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Very, very good
A lot have time was put into writing this book I can tell by the way it was written. Very good book on a hard period of art to write about.

A brilliant discussion of an underappreciated movement
This book documents what was quite possibly the largest and finest exhibition ever devoted solely to fauve painting. This brief movement, sandwiched between the towering achievements of impressionism, post-impressionism, and cubism, is a relatively overlooked one in the history of 20th century art. Concentrating on landscape painting as the heart of the fauvist view of reality, the essays are some very fine scholarly re-appraisals of the social and economic history of fauvism. The book itself is beautiful, with a superior design and extremely high standards of photographic reproduction. My only quibble is the near-total exclusion of figure-painting from the discussion (even as a point of comparison), and the authors' focus on social history leaves little space for aesthetic issues to be discussed. The essays treat these fantastically beautiful paintings as mere documents of economic relationships, a common art-historical focus nowadays, but one which does little to educate the reader in the marvelous way of seeing represented by these images. ... Read more

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Sanford Robinson Gifford was a leading Hudson River School artist. His love of nature first surfaced as a youth growing up in Hudson, New York, and, together with his admiration for the works of Thomas Cole, inspired him to become a landscape painter. Influenced as well by J. M. W. Turner and by trips to Europe in the 1850s, Gifford's art was termed "air painting," for he made the ambient light of each scene-color saturated and atmospherically enriched-the key to its expression.Gifford was a founder of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. At the time of his death, he was so esteemed by the New York art world that the Museum mounted an exhibition of his work-its first accorded an American artist-and published a Memorial Catalogue that for nearly a century remained the principal source on the artist.Now, to coincide with a long-overdue exhibition of Gifford's work, an important new book is being issued.This volume features essays examining Gifford's position in the Hudson River School, his Catskill and Adirondack subjects, his patrons, and his adventures as a traveler both at home and abroad.More than seventy of the artist's best-known sketches and paintings are discussed and reproduced in color. ... Read more

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Definitive coverge of Hudson River School artist
150 pages of the book are devoted to the works on display at the exhibition (I saw it at the Amon Carter). Since most of the works belong to private collectors, once the exhibition finishes at the National Gallery in Washington, this book will be the only place you will be able to look at the body of Gifford's work. The plates are excellent. If you like other Hudson River School painters, you will want this book. ... Read more

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COME LOOK WITH ME: Enjoying Landscape Art with Children is the second volume in the COME LOOK WITH ME series of interactive art books from Lickle Publishing.Each book in the series introduces children to twelve magnificent works of art.More importantly, they offer a whole new way of encountering any work of art, one that engages the imagination as much as the eye.

Well suited for both individual and classroom use, Enjoying Landscape Art with Children pairs quality art reproductions with thought-provoking questions, encouraging children to learn through visual exploration and interaction.Thoughtful text introduces the world and work of the artist, making the most of a child’s natural curiosity.

Children are asked to imagine themselves in the depicted work of art: to feel the winter child of Pieter Bruegel’s Hunters in the Snow or be in the jungle stillness of Henri Rousseau’s The Repast of the Lion.

Drawing from a wide-ranging selection of 20th century works of art, children explore the artwork, invited to pantomime the boldly swirling brush strokes of Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night or cover a figure in the foreground of George Innes’s Lackawanna Valley and consider how the painting would look without it.

Engaging and interactive for both children and adults, Lickle Publishing’s COME LOOK WITH ME series celebrated what Mrs. Blizzard called the "pleasure of shared experience." ... Read more

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A superb, international collection of botanical art.
This is an excellent collection of botanical illustrations reproduced in very detailed, rich color on quality paper. Artists from all over the world are represented with brief biographies of each one. I think this book is one of the best books to have if you love botanical illustration and would like to see examples done by highly skilled, scientifically accurate illustrators. Just as good or better than the first Shirley Sherwood collection book. ... Read more

