MBR: The Art Shelf
Midwest Book Review
Women: Motifs and Variations
Rafal Olbinski
Hudson Hills Press
Box 205, Manchester, VT 05254
1555952666, $50.00 www.hudsonhills.com
Rafal Olbinski was born in post-war Poland and is best-known for his
depictions of women - all of which are gathered under one cover for
WOMEN: MOTIFS AND VARIATIONS. These are gorgeous full-page color
paintings which blend elements of surrealism, landscape and figure art
and which explores both classic and contemporary images alike,
offering an often-whimsical play on themes. The result is an inviting,
vivid collection essential for any college-level art library and many
a college-level holding on women's portraits and issues.
Drama and Desire
Anne Nishimura Morse, Editor
MFA Publications
465 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115
0878467106, $37.50 www.mfa-publications.org
DRAMA AND DESIRE: JAPANESE PAINTINGS FROM THE FLOATING WORLD 1690-1850
blends a history of Japanese paintings and painters with a catalog of
full-page color reproductions of paintings representing the best and
most classic works of the period from 1690-1850. Thanks to a grant,
nearly thirty scholars traveled to Boston to study over four thousand
paintings, sculptures, textiles, masks and lacquer pieces, taking
photos of each object and producing bilingual catalogs published to
make the Museum of Fine Art's holdings available to the world art
community. DRAMA AND DESIRE furthers this objective, and is a top pick
for both art libraries and college-level holdings specializing in
Japanese history and culture.
Fashion Babylon
Imogen Edwards-Jones & Anonymous
Atria Book
1230 Avenue of Americas, New York NY 10020
141654318X, $25.00 www.simonsays.com
FASHION BABYLON: LOOKING UP THE SKIRTS OF THE WORLD'S MOST GLAMOROUS
INDUSTRY questions the foundations of what is fashion and what is
fashionable, from what makes a fashion trend - and changes it - to how
supermodels evolve, how designers rise to fame, and who makes money.
To achieve these insights, six months of a designer's life explore how
a fashion concept is put together and tested, from idea into the shops
and magazine covers. It's the behind-the-scenes insights of an
industry and art libraries - as well as general-interest collections
where fashion is of interest - must have this.
The Dinner Party: From Creation to Reservation
Judy Chicago
Merrell Publishers Limited
49 West 24th Street, 8th floor, New York, NY 10010
1858943701, $49.95 www.merrellpublishers.com
The Dinner Party: From Creation to Reservation offers up an excellent,
illustrated guide to the art of Judy Chicago. All other books
documenting her DINNER PARTY are all out of print, but even when they
were available, none offered such an extensive, full-color treatment
as does THE DINNER PARTY: FROM CREATION TO RESERVATION. Documentary
photos follow its creation and an essay by Judy Chicago surveys the
history of women, the collaborative effort involved, and the history
of the work's exhibition. Perfect for college-level art libraries;
especially those with some works on Judy Chicago already in their
holdings.
An Introduction to Painting Landscapes
Ted Gould
Chartwell Books, Inc.
c/o Book Sales, Inc.
114 Northfield Avenue, Edison, NJ 08837
0785803939 $12.90 www.amazon.com
Practicing artist and tutor Ted Gould presents An Introduction to
Painting Landscapes is an instructional and practical guide for
artists of all experience levels, though familiarity with the most
basic fundamentals of art is presumed. Chapters cover the materials
and equipment needed, basic painting techniques for different media,
sketching, handling the complexities of color and light, issues of
composition, and more. Full color illustrations on every page walk the
reader through the creation process, and give examples of techniques
discussed. An excellent, hands-on guide.
How To Create Comics
Danny Fingeroth & Mi8ke Manley
TwoMorrows Publishing
10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614
1893905608, $13.95 www.twomorrows.com 1-919-449-0344
In a newly expanded and redesigned edition, "How To Create Comics:
>From Script To Print" by magazine editor and 'Spider-Man' scripter
Danny Fingeroth and 'Draw!" magazine editor and 'Batman' artist Mike
Manley have collaboratively worked out a complete 'how-to' book for
aspiring artists wanting to create a new comic complete with original
characters, then going from script and roughs to pencils, inks,
colors, and lettering. Of special interest is the chapter devoted to
the process of getting a comic printed and distributed. From offering
a critique of characters and comics from an editor's perspective, to
tips on coloring, to writing lessons, to resources lists, insights
into the phenomena of web comics, "How To Create Comics" is the
perfect 'how to' introduction manual for anyone who aspires to create
and publish a comic of their own either in print or on the internet.
