Book Description

"Male Desire entertains, stimulates, seduces, enlightens: it is the perfect art history course, slide after delicious slide, with piquant, smart commentary." -Wayne Koestenbaum

Examining the history of homoeroticism in American art, Male Desire surveys how the male body has been portrayed for the last century and a half. From the academic-style paintings of Thomas Eakins in the 19th century to Félix González-Torres's conceptual works in the "age of AIDS," this fascinating book by the well-known art historian Jonathan Weinberg highlights specific artists while illuminating the artistic and cultural contexts in which they worked.

Accompanying Weinberg's engaging text are 170 compelling images of the male physique by such artists as George Bellows, Marsden Hartley, Paul Cadmus, Andy Warhol, and Robert Mapplethorpe, works that address the theme of the homoerotic in vivid and often contentious ways. While they range widely in style and content, these artworks all share a quality of excess in the way they represent the male figure. Sexy, beautiful, edgy, and thought provoking, this important book is a must-have for every art-book collection, as well as the library of every gay man.

AUTHOR BIO: Jonathan Weinberg, Ph.D., is a painter and art historian. He is a recipient of a 2002 Guggenheim Fellowship and is currently a fellow of the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts. His paintings are in many important collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Weinberg lives in Connecticut. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

GREAT! (except for the design)
WOW. This is a real work of research. The amount of detail and care that has gone into this study of Warhol's early paintings is not to be believed. The editors have compiled a completely staggering amount of information about each work shown here--and who knew there were so many original paintings?

My only complaint is the book's design, which doesn't seem to have anything to do with Warhol's own aesthetic. The pictures are beautiful, but the words are tough on the eyes--the table of contents is especially awful. This is really a shame, because you can see pictures of Warhol paintings in lots of places. I don't know where you'd find all this wonderful data, though. (Put it on CD-ROM!)

It's definitely an expensive book, but unmatched, as far as I can tell, in its field. Bravo! ... Read more

Reviews (5)

A comprehensive, flawed survey of the subject
I'm reading this book for an Asian Art class, and I find it has both significant strengths and significant weaknesses.

Its major strength is the integrated approach: Sherman Lee organizes the book chronologically and thematically, rather than geographically. Instead of writing a section on Chinese art and a section on Indian art, Lee organizes his material by stage of development (Stone Age pottery) or by cultural movement (Buddhism), for example tracing the development of Buddhist styles in India, the adoption of those styles in China, Japan, and S.E. Asia, and the eventual synthesis of the Indian influences into local styles incorporating indigenous themes. Lee writes eloquently and even passionately about his subject, letting us know which cultures, styles, and artworks he admires. He covers a vast amount of cultures and time periods, easily enough material for dozens of books.

The book does have significant flaws, however. Most frustrating are the black and white photos (presumably a cost-saving measure). Roughly 90% of the images in the book are black and white, and they cannot do justice to most of the subject matter. A second weakness is Lee's writing style, which is sometimes more eloquent than comprehensible. At times I had to reread a section several times in order to figure out what Lee was trying to say. He sometimes seemes to be addressing himself to an audience of art critics who are already familiar with the material, rather than students encountering it for the first time. He will tell us that a particular art work is hieratic in style, or is an example of Daoist style, without explaining why. Also the thematic, rather than chronological, approach means that some topics are fragmented into parts of different chapters. The material on Korea, Southeast Asia, and the Tang Dynasty seemed especially disjointed. The sections on China in particular need more development: Lee provides only a single page of text on the historically pivotal Qin Dynasty, and does only a fair job explaining the influences of Confucianism and Daoism.

One alternative text that deserves consideration is The Art of East Asia, edited by Gabriele Fahr-Becker. Almost of the photographs are in color, and the text is both more comprehensive and more comprehensible than Sherman Lee, in particular the section on China. The text is written by several different authors, one for each region, which has both advantages and disadvantages -- it avoids the fragmentation of Lee's approach, at the expense of integrating it all into one consistent framework. The key disadvantage of The Art of East Asia (compared to Sherman Lee's History of Far Eastern Art) is that it doesn't include India, which contributed some of Asia's most impressive sculptures, and whose religions had tremendous influence on the rest of Asia.

Pretty, chronological, detailed.

I was required to use this book as a secondary text for a class on early Asian Cultures at NYU. Along with the material presented in class, this book provided great insight into basics of the Asian culture.

This rather heavy book is perfectly organized chronologically and geographically. It provides great graphical supplement to the study of early Asian art. Many artifacts are portrayed, most with detailed description of their history and origin.

I enjoyed my class greatly and this book provided great help to understanding Asian art. If you are a person who prefers visual aids rather than tons of text and would like to learn the basics of Asian art, I highly recommend this book. The photographs are excellent, and more often then not, actually motivate you to reading the descriptions of the portrayed objects. This book will not make you an expert on Asian art, but you'll be able to schmooze your way through at pretentious cocktail parties without any effort.

what a great deal!
I was required to purchase this book for an oriental art class at VCU. when I went to purchase it in person, most places wated $75 or better for it. Being a student, I am not rich. Amazon had it for the best price and for that I am very happy. points to amazon yet again for having the best price. THANKS!

