Book Description

Claude Monet is commonly considered to be the most consistent and representative of Impressionist artists.His painting, Impression, Sunrise (1874) inspired the official name of this movement.This book portrays Monet's work and vast influence in its historical perspective as it charts his life and career.Over 300 paintings illustrate his artistic experiments as well as his most successful works. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Excellent presentation of Monet's works through his career
This is an excellent book. Sproccati's comments in the beginning are clear and engaging. The best part of the book is the collection of color plates. This is a large book, allowing for large reproductions of many of his paintings. High quality paper, well-focused colorful plates, almost none of which are split over two pages, and well-organized and thought-out order make this an outstanding value. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Best (and only) book-length Bouguereau in print
Wissman did a great job providing a fair and balanced view of French painter Bouguereau's career. And it's a good thing too! Everything else related to the artist is either out of print or a flimsy postcard book. How could this be? Well, the unfortunate stereotype of Bougeureau buffs is that they "don't know much about art but know what they like." It may be that many editors assume that if you like Bougeureau's paintings, you aren't the type to read a serious art book. I like to believe this is wrong. I enjoy Bougureau's art very much and am glad that someone published a reasonable paperback history and criticism of the artist. I hope that one day, others write similarly good books about other "forgotten" 19th century artists.

Color reproductions are excellent
You wouldn't be ordering this book if you didn't already love Bouguereau, so rest assured that the reproductions are top notch, especially for a fairly inexpensive paperback.

Art Book of the Century (and last two as well)
This is a lankmark book about the greatest painter of all time. Whereas it is easy to do write a book on over-hyped painters (such as Cezanne or Picasso) simply by rehashing other books, Wissman has written the first complete book of a great painter we almost know nothing about (except now).

This book contains large format pictures and an easy-to-read and informative biography. Highly recommended

A superbly presented collection of artwork
Bouguereau by museum art exhibition curator and art history expert Fronia E. Wissman is a superbly presented collection of artwork underscored with thoughtful commentary showcasing one of the most simultaneously beloved and hated nineteenth-century French artists, Adolphe-William Bouguereau. His realistic, classic paintings of nude bathers, nymphs, young women and figures of mythology have a captivating, attention-calling quality that turns the head and the eye. His images are here displayed in full color photographs and the informative text recounts his life and enhances our understanding of the background to his masterpieces in this engaging and very highly recommended addition to personal and academic Art History Reference collections.

Fine Art in Softbound
Lovely book. The biographic text is an easy read and the selections of Bouguereau's work illustrated here depict a good portayal of the artist. A great value of a fine art book in softbound form. ... Read more

Book Description

The bestselling biography of the controversial artist, and a vivid account of the fast times in which he lived--and died

Painter Jean-Michel Basquiat was the Jimi Hendrix of the art world: in less than a decade he went from being a teenage graffiti writer to an international art star; he was dead of a drug overdose at age twenty-seven. Basquiat's brief career spanned the giddy '80s art boom and epitomized its outrageous excess, from its art dealers to its drug dealers, from its clubs to its galleries. A legend in his own lifetime, Basquiat became a fixture in the downtown scene and got involved with many of the period's most celebrated personalities, including Keith Haring, Andy Warhol, and Madonna.

Phoebe Hoban's Basquiat, the first biography of this charismatic figure, charts the trajectory from the artist's troubled childhood to his volatile passage through the art world of white dealers and nouveau-riche collectors. As much the portrait of an era as the portrait of an artist, Basquiat is an incisive expose of the eighties art market that paints a vivid picture of the rise and fall of the graffiti movement, the East Village art scene, the avaricious dealers, and the out-of-control auction houses. Ten years after the artist's death, Basquiat resurrects both the painter and his time.

* A New York Times Notable Book
* Basquiat appeared on the Los Angeles Times and Voice Literary Supplement bestseller lists

"Compulsively readable. . . there is enormous value in it, especially in Hoban's depiction of the glitzy 1980s art world, which is sharply etched and deadly accurate." --Patricia Bosworth, The New York Times Book Review ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Good book, He think.
Don't look to this work for any information about Basquiat as an artist. This is a book about fame. It took Ms. Hoban 7 years to write about an artist whose career wasn't even that long. This is a book about the eighties, fame, and excess. You will not learn much about Jean-Michel by reading this book. You will learn about the climate of the eighties art world and the ever-present parasites that the enormous speculation over great artists can create(Braghoomian for instance). The photographs of Jean-Michel are interesting, but because of the ownership of the artist's works, none are present to look at while reading this work. Buy a book of Basquiat's work if you are interested in the artist. If you are interested in the vacuum of New York 1980's culture, check this out at the library--it's not worth purchasing.

