Book Description

This book has over 250 of the highest quality color reproductions as well as essays by art historians, contemporaries and friends such as Fab Five Freddie, Richard Marshal and Glen O'Brien. The Limited edition is of 1000 copies signed and numbered by Tony Shafrazi. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

a must have for any basquiat fan!
this is the fifth book i have on basquiat and i am very happy to say that most of the works reproduced in this gorgeous book do not appear in any of the other books i have on him. the quality of the work is splendid and the reproductions are gorgeous! and the book is thick and a treat to look at! i would recommend it to anyone who loves basquiat's brillant works. the guy was a genius and he shines in this book!

This book is wonderful but......
I still dind't get this book..but I think it is very nice.My major is visual communication art,so I'm always read books about art.I know many American artist,especially I'm mad about him.If you look his works,you can feel "nature".Maybe It will be a good guide to beginners.

A Crown for Tony Shafrazi?
I thought the excesses of the 1980's had long since passed but then comes along this massive (and expensive) volume on Jean-Michel Basquiat, one of the Kings of the 80's art scene two decades ago. Sadly, like much art from that period, Basquiat's faux-primitve paintings come across more like deliberate attempts at critical and commercial success than intuitive genius from a true visionary painter. The art world and its consumers were desperate and happy in the 80's to champion "street art" and graffiti with the growing popularity of folk art in the 1970's. The professional art world latched on to it's own, professional artists working in a vernacular style (Haring, Scharf, Basquiat) in order to appear open to less progromatic art. With folk art, critics and museums of modern art were caught looking backward and left behind. Urban street art, positioned as being more sophisticated and hip, was marketed to an eager consumer market. Is this truly great art? Is Basquiat worthy of a ...book signed by a gallery owner (seller)? Is this the best modern art has to offer? Looking at page after page in this retrospective book becomes a tedious task. The words don't add up to the great poetry of Dickens or Whitman. The artwork can be found in its purer form on the streets of any urban city. Try taking a walk through New York city and leave this book behind. ... ... Read more

Book Description

Austrian Expressionist Egon Schiele produced a prolific body of work before his early death at the age of twenty-eight in 1918. The oeuvre is comprised of a few hundred oil paintings and thousands of drawings and watercolors.

Schiele's oils have often been reproduced and are well recognized. However, limited access to the fragile works on paper and dispersion among several collections have made for an unbalanced representation of his work as a draftsman.

This book assembles drawings and watercolors from public and private collections and reproduces work from every year of the artist's career, beginning with the juvenilia and early academic studies. The focus means that work that is rarely reproduced is represented extensively, providing a unique opportunity to study the rapid artistic development of Schiele over the course of his brief twelve-year career.

The book is organized chronologically and divided into year-by-year sections. Each section includes a text that discusses the major events in Schiele's life and the interrelation between the artist's drawing and developments in his oil painting. Features a previously unpublished Schiele watercolor and several works that have never been reproduced in color. Over 350 color illustrations. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

another artist who died too young
Schiele is a wonderful artist, and it's a pity that he died so young in his twenties. He got thrown in prison for drawing pictures of girls who were "too young" and I have no interest in his self-portraits where he's holding his tallywhacker. But his drawings of women are very interesting, sometimes enticing.

David Rehak
author of "A Young Girl's Crimes"

How did they do it?
Flipping through the Kallir/Vartanian book on Schiele's drawings and watercolors is a guaranteed way to make several hours of your life disappear without you even noticing it. The reproductions, presented in chronological order from 1907 through 1918, are a joy to ponder and get lost in. Schiele scholars and fans have been given a lavish gift. The biggest mystery is how the publisher, Thames & Hudson of London, could produce this marvel-like book for a such a miniscule cover price--it has the look and feel of a hundred-dollar book.

This is publishing at its absolute finest.