No where is there such a broad base of expertise
Sherman Lee guides us through the ages and territories of the Far East in this study. A study of art following a wonderfully coordinated common theme - ritual and religion. Most noteable is the progress of Buddhism from its origins in India, through Southeast Asia, into China, Korea and finally Japan. Respectable discourse on other arts are included in the tour. Good reading and a great survey of the arts of the Far East.

I find this text to be accessible and interesting.
I used this text in college, in a course on the subject. It pained me immensely to have to sell it back, but I was even more poor then than I am now, and needed the $50. I am now planning to purchase a new copy of it. This book is beautiful. It is full of simply amazing images, the text is clear, concise and accessible. Out of 10 years of undergraduate and graduate studies, I remember this text more fondly than almost any other. My thanks to the author for writing it. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Read about this in Country Home magazine.
I believe Country Home wrote an article about these woman and pictured them and some of the quilts. I found it fascinating! It made me thankful for what I've got and showed me that beauty is everywhere -- its just a matter of how you interpret the world around you. Erin

more than a coffee table book
The Quilts of Gee;s Bend is much more than a beautiful coffee table book. It is that, too, of course. The book is filled with social history of this small place near Selma, Alabama. I've been lucky enough to visit Gee's Bend and see the quilt-making process. The Whitney Museum exhibit must have been wonderful. Sunday Morning on CBS did a story on the exhibit. The quilters traveled to New York for the opening and entertained the guests with their singing. That's what Gee's Bend is like: A rich yet poor stop on the road where women made the best of what they had and turned out great art in the process.

A Must Have
I have seen the exhibition of the Gee's Bend quilts at the Whitney museum three times. The quilts of Gee's Bend are simple, graphic, and stunning. Although I own the smaller of the Gee's Bend quilt books and the video about the quiltmakers, I find that I want to know and see much more. I have thumbed through this book at the museum and am delighted that it is full of lush photographs of so many more quilts. At the top of my holiday list of things I must have, is this, the larger of the Gee's Bend quilt books. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (2)

The Sociological Aspects of Commercial Imagery...
Murakami's latest curatorial effort has gained nearly universal acclaim amongst the art world.His "Little Boy" exhibition attempts to understand the origins of contemporary Japanese art's affinity for both the horrifically violent and the frightfully cute (kawaii).Ultimately, Murakami argues that these images are spawned from the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined with postwar US domination.Violent imagery becomes a sign for a fascination with the kind of power that postwar Japan lacked.Kawaii imagery is then seen as stemming from Japan's status as a protectorate of the US.This relationship was not unlike that of a parent and child (the child/adolecent becomes a prevalent theme in Japanese art from postwar era forward.)
This effort is faithfully documented in this beautiful catalogue which includes works by contemporary Japanese artists, artists of Murakami's Kaikai Kiki, and popular anime and manga such as Neon Genesis Evangelion and Doraemon.A must for anyone interested in the origin of Japan's unique hyper-contemporary aesthetic.

Murakami comes out for the fraud he is!!
hello kittyis better and more interesting. waste of space it all comes off as mark kostabi again his sweatshopand its members. Aya Tanaka is no EXPERT just a fan. another misleading catalogue ... Read more

Book Description

The most up-to-date and complete text on Italian Renaissance art and its artists yet published, with over 400 illustrations, 215 in color. This introductory text on Italian Renaissance art and the artists who made it by the author of "A History of Western Art" and "Art Across Time" focuses on the most important and innovative artists and their principal works. The emphasis is on selectivity and understanding, and minor artists will be considered only briefly when relevant to the major artistic developments. The text also focuses on style and iconography, and on art and artists incorporating different methodological approaches to create a wider understanding and appreciation of art. Italian Renaissance Art contains over 400 illustrations, of which 215 are in full color integrated with the text and large enough to be properly viewed. There are also maps, plans and diagrams where appropriate. Painting, sculpture, and architecture are covered. The book contains a glossary, historical chronology, selected bibliography and index as well. This introductory text on Italian Renaissance art and the artists who made it by the author of A History of Western Art and Art Across Time focuses on the most important and innovative artists and their principal works. The emphasis is on selectivity and understanding, and minor artists will be considered only briefly when relevant to the major artistic developments. The text also focuses on style and iconography, and on art and artists incorporating different methodological approaches to create a wider understanding and appreciation of the art. The book contains over 400 illustrations, of which 215 are in full color integrated with the text and large enough to be properly viewed. There are also maps, plans and diagrams when appropriate. Painting, sculpture, and architecture are covered. The text begins with the late Byzantine work of Cimabue and continues into the Renaissance precursors of the fourteenth century: Giotto, Duccio, Simone Martini, the Lorenzetti. The context of early humanism and the role of Petrarch is also discussed. The artistic backlash after the plague of 1348 follows and the work of Orcagna and Andrea da Firenze. The Quattrocento, with Masaccio, Donatello, and Brunelleschi in Florence, is a particularly rich century and in-depth consideration of major artists and their works is only possible if well organized and focused. The text concludes with the High Renaissance and the transition to Mannerism with Michelangelo, Bramante, and Raphael in Rome,Leonardo in Milan and Titian in Venice..Throughout the text boxed asides contain descriptions of artistic media and techniques as well as discussions of background information necessary to the study of Renaissance art. Aside from the major artistic centers of Florence, Rome and Venice the text covers artistic developments in Siena, Rimini, Pienza,Umbria, the Marches, Naples, Verona, Ferrara, Mantua and other locations. The book contains a glossary, historical chronology, selected bibliography and index.