Basquiat: We hardly Knew Ye
This book runs the gamut between gossip, stories of 80's excesses, and art history. The book is not so much a biography of Basquiat, rather a peek into the insipid world of the 1980's New York art scene. It has the usual "hangers-on" bottom-feeding on the talents of others, the "know nothing" art buyers driving prices up on marginal works, and the merciless art dealers who appear oddly enough to be the victims in this book. Basquiat does not deserve glorification, after all he was a drug-soaked addict and mooch, and this book provides none. It is a lively read that brings to the forefront the artists that drove the scene, the dealers that made them famous, and the host of actors that shaped the movement.

IF YOU NEED ONE BOOK ABOUT BASQUIAT, THIS IS IT !
I really love this book ! I buy a lot of art books all the time. Some of them are pretty bad, and one of the art books I recently bought only because it was published 20 editions already. And that one was really a disappointment. This book, however, is the BEST art book I have ever bought! It is a book I will always come back to read again and again. (I have finished it 3 days after I got it and now I am reading it the second time) If you need only one book about Basquiat, let this one be it, and you will make a great choice. The writer has great knowledge in art, and that make this book so much more valuable!

I cannot recommend the book called Widow Basquiat. Because nobody knows who should be called Widow Basquiat. There are at least 2 dozen girls fighting for that title and the money behind it, not-knowing that Basquiat senior has already got the best lawyer and inherited everything from his son.

Phonebe Hoban is a great Basquiat expert
Phoebe Hoban has shown that she is a great Basquiat expert. She spent 7 years to do research for this book, and that is why the book is filled with credible interviews, comments and fascinating stories. She is so honest and decent, and she is not afraid of affending bad guys or anyone for that matter. She even named all those drug dealers who sold stuff to JMB. I solute and applause to her great effort. In the end of the book, she also did not forget to write her visit to JMB's mother who is apparently suffering from her fraigile psychological condition. The writer told us the vivid scence at her home. The writer asked us not to forget this: while JMB's father got millions dollars by inhariting the entire JMB fortune, his mother who has been long divorced from his father, Basquiat senior, has been living in absolute poverty. Lawyers, this is your chance to make it. Even if you do not have much good conscience, just think about the estimated value of the JMB estate - (now valued over $500 million !) you should go and and visit JMB's mother today and start sueing JMB estate which is run by JMB's father. (by the legal arrangement, each party has 50%) This is one thing JMB himself will be pleased.

Informative - but somewat petty and gossippy.
I know that's a contradicition however one gets the feeling that the author was not a fan of Jean-Michele Basquait. His art or his work.

She seems to take an almost preverse pleasure in sharing the more "scandalous" aspects of his behavior.

There is much more time devoted to his alleged "drug abuse, whoremongering and venereal disease sharing" than his art work.

Overall, I learned some interesting information about his relationship with art dealers. The author seems particularly infatuated/intimidated with the recording artist/actress Madonna (who Basquait has a brief relationship with) and the art dealer Mary Boone.

But there is precious little about his family life, what motivated him or his connection to the Black community of which he was most assuredly. In fact, there seems to be a lack of respect for the African-American culture and the community as a whole.

I wanted to like this book, and it was very detailed,however much of it came from interviews, innuendos and third-persons accounts. Fufilling at some points, it often reads like tabloid journalism too. Some objectivity would have been nice, but maybe that's another book.

Surprisingly, I would recommend it to the Basquait fan, (for informational purposes) just check it out from the library or used stack. ... Read more

Book Description

The subject of John Singer Sargent's most famous painting was twenty-three-year-old New Orleans Creole Virginie Gautreau, who moved to Paris and quickly became the "it girl" of her day. A relative unknown at the time, Sargent won the commission to paint her; the two must have recognized in each other a like-minded hunger for fame.

Unveiled at the 1884 Paris Salon, Gautreau's portrait generated the attention she craved-but it led to infamy rather than stardom. Sargent had painted one strap of Gautreau's dress dangling from her shoulder, suggesting either the prelude to or the aftermath of sex. Her reputation irreparably damaged, Gautreau retired from public life, destroying all the mirrors in her home.

Drawing on documents from private collections and other previously unexamined materials, and featuring a cast of characters including Oscar Wilde and Richard Wagner, Strapless is a tale of art and celebrity, obsession and betrayal. AUTHORBIO: Deborah Davis is a writer and veteran film executive who has worked as story editor and analyst for Warner Bros., Columbia TriStar, Disney, Miramax, and the William Morris Agency. ... Read more

Book Description

More than any other artist, Edward Hopper (1882-1967) made the unique visual landscape of the American city his own. In his works, all-night diners, motel rooms, and deserted, after-hours offices are sparsely populated with isolated, brooding figures. While never directly narrative, his restrained and carefully handled oils and watercolors have a timeless, universal quality that has long struck a chord with a huge international audience.