Absolutely Essential for Schiele fans
The price is amazing, considering the amount of images and written material. More than just the usual "greatest hits" compendium, this one book covers Schiele's output with chapters devoted to specific years of his life. The images take up full pages - rather than being small, irritating reproductions - so you can actually SEE the drawings and paintings. These are the best reproductions of his work - yes, I've seen some of the originals - in the largest number (save for Kallir's catalogue raisonne) and with an enormous amount of biographical information. This book thrilled me. Go. Buy. Now!

great value
I've bought several books on Schiele's work over the years but this is, by
far, the best book I've seen so far on the artist's drawings and
watercolors. Plus, it's a great value! It's double the page count of any
other book and has more than double the reproductions of any other book. But
it is the same price (or cheaper) than a lot of other Schiele books out
there. The reproductions are fantastic and the text is really great. A great
buy for all art lovers. ... Read more

Book Description

Painted in 1878, Cézanne's The Eternal Feminine, has been known by a variety of titles and, as Wayne Andersen discovered, has also been altered. Andersen traced these alterations to an art dealer who made them in an effort to render the painting more marketable. His study focuses on the significance of the original state of The Eternal Feminine in an effort to resolve its mysterious importance to Cézanne and, more broadly, the history of art. ... Read more

Book Description

Between April 1996 and April 1998, artist Diana Wege visited 24 national lands and Nature Conservancy properties across the United States, from Alaska to Florida, Vermont to New Mexico. Her intent was to celebrate the rich landscapes that have been preserved, and to convey the American love of wild places.

Land America Leaves Wild reproduces 18 four-panel paintings created by Wege in lavish full color facing gatefold reproductions. Her paintings help us to see these places with freshness, excitement, and awe. Wege's artistic power communicates not only the inherent aesthetic appeal of these places, but also the power nature holds over our emotions and imagination. The result is not just a celebration of the stunning diversity of wild lands, but also a tribute to Americans for the esteem in which they hold their wilderness. Proceeds from the sale of Land America Leaves Wild will help support the Wilderness Society. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Stunningly unique
A stunningly unique, beautiful book!Wege's glorious paintings are printed on fold-outs 40" wide (perfect to prop open on a sofa) so one can relish the vibrant matte colors throughout the day.She passionately grasps the essence of the changing seasons, the diverse locations, with colors and brushstrokes to astound you.Don't miss this very special book about the soul of our land and a very important concept:leaving wilderness alone. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

The 5 Essentials in Every Powerful Painting
I have over 300 art technique books. This one is the best of all time. I am a professional artist in oil painting and pastel.
There was information in the book I have never heard on impressionism; i.e., limited the type strokes. The studio and work placed shown in book was like my own. It was well filled with books and still life objects. I showed it to my husband so that he would stop nagging me about cleaning up or I had bought too many books. I am in a SAD depression. This book inspired me to get up and move and to just do it. I feel wonderful. This book has made a hugh impact on my painting.

Excellent book
I really do not understand some of the other reviews on this book. This is really not a 'how to paint a variety of different styles' book. This is an honest book from an excellent artist who shows you how 'he' paints.

I first read this book at the library. I felt it was 'okay'. However, as my skills grew; I kept finding myself checking this book out again and again. Finally, I broke down and bought the book.

I didn't check it out again to try to duplicate the painting style of the author. Which I'm in awe of, and so is the Pastel and Watercolor Society by the way. The reason I got it, was because this book really shows you how to create powerful paintings. It shows you how to think before you put brush to canvas.

Again, I can't believe the poor customer reviews. I've read fifty or sixty books on painting and this one along with Oil Painting Secrets from a Master are the two that I pick up again and again and again.

NOTHING I DID NOT ALREADY KNOW
IF YOU TAKE THE TIME TO WRITE A BOOK, IT SHOULD CONTAIN CONSTRUCTIVE AND INSTUCTIONAL MATERIAL. THIS BOOK HAS NETHER ONE AND I HOPE TO FIND BOOKS WITH MUCH MUCH BETTER INFORMATION. HOPE THIS HELPS PEOPLE NOT WASTE THEIR MONEY.

Not worth your time
This book gives very little help and actually your common sense is just as good. I am an artist and it did NOT help me at all.

NOTHING TO THIS AWFUL BOOK.
This book is not worth the paper it is written on and take my word that it does not teach you anything you don't already know. So many bac art books and this is one of them. ... Read more

Book Description

With its luxurious design and captivating text, this book bringsto life a charming, extravagantly talented artist.

One of Victorian England's most charismatic characters, Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-1882) painted and wrote with equal passion. He was similarly passionate in his personal life: his ethereal artist-wife, his earthy blond mistress, and the ravishing Jane Morris are all immortalized in his voluptuous images. The melodrama of Rossetti's lifedarkened by rumors of suicide, adultery, and addictionhas often overshadowed his striking accomplishments as a painter.

