Cultural Arts Books

Michael Wenberg's engaging and entertaining Elizabeth's Song is based upon the legendary African-American folksinger, guitarist and songwriter, Elizabeth "Libba" Cotten, and is beautifully enhanced with the superbly crafted artwork of Cornelius Van Wright. Elizabeth is an 11-year old girl who teaches herself to play guitar left-handed on a borrowed instrument. Eventually, she earns enough money to guy a guitar of her very own and is inspired to write her first folk song "Freight Train", which would go on to become a popular classic. It was Elizabeth's unique style of left-handed playing (upside down and backwards) that gave rise to the term "cotton-picking", and emerged as a guitar playing technique that would inspire a generation of musicians. Elizabeth's Song is a wonderful and prized addition to any family or community library picture book collection, and is especially recommended for an elementary school library's Black History collection.

Elliot Erwitt continues to show the humor in how humans are so closely related to the canines. Fortunately for the canines, they appear to be the more intelligent of the two.

Emergence is one of the best theatre history books, I've found. If you're not satisfied with other histories, like Brockett, this well-researched and insightful book will clarify one of the most exciting periods in the American theatre.

So were the words of master painter Jacques-Louis David at the untimely death by smallpox at age 24 of his finest pupil Jean-Germain Drouais: the mutual impact these two painters from the Revolutionary period of France in the mid 1780s was one so palpable that it permeates this magnificent volume by gifted writer Thomas Crow. The original edition of this book was from the year 1995, but this current release is enhanced and expanded and is brought to us through the auspices of The Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles.

Crow writes so well that this heavy scholarly document becomes like a novel in his hands. He guides us through the politico-social changes that created such a massive upheaval in France (a subsequently the rest of the world) when monarchy was overthrown by common man to begin the era of democracy. This alteration of the ruling class as the 'father' of the people struck society in various ways. As Crow draws from this phenomenon he shows how important the loss of the father figure was to artists. Each of the three main artists Crow details in this volume - David, Drouais, and Girodet - lost their true fathers at an early age and Crow demonstrates through biographical data and sketches and paintings just how much of an impact these events had on the change in painting that became the norm for neo-classicism.

The book abounds in full color and black and white illustrations of the paintings, drawings, sketches, and prints of the painters of this time. And while Crow walks us through the period of change, sharing provocative examples of the vision of these painters in their reflection of and recreation of myth and history, he always keeps us tuned to the effects of the revolutionary mind on the influences of the painters.

For this reader the chapter titled 'Too Beautiful for a Man' is the quintessential statement of the book and its purpose. Here are paintings such as Girodet's 'The Revolt of Cairo', 'Scene from a Deluge', and his portrait of the 'endowed' Jean-Baptiste Belly'; Guerin's 'Aurora and Cephalus'; and David's 'Leonidas at Thermopylae'. These paintings are each homages to the magnificence of the male physique. A similar study is presented in the chapter called 'The Wounded Warrior' in which Crow first shows us an image of the 200 BC statue of 'The Dying Gaul' and then proceeds to unveil paintings by Drouais (who only painted six canvases in his brief lifetime) of 'The Dying Athlete', 'The Seated Gladiator', 'Philoctetes on Lemnos', and 'Marius at Minturnae', each of which captures the agony of man as well as the beauty of the masculine form.

Crow ends his well-documented book with a chapter on the painters such as Gericault who were obviously influenced by this school of French painters. His summation is riveting. This is a fine book on important painters: it is also a fine book on the history of the impact of the Revolutionary times. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, June 06

As is the case with many books compiled from excellent work created by diverse authors, this book could warrant a review of each chapter. The book covers the fifth through the sixteenth centuries, from Ireland to Italy and the Mediterranean, and is compiled into three sections based on date(s) covered by the articles.

This tome discusses the distinctions of levels of society as delineated by clothing, the development of the textile industry, and the use of textile analogies in period literature. It examines textile depictions found on monuments, in sculpture, in paintings, and on manuscripts. But in its fourteen chapters this volume manages to convey a cohesive and encompassing view of textiles in the medieval period. It offers the reader not only interesting facts, but the authors' excellent work convincingly connects the dots so as to give clothing a life of its own in the context of the times.

Chapters such as Dressing the Part, From Content to Form and Marie de France's Bisclavret deliver both sides of the coin: we are what we wear as well as wearing what we are entitled due to class structure. Without clothes, Bisclaveret is a wolf, un-recognizable; with clothes he is a nobleman, although Gloria Thomas Gilmore discusses the balance of both sides of the coin. Does form follow function, or is function a result of the form?