From paintings made in Paris in the early 1900s to iconic views of Manhattan created more than 60 years later, this book examines Hopper's work in the context of both American and European painting from the turn of the 20th century to the 1960s. The influence that film and other forms of popular culture had on Hopper is explored here for the first time. Published to accompany a major retrospective exhibition at Tate Modern in London, this stunning book is the definitive work on this quintessentially American artist. AUTHOR BIO: Sheena Wagstaff is director of exhibitions at Tate Modern, London. Peter Wollen is professor of film, television, and digital media at UCLA and a filmmaker, critic, and scholar. David Anfam has published widely on American art. Brian O'Doherty is an artist and critic and the author of American Masters: The Voice and the Myth in Modern Art. Margaret Iverson is professor in the department of art history and theory at the University of Essex, England. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Art Appreciation
The author discusses the elements which make up a work of art from the Western world; from the Fifteeth century to Modern times. Even with her technical emphasis, giving less attention into movements and subject matter, she maintains an easy writing style. An interesting and serious instruction of art appreciation. There are some colour plates, but most of the reproductions are disappointingly in black and white. For the more casual reader, this focus might be a bit tedious.

Informative
I enjoyed this book on the principles and elements of design. I think she selected exemplary pictures to illustrate her point. I especially enjoyed the chapter on "subject matter". The only drawback of this book was having to flip back and forth from the reading to the painting. Also, she talked about some of the paintings color combinations that were printed in black and white. In the paperback version some of the details of the paintings were lost because they were reproduced on a small scale. Overall, though I would recommend this book to anyone interested in learning about design elements.

Fine introduction
Composition, space, form, tone, color, subject-matter, and other pictorial elements of the plastic arts are considered and their interrelationships explained in this handy introduction, with over ninety well-chosen illustrations, some in color.
The author, an experienced art teacher, has also included illuminating essays on drawing and its purposes, looking at prints, a handy glossary of art terms, and references for further reading.
Highly recommended as eminently suitable for an Introduction to Art course, and for anyone else interested in learning to see more in paintings.

(The "score" rating is an unfortunately ineradicable feature of the page. This reviewer does not "score" books.) ... Read more

Book Description

Portraits from Life in 29 Steps presents an elegant, simple and direct procedure for painting a convincing portrait in 29 logical steps.John Howard Sanden has developed this method in more than three decades of painting, demonstrating and teaching.

At the heart of this book are two complete portrait-painting demonstrations; each of the 29 steps is descriptively titled, explained and illustrated to show the clear progression of the portrait.Sanden uses an exciting and appealing premier coup approach to painting, where the artist attempts to execute a finished painting from the very first stroke. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

GREAT BOOK ON PORTRAIT PAINTING
I gave this five stars because it is a wonderful step by step book on portrait painting, directing you where to put the shaded/highlighted areas. The authors promotion of his paints do not bother me one bit. When you get into portrait painting, it is fun to make your own colors (which will be learned with time). In my opinion, this is the best "how to" on painting portraits I have found so far, and I have many.

A good reference book on portrait painting in oil
Now this is a hard case when it comes to rating. The fact of the matter is this is a good book about portrait painting in oil; and the paintings presented in the book using Mr. Sanden's approach (plus his over 30 years of experience) are just beautiful. The book, however, does present a method to paint based essentially on products promoted by the author; and this may be too much for some readers.

I thought I'd point out a few points:

STRENGTHS:

- The book presents a step-by-step approach to render portraits in oil. Two demos are presented systematically in 29 steps, which may be easy for starters to follow. This perhaps is the strongest point of the book to be used as a reference.

- The book also introduces the Pro Mix oil paints and brush packages, both promoted by the author. This may be very good for readers who wish to become professional portrait artists, using the approach presented in the book.

WEAKNESSES: The aformentioned strengths, ironically, may also be the weaknesses of the book.

- In his approach, the author refers frequently to the choice of colors taken from the Pro Mix product. In all fairness, the author DOES describe (in the section "The Pro Mix Portrait Palette", pp38-39) the formulas of how to prepare these Pro Mix colors from commercially available basic colors. So the choice is for the readers to make. One could order the Pro Mix product or mix them oneself. Consequently, to maintain the flow of energy and interest while painting, the readers might as well get the product or pre-mix all the tonal colors before trying out these demos.

- The fact that some products are promoted in the book, apparently, has caused some negative responses from other reviewers (as we see here). In my opinion, if one would like to learn this approach and eventually make a living out of it, one might as well buy the ready-to-use Pro Mix colors for convenience.

In closing, I simply find this is a good reference book in portrait painting, whether one will follow the systematic approach presented in the book. Therefore, I'd give it a 4-star rating.

Value is the Key to Portrait painting
The key value of the book I think is the explanation of the importance of Value and color mixing. The simplified explanation of the use of the Value scale is clear and the examples clarifies this clearly. Furthermore the basic characteristics of color--hue, value, intensity and temperature are well demonstrated with a clear guide to learning how to change and reduce intensity, value and temperature in painting a portrait. Also Sanden gives a convincing demonstration on building a portrait fron the foundation ------great book!

OK, here's the deal...
...a guy who makes tens of thousands of dollars a pop on portrait commissions doesn't desperately need your $70 for his Pro Mix paint set (esp since he gives the reader the recipes right there in the book). Rather, this author offers this time-saving option as a convenience to artists, at the same time encouraging artists to learn to mix the colors themselves (also stated in the book).

