Reviews (1)

A Photographer to Think About
Man Ray left his mark on photography not only as a photographer but as an innovator. In the book Man Ray: Paris Photographs 1920-34 he pushed the formal boundaries to create his own imaginative style. The photos as well as the layout of book have been carefully executed through his knowledge of design.

This book features objects, nudes, portraits and Rayographs. The space between truth and fiction is bridged through the elements of design and his images are visually pleasing. His nudes define femininity. They are ideal for the male gaze which captures the essence of the female form through erotic eyes. It is evident that Man Ray knew the rules therefore he could break them. Rayographs were made by placing objects directly on film. Ray created graphically interesting images using this process which contained both dada and surrealist ideas. ... Read more

Book Description

Since its original publication in 1982, Remington and Russell has become an essential introduction to the work of these artists, and this revision substantially enhances the book's strengths. Every painting in the Sid Richardson Collection has been rephotographed for this edition, including one Russell and five Remington paintings not included previously. Numerous black-and-white illustrations have also been added to give insight into the evolution of the paintings.Brian Dippie has considerably amplified his commentaries on each painting with new information. His revised introduction places Remington and Russell in the historical and cultural contexts of their time and draws intriguing comparisons between the two artists. ... Read more

Book Description

The human form was always a central motif in Picasso's work.The vast range of his artistic styles reflects the metamorphosis that the human figure has undergone during the last hundred years.This volume presents 150 outstanding works on paper from the most famous museums and collections in the world, and provides a unique and comprehensive overview of the artist's work, underlining Picasso's dramatic influence on the development of art throughout the whole of the 20th century. ... Read more

Book Description

Presenting nine critical essays by leading scholars--among them T.J. Clark, Robert Storr, James Coddington, Rosalind Krauss, and Kirk Varnedoe--this collection offers dramatically different ways of understanding Jackson Pollock's art and influence. Revealing not just the richness of Pollock's work, but also the vitality and diversity of contemporary criticisms, these texts discuss the crisis of easel painting, Pollock's relationship with his wife, artist Helen Frankenthaler, the Americanization of Europe, and the place of chaos in Pollock's work. Based on a symposium held in 1999 during The Museum of Modern Art, New York's retrospective exhibition of Pollock's oeuvre, this volume is a companion to Jackson Pollock: Key Interviews, Articles, and Reviews, a collection of older texts by or about the artist.

Edited by Kirk Varnedoe and Pepe Karmel.
Essays by T.J. Clark, Robert Storr, James Coddington, Carol C. Mancusi-Ungaro, Rosalind E. Krauss, Anne M. Wagner, Jeremy Lewison, Pepe Karmel and Kirk Varnedoe. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

A ground-breaking book in Picasso scholarship in which Elizabeth Cowling presents a fresh, lucid and detailed analysis of the controversial subject of style in Picasso’s work up to the outbreak of World War II. Showing how Picasso drew on the work of other artists and events in his own life and times, she reveals how Picasso consciously manipulated style to convey meaning. Well known as an authority on Picasso, the author has spent nearly ten years researching and writing this major new synthesis. Combining biography, historical background and masterful analysis into a fluent and enthralling narrative, it is full of fresh insights into Picasso’s methods and motives, and destined to become the classic introduction to the study of Picasso. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

With an especial emphasis on his artistic style
In Picasso: Style And Meaning, author Elizabeth Cowling (lecturer in Art History at the University of Edinburgh and curator of the "Picasso: Sculptor/Painter" exhibition held at the Tate Gallery, London, in 1994) brings her considerable expertise to a major, 704-page, illustrated (507 color, 119 b&w), in-depth examination and history of the work of Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) with an especial emphasis on his artistic style. Picasso: Style And Meaning combines biography with analysis into a comprehensive and seminal work that will be of interest and benefit to scholars and enthusiasts of Picasso's seminal and ground breaking artwork for generations yet to come. No personal, professional, or academic Art History collection can be considered neither comprehensive nor complete without the seminal inclusion of Elizabeth Cowling's Picasso: Style And Meaning. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Jewish art analyzed in depth
This book was recommended to me by a professor who felt that the text would clarify my questions about what Jewish art is. The book did that and more. The book carefully goes through the many possiblities of what Jewish art is, how it has been understood in the past, and what the author thinks. Before this book I felt that Jewish art could really only be defined as religious, but now I understand much more about the ethnic dimensions of Judaism. According to the author, the "cultural" aspects of Jewish art are just as worthy as the religious ones. She expains all this with examples and by testing her ideas on the art of Raphael Soyer. R. Soyer's art is really great, as is this book. I recommend it to anyone interested in American art, Jewish art, or Soyer.

