Reviews (1)

short...very short review
said to be a good book by one critic ... Read more

Book Description

The first full-length feminist analysis of Frida Kahlo and the myths surrounding her. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Frida analysis
A fascinating perspective and interpretation of some of Frida Kahlo's most famous paintings awaits the reader who has patience. I say patience because the book can be a bit overwhelming with more references than a university thesis. Each page is full of other authors opinions and quotes who author Margaret A. Lindauer does a marvelous job of threading together. She has an agenda in her writing so you will have to follow her arguments. She does a good job of taking a different approach on occacions from such notable Frida biographers as Martha Zamorra and Hayden Herrera, as well some other more obscure contributors. At other times she utilizes their writings to illustrate her points. So what are her points? As Lindauer states, "her investigation has not been directed toward determining "correct" interpretations. Rather I am interested in the consequences of inscribing particular idealogies within distinctinterpretive methodologies, and in consciously selecting theoretical approaches according to the ways in which they revererate with ongoing political negotiations." The reason I quoted such a long passage, actually a sentence and a few words, is because this gives you a flavor for the writing. This style may not be for everyone. Written like a college textbook there are plenty of juxtapostions, binary relationships, patriarchal presciptions, masculinist discourses, dichotomies and paradigmatic feminie qualities to make sure you keep the dictionary close by. These are some of the more common and easier terms used as she really bogs down the discourse with her use of language. I consider myself to have a good vocabulary but found myself seeing words I have never encountered before. Since the rather dense style demands so much attention it is also a book that is best read without distractions. Linduaer reexamines Kahlo and Rivera's relationship, Kahlo's physical and emotional being and the concept of women being sickly, th surrealist movement as prescibed by men, Kahlo's use of Tehuana dress in political terms and eventualy the cult of Fridamania that was so pervasive in the 90's and continues to this day. So is it a good Frida book? Yes and no, no if this where you are beginning your study of Frida Kahlo and yes if you have read most books available and are still "Devouring Frida." All in all it is an interesting examination of Frida but one that will have you scratching your head at times wondering what the heck did she just say. By the same token it is a book that sparks the thought process and lets you know just how esoteric art history can be. Recommended for Fridacoholics only.

THE frida source
I purchased this book on Frida because I was intersted in learning more about her life/works. After researching several books about Frida, I can clearly state that this is the most detailed book about her works. Whether you have a fascination for Frida Kahlo or you are an art historian wanting to learn more about her exteremly unique paintings, you should buy this book. However, the paintings of Frida are relatively small and are black and white. If you are serious about learning more about Frida I would recommend getting a hold of Frida book that shows her paintings in detail (perhaps The Brush of Anguish by Martha Zamora). ... Read more

Book Description

The Anatomical, Physiological and Embryological Drawings of Leonardo da Vinci
With more than 1200 reproductions of drawings by the master's own hand, this book is the definitive and most complete collection of Leonardo's anatomical drawings currently in print.Here Leonardo's notebooks have been arranged according to the systems of the body in order to indicate the full extent of his anatomical work.This book will captivate curious laymen, medical professionals, and art and history enthusiasts alike.Also included are:
• Translations of Leonardo's anatomical notes which were written in his cryptic reverse handwriting. These translations provide an unusual glimpse into Leonardo's creativity and genius.
•Extensive commentary from the editors.
•A thorough background of Leonardo's life that reintroduces him to the world not just as a master artist, but as a brilliant scientist. ... Read more

Book Description

From London in the 1890s to Paris in the early twentieth century, Gwen John's career spanned some of the most exciting periods and places in cultural history. Demolishing the myth of Gwen John (1876-1939) as a recluse, this new survey explores the art world at the center of these cities and reveals the alliances and differences the artist had with her contemporaries. John's representation of the female nude, her paintings of interiors, and the effects of her Catholic faith on her work are all considered. The author also discusses the key relationship between John's position as a woman artist and her fascination with the portrayal of the female sitter. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