And as to his lavish studio, would you want to bring CEOs, heads of state, foreign diplomats, etc., to some cramped, dusty little studio (like most of us work in), or would you re-invest your earnings from such a clientele to obtain a comfortable venue for them to pose in, for many hours at a time?

Look beyond reviews posted here with comments that obssess on these and other irrelevant details (success-envy). It's apparent that Sanden is a master teacher who has worked very hard to get to the level of achievement he now enjoys. It's also apparent he's got this giddy enthusiasm for sharing his secrets; he's got nothin' to lose.

So get and USE this book if you want superior, straightforward and very succinct instruction in portrait painting --indeed in any kind of painting you'll ever do (landscape, still life, abstract, what have you) where an astute understanding of color and value is a requirement. Take the instruction and personalize it, make it your own. You'll be glad you did when you see the big difference it makes in your artwork.

This guy is good- so is his book
Within the narrow scope of portraiture for the well-to-do, Sanden is the best, and he knows how to teach; the book is as methodical as he is. And his paintings look great- the epitome of a sort of smooth and buttery '50s illustrational style, like Haddon Sundblom, but tighter- very disciplined and technically acccomplished, yet lyrical. Any objections to Sanden's seeming promotion of his "Pro-Mix" brand of paints are unfounded (that's where you order a box of pre-mixed colors made by a company which has a deal with the author). He tells you exactly how to mix the colors yourself out of the usual tubes of paint you can buy in any art store, so you can either order them pre-mixed, or do it yourself, so where's the problem? The delight of this book is looking at the step by step demonstrations of all those juicy, painterly pictures of people with lots of personality. His two hour sketches are beauties (more "artistic" than his finished commissions). I got a lot out of the book, most of which is the wisdom of the ages anyway, but stated in a no-nonsense fashion (maybe a little dogmatic in a few instances, but the guy does a certain style and he has his game down pat, so just pick what you need). Sanden's work is aimed at the tastes of those who have become CEOs, Church leaders, and heads of State, and is frankly corny (unless, like me, you are so modern you get off on that) but his revealing demos really explain the dazzling virtuosity. If you're serious about painting heads, this belongs on your shelf. In and of itself, it won't teach you to paint, but what will? ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Air Brush discovered
I bought an air brush to paint diecast models. I soon realized it could do much more than spray gray paint on toy tractors and also that I needed intruction if I was going use this tool effctively. I choose Ms. Shanteau's "Ultimate Airbrush Handbook" - a wise choice. Very clearly written, excellent illustrations and meaningful exercises. Many aspects of airbrush work covered in detail. This is an excellent instruction book.

Ultimate Airbrush Handbook
If I had to chose one book to learn about airbrushing, this is it! Every major aspect about airbrushing is explained clearly, from the most basic elements to very advanced techniques. Essential information concerning airbrush care and maintenance is included along with paint and accessory explanations. The step by step exercises to teach airbrush control were easy to follow and I had great results painting the beginner "Apple" project. Almost every chapter has a step by step how-to project.Pam Shanteau shares the spotlight with other great artists who are tops in their fields. It was neat to see how these pros paint. The fine art section was out of this world and the automotve airbrushing was some of the best work I have ever seen. Someday I want to paint that good! ... Read more

Book Description

Previous studies of Picasso's involvement with the classical have tended to concentrate on the period immediately following the First World War, and to attribute that involvement to both the rise of political conservatism in France and the domesticating influence of the artist's marriage to Olga Koklova. Focusing instead on the later, classicizing prints of the 1930s, this book offers a radically different view of Picasso and the "classical" -- a view that aligns his work much more closely with Surrealist, and specifically Bataillean, revisions of antiquity.

The book's argument is built around detailed analyses of several separate print series: Picasso's illustrations for Ovid's Metamorphoses, the etchings of the Vollard Suite, and The Minotauromachy. Common to all of them, the book shows, is a strong engagement not only with the classical, but with the viewer. In the latter, Picasso's prints are clearly at odds with the understanding of the relationship between classical art and its audience that prevailed throughout most of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries -- an understanding that held the work's purported autonomy to mirror the viewer's own. By exposing that autonomy as a fantasy, Picasso opens the "classical" work and its viewer alike to the entanglements of desire and the dissolution of boundaries it inevitably brings.

Much of the argument turns on close readings of key Surrealist texts by Georges Bataille, Michel Leiris, and Roger Caillois. Even more important, however, are the prints' numerous references, heretofore unnoticed, to specific works by, among others, Rubens, Rembrandt, and Goya. These references effectively create an alternative "classical" tradition out of which Picasso's etchings can be seen to have emerged. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Controversial
Many criticize carelessness in this guide, prepared toward the end of the author's life. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

A Life Changing Experience
I stumbled upon this book while I was getting a Master's in Art. Needing to work through the issues of ego and being a good enough artist, I found myself constantly turning to the pages of Life Paint and Passion.