"A clearly written, straightforward account of the story of Italian Renaissance art from its origins to Mannerism. The bulk of the material centers around central Italian painting, as it should, but other important, smaller centers are also included. The discussion of the various art forms is nicely balanced.... I especially liked the sidebars which add necessary material--historical, literary, technical and so forth--to the text without encumbering it.... This is a very good book which should furnish us with the new anduseable text we have been waiting for. I would certainly use it in my classroom."-Bruce Cole, Distinguished Professor, Chairman, department of the history of art, Indiana University ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Italian Renaissance Art
Italian Renaisance art by Laurie Schneider Adams is a wonderful introductory text on Renaisance art. It is very clearly written with a helpful glossary for those who are not familiar with art terms. It not only explains both style and iconography of the Renaisance period but gives a great backround of the culture of the period. The illustrations in the text are wonderfuly detailed and most are in color. This is a great text for intro. classes to Ren. art and people who wish to learn on their own. ... Read more

Book Description

This magnificent book accompanies a spectacular exhibition devoted to the artistic and cultural riches of the Turkic-speaking peoples. Essays by leading scholars trace Turkic history and cultural development, while works of art ranging from painting and sculpture to textiles, metalwork, and ceramics reflect the artistic influences that the Turks assimilated, from their early nomadic wanderings to the glories produced during the reign of Süleyman the Magnificent. The book takes the reader on a breathtaking journey from the eastern border of modern China to the Balkans in the west.

Illustrated with more than 500 works, Turks is a landmark publication. The book is essential reading for anyone interested in the turbulent but vivid history of the Turkic-speaking peoples. AUTHOR BIO: Filiz Çagman is director of the Topkapi Palace Museum, Istanbul. Nazan Ölçer is director of the Sakip Sabanci Museum, Istanbul. David Roxburgh is a professor of Islamic art at Harvard University. ... Read more

Book Description

"Impressively erudite...richly illustrated...A sound reference for all readers."--Choice

Spanning more than three centuries, this beautiful and authoritative work brings to life the rich tapestry of Italian Renaissance society and the art works that are its enduring legacy. Fresh and broad in approach, this is the only serious book on the subject to integrate both social and art history for the whole of Italy--not just Florence, Siena, and Rome.

Art lovers and history students alike will welcome this new edition of a highly regarded work previously issued for the academic market. The art is gorgeous and the contextual discussions--of Renaissance artists in their world and of Renaissance art in Western art history--are unmatched.

600 illustrations, 210 in full color, 512 pages, 9 1/2 x 11" ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A must for any artist!
This book is far and above what I had expected. Emphasis was placed on being user friendly, which is paramount with such a heavy topic. Side bars on the inner political, religious, and general public life help to clarify what influenced the artist in making choices of subject, style, and composition. I now have a clearer understanding of why I paint how I do, and why we as a culture critique art the way we do. ... Read more

Book Description

Creating Their Own Image marks the first comprehensive history of African-American women artists, from slavery to the present day. Using an analysis of stereotypes of Africans and African-Americans in western art and culture as a springboard, Lisa E. Farrington here richly details hundreds of important works--many of which deliberately challenge these same identity myths, of the carnal Jezebel, the asexual Mammy, the imperious Matriarch--in crafting a portrait of artistic creativity unprecedented in its scope and ambition. In these lavishly illustrated pages, some of which feature images never before published, we learn of the efforts of Elizabeth Keckley, fashion designer to Mary Todd Lincoln; the acclaimed sculptor Edmonia Lewis, internationally renowned for her neoclassical works in marble; and the artist Nancy Elizabeth Prophet and her innovative teaching techniques. We meet Laura Wheeler Waring who portrayed women of color as members of a socially elite class in stark contrast to the prevalent images of compliant maids, impoverished malcontents, and exotics "others" that proliferated in the inter-war period.We read of the painter Barbara Jones-Hogu's collaboration on the famed Wall of Respect, even as we view a rare photograph of Hogu in the process of painting the mural. Farrington expertly guides us through the fertile period of the Harlem Renaissance and the "New Negro Movement," which produced an entirely new crop of artists who consciously imbued their work with a social and political agenda, and through the tumultuous, explosive years of the civil rights movement. Drawing on revealing interviews with numerous contemporary artists, such as Betye Saar, Faith Ringgold, Nanette Carter, Camille Billops, Xenobia Bailey, and many others, the second half of Creating Their Own Image probes more recent stylistic developments, such as abstraction, conceptualism, and post-modernism, never losing sight of the struggles and challenges that have consistently influenced this body of work. Weaving together an expansive collection of artists, styles, and periods, Farrington argues that for centuries African-American women artists have created an alternative vision of how women of color can, are, and might be represented in American culture.From utilitarian objects such as quilts and baskets to a wide array of fine arts, Creating Their Own Image serves up compelling evidence of the fundamental human need to convey one's life, one's emotions, one's experiences, on a canvas of one's own making. ... Read more