The Romance of Modernism
George T. Shackelford
MFA Publications
465 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115
0878467092 $50.00 www.mfa-publications.org
Scott Black's gathered paintings and sculptures representing modernist
art for the past two decades, building an impressive holding of
Impressionist, post-Impressionist and Modernist works which are
represented in the Black Collection here for the first time. More than
just a catalog of color photos, it also includes historical commentary
by George T.M. Shackelford, capturing the history and ideals of an
era. Perfect for art library holdings.
African Designs
Caren Caraway
Stemmer House Publishers, Inc.
4 White Brook Road, Gilsum, NH 03448
0880450932, $17.95 www.stemmer.com 1-800-345-6665
"African Designs Of The Congo, Nigeria, The Cameroons And The Guinea
Coast" is an impressive compilation of native designs brought together
under one cover by Caran Caraway. The black-and-white, line drawn,
design motives and images are taken from authentic African masks,
votary figures, fetishes, textiles, and other sources of visual icons
and symbols. Whether used as a coloring book or for anthropological
reference, "African Designs Of The Congo, Nigeria, The Cameroons And
The Guinea Coast" is very strongly recommended for personal,
professional, academic, and community library African Art Reference
collections. Those with an interest in ethnic designs would be well
advised to visit the Stemmer House Publishers website at www.stemmer.com
for a complete listing of the many titles comprising their
'International Design Library'.
Shin Hanga
Barry Till
Pomegranate Communications, Inc.
PO Box 808022, Petaluma, CA 94975-8022
0764940392 $24.95 www.pomegranate.com 1-800-227-1428
The Japanese term 'shin hanga' means 'new prints'. "Shin Hanga: The
New Print Movement Of Japan" by curator Barry Till is a impressively
illustrated and informative history of the 'new prints' art movement
beginning with the Meiji period (1868-1912), continuing through the
prewar years of the 1930s, and going on to the artists of the 1960s.
Profusely and beautifully illustrated with more than one hundred color
images, "Shin Hanga" is very strongly recommended for academic and
community library Art History reference collections, and will prove to
be of immense interest for art students, artists, and non-specialist
general readers with an interest in Japanese culture, art and history.
Art Office
Constance Smith & Sue Viders
ArtNetwork
PO Box 1360, Nevada City, CA 95959
0940899280, $14.95 www.artmarketing.com 1-800-383-0677
Constance Smith has been assisting fine artists in their business
efforts for more than 25 years. In the space of some two and a half
decades, her professional networking in behalf of her clients has
familiarized her with virtually all facets of the business aspects of
the art world. Now Constance Smith has collaborated with art marketing
consultant Sue Viders (who herself has more than 38 years of
experience in the field) to publish "Art Office", a comprehensive,
'user friendly', and confidently recommended guide to running a
business in the fine arts. Now in its fully updated and expanded
second edition, "Art Office" offers a compilation of more than 80 easy
to use and invaluable forms and lists that range from a twelve-month
planning calendar; sales agreements; customer-client records;
marketing plans; and monthly project status; to checklists for a
juried show; the press release; pricing worksheet; bill of sale; model
releases; competition record; target market chart; and more. From
daily office forms, bookkeeping forms, and legal agreements; to
inventory forms, customer forms, marketing plans, sample letters; and
sales documents, "Art Office" will readily and quickly enable any
artist, gallery owner, or art representative to launch an organized,
legally compliant, and profitable business in the fine arts.
Artistic Anatomy
Dr. Paul Richer
Watson Guptill
770 Broadway, New York NY 10003
0823002977, $24.95 www.watsonguptill.com
Any artist working in illustration and any art library or general-
interest holding strong in art instruction must have ARTISTIC ANATOMY
on hand: it appears here in a new 35th Anniversary Edition, translated
by Robert Beverly Hale, and is still considered one of the finest
works on anatomy for artists since the Renaissance. Its original
edition first appeared in 1889: the new English edition brings
together the 19th century teacher Dr. Paul Richter and today's anatomy
teacher Robert Beverly Hale. An outstanding pairing perfect for
contemporary artists.
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Midwest Book Review
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