'Gwen John' by Alicia Foster; a refreshing change
'Gwen John' by Alicia Foster is one of the most interesting books that exist on this somewhat enigmatic artist. Foster reviews Gwen John's paintings with coolness and objectivity. This is especially refreshing as some writers on the same subject have engulfed themselves in biographical detail. This text, however, focuses on biographical information only as and when necessary. Foster evaluates Gwen John's paintings with regard to her artistic training at the Slade School as well as the influence of her decision to spend most of her career in Paris. She analyses John's occupation as artists model, her Catholic faith and her subject matter. Discussion is also given to Gwen John's work in relation to other artists working in the early part of the twentieth century, giving insight into the world in which Gwen John lived and worked.

Foster considers both feminist and modernist evaluations of Gwen John's paintings whilst not adhering to either doctrine. At the same time she is able to present her research in concise and easily understood language. This text provides valuable insights for readers looking at early twentieth century portraiture. However it would also be an engaging and pleasurable read for anyone with an interest in art. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Very Informative
This book is very informative and filled with good solid facts. Any Dorthea Lange fan can appreciate this book. ... Read more

Book Description

Anish Kapoor is one of the most influential sculptors of his generation. Kapoor sees his work as being engaged with deep-rooted metaphysical polarities: presence and absence, being and non-being, place and non-place, the solid and the intangible. Throughout Kapoor's sculptures his fascination with darkness and light is apparent; the translucent quality of the resin works, the absorbent nature of the pigment, the radiant glow of alabaster, and the fluid reflections of stainless steel and water. Through this interplay between form and light, Kapoor aspires to evoke sublime experiences, which address primal physical and psychological states. My Red Homeland presents a welcome retrospective view of Kapoor's work since the early 90s.

Edited by Eckard Schneider.~Essays by Yehuda E. Safran, Eckard Schneider and Thomas Zaunschirm.

Clothbound, 10 x 12 in./200 pgs / 150 color. ... Read more

Book Description

Produced in close cooperation with the Klee Foundation in Bern, this catlogues gathers together the artist's outstanding masterpieces of the years 1917-1933.This extraordinary survey, which includes works which Klee originally intended to keep for himself, has been made possible by loans from the collection of Angela Rosengart in Lucerne, the Klee Foundation in Bern, and many private collectors.Many of these works are being presented to a wide audience for the first time. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Get the Spanish version
This edition is a pretty good overview of Frida's life with some outstanding colorful reproductions of her works. There is also a very satisfying collection of photographs, both in black and white and color, to cure the voyeur in you to see Frida as she really lived. For example, if you enlarge the back cover shot here you can see the cigarette in her left hand that she was apparently usually without. If you thought it was only the pain of her life that resulted in very few photographs of her smiling think again. The results of her heavy smoking habit produced a poor set of teeth that were blackened and not very flaterring; hence the rare smiling picture. The book has some rare photographs, including one of her laughing and her hideous teeth. The text is easy to follow and gives a whirlwind tour of Frida's life, complete with recollections by friends and other anecdotes. Included is a chronology, list of illustrations and a selected bibliography. My big complaint about this book, and it may you serve you if you are able to read Spanish, is that it is a short version of the original. I have run down a copy of the original Spanish book, "Frida: El Pincel de la Angustia" and it is highly recommended over this translated version. I cannot over state this recommendation . This version is almost like an abridged text by comparison. Case in point, the original has nearly four times as many pages! The abundance of pages is not filler either as it has many more photographs, paintings and more importantly, text. If you hunt around you can find the original at an affordable price. All in all this is a good addition, but not edition, to your library on Mexcian Art or personal Frida Kahlo book collection.

Great Introduction to Kahlo's work
This book is recommended for the reproductions of her work. Zamora gives a nice and thoughtful description of the painter's life. I just finished Kate Braverman's fictional account of the life of Kahlo on her last day--and I highly recommend it! The prose alone transforms Kahlo's paintings into a highly intelligent novel, and uses as a catalyst, one of our most important painter's work as an inspirational canvas for one of our most important writers.

excellent biography
I had no idea who Frida was, untill I saw some of her slides in my self portrait class and that led me to read more about her.