Amazon.com

For generations, Thomas Eakins--whose famous paintings include "The Gross Clinic" and "The Champion Single Sculls"--has been regarded as a 19th-century American hero. In Eakins Revealed: The Secret Life of an American Artist, art historian Henry Adams offers a radically different view that allows us to better understand "the intensity and emotional desperation of Eakins' art." Eakins' brush with scandal--he was dismissed from his teaching post at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in 1886 for removing the loincloth from a male model posing for a class of women students--is generally described by admiring art historians as a brave attempt to modernize stuffy old rules. Adams reveals that the artist was a life-long exhibitionist who appears to have preyed on vulnerable young women. Drawing on the Bregler papers, a cache of revealing documents from Eakins' studio that surfaced in the mid-1980s, Adams describes a man whose sense of masculine identity was thwarted by a deep identification with his mentally ill mother and an inability to please his father. Reviewing the major Eakins studies, beginning with the landmark monograph by Lloyd Goodrich, Adams finds that many aspects of the artist's life were suppressed to establish him as an all-American hero.

Adams presents his case with the mesmerizing power of a star attorney-at-law, painting a detailed picture of the artist's troubled personal life before launching into correspondences between the life and the art. Although readers may question some of Adams' interpretations--whether of Freudian theory or the emotional effect of a specific painting--the author's direct, probing style makes Eakins Revealed as riveting as a courtroom drama. In his concluding arguments, Adams proposes that the subjects of Eakins' late portraits, almost uniformly pensive and hollow-eyed, are in fact multiple versions of the brooding artist himself. Ultimately, the author's new assessments endow Eakins' work with an anxiety about the body and gender roles--issues that preoccupy many artists of our own time. Readers new to Eakins may be disappointed to find only small, black-and-white reproductions of the works in this book, and a few of the works discussed (such as "Crucifixion") are not illustrated at all. But skeptical specialists will be pleased to see that Adams includes copious (and often fascinating) notes and a full bibliography. —-Cathy Curtis ... Read more

Reviews (3)

a very strange book
I have long been fascinated by Thomas Eakins's life and career.Over the years I have enjoyed Lloyd Goodrich's two volume biography and Elizabeth Johns's book about his art.This book by Adams has left me thoroughly confused.

Twisted Freudian Interpretation of An American Icon
If a reader were to believe the many ludicrous claims that Adams makes about Thomas Eakins, one would think that the artist was homosexual, heterosexual, bisexual, and a pedophile, exhibitionist, voyeur, sadist, and masochist; and further, that he practiced incest and bestiality (all of which, Adams suggests, was driven by a desire to posses his own mother).Take your pick!Adams covers all the bases. Eakins is not so much "revealed" in this book as he is "concealed."He seems to ignore altogether, what to my mind, are the most fascinating things about this remarkable man: that he studied logarithms for fun, that science, not art, was his first love, that he was conversant in five languages, and that he found beauty where others saw ugliness.Among the more humorous assertions that Adams makes about Eakins is that the artist painted while sitting on the floor (he used an easel), that he shot his sister's cat for fun (Adams conveniently leaves out the fact that Eakins' father ordered him to do so because the animal was rabid), and that he painted clergymen because they wore dresses, which supposedly reminded Eakins of outfits his dead mother wore.After reading this dreadful book I came to actually like it as a study of how inbred (dare I say incestuous?) that some members of our academic community have become.Even if you are convinced, or want to believe that Abraham Lincoln was homosexual, you will still have difficulty making the creative leaps necessary to take this book seriously.

Riddled with Errors
This book is so riddled with errors and exaggerations that it is a wonder why Oxford University Press would publish it. ... Read more

Book Description

Perhaps the most beloved art movement of all time, Impressionism had its roots in France but soon inspired artists around the world. This new book documents that explosion in Russia, unveiling canvases that resonate with the pure color, sparkling light, and lively depictions of everyday life that characterize Impressionism at its best.

Chosen from the holdings of the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg, the works displayed in this handsome volume focus on a chapter in Russia's rich cultural history that has been too long overlooked. Now, the broad range of Russian Impressionism is made abundantly clear in 340 lush colorplates and in illuminating essays. The superb paintings, most rarely or never published before, make this collection an essential addition to any art lover's library.

VLADIMIR KRUGLOV, an art historian and leading curator at the State Russian Museum, has published extensively on the history of Russian art.

VLADIMIR LENYASHIN is currently head of the late 19th- and early 20th-century painting department at the State Russian Museum and is a professor at the Ilya Repin Institute of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture in St. Petersburg.