Fascinating on several levels
I found this book fascinating, and I'm just as fascinated by the reactions to it, especially the angry diatribe.

The value of this book is that Soyer has been known as a Jewish artist, but no one has talked about him as such in real depth. I recommend this book for its:
1. Attention to biography. The author quotes and analyzes Soyer's 4 autobiographies, his personal papers, and oral interviews. She's probed these sources and found interesting material there.
2. Multidimensional use of history. One reviewer states that the author doesn't tell us anything about the historical context of Soyer's art. I disagree. She tells us much, it's just that it's not the same old American stuff wrapped around him. She provides an alternate historical perspective: the Jewish one alongside the national and artistic ones. I especially like her use of literary works, such as Elias Tobenkin and Abraham Cahan, to help explain the mindset of the time.
3. Attention to visual details. Her interpretations of the art, especially Soyer's illustrations discussed in the last chapter, is impressive.

The author uses the evidence the artist has left behind, both verbal and visual, to construct an interesting portrait of Soyer. I think those uncomfortable with that portrait are those who have been, for whatever reason, perpetuating a static view of Soyer (gender, race and religion matter!), or have ignored him altogether.

This new look at Soyer is just what's needed - and not just for art history, but religious studies, gender studies, and all those interested in difference.

extremely disappointing
I agree with the first reviewer that Soyer deserves more attention than he has received, but, unfortunately, this book is not the kind of attention he deserves.

Baskind tries to fit all of Soyer's work into her narrow interpretative frame. I did not find her arguments convincing. Her focus seems to be on "outing" Soyer as a Jew (not really necessary, since this is a well-known aspect of his identity, and nothing he ever tried to hide), rather than telling us anything new about his work or its historical context. In fact, I found myself not trusting the biographical information she does report because it all seems to be twisted around to support her predetermined arguments.

If you are interested in the question of "What is Jewish art?" you might enjoy this book, but if you are an admirer of Raphael Soyer, you probably won't.

Important book on Soyer and Jewish art
Samantha Baskind's Raphael Soyer and the Search for Modern Jewish Art describes the life and work of Raphael Soyer, a Russian immigrant who arrived in America in 1912 at the age of thirteen. The oldest of six children, Soyer, his twin brother Moses, and their younger brother Isaac became artists. All three of these talented siblings sit on the periphery of American art, and in this well-researched book Baskind shows why Soyer deserves more attention than he has previously received. Along with describing how Soyer's art was influenced by his Jewish identity, Baskind also critically examines "the assumptions and methodologies scholars employ when discussing Jewish art" (4). Her lucid prose, even when dealing with challenging thinkers (Freud, Simmel, and Jonathan and Daniel Boyarin, among others), makes Soyer and his Jewishness accessible.

Baskind begins her book by stating that Soyer "did not want to be known as a Jewish artist" (1), and then proceeds in the following five chapters to look closely at a single work or a group of related works by Soyer. She explains how Soyer was never a parochial painter - she does not connect his work to the religious elements of Judaism - but that the religiocultural dimensions of Judaism influenced his art. The first chapter, for example, examines a self-portrait from 1927. She tenaciously digs at the meanings in this portrait, and her attention to details, both visual and socio-political, is impressive as she shows how Soyer negotiated the challenges of being Jewish in the first decades of the twentieth century.

Baskind's discussion of past analyses of Soyer's well-known painting Dancing Lesson illustrates her accomplishment. This painting has been previously understood as Jewish, but, as Baskind explains, a close look at the work's iconography has never been performed. Baskind does this with panache and insight. Baskind carefully examines the painting, pulling out the "Jewish signs" (64) in Dancing Lesson, finally providing a paradigm for why this painting has fascinated so many as an example of Jewish art.

This book may be the impetus for others to take Soyer more seriously as an artist. Importantly, Baskind never attempts to claim Soyer. She only offers possible meanings - she mindfully phrases her interpretations with words like "seems," "may," and "perhaps," and states in her conclusion that "If this discussion of Soyer's professional self-definition opens up new perspectives on Soyer's art and incites scholars to reevaluate Soyer, then I have done my job" (196). She wants others to write and comment on Soyer; she does not pretend to be all-knowing and understands the limits of scholarship. Baskind also acknowledges that "Soyer cannot be understood adequately as [solely] a Jewish artist or an American artist" (196), thus opening up a hopefully new field of Soyer studies to interpretations from various perspectives.