Subsequently I have introduced the book to my students grades 11 and 12 and the reaction was phenomenal. One of my students commented that this book changed her life. It may sound overstated, but the fact is that she may be right.

For young artists as well as old, relying on the process can be daunting. Life Paint and Passion allows one to feel free enough to trust painting in the moment.

For all artists this is a remarkable work, for teachers it is invaluable. I am now ordering copies (at the request of my students) for the entire class.

Enter the gate of creativeness!
As long as you open the book, there are warm flowing of creativenes embracing you... The book is just like a key, allow you to open and enter the gate of the wonderfull world of creativeness, which belongs to everbody on the earth. The principles are just simple, but being neglected by most of people and thus our life have missed the most wonderful parts - the great joy and happiness from the deeper parts of ourselves, and from the contacts of universe - the simple, cheerful, pure world which is full of love. It is a wonderful book bring us towards the essence of living...

for non painters
this book and aviva gold's "painting from the source" are the same. they consider the final art work not such important than the creative process itself. the book is useful as a healing therapy involving art, but can not be considered as a source of imagery and worthy themes to paint. Against painter's crative blocks, the book "the blank canvas" could be better. If you are an artist looking for inspiration, look elsewhere.

A toe in the door to personal freedom
Michelle and Stewart have a point of view that has given me a wonderful foundation of personal strength in my painting. While I still suffer the usual nagging doubts, I have learned to put them in prospective, and not be dominated by the pesky and ever present demons. Reading this book, thinking and feeling about its message is an artistic blessing that can be surpassed only by "The Painting Experience", the workshops that are run by them. I highly recommend both.

Direct access to visual expression
Michelle Cassou and Stewart Cubley have done for painting what Betty Edwards(Drawing on the right side of the brain) has done for Realistic drawing. Given us direct access to enhanced, hot-wired visual expression and the creative process. These books heal the wounds inflicted or indeed self-inflicted in the struggle for creative expression in or out of art school. That treasured page where Michelle describes her encounter with the children in the Paris artclass. Her journey from despair to inner sanctuary and healing in a moment will stand with pure contour drawing (see Edwards) as two powerful transcendent becons ligthing the path to bliss. The bliss that I have experienced painting and drawing in the presence of Mother Nature. Such a simple act, offering such tremendous rewards, so rarely performed. There aren't enough stars in a Starry Night for these books. ... Read more

Book Description

Among the supreme masterpieces of 19th-century art are Edgar Degas's dramatic, incisive, and often brilliantly colored pictures of the ballet. Yet despite his enormous popularity as the foremost artist of the dance-with more than half his vast body of paintings, pastels, drawings, and sculptures devoted to the on- and off-stage activities of ballerinas-this is the first major exhibition and catalogue to illuminate the theme in its historical context.

This authoritative book presents much new material about Degas as an artist and his relationship with the ballet of his day. Far more knowledgeable about the training and technique of dancers than has previously been realized, Degas is shown responding to numerous ballet productions at the Paris Opéra, to the shadowy life of the wings, and to the daily routines of the classroom. With huge crowds expected to throng the exhibition venues at the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Philadelphia Museum of Art , this lavish, richly illustrated volume should fascinate a wide audience of art- and dance-lovers alike ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Not your average exhibition catalogue
The relatively high cost of these big art volumes based on major exhibitions are often a significant factor when considering their purchase. Reader: in this case you will not regret it. Go ahead, buy the book. This beautiuflly published volume is worth it. I had the good fortune to see this exhibit in Philadelphia. It was wonderful and this catalogue is a great companion. In addition to an informative and well written text, the book contains over three hundred plates (about half are color), a rigorous documentation of Degas' decades long obsession with ballet at the Paris Opera. The period photographs are a fascinating complement.
The text is divided into eight chronologically organized chapters. The writing is clear and not overly-academic.
This is a book you can keep returning to. It is also a great gift for lovers of dance. Buy it from your local bookstore.

For anyone who appreciates the immortal art of Edgar Degas
Collaboratively produced by independent curator and ballet instructor Jill DeVonyar and art historian Richard Kendall, Degas And The Dance is a gorgeous volume filled cover to cover with spectacular color photographs of art and sculpture celebrating the dance, particularly ballet, as created by 19th century artist Edgar Degas. An insightful text provides informative commentary about the man called "the painter of dancers", and his body of work, enriches this vivid presentation of pieces that blend realism with occasional softening or abstracting elements. Degas And The Dance is enthusiastically recommended as being beautiful book just to page through, and a "must" for anyone who appreciates the immortal art of Edgar Degas. ... Read more

Book Description

Explore Claude Monet's life and art, and the influences that shaped his work.