This evocative volume vividly illuminates Rossetti's career, from his early achievements as a founder of the tremendously influential Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, through his involvement with William Morris's revolutionary design firm, to the grandly unorthodox images of his final years. Rossetti's prodigious art encompassed the meticulously detailed canvases of his early years, the jewellike brilliance of his medieval tableaux, and the sensuously alluring women of his late paintings.

The astute text provides, at long last, a clear and candid account of the artist that carefully untangles fact from myth. Reminiscences from the artist's great-grandniece Helen Guglielmini provide an engaging glimpse of life with the Rossettis. Beautifully designed with luscious reproductions, telling details, and graceful ornamentation, this is the first lavishly illustrated monograph devoted to Rossetti.

265 illustrations, 140 in full color ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Looking for Fun??
This book has so many ideas for a craft person. The instructions are very easy and the rocks are fun to make. My 5 year old grandson found it easy too. He made a Lady Bug. This book is worth having if you are loooking for a project that doen't cost much money.

Great book! Easy for everyone!
I had been interested in Lin Wellford's books for a long time, but never really painted an animal rock. I bought this book, ready to try it. First I did a frog, which was very simple.
The furry animals use a script liner, and that is not my favorite paint brush, so I was a little nervous that I couldn't achieve the fur strokes.
I went ahead and tried a squirrel, and I was so surprised at how easy the fur turned out to be. I've painted a few more animals since then, and they are very easy to do. Very watery paint and a #1 script liner (the shorter one) makes it very easy.
If you are looking to start painting rocks, don't hesitate...this is the perfect book! I would recommend it to everyone who is interest in painting!

Another Treasure!
Another amazing book! Lin Wellford makes painting animals so easy. Everyone can make these adorable rock creatures. This book, Painting More Animals on Rocks, is the second 'animal on rocks' book. I really hope she comes out with more because these books are great!

Painting More animals on Rocks shows you how to make very cute mice, bears, wolves, wild cats, penguins, cows, and so much more. Your rock creatures nearly look real when you are finished painting them. I made some frogs for my flower garden, a few mice, and a penguin so far.

Even if you have never painted before, you can do these projects. The book has full color, nearly step by step photos with the step by step instructions. I just love it.

User Friendly
I really liked the first Painting Animals on Rocks book, and I bought this one specifically to learn to paint frogs. As always, Lin's instructions are crystal clear, taking you through every step. I like crafts but have never been good at anything representational (something that's actually supposed to look like something). However, with this book, my rocks came out looking just like Lin's--how satisfying. I am amazed at her generosity in sharing her techniques. I was also happy to see her give detailed instructions for some of the animals from the gallery in her first book, such as a panda. I'm looking forward to trying mice, and I'm hoping to gain the confidence to do a tiger. Lin's introduction in which she shows you one of her earlier rocks is really an inspiration--even the 'real' artist has improved. If you want to try a fun, relaxing, rewarding, inexpensive craft that wows everyone, follow Lin's step by step model and you'll even wow yourself.

Excellent!
I thouroughly enjoyed this latest installment of Ms. Wellford's art books. I had received her second book about paining houses on rocks as a gift from my husband. After being so impressed with this one, I bought the first book on animals and now just finished the latest. Thanks to the author for kickstarting my creative juices! ... Read more

Book Description

A true genius whose talents embraced painting, engineering, anatomy, and flight, Leonardo da Vinci was--and remains--an extraordinary human being, indeed one of the most intriguing figures in world history, as the recent success of The Da Vinci Code attests. Now, in this new biography, Martin Kemp explores the essential nature of this forever fascinating artist-engineer, both as an individual and as a historical phenomenon.How can we best understand Leonardo? How did his mind work--was he prolific but scattered in his thinking, or is there a method in what often seems to be his madness? Was he basically an artist who also pursued science and technology, or was "science"--his understanding of the physical world--central to his artistic vision? In Leonardo, Martin Kemp offers a vivid portrait of the Renaissance giant that answers these questions and more. The book takes us on an absorbing journey through the life and work of Leonardo, looking first at the historical man, portraying an impressive and cultivated figure, an artist who in truth completed few paintings, rarely satisfied a commission, and yet lived in style and ended his career with a massive salary. More important, the author examines the ideas underlying Leonardo's investigations of nature, illuminating his vision of the artist-engineer as matching nature itself in his creativity. Kemp argues that Leonardo's apparent diversities reveal a desire to find an inner unity in the functioning of everything in the observable world. For Leonardo, writes Kemp, every act of looking and drawing was an act of analysis, and he used these analyses to re-make and re-interpret his surroundings. In a final chapter, Kemp also comments on the Da Vinci Code and "the continuing public appetite for Leonardo and his doings." Beautifully illustrated with a unique "thumbnail museum" that offers a tour of all Leonardo's paintings, plus 30 additional illustrations and life-size reproductions of pages from his famous notebooks, Leonardo is a powerful portrait of one of the towering geniuses of world history. ... Read more