340 illustrations in full color, 81/2 x 14" ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Move Over Monet!!!!
I was fortunate enough to have purchased this magnificent volume for its original retail price -- but now feel it may be the most priceless item I have ever owned! As a person who loves to paint (notice I don't call myself "artist" or even "painter") I'm inspired to move forward in capturing something -- ANYTHING of what these artists did. Every time I look through this book and its gorgeous plates, I learn something new about color and light and using paint to sculpture a scene. Having been happily saturated with French and American Impressionists (and we still love them!) it is like entering a parallel universe where all is familiar yet new, and somehow more robust than you can imagine. These works are simply luscious. I pray I live long enough to see a major retrospective. Until then -- this book is my bible, my solace and inspiration. If you can afford it -- or find a deal -- I suggest creating a place of honor in your home -- for the Russians have arrived!!

Privlikatel'no! Molodyets!
Wonderful! Well-done!

This is about all I can think to say about this book. Superb text and many, many beautiful illustrations. Russian art wasn't even touched on in my American university art history courses, except for a few important 20th century avant-garde artists...explore this little-known world of Russian impressionist painting with this book. I'm happy I paid the retail price, not the prices asked by the used booksellers now that it is out of print. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The arts community of Paris in the late 19th century has been gutted, stuffed, studied, and fetishized for so many years now that one could easily think there are no mysteries left to wring from this era, as exceptional as it was. This handsome title focuses on the relationship between the ribald, booming, bohemian neighborhood of Montmartre and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec's work(1864-1901). It places his art so squarely in context that it rushes back to life and relevance. This is no mean feat, and the picture depicted in these four scholarly and engrossing essays is much clearer, stranger, and more sordid than Hollywood’s botched tribute. As discussed in Phillip Dennis Cate's essay, all manner of artists commingled in Lautrec’s dens of exploitation (circuses, dancing halls and whorehouses): Nabis, Symbolist, and post-Impressionist painters, absurdist humorists, caricaturists, anarchists, musicians, scene painters, and even proto-conceptual artists. As Mary Weaver Chapin explains, Lautrec was a pop artist before pop, with his appropriations of handbill imagery, his affinity for famous performers, his elevation of the "low" poster medium to "high" art, and his interest in perpetuating his own fame. It's easy to understand the attraction of this era; after all, so many of the cultural seeds of the 20th century were sewn in such a brief time in Paris' 18th arrondissement by (let's face it) a bunch of horny drunk dudes messed up on absinthe. --Mike McGonigal ... Read more

Book Description

560 pps., 475+ color illus; 50+ black and whites; bibliography.A history of the styles of California Art from the time of the first explorers to the present day.See quotes from reviews cited in current listing of book. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Quotes from reviews appearing in journals
"Moure is the dean of California art historians... Here is her magnum opus. There is no single volume that even approaches this work in scope, depth and scholarship. Every high school, college and university in the State needs this book. Every serious collector of California art, the humanities and material culture needs this book." West Coast Peddler, Sept. 1999, p. 60

"California Art fills a vast cultural void in art history that has created a general lack of awareness concerning the development of art in this region. It may well be instrumental in changing long-held notions in New York that characterize California as an artistic backwater. In covering such a broad topic, author Nancy Dustin Wall Moure has taken on a daunting task, and has risen to the occasion..." Artweek, July/Aug., 1999, pp. 26-7.

"this volume is the authoritative record of left coast visual history...Miraculously...Moure has...recognized the underdogs of the realm with objectivity and democracy, including members of the school of Mexican barrio muralism." Juxtapoz, January/February, 1999.

"A de rigueur purchase for West Coast libraries and larger collections nationwide." Library Journal, February 1999.

"Her prose is serviceable and clear, the breadth of information impressive." San Diego Union-Tribune, Friday, Dec. 11, 1998, p. E-3.

Winner of Special Mention, George Wittenborn Memorial Book Award, 1999, ARLIS/NA, Art Libraries Society of North America. ... Read more

Book Description

Among the most popular and ubiquitous sculptures in nineteenth-century America were the ship's figurehead and the cigar-store Indian. The vast majority of these engaging human figures were created by shipcarvers-highly skilled artists celebrated for their masterful figureheads but who collectively made tens of thousands of shop figures as well, from fanciful representations of American Indians to firemen, baseball players, and fashionable women.

Shaped by nineteenth-century Anglo-American values, this artwork reflects the tenor of the times, including racial and gender stereotyping, America's emerging popular culture, and the birth of modern advertising techniques.

The Shipcarvers' Art is the first book to assess the artistry and history of these two closely related genres in a single volume. Richly illustrated and elegantly written, it reveals the intertwining of art, commerce, and shipcarving in nineteenth-century America. On March 22, 1856, for example, only four months after Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem Hiawatha was first published, the clipper Minehaha was launched at an East Boston shipyard. Its figurehead depicted a renowned English actress in her role as Hiawatha's wife, Minehaha. Central to the festivities surrounding the event were poet, actress, and shipbuilder--and a fictional image of the Native American.

Ralph Sessions not only highlights the work of shipcarvers throughout the eastern United States and Canada but also presents new information on carving workshops in New York City, America's key shipbuilding center from around 1820 until after the Civil War.