Discover the genius of Claude Monet through this highly informative guide, which tells the fascinating story of the life and work of one of the most famous figures in the history of art. Superb, specially commissioned photographs show the methods and materials Monet used to create his masterpieces, while art historian Jude Welton offers a unique "eyewitness" view of the painter's distinctive canvases, and the complex personality behind them. See close-ups of Monet's vigorous, textured brushwork, how he captured the ever-changing effects of light on water, the lavish garden he created at Giverny, which inspired over 500 paintings. Learn how the trains at the Gare Saint-Lazare were stopped for Monet to paint them, how he created the celebrated Cathedrals and other "series" paintings, how he was influenced by Japanese art. Discover how the term "Impressionist" was coined, Monet's links with Manet, Renoir, Sisley, how doctors battled to save his failing eyesight, and much, much more! ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Visual Treat!
This Claude Monet art book is a great book, I received it as a gift over 10 years ago and I think it's very well put together and has beautiful images of Monet's best artwork and the book also gives some info as well. I recommend this book which is a good read, a visual treat and makes an excellent coffee table book!

Water Lily Heaven
If you are in love with Claude Monet's Water Lily Pond paintings, this is the best book for an explanation as to their origins and where Monet found his inspiration. There is a photograph from 1926 showing the bridge covered with climbing plants.

The Japanese Bridge at Giverny, 1924 is just one of the outstanding paintings in a series of works devoted to the bridge that preoccupied Monet during his final years.

Monet loved his garden at Giverny with such a passion that one could say it bordered on obsession. Harmony in Green, The White Water Lilies, The Water Lily Pond are all explained in detail. There is even a picture of Monet photographed in his beloved garden in 1917.

In every life there is beauty and sadness. The beauty of the water lilies contrasts with the pain Monet felt when he painted Camille on her death bed.

When Monet's wife died, she not only left him without a companion, he then had small children depending on him. He spent most of his meager earnings on his wife's medical treatments and he was also deeply depressed and alone.

This type of revealing information makes him so very human and the paintings then contain a certain depth when these secrets are revealed.

Comprehensive tour du force
A must-have for any student of Monet. Volumne I contains covers his biography proper, while volumes II-IV provide a COMPLETE record of the artist's body of work.

Wilderstein protrays Monet life for the most part as that of a debtor. However to his credit, he tempers the romantic "suffering artist" idealism with insight into Monet the creditor. By illustrating what a jackass the artist could also be, the author creates a deep and lively narrative.

Most of the personal insight into Monet come to us by way of coorespondance with Alice Hoeschede. Due to 'appearances' however she requested of Monet her letters be destroyed immediately and thus we're sadly left with a one-sided portrait of the man. While his artistic talents we're unparalled, it's his devotation to correspondance that allows Wildenstein to bring him back to life. Without giving away the ending, it's Monet's inability to write rather than paint that signals the end.

Outstanding book!!
I loved this book! The pictures were wonderful and the readings that went with them were as well. Learned many things that I did not know about his artwork. VERY informative...give it a try, it would make a great gift book!

Little substance, fair reproductions
Another book on the overblown impressionists. Little commentary and fair reproductions. A perfect book to put on your coffee table with your Renoir coasters. Souveneir book only. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Interesting, but cumbersome language
As a novice painter (hobbyist) with great admiration for the works of the Great Masters, I purchased this as a textbook to help me understand the great works as well as to learn proper technique. Given my "real world" schedule, it would be impossible to get to a proper art class, so this was to be a compromise. It is full of fascinating historical details, but the language used is often so cumbersome it's difficult to follow unless one has either a great deal of concentration, some prior experience with the subject under discussion, or both. The lack of illustrations is also a barrier to using this as a primary textbook. Mayer's book ("The Artist's Handbook of Materials and Techniques") is written in a much clearer style and covers more modern materials as well as those of the greats. In sum, this is a very good book to have in one's library, but if you are looking for a primary text, use Mayer's instead.

Accuracy counts?
The reality is that I would have rated this book as a three had it not already been over rated. As an introduction into the techniques of old masters materials the book may serve as a means of basic knowledge. Admit tingly the book has other attributes but nothing so unique that there is a revealing of information that couldn't be found more complete and satisfied some where else.

Writing as a conservator I don't have the book right in front of me so I'll be general. First and foremost the book doesn't come close to rivaling Mayer's book. I say this because Mayer's book on materials and techniques is far more conclusive and also acknowledging different artists approach materials with certain attitudes. This is leading to my biggest complaint with Doerner's book.

Doerner approaches his subject much more subjectively and with out much flexibility. The real problem with this is that the author is suppose to be acting as a historian and instead lays down guild lines that he considers superior for contemporary artist. I discovered particular errors through out the book; an example is a pigment attributed to Rembrandts use that analysis hasn't found. Doerner also dismisses cotton canvass painting as a serious support while it has in fact been a popular support for four to five hundred years and has shown as much empathy and durability for good paint film as linen. In truth theses little fictions creep up here and there through out the whole book.

Mayer's book offers a much more accurate detail of the actual properties of materials and he isn't so subjective. Mayer's book also provides chemical information on pigments and the newest edition tells when each pigment was introduced. Mayer's book also quotes the regional and historical introduction of most other materials and is there for nearly as informative historically as Doerner's book; certainly much more accurate.