Book Description

Almost half Dalí's illustrations in this book have rarely been seen

This publication presents the entire painted oeuvre of Salvador Dalí (1904-1989). After many years of research, Robert Descharnes and Gilles Néret finally located all the paintings of this highly prolific artist. Many of the works had been inaccessible for years - in fact so many that almost half the illustrations in this book have rarely been seen. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Art of Dali
I liked the book. The mix of explanations of the painting and his life was very descriptive. I learned a lot about his friends and famliy. The book just reminds me that in every genius there's a lunatic.

DALI at his best...........
After collecting, selling and trading Dali art works for more than 30 years, Mr. Robert Descharnes, one of Dali's past secretaries, has outdone himself in this magnificent book. Without a doubt it will become a collectors classic and a must for any serious Dali admirer. Well worth its price in gold!!!!!

Dali for Dali afficionados
Not only does this book have biographical info, it has the Dali painting in chronological order and the sculptures as well. A valuable reference.

Everything You Want From Dali and More
This book is the definitive look at Dali. I own a few other of his books but this one blows the out of the water. The only negative aspect about the book really comes down to my opinion. Some of my favorite paintings are fitted onto a page with 3 others making them a little difficult to see the extreme detail. While others get their own page but in my humble opinion didn't deserve it. While reading or just skimming through the paintings its awesome all the way through. The book is in chronological order so you can see his progress throughout his life. I would highly recommend this book to anyone, even if you don't like Dali's style, there is so much in here that you'll find something. I've spent dozens of hours looking through it, finding something new each time.

The best of Dali
While it may be hard to get a hold of here at Amazon, "Dali: The Paintings" is worthwhile in searching for. I found it at a local bookstore and snatched it up immediately. It's a gorgeous book at nearly 800 pages. It has a black cover with a classic image of Dali and his mustache ends sticking straight up on the cover.

The real meat of the book is the paintings, drawings, and sketches. Over 1600 of them to be exact, almost all of them produced in vivid color. The book progresses year to year, giving a glimpse into Dali's changing techniques and styles. Thoughtful commentary by Robert Descharnes and Gilles Neret compliment the works of art.

Overall this is one of the best and most comprehensive Dali books around. A must for any serious Dali fan, or even the casual admirer. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

where art thou interpretation
This book is so conspicuosly intelligent, and its exercises in criticism so involving, that it is a great pleasure to read. Baxandall begins by developing a scheme for the explanation of concrete historical objects in general.

He takes the Forth bridge in Scotland. Baxandall, more than it makes it beautiful, he shows you that it really is beautiful. But wait, there's more. He takes Picasso's Kahweiler and shows it to you as beautiful, and damn well you believe it.

Baxandall shows us how to interpret art.

But he claims modesty: he is a historian, he says, and is only offering one method of many to think about pictures. I think this is the only place where he has gone wrong. After going through his method of understanding art, you will know there are no others. All the other ones are wrong. Baxandall is right.

If you want to be someone who talks about art intelligently, buy this book and you will be able to talk of art in the only way you should

Lovely Textbook
This book is a genuinely informative and at times engrossing view into the making and understanding of pictures. However, it reads (not surprisingly) like a textbook; it is brilliant and thought-provoking in some parts but dryly monotonous in others. (The bridge-building bit stands out as particularly tedious.) The points Baxandall makes via this tediousness are no less brilliant, but their lustre is lost beneath layers of dull, yawn-worthy prose. Baxandall's stylistic shortcomings should not scare away anyone with a passionate interest in the study of Art and its interpretation. But for the layman in search of a clear and down-to-earth discussion of how to look at pictures, this is probably a book to avoid.