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The Painting Season.....Reason to Paint
The thrill of reading this wonderful new book was only preceded by a telephone call that I received at home by the author himself! Living `out in the boondocks`, I wasn`t sure how to order this book that I first saw summarized in Watercolor magazine. I was initially attracted to the art of Thomas Daly after reading the Winter 2000 issue of Watercolor. I just had to have the book. I am a teacher on leave of absence... and I have been dabbling in the processes of watercolor painting. All of my work was leaning towards one style and mood. After a trip to Europe last fall that i believed would energize and change my style... I came back still painting the old familiar landscapes. Daly`s message is that you have to paint what you are deeply emotionally involved with. It is a wonderfully refreshing book that will appeal to those seeking a gentler way of life and a calm way of reflecting on it. five stars to Mr.Daly! ... Read more

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HRH The Prince of Wales Watercolours: An Inspiring Book
This delightful book is a treat for those who have an interest in art, England, or for those who simply wish to understand the mind of Prince Charles a little better. Far more than any biography, this book will give you an insight into the artistic mind of the Prince of Wales, as well as enlighten you to the way he feels about the environment, his country, and the World beyond England. The book follows His Highness through his many travels hither and thither around the world, including his travels in Scotland, Italy, Spain, and the Middle East. There are 73 beautiful color examples of Prince Charles's work selected by him. For an "amateur", as the Prince so calls himself, his work reflects the fact that His Highness has put his all into these works, and he has tremendous talent in the watercolour medium. Each of the 73 color plates in this book also are accompanied by Prince Charles's personal experiences while painting the picture. Some of these experiences appear soul-stirring and patriotic; for example his painting entitled View of Double Haven Bay from HMY Britannia. Then there are some phrases throughout the book that are quite humourous. Such as this line from page 38.."I was sitting on a grass slope amongst a large quantity of sheep droppings with my back beginning to give out and with pins and needles in my bottom!" Similar examples of the Prince's humor are all throughout the book. He also addresses some of the problems he had along the way with his artwork, such as rain and the "gentlemen of the press" getting in the way of artistic expression! On the whole, this is a wonderful book that will inspire you with its artwork, and keep you laughing along the way as well with bits of Prince Charles's humor. His rather humble attitude towards his work is understandable, given his position in life. However, His Highness must indeed feel a hint of pride for producing such lovely scenes on paper. I only hope that Prince Charles will eventually publish more of his artwork, for it certainly deserves to reach a wider audience. I highly recommend this book. It is certainly a "must-read" in my library! ... Read more

Book Description

Thomas Kinkade is the most popular and widely collected artist ofour time. Beloved for his light-filled quaint country cottages, majesticmountain vistas, and nostalgic depictions of the American small town, Kinkade isalso a master of plein air painting-painting outdoors in natural light. Rootedin traditional, 19th-century American and European landscape painting, plein airis dependent upon the whims of the natural world. Brushstrokes are more visibleand possess the fluid, painterly quality that is a hallmark of the plein airstyle-a quality often associated with French Impressionism.The Artist in Nature: Thomas Kinkade and the Plein Air Tradition is the firstbook to showcase this celebrated artist's spectacular plein air works. First,readers will discover the fascinating history of the plein air tradition,followed by an insightful biographical essay that explores Kinkade's personal,artistic, and spiritual developments as they relate to his approach to paintingin nature. Next, an entire section focuses on the challenges involved whenpainting seascapes, mountains, deserts, buildings, and foreign locations-alongwith his step-by-step demonstrations for painting a Cotswold cottage scene andan exotic location in Greece. Finally, art lovers will be treated to a full- color gallery of Kinkade's finest plein air paintings, all accompanied bypersonal insights from the artist. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

richest and the worst artist of all time
there's no art in thomas kinkade's work. he uses the most saturated palette that would just burn the artistic sensitive eyes with the phonny promise of an utopia. like junk food for the stomach, his "art" is the junk food for the soul. god forbidden anyone pursuing a career in art lay eyes on his work.

