The Artbook Shelf
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THE ARTBOOK SHELF
Michelangelo: The Last Judgement
Loren Partridge, et al.
Abrams
100 Fifth Avenue, NY, NY 10011
0-8109-1549-9 $65.00
Michelangelo's superlative painting, The Last Judgement (1534), created on the
rear wall of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, is considered by many to be the
artist's greatest triumph as well as one of the most important works in the
history of art. Here, for the first time in a single volume, the newly cleaned
and restored fresco is presented in all its powerful complexity. The 150
magnificent full-color images show the work both in its entirety and in many
splendid close-up details. Michelangelo: The Last Judgement - A Glorious
Restoration is a breathtakingly beautiful coffee-table artbook and a perfect
Memorial Fund acquisition selection and would grace any personal, art school,
or public library artbook collection.
Hiroshige: Prints and Drawings
Matthi Forrer
Prestel/Te Neues Publishing Company, dist.
16 West 22nd Street, NY, NY 10010
3-7913-1860-8 $65.00 1-800-352-0305
Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858) holds an assured place in the history of world
art as one of the greatest and best-loved masters of the wood-block print.
Together with Katsushika Hokusai, he is the leading creator of landscape
imagery in Japanese printmaking. Hiroshige possessed a poetic sensibility
particularly well attuned to evoking atmospheric effects and was a master of
the passing moment, subtly orchestrating a wide range of colors to articulate
mood. The immense popularity of Hiroshige's prints meant that they were
continually reprinted. Hiroshige: Prints And Drawings reproduces the finest
early impression. Each plate is provided with a commentary by Matthi Forrer who
(in an introductory essay) examines Hiroshige's life and work, assessing his
place in japanese art, and making some important revisions to the generally
accepted chronology of his oeuvre. In an essay by Suzuki Juzo, the reader's
attention is drawn to aspects of the artist's work and personality that are
often overlooked. The essay by Henry D. Smith II places Hiroshige and his art
in their social and political context. Hiroshige: Prints And Drawings is
further enhanced with maps, a chronology, a glossary, and a bibliography for
further study. Hiroshige: Prints And Drawings is a superb addition to any
artbook library or Japanese cultural studies collection.
Krishna as Shrinathji
Amit Ambalal
Malpin Publishers/Antique Collectors' Club Ltd., dist.
Market Street Industrial Park, Wappingers Falls, NY 12590
81-85822-27-1 $50.00 1-914-297-0003 1-914-297-0068 (fax)
In the 15th century a new offset of Krishna worship called Pushti Marga (the
Path of Grace) was founded. This movement stressed worship through the joys of
life and living, and devotion to Krishna as the royal child Shrinathji through
song, dance, dress, decoration and painting. The paintings constitute the
Nathdvara school (so named because the image of Shrinathji is enshrined in a
temple in Nathdvara, Rajasthan). Usually with Shrinathji as their focus, these
paintings evolved from several traditional and indigenous styles, from murals
and miniatures, and from classical, court and rural modes: yet they developed
their own particular vivid and lively detailing, reflecting the joyful world of
Shrinathji. With over 120 color reproductions, Krishna As Shrinathji is the
first major work on the subject. Nearly all the paintings are previously
unpublished. The text is a result of field work and intensive research in
Sanskrit, Vraja Bahasa and other languages, as well as discussions with the
leaders of the sect. Encompassing an identification of themes, styles and
development, Krishna As Shrinathji is a comprehensive study of the theology,
history, rituals and arts which were instrumental in the formation of the
particular imagery of the Nathdvara school of painting. Krishna As Shrinathji
is also enhanced for the reader's utility with a
map, glossary, and bibliography.
The J. Paul Getty Museum and Its Collections: A Museum for the New Century
John Walsh & Deborah Gribbon
The J. Paul Getty Museum
Alice Acheson (publicity)
1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 1000, Los Angeles, CA 90049-1687
0-89236-476-9 $40.00 (pb) 0-89236-475-0 $65.00 (hc) 1-310-440-7332
1-320-440-7749 (fax)
In December 1997, the J. Paul Getty Museum opened its new home in the Getty
Center. Designed by renowned architect Richard Meier and dramatically sited in
the Santa Monica Mountains above Los Angles it will house the famed Getty
Museum collections of antiquities, decorative arts, drawings, illuminated
manuscripts, paintings, photographs, and sculpture. The J. Paul Getty Museum
And Its Collections showcases the new museum facility with its collections. It
is illustrated by archival and recently-commissioned photographs, provides a
biography of the Museum's benefactor, and presents a history of the two other
museum buildings that have historically housed the collections. The text leads
the reader through the development of new collections and shows how previous
collections (paintings in particular) have changed dramatically. There is a
candid discussion of Getty's methods for purchasing including policy, the logic
for choosing, and some masterpieces that escaped. Reproductions of more than
one hundred masterpieces show the range and depth of the Getty Museum
collections. Some gallery views are so current they show works of art installed
in the Getty Center. The J. Paul Getty Museum And Its Collections, in and of
itself, is a work of the publisher's art.
The Best of Wildlife Art
Rachel Rubin Wolf, Editor
North Light Books
0-89134-743-7 $29.99
Almost a hundred of the world's best wildlife artists explore the nature of
wildlife art in all mediums, contributing to a volume which specializes in
unique viewpoints and extraordinary poses. Add the artists' personal
revelations about how they photographed their wild subjects and you have an
excellent winner.
