Abstract Books

The cornell architecture journal is really coming to maturity with its sixth issue. A school which has for a long time relied on its superb theoretical foundations presents here an intersection of theory with practice, a subject that must be adressed by more architects before the chasm between architects who use theory, and those who do not become too big to traverse. Buy this journal if you are an architect, and make Mark Pasnik's "Who's afraid of Architectural Theory" The first article in it you read.

The latest installment in the series of Cornell's journals of architecture raises the bar on student architectural work. Not only does this well put together journal wonderfully display student theses, its articles are well written and very relavent to the practice/study of the profession of Architecture.

I found this book to be both interesting and informative. The section writen by Jason Tapia was not only enlightning but extremely well written. As a Dean of Freshman, for a small college, I focus my attention on acedemic journals that are thought provoking and original!! I must say I was very impressed by the content of this journal!!

Despite the fact I thought I didn't like de Kooning's work I bought this book because it was cheap and short and the writing seemed fresh, clear and to the point. This book has completely turned me around on de Kooning and has given me just enough info to get a handle on the artist without buying a $50 book. His life, influences, main bodies of work and techniques are all covered. Short, sweet and succinct!

When I first got this book I was a little skeptical thinking an artist as gifted as de kooning couldnt be captured in a little book, particularly an artist in the abstract field. Glad to say I was wrong. The author accomplishes what she sets out to do:

- comprehensive overview of de kooning's life and works; - introducing non-lovers of abstract art (not me but friends) in a non-overbearing manner to the world of abstract art; - highlighting de kooning's major works.

Accomplishing the above in a small book the size of a cd that you can read in one airline flight is pretty impressive. Aftert reading it I felt I knew de kooning -- already one of my favorite artists -- even more than I did before and I will certainly get other books in this series on different artists.

A diligent experimenter and Abstract Expressionist who sometimes shocked, the Dutch born de Kooning was also a sculptor. After stowing away to America as an impoverished 22-year-old immigrant, this artist grew to become a leader in modern art, "a defining member of the most influential art movement created in the United States."
With the impact of his colors drawing gasps, he literally transformed the way many of us view our surroundings. Quite obviously, he had admiration for traditional Western art yet struck out on his own only to find the country floundering in the depths of a Depression.
Despite his lack of funds de Kooning "remembers the years of the Depression as nurturing, formative ones. A sense of shared community prevails, since everyone is poor and none of them is famous yet."

This is an extremely inspiring book, beautifully written with a tremendous number of color illustrations. It was worth every penny!

This is a wonderful, well written, interesting story of this first generation New York School painter's life and art. The illustrations are glorious and the writing is poetic. A perfect addition to any library and an ideal gift for any art lover!

I love this art style and so heartily appreciated Vicente's exquisite paintings. He veers in the direction of colors I prefer as well, using purples, violets and reds generously. I know I've bemoaned art books which aren't laid out well but this is not one of them. If all art books were published with this care and attention, I would never complain about layout again, in fact! Elizabeth Frank, the writer, does her usual exemplary job but, as usual, I was into it far more for just looking at the art work. If you hate abstract expressionism and/or the cover of the book, go no further. The cover is very representative of his overall style and color preferences.

Upon reading this book I have found that there is an undiscovered voice in American literature today. From murder mysteries to Hollywood blockbusters not many writers can contribute such a cornerstone of poetic social observations as this one. 'On Blessed Addicted' I feel has the energy to carry it's weight tenfold across the page and never have I thought I would be referring to a single poem as feverishly as I would refer to a billboard hit but this cat is the real deal. If yr on the bus then come on inside or just admire from afar, either way this first book by Franco Meoli is such a treat for lovers of the written word...

This book was the best i've ever read. I have an unbareably small attention span and therefore usally find it realy hard to get through most books, but this book i finished in a single sitting. I absolutely could not get enough.

this book changed my existence; after reading it, i was delivered from my mundane shelter of normalcy into a vast ever-widening abyss of pure spiritual indulgence. i recommend this work to any human being who has ever felt the need for something more.

Americans, unless you were lucky enough to see the Gerhard Richter retrospective that toured American museums a few years ago, this book may be your best opportunity to get acquainted with one of the best German painters of recent decades. The book was published in conjunction with an exhibit of Richter's "private paintings" in Nimes, France. Most of the paintings were done in an intense burst of creativity in 1995-1996. These paintings are chiefly abstracts, done in a bouquet of fragant colors. To my eyes, Richter's abstracts are a revelation of serene painterly beauty in a genre - abstract expressionism - that has more often revealed bizarre turmoil and depression. If I were to buy an abstract for my parlor wall, I'd hope to afford a Richter.

Richter didn't paint abstractions only because he had no recourse to realism and old-masterly brushwork. A number of the plates in this book show his competence at photo-like realism and Degas-like impressionism; the choice of style was his, according to the perceived subject.

