MBR: The Artbook Shelf
MWBOOKREVW
Winslow Homer And The Pictorial Press
David Tatham
Syracuse University Press
Syracuse, NY 13244-5160
0815629745 $39.95 www.amazon.com
Winslom Homer, the best-known American painter of the 19th century, also
contributed extensively to the pictorial press – a lesser-featured fact of
his life. Winslow Homer And The Pictorial Press focuses on and reproduces
illustrations from throughout Homer's career, from novice to established
artist, examining his contributions to the pictorial press and its financial
effects upon his career. An excellent survey.
The Beauty Of Life
Diane Waggoner, editor
Thames & Hudson, Inc.
500 Fifth Avenue, NY, NY 10110-0017
0500284342 $24.95 1-800-233-4830
Painstakingly compiled and expertly edited by Diane Waggoner (Andrew W. Mellon
foundation Curatorial Fellow in the Art Collections at The Huntington), The
Beauty Of Life: William Morris & The Art Of Design is specifically devoted to
the decorative artwork of William Morris, an influential leader of the British
Arts and Crafts movement. Contemplative and informative essays by Pat Kirkham,
Gillian Naylor, and Edward R. Bosley are added to those of Diane Waggoner and
concern William Morris' diverse works of art (including his stained glass and
interior decoration designs). These essays are enhanced with eye-catching, full
color photographs. A joy to simply page through and savor, and presented with a
deep respect for artistic traditions stretching back to medieval times and
beyond, The Beauty Of Life is a superbly presented and heartily endorsed
addition to personal, professional, academic, and community library Art History
collections.
Designing With Kanji
Shogo Oketani & Leza Lowitz
Stone Bridge Press
PO Box 8208, Berkeley, CA 94707
1880656795 $14.95 stonebridge.com
The collaborative effort of journalist and translator Shogo Oketani and
Tokyo-based writer, editor, translator, and yoga instructor Leza Lowitz,
Designing With Kanji: Japanese Character Motifs For Surface, Skin & Spirit is a
simple and elegantly illustrated guide to common kanji (Japanese written
words), that can be used to embellish a variety of art mediums ranging from
tattoos to stationery, mugs, T-shirts, or just about anything else that has a
surface. A representative selection of kanji are presented on a grid
background, in a variety of fonts, to simplify their transferences and
incorporation into the art of one's choice. Designing With Kanji is
enthusiastically recommended as a fine and useful designer's aid.
Masaccio
Eliot W. Rowlands
Getty Trust Publications
1200 Getty Center Drive, #500, Los Angeles, CA 90049-1682
0892362863 $19.95 www.getty.edu
Masaccio: Saint Andrew And The Pisa Altarpiece by Eliot W. Rowlands (Senior
Researcher, Wildenstein and Company, New York) reflects on the workings of
Italian Renaissance artist Masaccio (1401-1428), who was the first artist to
use light effects to create three-dimensional images on a two-dimensional
plane. His lasting contribution to art history is documented and embraced with
representations of Masaccio's classic works in black-and-white as well as in
color. The paintings' religious themes, their histories, commissions, and
locations today, as well as Masaccio's unfortunately brief life are all
informative discussed in this welcome contribution to Art History Studies
reference and reading collections. Also very highly recommended is Eliot W.
Rowlands earlier contribution to Art History Studies: The Collections Of The
Nelson-atkins Museum Of Art I: Italian Painting, 1300-1800 (Nelson-Atkins
Museum Bookstore; ASIN: 0942614259; $29.99).
I Bought Andy Warhol
Richard Rolsky
Henry N. Abrams
115 W. 19th St., 5th Flr., NY, NY 10011
0810942712 $24.95 1-800-759-0190
I Bought Andy Warhol by Richard Rolsky surveys both the art world and Polsky's
journey through I in search of the truths of relationships between artists,
galleries, auction houses and collectors. In 1987 Rolsky as an art dealer set
aside $100K to purchase painting by Warhol for his private collection: a move
which would lead to unexpected exposure to underlying art world influences. His
account is revealing and highly recommended reading.
Heyday Books
PO Box 9145, Berkeley, CA 94709
heydaybooks.com
The structures featured in David Stark Wilson's black and white photos in
Structures Of Unity (1890771627 $45.00) may be functional pieces, but they're
visually exciting and provide forms rooted in local history. This provides
building photos from grain elevators to tank houses, celebrating agricultural
landscapes and California seasons. A beautiful presentation which will appeal
to art library collections as well as general California collections. Mark Dean
Johnson's At Work: Art Of California Labor (1890771678, $35.00) traces over a
hundred works by artists who have recorded, preserved and created the history
of labor in California in visual form. Chapters reveal the works of artists who
have contributed to the expansion of this genre.
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