Endorsed as a thoughtful commentary
Compiled by M. Stephen Doherty, and enhanced with both an introduction and commentary by Thomas Kinkade, The Artist In Nature: Thomas Kinkade And The Plein Air Tradition is a full-color visual showcasing of Kinkade's artwork in the "plein air painting" style, as well as his truly exceptional talents for capturing the spirit of country living. An ideal addition to any personal, professional, art school, community library Art History reference collection, The Artist In Nature is endorsed as a thoughtful commentary wherein brief captions enhance the highly enjoyable artwork in an outstandingly presented and impressive collection.

This book features the best work of Thomas Kinkade.
Many are familiar with Kinkade's studio work but his best work is featured in this book. Lovers of the impressionist style who have never been attracted to the babbling brooks and idealic cottage scenes that epitomize Kinkade will see their concept of his work change. It is said that the mark of a great artist is the mastery of more than one style. Kinkade reveals himself as a great artist through this book. ... Read more

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In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the notion of Englishness was widely debated in English art and cultural circles. Might there be a specifically English landscape and an English way of representing it? Was the history of the nation unique, and might there be a particular and resilient national character? This original volume is the first to examine the intersection of national identity, modernization, and landscape in English art during the period from 1880 to 1940.Individual chapters consider how changing ideals and debates were at work in English art during these decades of social and cultural change. The contributors address topics ranging from the assimilation of French styles in English art before the First World War to themes of national identity and modernization in the years leading to the Second World War. From various fresh perspectives, this book offers new insight into the invention of nation and its consequences for English art during this critical era. ... Read more

Book Description

Allen Staley's book The Pre-Raphaelite Landscape ignited a revival ofinterest in Pre-Raphaelite painting nearly three decades ago. Reintroducing the smallgroup of young English artists who in 1848 founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, thislandmark book helped to attract both scholars and a new generation of admirers to thebrilliant and audacious work of the Pre-Raphaelites. In this completely revised andupdated second edition, Staley takes into account important artworks that have recentlycome to light as well as current understandings of the Pre-Raphaelite movement and itslegacy. This lovely volume is greatly enhanced by more than 150 luminous colorillustrations.

Ranging widely in this volume, Staley offers a comprehensive account of the formationof the Brotherhood, the artists' theoretical concerns about depictions of the natural world,and the emergence and impact of a school of Pre-Raphaelite landscape painting. Staleyalso discusses all the figures important to Pre-Raphaelitism: the artists (among them JohnEverett Millais and William Holman Hunt), their associates (Ford Madox Brown,William Dyce), the landscape specialists they influenced (Thomas Seddon, George PriceBoyce), and their most articulate supporter, John Ruskin. ... Read more

Book Description

What is landscape? How does it differ from "land"? Does landscape always imply something to be pictured, a scene? When and why did we begin to cherish images of nature? What is "nature"? Is it everything that isn't art, or artifact? By addressing these and many other questions, Landscape and Western Art explores the myriad ideas and images of the natural world in Western art since the Renaissance.

Implying that land is the raw material, and that art is created by turning land into landscape, which then becomes art, author Malcolm Andrews takes the reader on a thematic tour of the fascinating and challenging issues of landscape as art. The books broad sweep covers the full, rich spectrum of landscape art, including painting, gardening, panorama, poetry, photography, and art. Artistic issues are investigated in connection with Western cultural movements, and within a full international and historical context.

Clear explanations and beautiful illustrations convey to the reader the idea oflandscape as an experience in which everyone is creatively involved. It is an enlightening and comprehensive critical overview of landscape art. ... Read more

Book Description

Hudson River School paintings are among America's most admired and well-loved artworks. Such artists as Thomas Cole, Frederic Church, and Albert Bierstadt left a powerful legacy to American art, embodying in their epic works the reverence for nature and the national idealism that prevailed during the middle of the nineteenth century. This book features fifty-seven major Hudson River School paintings from the collection of the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, recognized as the most extensive and finest in the world.Gorgeously and amply illustrated, the book includes paintings by all the major figures of the Hudson River School. Each work is beautifully reproduced in full color and is accompanied by a concise description of its significance and historical background. The book also includes artists' biographies and a brief introduction to American nineteenth-century landscape painting and the Wadsworth Atheneum's unique role in collecting Hudson River pictures. ... Read more