Richter himself collaborated on the production of this book. The pages are small - roughly 7'x10' - but the quality of ink and paper is very high, and the colors are as vibrant as the originals. Gerhard Richter is a painter whose art will be around for a long time, and with luck you'll get to see it in the museum nearest your home sometime, but you won't go wrong by getting a preview of it from this splendid volume.

this is a summary of richter's recent oil paintings, with two critical essays. Although a few pre '90s paintings are shown (e.g. zwie grau, schaedel, some abstractes bild), most of the book covers the abstracted bilds and photo-paintings of 95-96. The 'realistic' works include several landscapes, lesende, works with flowers and the most excellent S. mit kind series. Also a rare self-portrait (836-10, 1996). Essays are 'the woman the child and the painting' by guy tosatto, and 'there is no there. gerhard richter at the carre d'Art in Nimes,' by Birgit Pelzer. printing is nice. we read that the artist was involved in the production of this very good buy.

I have been a Gerhard Richter book collector and art dealer for years now. Surprisingly enough, this was the 1st Gerhard Richter book I purchased and I have had a special place in my heart for it ever since. This little Gerhard Richter book is, for the money, well worth purchasing. In the under $50 range, this is one of the best Richter books on the market.

This is the finest Hofmann book I have seen.

The combination of hue clarity, nuance, and sharp focus of the plates acurately recreates the space of the paintings and really lets them sing.

The brush and knifework, even the weave of the canvases are all crystal clear in the reproductions.

This solidly constructed book is a work of art in itself.

This book deserves 7 stars. The plates are superlative, and the coloration is excellent. Coloration is a problem that plagues most books about Hofmann (among others). His use of reds and magentas can be difficult to reproduce with proper balance. Frequently, the results are that the plates appear somewhat anemic or the reds take on an exaggerated neon character that is hard on the eyes. Here, then, is a feast for the Hofmann enthusiast with nearly 300 pictures, practically all of them in exquisite color. This is an experience second only to actually viewing a Hofmann exhibit first hand. In my opinion, the plates alone make this book a worthy acquisition. But there's more.

Other particulars making this book a great addition to any bookshelf dedicated to Modern Art are five essays by Hofmann on art: "Plastic Creation", "The Search for the Real in Visual Arts", "The Resurrection of the Plastic Arts", "The Color Problem in Pure Painting" and "Sculpture". This is not to mention an excellent Introduction by Sam Hunter and wonderful essays by Tina Dickey and Frank Stella. Of course, there are the requisite features of a monograph: a brief (perhaps a little too brief, but who can complain at this point) chronology of Hofmann's life, and a selected list of exhibitions. Add to all of the above the attractive binding, a sturdy and handsome slipcase (which is what is pictured above), and what you have is a unique and appealing presentation of Hans Hofmann, his life, his work, his thoughts and his place in Twentieth Century Art.

This book is enthusiastically recommended.

I knew this would be a great book when I ordered it but when I received it I was overwhelmed by its quality, a slip-in hard cover and beautifully bound hard cover book inside.
It containes a large number of high quality colour plates (possibly all his work), and an excellent description of Hans Hofmann's thought processes in the introduction by Sam Hunter and as a bonus, 5 essays written by Hans Hofmann. A real asset for any artist who has an interest in the development and progression of abstract painting from the 1920's to 60's.

Informative book about the late author for elementary school level children. Also a great artist to study and try to replicate. My students have a blast learning about Jackson Pollock then creating their own splattered masterpiece!

I took last summer my two daugthers, age 6 and 9 to the Museum of Modern Art in New York. They loved it and each one choose her favorita artist. The younger one, Isabel, loved Picasso. Who doesn't?. My older daughter, Camila loved the american artist Jackson Pollock, she sat in front of his masterpiece One, admiring all that aparently no-sense. Its beautiful, she told me, and I sure can do that. She's not very good in art class and she felt identified with this painter's work. Wanting to explain his art I found a wonderful book, part of a series written by Mike Venezia about the great artists. In the case of Jackson Pollock, the author mixing words, comics and paintings explains in a fun way the wonders of the work of this artist. Pollock was the brother of a painter and went to study art as his brother did in New York, he tought he wasn't very good at it. But working and studyng with contemporary painters helped to create his personal style making him one of America's biggest contemporary artist. Try explaining that to your kid, don't bother. Mike Venezia will do the job.

Mike Venezia's Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists series is dedicated to the principle of introduction children to art and artists in fun ways. His primary way of doing that is to draw engaging cartoons that highlight not only biographical information about his subjects, but which also focus on key elements of the artist's work. That means this book about Jackson Pollock plays to Venezia's strengths, and he gets to do two jokes about using an eggbeater. If you count the front and back covers, Venezia gets to do nine of his cartoons, which may not be a record but it sure seems like one for this series, which also provides solid introductions to great artists from Da Vinci to Dali.

This book begins by pointing out that Pollock was one of hte greatest artists of the 20th century and that he was best known for huge paintings made by slapptering, throwing, and dripping paint onto this canvases. Then Venezia spends the rest of this informative and entertaining volume explaining how the latter leads to the former. Young readers learn how Pollock painted, what his work was called (Abstract Expressionism) versus what he called it (Action Painting), and how they emphasized emotions and energey rather than recognizable objects. The middle part of the books covers the key aspects of Pollock's life, but the best part is when Venezia details how Pollock developed his style, because that is where young readers are going to get a mini-education in art history.