Elegant explication of art historical issues
Through three well-chosen case studies, Baxandall examines the question of artistic intention: how the constraints of the culture, the artistic medium, and the intended use of a work of art shape the process of its creation. Particularly penetrating is his "excursus on influence", in which he argues that participants in an artistic tradition shape and change how their predecessors are understood. This is an ingenious and satisfying book: I read it twice for two different college classes, and expect to read it again and continue to profit from it. ... Read more

Book Description

The greatest painter of eighteenth-century Italy, Giambattista Tiepolo was both a master of the vivid colors, palpable movement, and dramatic, emotional scenes that characterize baroque art, and an expert in the later rococo style, which ushered in a lighter palette and looser brushwork. In Tiepolo: The Complete Paintings, Filippo Pedrocco provides a comprehensive examination of the paintings produced by this remarkable artist. Though Tiepolo began his career in his native city of Venice, his artistic prowess quickly brought him into contact with some of Europe's most influential figures. Kings and queens, princes and patriarchs commissioned him to decorate the walls and ceilings of their palaces in Venice, Milan, and Würzburg with grand canvases and frescoes. Monks, nuns, and even archbishops requested religious paintings for their churches and cathedrals in Bergamo, Vicenza, and Nymphenburg. The patronage of the rich and powerful brought Tiepolo fame and a string of masterpieces to serve as his legacy. Included in this stunning volume are all of the artist's paintings, each illustrated and expertly discussed by the author, a specialist in Venetian painting. Experience both the large-scale decorative frescoes, many of which are still in situ and therefore not widely accessible to the general audience, and the smaller, yet equally moving altarpieces, such as the Martyrdom of Saint Agatha, executed for the famous pilgrimage church of Saint Anthony in Padua. Through Tiepolo's masterful art the lavish opulence of eighteenth-century Italy is vividly brought to life.
... Read more

Reviews (1)

3 Stars for the Reproductions
The magnificent reproductions are the only reason to buy this tremendously oversized coffee-table book. But keep a pulley-system on hand: it weighs two tons. This book is the great-grandchild of what were once known, somewhat fetishistically, as folios, lavishly produced books of reproductions too large to be accomodated vertically on library shelves and therefore shelved horizontally, often in locked cages, away from rapacious hands. Folios were brought out ceremoniously from their cages by special request, by suspicious white-gloved librarians and set up on wooden or foam stands. The ritual exercise heightened the sensation of being in the presence of something grand -- it reproduced the work of art itself, as well as the power of the sublime as experienced in the presence of the original work of art. Pedrocco's book achieves a similar effect. The text is negligible and unimaginative, but then again, who really goes to an exhibition to read the wall-texts? Lorried, pullied, or displayed on a roving stand, this is a major blockbuster on wheels. ... Read more

Book Description

outstanding studies, including sketches for David, Sistine Ceiling, Last Judgment, etc. Nudes, figure studies, children, animals, mythical and religious works, more. New volume in Dover Art Library affords insight into mastery of proportion, anatomy, perspective, shading, contrast. Essential for artists, museum-goers.
... Read more

Reviews (3)

Inexpensive renderings of classic drawings.
A good buy for any student of art or anatomy.

Extraordinary Studies of the Great Master
In this thin but great book, you'll find 46 works of the great master - Michelangelo. Concentrating in Life drawings you'll see studies of the great marble - "David", for "The Battle of cascina",for various figures of the Sistine Chaplle Ceiling,and many more astonishing studies, all vivid in his great manner. Black & white. A real "Must Buy", especially in this price. Michelangelo. The Master.

definately worth the [price]
this is a collection of 46 figure drawings michelangelo did. michelangelo was a master painter and sculptor, he rendered figures more beautifully than any other artist ever has. most of the drawings in this book are studies he did for his paintings and sculptures. and he was a master draftsman. the book is in a workbook style binding so it takes up little space, but it is a hardy book. it is well worth the...price.
... Read more

Book Description

This extraordinary work presents every known document concerning Raphael during a period of 120 years, from his birth in 1483 to 1602. The chronologically organized collection includes some 1,100 documents, many of which are newly discovered or little known, concerning the artist, his work, writings, family, properties, and other matters. The handsome two-volume set is an invaluable resource for art historians and historians of the Renaissance. Each document is included in transcription, in most cases made afresh from the original, and translations are provided for literary Latin and Greek. For each entry John Shearman provides commentary as well as a critical history and bibliography. In addition he offers an overall introduction that deals with the nature of documentary research, its limitations and possibilities, and the history of facsimiles and forgeries. Three useful indexes complete the two volumes. ... Read more

