The Artbook Shelf
MWBOOKREVW
Ed Paschke
Neal Benezra, et al.
Hudson Hills Press
122 East 25th Street, 5th floor, New York, NY 10010-2936
0-86559-084-2 $25.00 1-212-674-6005
One of the most prominent, innovative and influential figures of Chicago's
"imagist" movement (an offshoot of the Pop Art era) was Ed Paschke. His
paintings spanning a twenty-five year period were hallmarked by themes of
confrontation with social and cultural values, and explored personality based
media-based images including those of famous celebrities such as Elvis Presley,
Marilyn Monroe, and a legion of anonymous strippers, pimps, and social outcasts
of every category and classification. In this outstanding work enhanced with 63
color plates and 29 b/w photographs, Neal Benezra, Dennis Adrian, Carol
Schreiber, and John Yau collaborate to showcase the work, thought and influence
of Ed Paschke for a new generation of art students and aficionados.
Decoupage
Dee Davis
Thames & Hudson, Inc.
500 fifth Avenue, NY, NY, 10110
0-500-28203-X $17.95 1-212-354-3763
Decoupage is the art of embellishing surfaces with decorative paper cutouts and
requires no formal training or special talent beyond the ability to use
scissors and paste. It can be readily mastered, uses simple and inexpensive
materials, yet can produce objects of great attractiveness and sophistication.
In Decoupage: A Practical Guide To The Art Of Decorating Surfaces With Paper
Cutouts, Dee Davis draws upon her almost thirty years of experience practicing
and teaching decoupage to explain and illustrate every aspect of this engaging
craft. With her easy-to-follow instructions, the novice decoupage artist will
discover an enthusiasm for this fulfilling activity, and even experienced
decoupers will find a wealth of new ideas to enhance their own practical
knowledge and expertise. Decoupage is a highly recommended addition to
personal, school, and community library "how to" art book reference
collections.
Eyewitness
Jed Perl
Basic Books
10 E. 53rd St., New York NY 10022
0-465-05520-6 $35.00
Eyewitness deserves ongoing mention as an excellent survey of contemporary art
and the evolution of an art world in crisis. Almost thirty essays examine this
modern art world and the place of contemporary artists within it, lamenting the
collapse of an instructional system which allowed for artistic evolution and
examining how art career have changed.
North Light Books
1507 Dana Ave., Cincinnati OH 45207
Three excellent art titles are recommended picks for discriminating library
collections. Rachel Rubin Wolf's Splash 6: Magic Of Texture (0-89134-960-X,
$31.99) features almost a hundred modern watercolorists who demonstrate how to
enliven a painting with texture. From matching pigments and using light to
providing effective contrasts, the works of each artist are presented in full
color and serve to emphasize and enhance written advice. Shirley Porter's
Watercolor Basics: Drawing And Painting Birds (919-7, $18.99) tells how to
paint birds in watercolor, providing a simple source of basics for beginning
bird painters. From poses and backgrounds to bird-watching tips, this uses
exercises to show how to create easy patterns. Paul Jackson's Painting
Spectacular Light Effects In Watercolor (916-2, $29.99) tells how to use light
to enhance watercolor efforts. From understanding light values to experimenting
with less conventional forms of light, this is packed with step-by-step advice.
Abbeville Press
22 Cortandt St., New York NY 10007
Three fine titles are recommended picks. Janet Kaplan's Remedios Varo
(0-7892-0627-7, $29.95) examines the paintings of Varo, a Spanish avant-garde
painter. Black and white and a few color shots accompany a very detailed survey
of the artist's life and times. Juan Bassegoda Nonell's Antonio Gaudi (0220-4,
$35.00) excels in fine photos by Melba Levick as it outlines the unique works
of architect Gaudi. Color photos provide full coverage of his innovative
buildings and inspirations. Irmtraud Schaarschmidt-Richter's Japanese Modern
Art (3-908161-86-X, $45.00) covers Japanese painting from 1910-1970, featuring
over a hundred works by almost thirty Japanese artists and providing the first
extensive documentation of the development of Japanese painting into a unique
form of modernism. Works are presented with essays by art historians and cover
the basics of how art has reflected changes in Japanese traditions.
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