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Just beautiful color and grand pictures.....
These are some of Sargent's most beautiful compositions and color galore. He was an amazing portrait artists and still, these landscapes are out of this world. His command of the painting media was genius........sheer genius. You'll love the beauty of these pictures. The more Sargent I see.......the more I have to rub my eyes to be sure anyone could be that good. ... Read more

Book Description

The painters who came to be known as the Hudson River School--Thomas Cole, Asher B. Durand, Frederic Edwin Church, Jasper Cropsey, Sanford Robinson Gifford, and others--found inspiration in our young country's natural wonders and were the first to paint many of its still-wild vistas. As America was settled and the wilderness receded, their successors--most notably Albert Bierstadt and Thomas Moran--carried their quest for the sublime to the Far West, communicating its breathtaking grandeur in brilliant views of Rocky Mountain peaks, roaring waterfalls, and vast canyons. Within a single generation these artists established the dramatic approach to American landscape painting that is celebrated in this stirringly beautiful book. The freshness of their vision, the intensity of their invention, and the energy of their execution were all born of the urgency these artists sensed in the life of America itself.

Published to accompany a major transatlantic exhibition, American Sublime rejoices in America the Beautiful as seen in some of the country's most glorious landscape paintings. It contains a fully illustrated catalogue of all the paintings in the exhibition, with more than one hundred color plates, including three gatefolds. Biographies of the artists are included, and thoughtful and elegantly written essays cast new light on their ambitions and achievements. The lucid text places American landscape painting in the context of the international art world and of the European landscape tradition. And it explores ideas of national identity and empire in America, looking in particular at how these landscapes, whether real or imagined, reflect Americans' hopes and fears for their country.

As a tribute to some of our most important American artists and the land that inspired them, this stunningly illustrated book will have a deep and wide appeal.

Book Description

The Austrian artist Egon Schiele (1890--1918) is renowned for his intensely confrontational portraits, self-portraits, erotic images, and allegories. What is less well known today is that Schiele was also a talented and prolific landscape painter.These fascinating landscapes, however, are now gaining the attention of scholars and the art world.Indeed, Landscape at Krumau (1916) by Schiele recently sold at auction in London for about $20 million. In this beautifully illustrated and engaging book, Kimberly A. Smith provides the first full examination of Schiele's landscapes and townscapes, offering a new approach to and insights into the artist's work and motivations. Diverging from the conventional interpretation that Schiele's paintings are revelations of the artist's psychology and emotional experience, Smith focuses instead on how his landscapes relate to the political, social, and historical conditions in early-twentieth-century Austria. As Smith argues, Schiele's extraordinary landscape paintings are marked by a dialectic of resignation and renewal and convey the character of Viennese modernism itself. ... Read more

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A Fascinating examination of Poussin's Late Landscapes
Being an Art History student, I've discovered you rarely come across clear and understandable "straight to the point" and not "all around it" writing. Art hostorians often tend to drift away with their associations. I am most grateful to the author of "Nicolas Poussin's Landscape Allegories" Sheila McTighe, for writing so clearly on such a difficult subject. That is not to say her book simplifies the subject in any way, or that she uses a shallow approach, but simply that it is easy to follow her line of thought even though she's dealing with some complex issues. The book examines Poussin's late landscape paintings, from around 1640, a point worth emphasizing - in case you're looking for a more extensive summary of his entire oeuvre - this isn't the book for you. McTighe chooses to concentrate on his later landscapes often referred to as "allegorical" or "ideal". I aplaud the choice since these are the more complex and thus interesting one's, in my opinion. Through those works she discusses many different issues like Poussin's stoic views and his connections with the French "Libertin Erudit" movement in a particularly fascinating chapter, for instance. She skilfully shows the influence of the artists and "thinkers" of his time (and not just his time) on Poussin. In conclusion, I would say this book was one of the better one's I've read during my years of studying art history. I would definitely recommend it to anyone with the slightest interest in art. ... Read more