MBR: The Art Shelf
Midwest Book Review
Francis Bacon's Studio
Margarita Cappock
Merrell
49 West 24th Street, 8th Floor, New York NY 10010
1858942764 $59.95 www.merrellpublishers.com
His London studio, portrayed on the cover of FRANCIS BACON'S STUDIO,
may look like a mess, but Francis Bacon was one of the most significant
post-war painters and his studio, both home and workplace, was key to
producing his art. His studio housed thousands of items central to his
works and has been untouched since his death in 1992: it was donated in
1998 to the Dublin City Gallery and today curators have made it into a
showpiece and work of art itself. The studio's deconstruction revealed
over 7,500 objects from photos to illustrated publications, slashed
canvases and his final unfinished work: FRANCIS BACON'S STUDIO provides
the first in-depth survey of the studio and is essential for art
library holdings and any student of Bacon's works.
Ghost Ranch
Lesley Poling-Kempes
University of Arizona Press
355 South Euclid Avenue, #102, Tucson, AZ 85719
0816523479 $22.95 www.uapress.arizona.edu
For over a century Ghost Ranch has attracted creative people to the
high desert of northern New Mexico: it was the beloved place of artist
Georgia O'Keeffe's life, and her portraits of Ghost Ranch lent it
international acclaim. Historian Lesley Poling-Kempes here tells the
history of Ghost Ranch, from its origins as a hideout for outlaws to a
cultural mecca. Hers is a history packed with regional history, art
insights, and more, and is a recommended pick for any who would
understand the life and art of O'Keeffe and the influence of northern
New Mexico on her art.
Amana Style
Marjorie K. Albers & Peter Hoehnle
Penfield Books
215 Brown Street, Iowa City, IA 52245-5801
1932043314 $14.95 www.penfieldbooks.com
AMANA STYLE: FURNITURE, ARTS, CRAFTS, ARCHITECTURE & GARDENS explores
the rich arts and crafts heritage of the German immigrants who settled
in the Amana Colonies of Iowa, bringing with them traditions which
continue to this day. Many of the buildings and arts have distinctive
Germanic roots, and two historians whose ancestors have roots in Amana
traditions discuss unique characteristics and features of Amana style,
from its tendency to be unsigned and anonymous to how the feel and
scope of Amana differs. From willow baskets to youth chairs, Amana's
traditions receive a fine blend of history and personal insights.
Vermeer
Christopher Wright
Chaucer Press
20 Bloomsbury Street, London WC1B 3JH
1904449379 $35.95 www.chaucer-press.com
Vermeer of Delft was one of the most respected local Dutch artists of
the 17th century - but his reputation didn't spread beyond his native
Delft until some two hundred years later. Any who would understand
Vermeer in depth must have art historian Christopher Wright's survey:
it examines Vermeer's early life and work and finds he copied and even
altered the Dutch and Italian masters to suit local tastes, eventually
developing his own unique style. From analysis of his major
masterpieces to discussions of art critic doubts and prior analysis,
VERMEER provides an outstanding, detailed study packed with full-page
examples of his works.
The Bayeux Tapestry
Lucien Musset
Boydell Press
668 Mount Hope Avenue, Rochester, NY 14620-2731
1843831635 $49.95 www.boydell.co.uk
THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY could also have been featured in our history shelf;
but it's reviewed here for its appeal and importance to fiber artists
as well. The Tapestry is one of the most notable achievements of the
Norman Romanesque period, surviving intact for over nine centuries when
even cities have fallen. It was entrusted by Napoleon to the citizens
of Bayeux and today is displayed in a local gallery. The history of
11th century England and Normandy is surveyed along with the artistic
importance of the Tapestry in a title which doesn't intend to
revolutionize the study of the piece, but to survey reliable
scholarship on the subject. Chapters take a scene-by-scene approach and
analyze both historical and artistic elements of the Tapestry while
Richard Rex's translation provides smooth enlightenment.
Marine Painter's Guide
Jack Coggins
Dover Publications, Inc.
31 East 2nd Street, Mineola, NY 11501
www.doverpublications.com
0486449742 $14.95 1-800-223-3130
Experienced maritime artist and teacher Jack Coggins presents Marine
Painter's Guide, a self-teaching tool written especially for beginning
to intermediate painters. Chapters cover such common maritime painting
subjects as hulls, masts and rigging, sails, water, skies, freighters
and tugs, docks, gulls, and people, as well as giving a wealth of
technical do's and don'ts. Painters who have difficulty capturing the
subtle nuances of perspective, composition, and water reflections will
find Marine Painter's Guide particularly helpful. 127 black-and-white
illustrations, many of which show sketches of complex ship riggings in
careful detail, and 11 illustrations in full color round out this
"must- have" how-to guide for creating realistic and emotionally moving
works of maritime art.
The Art And Character Of Nutcrackers
Arlene Wagner
Collectors Press, Inc.