In Christ as a Windblown Sleeve, Margarita Yanson explores the changing costumes within Gottried von Strassburg's Tristan where changes in clothing mark the complexity of the main character, Tristan. Simularly, in As Proud as a Dog in a Doublet, Linda Anderson sees costume as an integral part of the play. On the other hand, The Margaret Fitzgerald Tomb Effegy comments on the strong nationalism in the dress of the late 15th and early 16th centuries, when adherance to national norms was seen as akin to patriotic act, and changing one's dress could be seen as treason and situates the effegy within the context of the time.

The chapters written by the editors are pivotal and act to anchor the rest of the book. Snyder's work discusses not only the sculpural forms in the column-figures and document seals in great detail, but in discussing the dress pictured from England to Germany it provides both an overview and excellent detail. Inserted between two chapters that draw from literary sources, the sharp images of the columns offer the mind a break as the detail is made visible to the eye as well as to the mind. Désirée Koslin's chapter touches on materials, dyes, weaving, finishing and meaning of cloth and clothing. Even through its title the final chapter is an overview and a case study. In many ways, it rounds out and sums up the book in a very satisfactory manner.

From art and legal manuscripts to archeological evidence and period documents the authors describe dress and its importance in great detail. The rich description plus the illustrations paint a lucid image of the clothing of the time in detail suitable for recreating the costumes discussed, while the discussion of the meaning of such explores timeless issues regarding the role of clothing and cloth in society and the lives of individuals. Black and white images throughout illustrate the chapters, and a seven page glossary makes terms that may be unfamiliar to some understandable without reaching for the dictionary, and a comprehensive index makes revisiting bits of information a breeze. Although this book is aimed at the student of the medieval period, and specifically at someone interested in the dress of the period, those interested in philosophy and dress in general can see parallels throughout the ages making this a book of value. Reading this book has made me think about dress more closely, not only in a historical context, but also while people-watching, and in movies such as the Matrix trilogy where dress has layers of meaning.

About the Book :
The present encyclopaedia in seven volumes gives exhaustive descriptions of mythical, legendary and poetic traditions related to art, religion, culture and literature. Volume One throws lucid light on the Celtic mythology, which tells about the Gaelic gods and their stories and also about the British gods and their tales. Volume two has dealt with the development of the early myths, beliefs, customs and habits of life of the Teutonic people. Volume Three speaks of the mythical and legendary tales of Egypt, Volume Four deals with the abundant storehouse of Sanskrit literature and the rise and growth of Brahmanism, Buddhism, Jainism, etc., besides the manifestations of the Hindu deities and their artistic forms, and also narrates the story of Nala and Damayanti and the two great epics of the Hindus³the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Volume Five gives a survey of the ancient Crete civilization, its art, mythology and literature, besides the cultural activities. Volume Six gives a vivid description of the myths and legends of Babylonia and Assyria, Volume Seven has dealt with the religious practices of the pre-Columbian America, the habits of life and growth of civilization. This multivolume set has been profusely illustrated, to add graphic value to the factual data it contains.

I just received this wonderful, new book within the past few days and have enjoyed reading all the entries. In his Introduction, Mr. Oweis states: "I see this book as an attempt at writing our own histories and creating our own narratives." He succeeded as this book is THE monumental work in its field and Fayeq Oweis is to be congratulated for his efforts.

He profiles about 100 Arab-American artists and organizations. The book is replete with B&W photos of the artists and their works as well as several pages in color. Each profile provides the vital statistics of the artist, their preferred medium/media, a biography, a description of their work, a listing where one can review the artist's works, and the resources used in the writing of the profile. After the profiles, the book has a section on Resources on Arab American Artists and Arab Culture in the US; a Selected Bibliography; a Materials Index; and, a standard Index to the references and names appearing within the book. If you're an Arab American or interested in art, do not pass this by.

great for everybody who is interested in russin culture

A variety of individuals offer their perspective on different aspects of re-engaging the audience in the creative artistic experience. It becomes increasingly clear that art's managers are as much a part of the problem as they are of adopting some of the potential improvements that could and should be made. In short, if the creative experience is not a reciprocal one in which the viewer, attendee or reader has a role, true engagement is problematic.

Coco Fusco writes about culture and identity with keen insight, wit and passion. I take the title for this review from one of her own performance pieces in which she describes herself as Yoruba-Taino-Catalan-Sephardic-Neopolitan-Cuban-American. She notes wryly, "In the 1990s that makes me Hispanic." Her outlook transcends conventional notions of ethnicity and illuminates how "American" identity is undergoing transculturation. Her chapter providing a "reverse ethnography" of how whites behave at exhibits of native peoples is brilliant. I've incorporated her material for use in a college race relations course, and students of all ethnic backgrounds relate strongly to it.