Leading the West
Donald J. Hagerty
Northland Publishers
0-87358-600-X $60.00
A hundred contemporary painters and sculptors are profiled in a magnificent
pictorial and literary coverage of how artists have interpreted the people and
myths of the West. Which artists best represent the West today? Northland
covers award-winning and notable painters and sculptors.
Treasures From Italy's Great Libraries
Anna Rita Fantoni
The Vendome Press/Rizzoli, dist.
Sherrie Murphy (publicity)
1370 Avenue of the Americas, #2003, New York, NY 10019
0-86565-986-9 $65.00 1-212-957-8802
Ably edited by Lornzo Crinelli, Anna Fantoni's Treasures From Italy's Great
Libraries is a beautiful and fascinating selection of illustrated books
(manuscripts and early printed volumes) owned by twelve of Italy's greatest
libraries. It's pages are an irresistible invitation to delightful browse
through art normally not available to most people. Treasures From Italy's Great
Libraries captures the imaginations of anonymous artists inspired to embellish
the texts most often chosen for such treatment: the Bible (Old & New
Testaments), mythology, music, maps, treatises on health and science, and more!
Beginning with the Early Middle Ages and continuing to the end of the
Renaissance, Treasures From Italy's Great Libraries highlights such famous
works as the Lorch Gospels, the Hungarian Legendary, the Visconti Hours,
Botticelli's illustrations for the Divine Comedy, and a collection of songs
with music produced for Lorenzo de' Medici/ Most of these art treasures have
never been seen before outside their custodial libraries. Treasures From
Italy's Great Libraries will simply enchant devotees of Italian art and
culture.
A Time to Awaken
Ali Miner
Markowtiz Publising/Seven Hills, Dist.
0-9655890-2-1 $18.95 1-800-545-2005
The collected art and writings of one Ali Miner, a contemporary American artist
working in oils and focussing on angels and goddesses, will please any seeking
an understanding of Miner or of works surrounding spiritual subjects. Many will
recognize her images; for she is not an unknown in the field. Color plates
compliment insights on the pieces.
The True Poetry
Maria Izquierdo
University of Arizona Press
1-879128-15-2 $29.95
The life and works of one of Mexico's greatest modern artists is explored in a
title which surveys the muralist's accomplishments. Izquierdo created numerous
mural paintings: this profiles over sixty of her works, adding biographical and
artistic commentary for a well-rounded assessment of her influences and
creations.
Impressionism
Norma Broude
Westview Press
0-06-430232-6 $20.00
This is both an art history and a discussion of feminist insights on the
Impressionist movement in the 19th century: as such, it draws some unusual and
important connections between gender and power in Impressionist works. Both the
theory of Romanticism and the history of Impressionism and its times are
surveyed in a strong analysis.
Maria Izquierdo: 1902-55
Teresa del Conde & Luis-Martin Lozano
University of Washington Press
1-889410-00-4 $29.95
This catalog of the paintings of Mexican artist Izquierdo presents a powerful
format: bilingual Spanish/English surveys of her creations and life to
accompany full-page color reproductions of her works. Discussions of her
exhibitions and approaches compliment a fine, exciting array of subjects.
Yale University Press
Magdalena Dabrowski and Rudolf Leopold's Egon Schiele (0-300-07322-4, $60.00)
is the catalogue for an exhibition currently running at the Museum of Modern
Art in New York, which will close after the first of the year; but it also
stands alone as a fine collection of over a hundred of his paintings, drawings
and watercolors from the Leopold collection. Striking full-page reproductions
accompany in-depth descriptions and details of the artist's approach and
importance. Eamon Duffy's Saints & Sinners (07332-1, $30.00) may be used for a
variety of purposes: as a history, as a reference for students of religion, and
by art students studying church art. As a companion to the PBS series of the
same name, Duffy's guide supports the television focus on the men who have been
Pope. But it also is an excellent college-level reference.
So You Thought You Couldn't Draw
Sandra McFall Angelo
Discover Art Publications
Box 262424, San Diego, CA 92196
1-887823-24-7 $19.95
This self-study guide and workbook requires no prior talent or knowledge of
drawing in order to prove successful. Easy instructions, illustrations, and a
workbook format contribute to teaching people who can't draw. From copying from
photos to producing practice pages, this outlines a winning strategy.
Peel Productions, Inc.
PO Box 546, Columbus, NC 28722-0546
$8.95 each http://peelbooks.com
The latest two releases in Peel Productions' growing "Draw" series. Although
principally designed for young artists (ages 8-14), this series has much to
recommend it to adults who would like to take up drawing as a hobby. Damon
Reinagle's Draw Sports Figures (0-939217-22-8) offers clear, step-by-step
instructions for drawing athletes in motion. Subjects include team sports and
individual efforts. "Sports Facts" and "Sports Questions" encourage research.
The author encourages observation (muscles, form) and imagination (masks, team
logos). Doug DuBosque's Draw Cars presents a variety of inspiring vehicles from
classics to exotics, including some that aren't yet widely known (1998
Volkswagen Beetle). Part 1 outlines a basic approach for drawing a vehicle form
the side.; Part 3 does the same from an angle. Parts 2 and 4 provide numerous
step-by-step examples of each type of view.
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