This book is an excellent biography of Frida and has an amazing account of her tragic life and how it transformed her personality, not to mention her paintings and especially her self portraits.

The book covers her major art work and the flow of the book is coincided with her life. You can see what was happening at a particular juncture in her life and what kind of work she was producing.

A Good Summary
This is a good book for those people who are interested in a short biography on one of Mexico's most respected and well known icons. Zamora's book not only gives a brief vivd account on Frida's life but also illustrates some of her famous work. The one down side I found to this book is that Zamora does not talk about in more detail some of Frida's paintings which are shown like "Four Inhabitants in Mexico City," but all in all this is a good book which I found very interesting.

Great book!
Frida Kahlo is my favorite artist, so of course I love this book. Other reasons I love it: the pictures, which show Frida's exquisite beauty, the paintings (not any I haven't seen, though I still love seeing them), and the story, which told some things I did not know. Although I really like this book, it was not very in-depth. I already knew most of the information that was in it. ... Read more

Book Description

This colorful monograph features and surveys the 150 best-known works of Paul Klee, an artist famous for the playful complexity of his multi-media images.Klee never ceased his quest for new subjects and sources of inspiration, and he experimented with geometry, materials, and color to represent fauna and flora, music, the diurnal, and the nocturnal.

As a teacher at the famous Bauhaus School in Weimar, Klee played an important role in the evolution of applied arts.Author Jean-Louis Ferrier provides an insightful text that explains the complex, often misunderstood work of Klee.In addition, this monograph includes extracts from Klee's theatrical work, including the famous Pedagogical Sketchbook used by his students at the Bauhaus.

Comprehensive and fresh, this new study of Paul Klee will delight students and enthusiasts of twentieth-century art. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Careful and thorough introduction to Klee
This is an efficient and careful monograph that succeeds on many levels. Grohmann was Klee's biographer and longtime friend. He is respectful without being sycophantic, and thorough but never plodding. He uses a variety of source materials, including Klee's own writings (diaries and letters). Grohmann establishes Klee's lasting importance to art and to painting by asserting, "It is as though he were still among us, to be consulted on every problem of life and art." Grohmann's generous(40 pages, 58 illustrations) and lively essay on Klee is also charming and personal. It combines biography, criticism, a wealth of references, and thought-provoking appreciation. It's generously illustrated with photographs of Klee and his studio, plus ink, tusche, chalk, and pencil drawings, collage, watercolor, tempera, and oil paintings, a woodcut study, and etchings.

The text that accompanies the following forty color plates (a selection of paintings) is the calm, clear art criticism that Grohmann is so good at. The plates' reproduced colors are good but not great. What's best is that Grohmann is such an able teacher. He describes each painting straightforwardly, and then asks intelligent questions, suggests answers that seem well-thought-out, and inspires one to further thought and research. His friendship with Klee gave him some additional understanding of his friend's work and lifelong passions and motives.

A very worthwhile book on a great artist. ... Read more

Book Description

Leonardo da Vinci's studies of physiognomy, the divinely beautiful and the grotesquely ugly, are some of the most idiosyncratic and fascinating works ever produced by this archetypal genius. This book looks in detail at eighty examples of Leonardo's drawings from the unrivaled collection preserved in the Royal Library at Windsor Castle, and is the first work on the subject aimed at a general audience.

In his introductory essay, Martin Clayton explores the roots of Leonardo's life-long urge to create such drawings. Individual entries look in detail at each of the selected works, placing them in the context of contemporary attitudes to beauty, notions of perfect proportion, popular images of the comically ugly, and accepted modes of artistic creation and social behavior. Among the drawings are studies for Leonardo's masterpieces such as the Last Supper and Leda and the Swan, portraits of Leonardo's associates, dissections of skulls, and designs for masks. The pursuit of beauty and its opposite was one of the central themes of Leonardo's life, and this is the first book to explore the subject fully. 105 illustrations, 80 in color. ... Read more