Book Description

This sumptuous book is the third volume of the definitive catalogue raisonnŽ of the work of the American painter John Singer Sargent (1856-1925). Comprising over two hundred portraits and portrait sketches in oil and watercolor painted between 1900 and the artist's death in 1925, this book completes the trilogy of portrait volumes.The catalogued works have been grouped into two chronological sections, each with an introduction that sets the particular group in context. There is also a section of undated portraits and an appendix listing previously unrecorded works. Each work is documented in depth: entries include traditional data about the painting or watercolor; details of the work's provenance, exhibition history, and bibliography; a short biography of the sitter; a discussion of the circumstances in which the work was created; and a critical discussion of its subject matter, style, and significance in Sargent's career. Most of the works are reproduced in color. There is also an illustrated inventory of Sargent's studio props and accessories and a cross-referenced checklist of the portraits in which they appear. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

He Only Gets Better!!
I wasn't sure that volume 3 could live up to the beauty of the first two volumes, but it certainly does, even surpassing them in some ways. Sargent has honed his skills as a portrait painter to such an extent that, in many of these paintings, all that's left is the essence of what he wanted to convey about a sitter. Like any artist, he has his ups and downs, but when he's good it's absolutely breathtaking. These three volumes are all magnificent, among my favorite art books I've ever seen. The vast majority are in color, and the writing about each painting is always interesting, including references from critics, diaries, and even photos of him painting. On page 102 is the wonderful portrait of Mrs. Fiske Warren and her Daughter, Rachel. Next to it are photos of Sargent painting them! Wow!
This is a book, like the first two volumes, that you can return to over and over again. It always has a new detail or personality to interest you. Also, if you like Sargent, get the book "Sargent Abroad" which concentrates more on his outdoor work. I'm not sure any other artist ever had such a natural talent, to be able to paint so many different subjects so well. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Cowboys and horses, adventure in wide-open spaces. The mythos of the Old West comes alive in the paintings, drawings, and sculptures of Frederic Remington (1861-1909). Born during the Civil War and educated at Yale University, Remington committed his life to making portraits of the American frontier. The Frederic Remington Art Museum Collection presents the collection of the museum founded by and housed in the former home of Remington's widow, Eva Caten Remington.

For much of his creative life, Remington worked as an illustrator for publications like Harper's Weekly. His renderings of life in the Old West were hugely successful, and some even accompanied an essay by President Theodore Roosevelt. His drawings displayed a strongly believable atmosphere:

[Remington's] illustrated scenes from the Apache War were rendered in a direct, spare and unsentimental style with an attention to detail that made them seem like snapshots of specific incidents. In truth, like much of Remington's reality, they were generalizations, not documents, created by extrapolating freely from firsthand observations.

Today Remington's work is often seen as problematic, and as evidence of the racist brutality that wiped out the American Indian culture and population. Of course, in Remington's time, his views of the frontier reflected those of most of the United States. Aside from these political complexities, Remington's work captures the imagery of a time and a landscape long gone. If you are fascinated by the Old West, then you should not miss this book. The book includes detailed commentary on the paintings and drawings, with 333 illustrations and 127 full-color plates. --J.P. Cohen ... Read more

Amazon.com

Maxfield Parrish, the prodigiously gifted, turn-of-the-20th-century illustrator famous for his limpid blue landscapes and dreamy pubescent models draped in gossamer threads, has rolled in and out of artistic favor for nearly a century. In 1964, critic Lawrence Alloway wrote about Parrish's odd place in the history of American art: "He was the most popular artist the country ever produced, with prints in a quarter of all American homes at one time; and yet his kitschy compositions were considered risible among the educated art elite." Parrish himself had a sophisticated sense of his own place in the pantheon: "There are countless artists whose shoes I am not worthy to polish whose prints would not pay the printer," he wrote. "The question of judgement is a puzzling one." But new movements of the 1960s, including photo-realism and pop art, led to critical reappraisal of Parrish's oeuvre, and a few of the later new image painters, such as Joan Nelson, found sweet inspiration in his atmospheric skies and evocative, shadowy forests.