However Doerner's book offers its own perspective and a little bit more detail about materials from the perspective of the past. For this reason I have found some use to use the book as an occasional reference.

I recommend this book as part of any library reference and also as a perspective but not as a conclusive authority on the subject. For any one not familiar with Mayer's book on materials it is far more informative and accurate.

solid bedrock know-how for the painter
While most curriculums today in art schools will have the words conception underlined, there is a desparate need for the craft of painting to be taught. If you do not want to wait until craftsmanship comes back in style and are a painter, than you must have this book. If you are learning how to better understand the painters of yesterday; you must have this book. If you are curious as to how painters such as Vermeer etc could accomplish want they did, this book is for you. Though the language is sometimes formal the information is so fascinating and inclusive it makes for great and enjoyable reading; Painter or just admirer.

The most important artist manual ever written.
Max Doerner lectured art students with the most accurate information ever compiled up to 1932. About 1900 there was a big change in the manufacturing of color, Max was the artist's protector. "Art has abandoned the sound principles of craftsmanship and is therefore lacking in a dependable foundation". Max Doerner 1931

1916, THEORY, The last color-wheel (square) of college record was by Church-Ostwald. It has Yellow, Red, Sea Green and Ult. Blue at the corners. It made way for the new coal-tar colors, all pigments were replaced by there top-tone matching colors. Naples Yellow, Rubins favorite, and artists favorite for two thousand years, was replaced by a mixture of Zinc and Ocher. Pigments were moving from the Iron Age to the Oil Age. Church-Ostwald had no regard for transparency/opacity, or raw pigment content. Only the final dried color. This is the way todays pigment manufactures make colors. Clearly, the artists interests are not at heart.

1886, COLOR,

THE FIRST AND LAST PUBLIC STANDARD OF PIGMENT COLORS FOR ARTISTS As noted by Max Doerner.

A. W, Keim, German. "Deutche Gesellschatf zur Forderung rationeller Malverfahren", The German Society for the Promotion of Rational Methods in Painting. They set up control for the pigments in colors found best by the artists, to guarantee the color's characteristics and ingredients. These are the colors deemed necessary by the artists; 1.White Lead, 2. Zinc White, 3. Cadmium Yellow Light, Medium and Orange. (Cadmium Red wasn't discovered until 1909), 4. Indian Yellow, 5. Naples Yellow Light and Dark, 6. Yellow to Brown, Natural and Burnt Ochers and Sienna, 7. Red Ocher, 8. Iron Oxide colors, 9. Graphite, 10. Alizarin Crimson, Madder Lake, 11. Vermilion, 12. Umbers, 13. Cobalt Blue, Native and Synthetic, 14. Ultramarine Blue, Natural and Synthetic, 15. Paris-Prussian Blue, 16. Oxide of Chromium, Opaque and Transparent Veridian, 17. Green Earth, 18. Ivory Black, 19. Vine Black.

Today we still have no exceptable replacements for the Naples Yellows or Indian Yellow Transparents, Golden or Brown.

Turpentine is the best thinner for oil paints. I don't agree with Mayer's Handbook saying that petroleum distilled paint thinner works for fine artwork. Doerner explained in his 1934 book, The Materials of the Artist, how they are unnatural with paints that absorb oxygen while drying. Being refined from a nondrying petroleum oil, they only evaporate, without absorbing oxygen. Petroleum thinners are good only for cleaning brushes of the trade, not the expensive brushes we use as artists. Petroleum thinner will not dissolve the valuable damar varnish either, as turpentine does so well.

You can see now why this book was suppressed after the wars. It was not in the paint manufactures best interest to let this knowledge get back to the new emerging artists.

If you are a serious artist, I urge you to get this book, The Materials of the Artist by Doerner. Compare it to the Mayer's Artists Handbook and see how just information pertaining to new colors is mentioned and the rest of Max's historical work was usurped. Don Jusko ... Read more

Book Description

Greek and Roman art methods, medieval techniques, tempera painting, van Eyck’s revolutionary use of oil paints, Flemish methods of preparing colors, methods of 18th-century British artists, technical secrets of Italian schools, including such masters as Leonardo, Raphael, Correggio, Andrea del Sarto, and more.
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Reviews (3)

METHOD PREVAILS OVER SPECIFIC TECHNIQUE
I have and keep a number of copies to provide to friends and students. I am so glad to see another release. If you enjoy reading historical treatises or are just an art ecclectic, this book is for you. Covering major schools of thought regarding painting from the Southern and Northern renaissance to contemporary practises (of the 1850's), this book covers one overlooked component of sucessful painting- namely method.
The steps necessary of how to consider building a painting are detailed. We all know of additive and subtractive color methods, but how about the most powerful? The dynamic method! Most colleges are telling students about "glazes", which is a poor illustration and obvious that the the entire process is not well understood nor adequately experienced by the professor of "glazes". This book blows away the semantic myth of direct painting as currently understood with the unrealized potential of lead white, veiling with white, "hot" underpaintings, typical pigment mixtures and a wealth of history.
I found my first used copy almost 30 years ago and have found it to be the an indispensable tool for the artist who "seeks further light" from an original source without the meddling of art supply manufactures, convenience influenced art education, and those terrified of heavy metals. If you have the courage to look, read and the iniative to comprehend, the info is invaluable. Take notes as read, for the ideas are simple yet profound in their power and applications. This is not just "a substitute token".