Just as they were vanishing from the bows of ships and city streets around the turn of the twentieth century, figureheads and shop figures began to experience renewed interest as museum pieces and collector's items. Representing a milestone in scholarship on the subject, The Shipcarvers' Art magnificently brings them alive once more for art lovers of the twenty-first century.

Reviews (1)

Welcome addition to the canon
I collect figures. I have read the books that are used for reference. I have seen the exhibit that was chaperoned by Mr. Sessions (Sandwich,MA., NYC,NY & Baltimore,MD). I am a student of the art he describes! I was impressed by his scholarship, his easy east coast art scene style of writing, his photography/graphics, his hommage to Ms. Sanburn, Mr. Pendergast & Mr. Fried (I knew him). This is not a picture atlas. This is not a coffee table book. I would have liked to seen/read more especially regarding the social relevance of color race &c.(the folly of the time theirs & ours) but this is another matter! I RECOMMEND this book to all who treasure american sculpture.The vulgar artist is finally getting his place(WELL DONE Mr Sessions! What is next?). ... Read more

Book Description

Yale University Press is pleased to announce a new exclusive publishing agreement with the Kimbell Art Museum

An exquisite book that celebrates the central subject in the work of George Stubbs, whom many consider to be the greatest painter of horses in the history of art

A versatile genius whose oeuvre includes paintings, engravings, and detailed anatomical studies, George Stubbs (1724–1806) was fascinated by horses. This handsome book presents for the first time the wide range of his equine imagery, from refined portraits of racehorses to violent scenes of horses attacked by lions in the wild.

Taking full account of the associations and status of the “noble horse” in eighteenth-century Britain and the colorful world of its devotees—both high and low—the authors examine Stubbs’s work from different points of view and offer many fresh interpretations. Malcolm Warner discusses how horses were regarded in Britain in Stubbs’s time, the unexpected connection between his horse-and-lion compositions and the creation of the English thoroughbred, and his classicism. Robin Blake examines the young Whig noblemen who were Stubbs’s first patrons, the grooms, jockeys, trainers, and other attendants who appear in his horse portraits, and his curious dealings with the Prince of Wales. The book also includes an essay by conservators Lance Mayer and Gay Myers on Stubbs’s experiments with wax and enamel.

For admirers of Stubbs’s art, eighteenth-century English painting, and horses, this book is an essential addition to their bookshelves.

Stubbs and the Horse is the catalogue for the first major exhibition on the artist in more than twenty years. It is on view at the Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth (November 14, 2004, to February 6, 2005); the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore (March 13 to May 29, 2005); and the National Gallery, London (June 29 to September 25, 2005).

Malcolm Warner, Senior Curator at the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, is the author of several books, including The Victorians: British Painting, 1837-1901 and Millais: Portraits; Robin Blake is an independent scholar based in London and is the author of a forthcoming biography on Stubbs; Lance Mayer and Gay Myers are consulting conservators based at the Lyman Allyn Art Museum in New London, Connecticut.

... Read more

Amazon.com

At once heartbreaking and inspiring, this remarkable art book seeks to document what was lost when 15,000 objects at Baghdad's Iraq Museum were lost in the 2003 war and the ongoing art destruction. Treasures like the beautiful carved-ivory Mona Lisa of Nimrud survived ten centuries, only to fall victim to chaos and looters, some sent by international art dealers. The scholar authors show that the loss isn't local, it's everybody's. Iraq saw the birth of cities, epic verse, and codified religion; the lions guarding the New York Public Library are esthetic descendants of the smashed terracotta masterpieces of Baghdad. The book is a quickie history course, with 190 handsome color illustrations. Editorially, it's a bit rushed and confusing. But look: these aren't ivory-tower scholars, they're heroes putting themselves on the line to save humanity’s legacy. One had to be rescued from kidnappers with the help of Muqtada al-Sadr. Part of what you pay for the book goes to reconstruct the museum, and the book itself constitutes a kind of virtual museum preserving some works that are lost, and some that will be relocated, in part because it exists. --Tim Appelo ... Read more

Reviews (3)

