman before trying to paint. He wants the artist to use a professional writer and a professional photographer to create a catalog of work. He doesn't offer any "secret" tricks here, just a solid method to becoming a professional well paid artist.

The one area of disagreement I have is that he is a little to emphatic when it comes to certain materials. He advocates using acrylics on inexpensive canvas with large brushes. While that is fine for many types of work, it simply doesn't cut it with others such as the seascapes I tend to paint. I use fine linen (yes it is 200 bucks a roll but it feels so nice) and I use expensive oil paints (the colors and the strengths of pigments make it worth it). I also use many small brushes for detail work. But these differences don't really effect the reading of the book, he just gives his reasons why he uses and prefers the types of materials he uses. He does make a really good point about staying away from watercolor and I have to agree 100 per cent on this.

All in all, for any one that is seriously considering trying to launch a career in painting, a career --not a weekend at the park selling 25 dollar paintings-- then this book is a must read and I highly recommend it.

One of those gotta-have books for the artist. I laughed my way silly as I read through this book and pestered my friends with quotes from it for months! Unless you're married to an abstract expressionist who makes their living with grant money, you'll think it's funny and right-on too. He's sarcastic, biting and not a little cranky when it comes to Academic, Museum and Gallery commentaries. But hey - my experience as an artist has been pretty much the same, so I can't fault him for tellin' it like it is. And he does it with buckets of humor.

I guess you would call Joe a modern impressionist painter - if you want a classification for him. So he comes from a realist point of view rather than an abstract one. However, Joe is certainly not anti-abstract, he's just anti-pretensiousness (I made that word up I think?). Joe's been there and done that. He spills his guts and lets us know what works and what doesn't on the way to becoming a well-known and successful artist. I have no doubt, if you have talent and the guts to follow his program you can make a very nice living as an artist.

Highly recommended.

we borrowed this book from the library and we fell in love with it. when it was time to return it my little girl cried, so now we own it. it truley is a great story.

A cute and heart worming story about a girl and her Grandmother. I love this book with all my heart. The book was fantastic!

One of my first grade students brought this book into school one day. I read it and decided I had to have it. Lois Wyse wrote a humorous story perfect for a Grandparents' Day Celebration or just for casual reading for children of all ages.

I only checked this book out from the library because the cover illustration included some dinosaur fossils (my son is always looking for new dino books), but I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this story of a girl taking her grandmother on a visit to the Museum of Natural History.

Molly is accustomed to going to "Interesting Places" with her grandmother, but after a school field trip to the Museum of Natural History, she is delighted to realize that at last, she has found an Interesting Place her grandmother has never visited. She offers to take Grandma to the Museum and takes charge, right down to reminding Grandma of the importance of comfortable shoes and using the bathroom before leaving the house.

The illustrations are drawings incorporating photos of items on exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History (NY), which I thought was a nice touch. Molly and her grandmother visit many exhibits--dinosaurs, Africa, the Arctic, ocean life, rocks, bugs, human biology, the Ice Age--and their conversation about what they see presents many interesting facts without sounding too didactic.

This might have a bit too much text for younger readers/listeners, but there are plenty of interesting pictures to look at. A fun read for both me and my 4 1/2 year old son.

I have been a casual fan of Giger for some time, but never actually got around to buying any of his work, aside from his calendars. This book serves as a fantastic summary of his life's work and manages to be very informative in its short span.

I wasn't sure if I was a big enough of a fan to buy his larger books, but after this one I'm quite excited about doing so.

Giger's work has incredible visual impact. He was the designer for the first Alien movie. He created that ambiguity of biota and machine. This book, with less concern for censorship, drives those images far beyond what the theaters can accept.

I read this book with a choked fascination. Giger uses all of his technical mastery in depicting landscapes of torment, eroticism, deformity, and beauty. This world is peopled by multiple beings, fused by birth, by force, or by carnality. His work reminds me of Druillet, where every scene is packed from edge to edge with bizarre detail. Giger goes beyond Druillet with his realistic style, making his monochrome worlds so much more convincing.

Although the Amazon web site lists Timothy Leary as a co-author, he just provides a one-page introduction. It's good, and it's Leary, but Leary fans shouldn't get their hopes up too far.

If you like Giger's work, as I do, this is an incredible collection. (If the imagery is too much for you, I understand.)This book also provides autobiographical notes, but I take those about as seriously as I take Salvador Dali's. It's the pictures that matter.

//wiredweird

If you just like flipping through art books for their pictures, this is a definte one that will keep you flippin' through the pictures. Another excellent look at how Giger views things.

This book is an excellent brief introduction to the life and art of H.R. Giger. It features plates of some of his most well-known works, as well as examples of his sketches, pen and inks, and other media. For someone who has taken an interest in Giger, but is not ready to invest in his larger, more complete books, this is a perfect starting point.

Robert Williams is one of the few bright lights in today's art world. Combining a staggering imagination with a powerful illustrative style, his works provoke and antagonize the viewer like no others, and demand scrutiny.

This book shows the evolution of this mad genius by taking us through all of his cartoons, comics, and illustrations, (no paintings) from his first commercial drawings to recent times. It is very interesting to see these after becoming familiar with his oil paintings. The quality of the various items within varies widely, from very crude, to masterly.

Some of his comics are extremely smuttty and raw, much more than most of his paintings even. But if you have a sick sense of humor, you'll appreciate them. If you're not familiar with his work, I'd recommend "Views From a Tortured Libido" or "Malicious Resplendence" as your first Robert Williams book.

If you like (or are a fan of) Robert Williams, or under ground comics, this is an amazing book. Buy it!

Robert Williams' comix are amazing. Very violent & vulgar, but amazingly executed. I prefer his black & white comic work over his oil paintings any day. Unforntunately his comic output is pretty small. Nonetheless the several comics presented here are amazing. Extremely detailed and bizarre and they ooze with a feeling of being high.
My personal favorite tale is "Mentor in the Mentor Jar". Insane ideas such as 'Gorilla Women of the Third Reich', Atrillo Trilobite and the fate of 'Mr. Baldpubis' puts Robt. Williams in a class all of his own.
Years ago I went and bought all the individual ZAP comics when i learned Mr. Williams did comic work. These issues are great for you can see the work of the other underground greats, but Hysteria in Remission presents Williams' work in a lovely LARGE format (even at the size, the detail boogles my grey matter) and on beautiful glossy paper rather than fading pulpy newsprint grade paper.
Get this book for the insane-ness, the fantastic execution in india ink and completeness of Williams' comic work (early days all the way up to model sheets for an animated series, Jack Clum, Dream interpreter done in 2001.
a great piece of work from Fantagraphics - THANK YOU.
Now i need to save up some cash to purchase MALICIOUS RESPLENDENCE....

This book has everything. The perfect, comprehensive companion to Fantagraphics' 1998 collection, MALICIOUS RESPLENDENCE. MALICIOUS has all of the paintings, while HYSTERIA has all of the comix and illustration. It is astounding how provocative and powerful this work is, and that so much of it has been allowed to slip out of print over the last 25 years despite Williams's extraordinary success in the fine art world. His comics bulge (as Jim Woodring says, "often literally") with greater imagination than even his paintings, what is amazing is how few people are doing comics like this anymore. There may have never been a better pure draughtsman in comics, his work rivals Crumb and even classic strip artists like Hal Foster or illustrators like Howard Pyle, but what truly sets Williams apart is the sheer visceral force of his imagery. If anything lives up to the old cliche of, "This will blow your mind," it's HYSTERIA IN REMISSION.