Parrish is finally receiving his due with this truly intelligent, fascinating book. It is the catalog to a traveling exhibition organized by the author, Sylvia Yount, the curator of collections at the Museum of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia--Parrish's alma mater and hometown, respectively. With Mark F. Bockrather, a conservator who elucidates Parrish's formidable craftsmanship, Yount has done a fine job of resurrecting Parrish yet again. She offers a sensitive analysis of the place his pastoral, idyllic, storybook innocence played in a world that Freud, the Great War, the Depression, and yet another world war inexorably tore to shreds. --Peggy Moorman ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Beautiful work and nicely presented
For a century, illustrators have been looked down upon by "fine artists." Finally, Maxfield Parrish, a truely FINE artist, gets his day. He's represented not as an illustrator, but as an artist. Having seen the originals 20 minutes prior to buying the book, I can say with confidence that the reproductions are the truest I have ever seen. A great in the art world (Daybreak was estimated to be in 25% of all American homes), the book is the best look back at an American great.

Good mid- price Parrish book
This is a good entry point into the world of Maxfield Parrish for the budget conscious. It provides the usual essay on the artist's life. What I found really useful was a description of his techniques in the fourth section.It includes infrared and microscopic cross section analysis of his canvasses. If you are looking for an even more economical book on Parrish, try Maxfield Parrish by Laurence and Judy Cutler by Gramercy books also published in 1999. It always intrigues me that published reproductions of his works always 'color' differently from book to book. ... Read more

Book Description

A bold, fresh biography of the world's first modern painter

As presented with "blood and bone and sinew" (Times Literary Supplement) by Peter Robb, Caravaggio's wild and tempestuous life was a provocation to a culture in a state of siege. The end of the sixteenth century was marked by the Inquisition and Counter-Reformation, a background of ideological cold war against which, despite all odds and at great cost to their creators, brilliant feats of art and science were achieved. No artist captured the dark, violent spirit of the time better than Caravaggio, variously known as Marisi, Moriggia, Merigi, and sometimes, simply M. As art critic Robert Hughes has said, "There was art before him and art after him, and they were not the same."

Caravaggio threw out Renaissance dogma to paint with dazzling originality and fierce vitality, qualities that are echoed in Robb's prose. As with Caravaggio's art, M arrests and suspends time to reveal what the author calls "the theater of the partly seen." Caravaggio's wild persona leaps through these pages like quicksilver; in Robb's skilled hands, he is an immensely attractive character with an astonishing connection to the glories and brutalities of life. ... Read more

Reviews (34)

All history should be written like this...
After years of sitting through droning art history classes Peter Robb finally writes the book that all histories could be modeled on- He gives us the dirt. The culture M made his art in and for is explained for us in great detail, especially the political climate of Rome at the turn of the seventeenth century and all that implied for artists and churchmen alike. Mr. Robb does not hesitate to discuss the seamier aspects of Italian life in this period and it's consequences on M's career. His analysis of the painters career and the development of his work is truly inspired. The research is painstaking, and combined with a deep understanding of human nature Mr. Robb has produced a fascinating and informative work. An absolute requirement for all art historians and painters. You'll need a catologue of the paintings to look at as you read; The book is barely illustrated. So... I was just blown away. Of course I'm a painter and am just enthralled by art history.

Innovation does not always guarantee success
Brimming with historical detail and clearly well researched, it is a shame this book is not more artfully written and furnished with more reproductions of the mentioned art.

In his enthusiasm to plunge his readers into Caravaggio's unsavoury environment, Mr. Robb takes on a street talk vernacular, even renaming the painting titles. But, Caravaggio often painted more than one work with the same or very similar title and the author habitually neglects to mention enough details to identify the correct work. Instead, the reader must constantly thumb back and forth toward the end of the book, where they are listed chronologically. Using the location of the works, provided in this list, is the key to cross referencing, for locating them in other sources. Adding to these glaring inconveniences, one is forced to hunt through other sources like picture art books or webpages to understand what he is talking about, since so much of what he says is based on the paintings themselves, of which, few reproductions are provided. What is the point of reading about a painting you are not currently viewing?