"My goodness, were there that many vases?"
I remember Secretary Rumsfeld getting a laugh when he tried putting the looting of Baghdad in proper perspective. "The images you are seeing on television you are seeing over, and over, and over," he said, "and it's the same picture of some person walking out of some building with a vase, and you see it twenty times, and you think, 'My goodness, were there that many vases? Is it possible that there were that many vases in the whole country?'" Well, this book shouts out from the audience, "Yup!" and in doing so, puts a new face on the war in Iraq, and tells a story as ironic and poignant as what we saw in the Iraqi soccer team at the Olympics last summer. Here the team is a group of experts -- a kind of dream team of Iraqis, Americans, Italians and Brits -- each taking a turn as an expert witness in the most talked about art heist in history. Unlike most of the reporting at the time, this book doesn't presume you already know your Ancient Near Eastern and Islamic history. Ralph Solecki takes us to the very beginning and recalls his prehistoric discoveries in Northern Iraq, where we have possibly the earliest known evidence of human compassion. Harriet Crawford's coverage of the dawn of civilization brings the dawning realization that ancient Mesopotamia is a lot closer to life today than we thought. Paul Collins presents an account of the amazing developments in Sumer, illustrated with some of the most beloved pieces from the Iraq Museum. All right, the Iraqis invented human emotion, agriculture, cities, empires -- what else? Robert Biggs adds writing and literature, using macro lens close-ups and a cuneiform comparison chart. And if you wonder why a quarter million people in America call themselves Assyrians, you'll certainly know after reading Julian Reade's chapter about these great achievers 2500 years ago. The East-meets-West story, starting with Alexander the Great, is vividly told by Elisabetta Fino. After seeing news photos of the mosque in Samarra vandalized, reading Alastair Northedge's piece on Islamic architecture was a form of grief counseling for me. Now as I watch daily footage of car bombings in Baghdad, I think of Vincenzo Strika's review of Baghdad through the ages, and put my hope in his last line: "Baghdad, for all its tumult and suffering, has the potential to become again, as it was in the Middle Ages, the cultural bridge between East and West." Other parts of the book use the museum building itself or specific artifacts as a point of departure: the essential "A Museum is Born" by Lamia Al-Gailani Werr and the exquisite "Small Treasures of the Iraq Museum" by Fiorella Strika. When I first opened the book, I skipped through it reading the double-page spreads here and there by Diana McDonald, and that made me want to read everything else. It was strong stuff for me to read kidnapping survivor Micah Garen's words on universal ideas - heroism, friendship, and our fear of death - drawing a comparison between the quest of Gilgamesh and the purpose of archaeology. Garen and his partner, Marie-Helene Carleton, remind us that we are all Gilgamesh, and archaeologists are our genius scribes. This elegant invitation to preserve our historical memory is echoed throughout the book, in most urgent terms by Selma Al-Radi, by Angela Schuster and Zainab Bahrani, by William and Milbry Polk, by Usam Ghaidan and Anna Paolini, and by the tireless Iraqi archaeologist, Donny George. All of these contributors are within two degrees of separation from everyone else in the cultural heritage community that reacted to the looting of the Iraq Museum. Although they are distinguished writers individually -- worthy of their own Listmania List -- this is a fine ensemble piece. Of course, the real stars of the book are the antiquities themselves, the figurines, bas reliefs, stelae and other vocabulary-building artifacts, along with, yes, the vases. The 190 color pictures on heavy paper make this a compact coffee-table book, but not too heavy to read in bed as well. University archaeology departments would be nuts not to make this required reading for new students. I can't think of a book that will more directly engage and motivate the newcomer, and possibly spark a thousand careers as luminous as those referenced in its pages. The book itself is an example of how people can work together across borders, across cultures and civilizations, clash or no clash. Many of these writers were first responders, rushing in to protect fragile human knowledge, and in the process modeling for the rest of us what we most need these days in Iraq: charity, hope and faith.

Much needed book on the looting of Mesopotamian treasures
I found this to be an excellent volume that opens with the looting of the Iraq Museum at the beginning of the war and develops into an elegant and expert history of Mesopotamia spanning 60,000 years. Although the looting has been covered in newspapers and magazines, this is the only attempt to my knowledge to bring the topic to mainstream readers in book form. Archaeological sites throughout Iraq are still being looted daily, and a percentage of the royalties earned by this title will go to Iraq's State Board of Antiquities to help bring awareness and policing to the illicit trade in antiquities as well as help the Museum function again. The authors of each chapter comprise a formidable cadre of international archaeologists who have worked in Iraq sometimes for decades, and bring here the many voices needed to describe the long and fascinating history of Mesopotamia. The editors, Milbry Polk and Angela Schuster, really have done a fantastic job and have brought us a much needed book.

Beautifully designed and expertly written, this is a must for lovers of history and those with an interest in the cultural background of Iraq. Highly recommended.

Not much that relates to the book's title
I pre-ordered this book and waited about a month or two for it to arrive.I was deeply disappointed when it came.Unfortunately, this book is not what it promises.

Very little of the book, perhaps a dozen or so pages (and this assessment is 'liberal') can actually be said to deal with the actual looting of the museum and there is little here that has not been fairly widely reported in the press.

Its main value is arguably that the majority of the chapters (i.e. the overwhelming portion of the book) offer a fairly good introduction to the periods of the history of what is now geographicaally caled Iraq. That being said, there are many better introductions to the subject.

The credentials of the editor seem to have a bit of 'spin' to them.I cannot comment on eveything the publishers blurb says in order to establish her authority, but I would point out the following.Theflyleaf and publishers description tells us that the editor of the volume, Angela A. M. Shuster is the "editor of the award-winning preservation magazine 'Icon' and the 'Explorers Journal'."Icon is actually the quarterly report, in magazine format, of the World Monuments Fund, a New York based non-profit organization.The 'Explorers Journal', is the publication of the exclusive Explorers Club, also based in NY.These are hardly newstand publications, nor are they academic publications either.Disingenuous?You be the judge....