A Thorough History of the Use of Oils in Painting
Eastlake traces the use of drying oils and resins from the early Greeks through the perfection of these substances for use as mediums by the brothers Van Eyck. He discusses preparation of materials, execution, and technical difficulties faced in the use of an oil vehicle. This work will make you rethink everything you know about oil painting. A must read for the serious painter.

Filled with the secrets of western art's great masters.
This classic treatise on the painting methods of western art's great masters is an indispensible resource for the artist and connossieur. The current crop of "how-to" books that have taught artists for most of the 20th century look pathetically infantile after reading just a few pages of Sir Charles' book. Eastlake's readers were not ignorant hobbyists, but fellow scholars and masters of the art of oil painting. This volume is what it says it is -- a book of secrets. While you may be a master (not by the 20th century definition), you may not be privy to the secrets of Rembrandt, Da Vinci, Velazquez, etc. If only modern books explaining art materials and techniques would treat today's reader as one possessing a few "secrets" of his or her own, maybe western art would still be building on the legacy of the great schools and masters instead of trying to jump-start a nearly dead tradition. More than being a "must-read", this book is a "must-have.&quo ... Read more

Book Description

Max Ernst (1891–1976) was a pivotal figure in the history of twentieth-century art. A leader of the Dada movement in Germany, he later joined the circle of writers and artists gathered in Paris around André Breton, the unofficial founder of the Surrealist movement. At the outset of World War II, Ernst fled Germany for the United States, first going to New York and eventually settling in Sedona, Arizona. Ernst returned to Europe in 1950 and continued to explore Surrealist imagery and methods throughout his life.

This important book accompanies the first retrospective exhibition of Ernst’s work held in the United States in thirty years. It examines his pioneering accomplishments in painting, collage, and sculpture and considers his use of the techniques of frottage, grattage, and decalcomania. Also featured are Ernst’s unique collage novels--narratives comprising disparate images culled from nineteenth-century engravings and combined in surreal, unsettling compositions. Leading scholars write on various aspects of Ernst’s life and art: Werner Spies on Ernst in America; Ludger Derenthal on Ernst and politics; Pepe Karmel on Ernst and contemporary art; Thomas Gaehtgens on Ernst and the old masters; and Robert Storr on the collage novels.
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Reviews (1)

A very cool book
I have many books on paint effects and this is one of the best I have seen. The photographs and instructions are very clear and some of the finishes I have never seen before. If you are going to buy one book on faux finishes, this should be it. ... Read more

Book Description

When Friday Kahlo died in 1954, she left behind a slender oeuvre. It consists of 143 paintings of small size, rarely larger than 20 x 30 inches, many of them now considered icons of 20th century art, most of them self-portraits. The reasons for this ostensible narcissism were closely bound up with Kahlo's biography, with the country and epoch in which she grew up, and with her decidedly eccentric character. It was no coincidence that the major enigmatic minds of the 16th century, namely Hieronymous Bosch and Pieter Bruegel the Elder, were among her favorite painters. For Frida Kahlo never displayed her wounds directly--be it the physical wounds caused by accidents and illness, or the psychological inner wounds. Hers is a subtly enciphered symbolic language, rich in metaphors drawn from almost all the world's cultures. Aztec myths of creation, Far Eastern and Classical Greek mythology, and popular Catholic beliefs all mingle in Kahlo's pictures with Mexican folklore and the stuff of quotidian life, with Marx and Freud. André Breton, one of her many admirers among the European avant-garde, once described Kahlo's art as a "colored ribbon round a bomb." Exotic and explosive, sensuous and fascinatingly vital in terms of artistic statement, Kahlo's paintings shed a complex and often frightening light on her soul, her "inner reality," as she called it. If the incessant commercial marketing of Kahlo's paintings over the past decade has obscured a clear view of her extraordinary oeuvre, this present monograph attempts to make amends. Frida Kahlo: The Painter and Her Work returns to the heart, to 42 select masterpieces, reproduced in full and in detail. The painterly quality, the beauty, and the immense wealth of details in Kahlo's paintings is laid out before the reader's eyes, as is the abyss in which the artist found herself.

I was considered a Surrealist. That is not right. I never painted dreams. What I depicted was my reality.--Frida Kahlo Essay by Helga Prignitz-Poda.

Slipcased, 11 x 13 in. / 280 pgs / 180 color. ... Read more