Schools and Instruction Books

Being a big fan of the Hudson River style of painting , I was initially taken aback that this book contained no works by Frederick Church, Thomas Cole, or more of the other leaders of this form of landscape painting. Still, I would up pleasantly surprised to experience the works of many practitioners of this wonderful art that are not household names to a typical museumgoer (like me).

I've always enjoyed this style of art simply because the paintings were so easy to admire. The Hudson River School practitioners were so good at conveying a mood of tranquility (note the title) that arose from the portrayal of the beauty and grandeur of natural surroundings. Almost all the images in this book are little gems: excellent examples of how the American landscape was made significant as a genre of painting in the 1800's. There are almost fifty paintings in this book, published by the Frye Art Museum (a must-see if you're ever in Seattle), which exhibited the works in early 2000. Many of the images are quite small (slight drawback) but nevertheless vivid and detailed enough to hold your eye for a time, especially the ones depicting sunsets. Approximately forty different painters are represented.

Art historian William Kloss wrote the text, which takes up about seven full pages and does an excellent job of tying in the history of the Hudson River School to various historical events and the writings of noteworthy people (e.g., Thoreau). Also, there's an introduction by the book's editor and Director of the Frye, Richard V. West, and a Collector's Statement, by Michel and Victoria J. Herson. For art students, there's a listing of all (I think) the Hudson River art collected by the Hersons, who actually preferred acquiring works from the lesser known artists. Thus, it didn't bother me as much that Cole and Church were not represented here; the collection is what it is. The book is well-constructed, with high quality paper stock, and even though it's not of coffee table size, I think you'll still enjoy admiring the artwork.

The Thoughtful Researcher is a great tool for any educator. It gives strategies that are easy to use. The format is setup so that information can be found quickly. Some of the information was common sense, however, it could be used as a review for both new and veteran educators.

'Complete Book of Calligraphy' is a very colorful and easy to understand book. I would suggest this title for anyone, new or well versed in the art of calligraphy. This book shows the endless possibilites that lie right at the end of a pen. Calligraphy can be used in so many creative ways, more than I even imagined! I thought calligraphy was just pretty words, but this book shows me that it goes well beyond that. This would also be great for gift-giving!

Interestingly organized by sections on Velazquez' works; the historical setting and biography this book is a very well done overview. The major influences of Velazquez and the evolution of his own style come through in both the lucid text and the beautifully presented illustrations.

Wood has done a fantastic job of assembling a representative group of texts that documents the emergence and impact of a relatively obscure school of art historical research. But its obscurity, thankfully, is now a thing of the past.

What makes this material so fascinating is that wrapped up in an academic debate one would normally consider to be a dry and remote subject - art historical methodology - are enormously important philosophical and political issues that are just as vital today as when the debate originally took place (the 1930s).

Wood does an absolutely singular job of delineating the cast of characters, setting the stage and describing the plot. To his great credit, he has also selected essays for translation, many of which appear for the first time in English, that illustrate the issues in compelling ways. One only wishes that more could have been incorporated - especially translations of Hans Sedlmayr's 1929 introduction to Riegl's Collected Essays, his 1925 piece on "Shaped Vision," and Otto Pächt's article on Michael Pacher.

What Wood demonstrates is that continuing interest in the Vienna School of Art History, and its primary protagonist Alois Riegl (three of whose main books were finally translated into English nearly a century after their original publication), constitutes a curious demand for more translations of these vivid, multivalent texts after decades of relative neglect.

I must confess that Wood does not see the full range of political issues imbedded within these writings. This is somewhat odd, because in a previously edited volume on Otto Pächt's own art historical methods in which these issues are brought right to the surface, Wood avoided a thorough discussion as well. Perhaps he is uncomfortable with this material, or perhaps he is simply "politically tone deaf." All interpretation is through the typically Leftist academic lens, but not surprisingly, the material is far too nuanced for so puerile an instrument. In short, much remains to be said about this material, and why it still fascinates modern collectivists on the political Left.

Read it yourself and see if you agree. You will not regret the time spent. If you are an art history "buff," student or professor, this is simply MUST reading.

Sharpen your visual skills and develop or maintain a life-long enthusiasm for imagery and the arts. Hard to find a comparable single volume that functions for introductory and mastered art
appreciation. Original hard bound edition, 1966, usually the version sold on the Amazon used book page, was printed in Switzerland, black and white pages by gravure (colored by offset). The book itself is a visual delight.

I found this book so very helpful in school. I think it is very good for students to ahve to do homework, catch up on missed work, and learn. My school Our Lady Star of the Sea uses these books. They speak about grammar, spelling, writing, and many toher things. It has what it permitted for middle school grades inside it. It is challangign at times and at toher times, explains every last detail. Which is good. This book had emproved my writng, spelling, grammar, and education. I give it 4 stars.

My wife paints aquarell pictures since many years and has made great headway. Her father was an artist and she inherited the talent and studied the rest from books.

By coincidence a friend lend her the above book and my wife is enthused about its contents. Its structure and the detailed guidance through the difficult world of waterpainting is unique. Also the preparedness of the author to share his knowledge with others.

Unfortunately the book is no longer availbale. We hope to still get ist from somewhere.

A very honest, VERY Sexy, really fun look at the things that arouse us. Great for inspiring fantasies, opening converation between partners, and, well, turning the reader on! Sexy fun alone or read with someone you love!

As a graduate student at Northwestern studying multicultural musics, this resource is really a valuable part of my continuing study. Every writer in this collection has some valid things to say about current issues in music education, and I find this book relevant to current practice in the field of music education, no matter what group you are teaching. Get it to develop some new perspective.