Early on Pollock was trying to paint like Thomas Hart Benton, and Venezia contrasts Benton's "Arts of the West" with Pollock's "Going West," to show how that did not really work out. Paintings by Jose Clemente Oroczco and Pablo Picasso's "Guernica" also become reference points as Venezia traces the evolution of Pollock's art, culminating in "Blue Poles." The book touches on Pollock's unhappinesss without getting into detail, but that is appropriate for an introductory look at his life and art. In the end, Venezia underscores how Pollock was not just throwing paint around and that he knew exactly what he was doing. It is suggested that seeing Jackson Pollock's paintings in person is a good thing, so it is helpful that Venezia explains where the paintings in this book come from so you have an idea of where to go to see some of them (but be careful, because some of these references are for the works by the other artists).

Anyone who undertakes a study of Civil War medicine must begin with this introduction to the literature. Virtually every important publication about the subject is included. The annotations are brief but informative (and occasionally humorous---see the author's reviews of his own works).

I am familiar with many Civil War bibliographies and I find that this is the place to go if you want to find out something about Civil War medicine.

This is a very interesting list of works about medicine during the Civil War. The author has the knack of getting the essence of some very complicated publications. I found that this bibliography enabled me to enter the whole field.

The size of the book is a little small. However, the quantity and quality of the images is definitely worth the price.

This is one of the most beautiful and in-depth studies on the art of Paul Klee I have ever seen. The essays give wonderfully in-depth background on Klee's creative process, based on the study of the works that he kept for his personal collection. In many of these works we find the archetypes that informed most of his very personal and highly expressive iconography. The works in the exhibition, 80 works, are all top-quality Klee, and offer a well-rounded selection of works created during his most prolific and creative period (1917-1933). But there are also works included up to 1939, as well. Prestel has really outdone themselves in this incredibly splendid publication. The design, printing, and quality of manufacturing are all first-rate, and the price is astonishingly low...even the Amazon list price is a bargain, and this superior volume is discounted even more. Anyone with an interest in 20th Century art will absolutely want to own this gorgeous book, and if you are a fan of the work of Klee, as I am, you will find it an indispensible addition to your library.

I found a few color repros in this book that I haven't seen in other books.I like most of the selections with the exception of a few that look like Kandinsky.Yet, I prefer the Kandinskys that are similar to Klee.I have a large collection of postcards of Klee from museums,I am always on the lookout for Klees that I haven't seen The reproductions are very good.I have over 40 books on Klee. I have visited the Klee Foundation collection in Berne.The Klees in the Philips collection + MOMA and the Guggenheim,.Lenbachaus (Munich)I went to MOMA's Klee exhibition awhile back...you had to wait in line to see each piece.This book is well worth the price .Others have commented on the high quality of the design of the book.The essays are a worthwhile read.Especially the piece on the presentation of Klee's work, his method of mounting drawings and watercolors,sometimes adding color to the border of a work,His mounting of paper over burlap. Only a few books reproduce the work with the frame showing.. This discussion is something that is not found in the plethora of literature on Klee. Number one mentions Klee's extensive influence on modern painters. They fail to mention Picasso, (from a Picasso museum catalogue) ---"Picasso did many of the drawings for Guernica after meeting Klee in Suisse,that may have been influenced by Klee".They do discuss the culture of experimentation that both artists shared.To really understand Klee it is a good idea to buy every book you can on this wonderful artist. A pervasive attitude during the fifties was:the work is a secret..My problem in buying books : I read the essays right away..the first day.In this case 36 pages. The fifteen dollars is still worthwhile because of the gorgeous plates of Klee's work.I continue to look at the work more than any prolix essays.The type of soft cover of this type holds up well over time.This is a book you can take to bed with you and study a painting ..and pleasantly send you off to dream land!

This book was definitely more than I expected with it's vibrant pictures and outstanding content. It gives you an in-depth peek into the world of Playboy above and beyond the photos. I also found the simple black hardcover to be very discreet.

This book is well put together with beautiful pictures. The pictures are high quality and this book is really a conversation starter! The Playboy book began with pictures of Marilyn Monroe, which I have never seen before and they are beautiful. One thing that was disapointing were some of the stories. The print was so small that you could not read the story, only the captions. Another thing to watch out for is the dust jacket. It's very easy to see any small marks and the gold scratchs off easily. Keep it in a cloth to protect it. I recommend this book to everyone, even if you've never read a Playboy magazine!

Although Playboy is what it is, and because of the reason why many people purchase the magazine, there needs to be an understanding of the true content of the magazine through the years. Remember that the magazine is usually only 20% sex and nude women. That leaves 80% every month to be used for art, technology, controversial editorials, interviews, etc. This tome is huge and heavy, and I'm glad it takes the reader through a tour of 50 years of the COMPLETE world of Playboy. If you only want naked women, don't buy this - buy either "The Playmate Book" or "Blondes", "Brunettes", or "Redheads".