'Archaeology', which she is a Contributing Editor to, can at least be found at you some newsstands.This is the 'popular' publication of the American Institute of Archaeology, as opposed to their academic, peer-reviewed journal, called The American Jounal of Archaeology.I cannot comment on the rest of her bio.

This book, in my opinion is mostly just "packaging" and "promotion".If a portion of the proceeds (as a sticker on the cover claims) were not promised to the State Board of Antiquities and Heritage of Iraq, I would be on my way to the post office to return it.I certainly cannot recommend it, even for the lay reader. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

A Rare and Treasured Treat
Talk about magnificently beautiful! THE ART OF FLORENCE does full justice to its subject -- and it's a lot cheaper than plane fare to Italy.

The last time I was in Italy I witnessed three muggings, one in the Church of Santa Maria Novella, and those experiences were so unnerving that I couldn't fully concentrate on the loveliness of the many treasures before me. I barely remember any of them. So what a delight to discover so many of them in stunning full-color plates, to be enjoyed again and again in the comfort and safety of my own home.

The dual volume book is divided into historical sections of about a generation each in length. Each begins with a lucid account of the history of the city during that period with emphasis on the political, social and economic events that influenced the patronage of art at that time. There are separate accounts of the architecture, sculpute and painting done in each period. A rich and exciting interplay unfolds between the arts, the politics and the social structure of each time period. No wonder Florence was the artistic and political leader for all of Europe during the 13th through 16th centuries.

The authors confine themselves to Florentine artists or those who lived for some time in Florence. References to other artists, when necessary, are minimal. Michaelangelo, for instance, is discussed only in terms of the Dona Madonna, since it is the only painting of his in the city. His limning of the Sistine Chapel in Rome is mentioned only in passing.

These two volumes are special -- so special they'll draw you to the reading chair even when the siren of Spring calls through your window.

A work of art about the art of Florence - a treasure
This is one of those books I wish I could give six or even seven starts. This is not only a book about great art; it is itself a beautiful work of art. The care lavished in making this book shows from the beautifully decorated slipcase to the wonderfully textured covers (my kids say they feel furry), to its large format and glorious reproductions. There are many foldouts showing large-scale works in broad sweep and even full-page reproductions of details of works shown in the book.

While the artwork shown is dazzling to the eye and overwhelming to the mind, the articles illuminating the works are first rate as well. One really nice feature of the articles is that there are marginal listings of the plates and figures discussed in each paragraph so it is easy to find text related to the images in which you are interested.

There are two volumes and over 1,300 pages. Volume 1 begins with a brief essay on Florence's prelude to greatness (59 B.C. 0 A.D. 1200). Then the book is organized into sections of varying size: Civic Price and Prosperity (1200 - 1340), An Age of Crisis (1340-1400), Images of a Free Republic (The Early 15th Century), and The Era of Cosimo De' Medici (1430-69). Volume two has: Lorenzo Il Magnifico (1469-92), The End of the Republic (1492-1530, and ends with The Medicean Principate (1530 - c. 1600). Each of these larger sections is organized in the same way - Architecture, then sculpture, and then painting. It is quite fascinating to watch how tastes and techniques evolve over the centuries.

There is also a glossary, bibliography, a section on the photographer and authors, an index and photo credits.

This isn't a book you will likely read from beginning to end. It is almost an ocean you will want to spend time exploring for years in order to take in all that it has to offer. It is almost impossible to not take away something new every time you open its magnificent pages. This is a real treasure for your library. I know is one in mine.

Before you go, or to relive a trip read this book!
An amazing book! Elegant, informative, photos and history that just won't quit. The only downside is that this book (there are 2 volumes actually) is so large it is hard to manage. I got a copy for my 10 year old granddaughter for a trip we are taking this Summer. She has been dazzled and is working her way through (finding the photos that attract and then diving into the chapter text). It has also become an addiction for me. If you are going to Florence, get this book and read it!!

Beautiful, worth any price
Clearly this publication was a newsworthy event when it was first issued, garnering praise from the New York Times Book Review andthe Washington Post alike. Now these magnificent slipcased volumes are making news once again.Nothing else has changed about this popular monument of scholarly and publishing history and winner of the prestigious Prix Vasari in France. Matching an elegant and sophisticated text by three leading art historians with more than 700 glorious color photographs and another 854 duotones and architectural drawings, The Art of Florence immerses us in the creative life of the city that gave birth to the Renaissance.

This important and uncommonly beautiful publication gracefully links the city's architecture, sculpture, and painting to its rich social fabric and dramatic political life. The Art of Florence is truly a masterpiece...

Outstanding in text and picture quality
This magnificent two volume book is a rare combination of outstanding substantive scholarship and state of the art photography. If you are looking for a light-weight book--physically or intellectually--this is not the book for you. Rather, the book provides a comprehensive history of Florence, both art history and political history, by noted scholars. The illustrations are lavish and compare extremely favorably with other art books in our library that illustrate the art treasures of Florence. Given the length of the book and the quality of the illustrations, the price is reasonable. The book can be enjoyed by the armchair traveler as well as by the tourist. ... Read more