Complete with the gory depiction on the book cover, it is marketed as a "sensational" read, but that's where the excitement ends. On the cover, the reproduction demonstrates precisely the main thesis of the book, which asserts that the artist reveals his character through his art. Mr. Robb prefers this method over the traditional route of relying on accounts of the subject's contemporaries and biographers. He astutely proves the reasons why these sources are often less than reliable and this is what saves this book from a toss against the wall.

Attempting creativity in his biography of an historical figure is a good idea except he does not blend this with his other goal of retaining the depth from his research. As a result, it is not the light read as promoted, but rather an academic read with some innovative writing tricks which "might've" worked had they been combined with a less laboured writing style.

A thrilling story and a great art book
Peter Robb has managed to achieve a miraculous symphony in this long (500 + pages) book: It's a biography, a detective story (little is known about Caravaggio's life), a social history of Rome, and a definitive art book. As a result, you can read this book on many levels. I read it first as a "beach book" for the story, and then again, when I took a vacation to Rome and tried to see as many of his remaining paintings as I could.

Robb explains how Caravaggio was a breakthrough painter in his use of light, and in his use of recognizable local models (almost all of whom Robb has been able to identify) to express the religious art of the day. Mannerism died at his hands.

Moreover, Peter Robb builds a credible portrait of Caravaggio's brittle personality--it's easy to see why people were out to kill him. At first I thought the title "M" was a little contrived, but by the end of the book, I realized that it's cipher for the real man behind the familiar name. (Calling someone "Caravaggio" after the town is like giving someone the nickname "Boston").

The reproductions are carefully chosen and richly presented. You'll enjoy reading--and re-reading--this wonderful book.

A new way of writing
Robb's 'M' is sheer brilliance. It is controversial and path break not simply as research but as writing. Robb brings Caravaggio alive and he does so by analysing what type of character the painter must have been and then writing in that style. In this way, Robb's writing is itself art. It is new, clever and fresh. The book is worth reading not simply from its historical content but from the artistry of what Robb himself has achieved. And so the book works at two levels: Robb's and Caravaggio's.

Penetrating insight obscured by odd verbal tics
Reviewer Frank Martini beat me to the punch, but it's worth repeating -- this is a fine biography undermined by a writing style that becomes progressively harder to ignore as one reads along. Peter Robb has been badly served by his editors in this regard. He never misses an opportunity to use a contraction or to even glue two or more contractions together into a noisome verbal confection that trips the reader up. His preferences for non-standard punctuation, probably most charitably described as "odd," also stand out like loud, sour, distracting notes in an otherwise masterful composition.

Robb's lack of decent editing is especially unfortunate because he has produced a fine biography from a very meager historical record. Michelangelo Merisi left little in the way of documentary evidence to mark his brief four decades of life. Until very recently, Merisi's biography was his work, the canvases he churned out with amazing proliferation, often according to his needs for money and political patronage. Robb does an outstanding job of placing Merisi within the context of the Italy of his era and invoking the various religious and political tensions which roiled the peninsula's art world throughout Merisi's life.

Robb is also outstanding at dissecting Merisi's work, telling us how canvases were done, the techniques Merisi used to achieve his goals and the emotional connection his work made with his audiences. I was particularly impressed with Robb's conceit pairing Merisi with 1940s photographer WeeGee, whose gritty real-life, black and white compositions rose or fell on the contradictions between the two opposed qualities of light. In this sense, Merisi followed in God's footsteps by demanding, first of all, that there be light.

The book is dogged by a dearth of color plates of Merisi's surviving work. It can be frustrating to read Robb's often eloquent descriptions of a Merisi canvas only to find that one has to put the book down and look for a reproduction of it on the Internet. And, while I applaud Robb's detective work in piecing together the few remaining scraps of contemporary documentation of Merisi's adult life, I can't help but wonder what might remain to be found in the Vatican's archives or in those of the Spanish monarchy. Robb is such a good researcher that one longs to see him slip the leash and come up with more documentation, particularly concerning Merisi's final days.

This book is a splendid introduction to Merisi's work even despite the caveats I have mentioned. Be prepared to spend some time and mental energy in reading it, but it will be worth your effort. Michelangelo Merisi was instantly recognized during his own lifetime as one of those rare geniuses who completely transform art, which is never the same afterwards. His recent rediscovery is long overdue and Peter Robb's empathetic reading of the life and work of the man who became Caravaggio should further that rediscovery. ... Read more