PO Box 230986, Portland, OR 97281
www.collectorspress.com
1933112085 $60.00 1-800-423-1848
The Art And Character Of Nutcrackers is an artbook of nutcrackers as
crafted throughout human history, from simple and utilitarian devices
to whimsical novelties resembling toy soldiers to beautiful works of
art, and even provocative nutcrackers fashioned in the semblance of
nude women. The text offers a brief survey of the creation, evolution,
and use of nutcrackers, yet the majority of The Art And Character Of
Nutcrackers is devoted to full-color photography of the nutcrackers
themselves. Each photo bears a caption that lists the nutcracker's
name, origin, composition, and approximate dimensions. The Art And
Character Of Nutcrackers is not a price guide, yet it is a truly
gorgeous resource for collectors and casual browsers alike, and a
wonderful way to visually experience an artistic marriage of practical
function and aesthetic value.
American Decorative Arts
Gerald W.R. Ward, et al
Museum of Fine Arts
465 Huntington Ave, Boston MA 02115
0878466983 $19.95 mfa-publications.org
Co-written by Gerald W.R. Ward, Nonie Gadsded, and Kelly L'Ecuyer,
American Decorative Arts features over 100 carefully selected
masterpieces of furniture, silver, glass, ceramics, base metals,
basketry and sculpture from one of the world's preeminent collections;
The Museum of Fine Arts. With an intricate layout, American Decorative
Arts is presented in an encyclopedic, with features inclusive of
significant pieces from a wide geographic area and all time periods.
Strongly recommended for appreciators of the high-arts, as well as
academic and public library reference collections.
Pure Sea Glass
Richard LaMotte
Chesapeake Seaglass Publishing
PO Box 156, Chestertown, MD 21620
0975324608 $34.95 www.amazon.com
Winner of the Writer's Digest International Self-Published Book Award,
Pure Sea Glass: Discovering Nature's Vanishing Gems is a beautiful tour
for collectors, beachcombers, and nature enthusiasts. Over 150
photographs of the natural treasures include numerous samples of
collected sea glass and artworks created from sea glass, while chapters
cover where and how to find sea glass, its many types and colors,
appraising its rarity, a history of sea glass, and much more. A truly
unique and beautiful artbook, written by an experienced sea glass
collector and retailer and photographed by a master.
Ed Ruscha
Richard D. Marshall
Phaidon Press
180 Varick Street, 14th fl, NY, NY 10014
0714845485 $39.95 www.phaidon.com
Ed Ruscha is a vast gallery of photographer and artist Ed Ruscha's (b.
1937) works. Centering around the popular and often mercantile culture
of his Los Angeles home, Ruscha's creations often focus on blending
text with art - such as the word "Vanish" spread against a red
background fading to black near the top. An avant-garde modern art edge
distinguishes this monograph, with many works featuring a crisp and
sharp outline or stylized arrangements of text that appear practically
21st century rather than 20th. Very little written text intersperses
the monograph; independent curator and critic Richard D. Marshall
offers insightful reflections upon Ruscha's creations, but the majority
of Ed Ruscha is devoted entirely to the artworks themselves in all
their visual and colorful splendor. A dashing contribution to modern
and forward-thinking artbook shelves.
Yoshitoshi's Strange Tales
John Stevenson
Hotei Publishing
c/o Stylus Publishing, Inc.
22883 Quicksilver Drive, Sterling, VA 20166-2012
www.styluspub.com
9074822711 $95.00 1-800-232-0223
Yoshitoshi's Strange Tales is an artbook of woodblock prints by Taiso
Yoshitoshi (1839-1892), one of the most popular Japanese woodblock
artists of his time, especially well-known for his works concerning
supernatural events, ghosts, monsters, and animal transformations.
Focusing particularly upon two series of Yoshitoshi's woodblock prints
that illustrated the fantastic world of the transformed, Yoshitoshi's
Strange Tales pairs a full-page color image of each selected print with
a page-long description of the print's history, and a brief summary of
the folk story that the print illustrates, written by Asian art expert
John Stevenson. An esoteric and eye-catching addition to artbook
shelves, and especially recommended for connoisseurs of 19th-century
Japanese art.
Marketing And Buying Fine Art Online
Marques Vickers
Allworth Press
10 E. 23rd St., #510, New York NY 10010
1581154267 $19.95 www.allworth.com
Marketing And Buying Fine Art Online walks artists, resellers and
gallery owner alike through the process of understanding what's online,
how it's promoted, and how to understand and profit from the selling
network. From setting up an effective web site to promote sales to
locating artists reference resources, art fairs and workshops, and
auctions online, it's packed with unique advice specific to the fine
art market.
North Light Books/F&W, dist.
4700 E. Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, OH 45236
www.artistsnetwork.com
Judi Watanabe, Alison Eads and Laurie Dewberry's Retro Mania!
(1581807465, $17.99) is a craft title to delight the eye: over sixty
cards, party decorations, and scrapbook layouts demonstrate the retro
style from the 1940s through the 70s, suggesting flashy ideas for
themes and offering 'recipes' for success which include explicit
directions on card stock and types, gift boxes and cans to make, and
more. An excellent display of fun projects tied with ideas for
entertainment and gift-giving. Jean Grastorf's Pouring Light: Layering
Transparent Watercolor (1581806051, $28.99) advocates pouring
watercolor to achieve radiant results. It's a technique which involves
balancing the free flow of watercolor on wet paper, which sounds
complicated and iffy - but not under artist instructor Jean Grastorf's
hand. From the unique requirements involved in pouring colors to
understanding the role of light in the watercolor medium, Pouring Light
is filled with tips, pages packed with color examples, and wonderful
artist insights.
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Midwest Book Review
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