The book culminates with Baskind's discussion of Soyer's book illustrations for Isaac Bashevis Singer. Her attention to Soyer's artistic precedents, especially the illustrations' uncanny resemblances to Marc Chagall's art and that of Jacob Epstein, is art history as it should be done. Beautifully written with an astonishing depth of understanding of twentieth-century American art and culture, Baskind's exceptional scholarship has enriched our understanding of Soyer and Jewish art. ... Read more

Book Description

Frida Kahlo's stormy relationship with fellow artist Diego Rivera and how it affected her work is the subject of this fascinating study.Generously illustrated with works by both artists as well as contemporary photographs, this volume sheds new light on the life and imagery of one of the twentieth century's greatest women artists. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Errors, Typos - Poor quality - Photo selection good.
I'm baffled that a book can be published with so many typos and gross errors. Frida's name is even misspelled "Kahalo" in one place. It states her tragic accident happened on "17 December 1925" which it did not (it was September) and it says this twice. On the very next page it shows her diary entries discussing her pain from the injuries, the entries are dated October 1925 and on. I mean it's really distracting and totally unacceptable. Sentences were incomplete and you are left rereading and looking for the rest of the statement. Some of the sentences just didn't make any sense. I ended up reading with a pencil in hand to make corrections. As for the actual bio info, I agree it's interesting, but Frida and Diego were unquestionably fascinating people even in poorly written text. Thankfully I checked this out from our public library. I would NOT recommend this book to anyone. Get another bio from a different publisher. One that is reputable, responsible and does good work. I give it two stars for photo selection.

Does Life imitate Art?
This book provides better than average insight into lives of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. While people are now eagerly awaiting the Fall 2002 Selma Hayek movie on Frida, this book does provide some background into the world of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. If you are unfamilar with these artists this book would be a good place to start.

Not the best, Not the worst
The photographs include some not seen in the many other books on Kahlo, which is the primary strength of this book. However, it seems that some of the facts are drawn from the March biography of Rivera - which is at best questionable - and at worst Rivera's mythical reinterpretation of his own life. The unusual grammar and typographical errors are somewhat distracting at times. Overall, however, it provides a nice overview of the important points in the Kahlo-Rivera relationship. ... Read more

Book Description

Renoir's La Promenade is one of the most engaging and approachable of all Impressionist paintings. This study of the work--a masterpiece from the Getty collection--reveals surprising details about the sexual, historical, and artistic contexts in which the painting was created. ... Read more

Book Description

Edited by Christoph Becker. Essays by Christoph Becker, Wolf Eiermann, and Barbara Stern Shapiro.

Studying the effects of light, climate, and the seasons, Camille Pissarro experimented with art theory and technique, and fused a distinctive style that remains his own, within the larger style of Impressionism. He was a master in capturing the atmospheric nuances of changing seasons and times of day: sunrise, morning mist, hoar frost, blossoming trees, and light reflections on water. Working in close friendship with Monet, Cezanne, Renoir, and Degas, Pissarro participated in all Impressionist exhibitions in Paris, and as the oldest of the Impressionists, he was a thought-provoking influence and a source of inspiration. This publication presents Pissarro's oeuvre in all its thematic and artistic diversity. It is a spectrum which extends from the coloristic masterpieces of his early years, especially his landscapes, through to his later, equally famous views of Rouen and Paris, and includes a diversity of subject matter as seen in his portraits, still lifes, market scenes and representations of everyday peasant life. With over 250 illustrations, over 100 in color, this is an exceptional and beautifully designed survey of Pissarro's timeless art. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Disappointed
I'm interested in impressionism. I'm also painting. At first I want to buy this title because Pissarro is one of my favorite impressionist. I want to see all his paintings in full color. But this book emphasis on biography. So I could see such a little works of him. Very diappointed. I can't do nothing with this book becoz return it back to USA from Thailand takes too much cost.

the first impressionist
camille pissarro gets much less notice than many of his contemporaries -- renoir, monet, degas, cezanne, van gogh, sisley -- yet in many ways he's the most interesting and innovative of the lot. born and raised in the caribbean, he emigrated to france as a young adult and worked as a productive (though often near impoverished) artist for five decades. in that time many painting fashions came and went, yet pissarro was often at the forefront of them all. one of the founding impressionists, his paintings were early on more radical than other painters working at the time (his artistic convictions cost him dearly in market success); he befriended and mentored the likes of cezanne, gauguin, signac; he was among the first to apply the science of color vision to his painting, and with much more care and insight than the mechanical dotmaking of the neo-impressionists. his influence was vital to the development of 19th century painting and is brought to life in this well written and comprehensive survey. the many full page color reproductions of his beautiful, sensitive, skillful and continually evolving paintings show the depth of his artistic sentiment and insight. pissarro is a painter who looks better in the perspective of time, and this handsome study does him full justice. ... Read more

Book Description

Susan Rothenberg first gained critical attention in the mid-seventies when she introduced the simple, outlined image of an animal onto the austere canvas of Minimalism. Since then, her exploration of the formal tenets of painting has been manifested through increasingly complex compositions, rendered in a recognizably gestural style. This combination has in part allowed for the consistent interpretation of the artist's work as being both emotionally intense and a serious contribution to the tradition of heroic painting.

Since moving to the Southwest from New York City a decade ago, Rothenberg has created a body of work that is at once a continuation and evolution of previous concerns, and an expression of dramatic changes. Susan Rothenberg: Paintings from the Nineties, published on the occasion of a major exhibit of the artist's works from the past decade, brings together twenty of her most significant recent paintings. As these works have never been shown before as a group, this book provides the first opportunity to consider a crucial period in the career of one of our most important contemporary artists. Along with Rothenberg's haunting, evocative images, reproduced in full color, the volume includes an important critical introduction by Cheryl Brutvan, Beal Curator of Contemporary Art at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and a poetic response to the artist's paintings by Robert Creeley. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Perhaps Norman Rockwell will always be saddled with the reputation of a sentimental magazine illustrator who airbrushed American reality. But art historian Karal Ann Marling's generous reassessment strives with considerable success to rescue Norman Rockwell (1894-1978) from cultural cliché. "Rockwell fits readily into the grand continuum of realist masters," she contends persuasively. His life had its share of hardships, Marling notes, including his wife's alcoholism and his own bouts of depression; his depiction of American society became more somber over time and eventually led to his break with the Saturday Evening Post. Handsome reproductions of all of the famous images brace her argument. ... Read more

Book Description

"The Picasso Papers is an extraordinary, and extraordinarily odd, book that views the schism in Picasso's production, which occurred after the outbreak of the first world war, as an inevitable corollary of modernism and modern society itself." -- Adrian Searle, The Guardian

"Rosalind E. Krauss's short book consists of three brilliant essays." -- Jill Lloyd, Times Literary Supplement

Was Picasso a modern Midas who not only turned the trash of everyday life into the gold of Cubist collage but also gave new value to the work of Old Masters? Or was he a monster counterfeiter who mercilessly raided the styles of others? In The Picasso Papers, Rosalind Krauss suggests that the reason we still ask these questions is that modernism itself is a hall of mirrors in which "counterfeit" and "genuine" both reflect the same condition. Krauss brings Picasso's pastiche of other artists brilliantly into focus as the "sublimated" underbelly of Cubism, refashioned in the bright, clean style of Picasso's neoclassicism--a defense that is its own form of practicing the forbidden. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

An Important Text
Rosalind Krauss's brief, glimmering text offers the perfect counterpoint to thin biographical essays on the artist. In _Picasso Papers_, Krauss looks closely at Picasso's early collages, reading them in light of her keen understanding of Picasso's overall ouevre and life. Krauss argues effectively for Picasso's revolutionary use of linguistic structures in the early collages, and mirrors her argument with her poetic use of language. This book is perfect for those interested in the life and work of Picasso and should be required reading for people interested in critical theory and contemporary studies of Modern art. ... Read more

Book Description

Six excellent reproductions of paintings by renowned 20th century artist whose works embraced and helped define major artistic movements of the modern era. Mini-collection includes nudes, a self-portrait, the artist and his model and more. For lovers of modern art and admirers of Picasso’s innovative and influential work.
... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

This sumptuously illustrated book is the first devoted exclusively to Renoir`s portraiture, and in it are gathered the finest examples of the portraits he painted during each period of his prolific career. In these delightful paintings Renoir creates uniquely endearing and enduring images of pleasure, comfort, and prosperity. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Renoir's portraits and their history beautifully done
You like Renoir's work but also want the story behind the paintings. Search no further. This book will impress the serious collector or art historian with the in-depth research on each piece. This book will be enjoyed by newcomers to art appreciation with it's beautiful and large paintings. If you have several books of Renoir's work and haven't purchased this one yet, you don't have the best.

The authors display the artwork wonderfully, each picture's history in detail, and follow-up with extensive notes and references. Treat yourself. ... Read more