Reviews (4)

it's the next big thing eversince sliced bread
get it. Beat up little kids and take their lunch money to save up for it. By the way you should get it.

I Wish I Could Give It Six Stars
This book, along with the other titles in the series: "Modeling the Head in Clay" and "Terracotta," is an excellent resource for beginning sculptors. In fact, if I could buy only one book on sculpting, it would be one of these three (and most probably this one). The book is a walk-though of a single sculpture, which is instructive, but it is also a great reference. Mr. Lucchesi's style is realistic with natural poses, and quite pleasing -- it exudes peace and repose. Ms. Malmstrom has a gift for photographing and describing exactly those parts of the process most interesting to students. The medium is clay, and I'm working in wax, but I have not found this to be a problem. Be advised that it concentrates on the female figure, so an additional anatomy book may be helpful for proportioning male figures.

Amazing book - but not exactly what I thought...
If this book was actually what I had been looking for, I would have given it 5 stars. However, it wasn't exactly what I had thought. It is not so much a "how-to" book as it is an illustrated diary of the artist's amazing process. This particular sculptor sculpts the entire skeleton, muscular system out to the finished sculpture you see on the front of the book. It's amazing but a little more detailed than I believe a beginner such as myself needs - I was a little daunted by the entire process but also quite in awe. The photographs are tremendous. This book would probably be better suited to students in advanced sculpture.

Anatomical approach to the human form
Wow, what a book. I have been searching for the right book to help me build a human body that looked believable in sculpture and this is the one. Lucchesi creates the form by first creating an armature, then building a skeleton onto it (ribcage, pelvic girdle, etc.), then adding the muscles, then adding the skin. A must for anyone who would love to sculpt anatomy like Rodin and Michelangelo. Lucchesi's head book is just as good. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Dedicated mainly to Austro-German metal sculpture
Disappointing book. The title should be Germanic influenced metalwork from 1910 through 1935 to be more realistic. Does not cover the wide spectrum ofArt Deco sculpture in Western Europe, deals mainly with European sculptureand metalwork east of the Rhine river.

A FLOP
The chryselephantine sculpture is disappointingly covered both in content (just worth a couple of lines) and pictures (awful, tasteless and neglected duotone photos). Clearly, the author focuses just on arty sculpture ratherthan serial manufacture, missing the point of art deco sculpture, a blendof art and craftmanship. ... Read more

Book Description

Author, instructor, and lecturer Helen Kelley is, first and foremost, a quiltmaker. For twenty years, this "Erma Bombeck" of the quilting world has parlayed her passion for all things quilt into her enormously popular "Loose Threads" column in "Quilter's Newsletter Magazine."

"Every Quilt Tells a Story" is a collection of Kelley's stories-lighthearted pieces such as "Kelley's Laws for Quilters" and "Seams Like Old Times"-in which she deals with the adventures of everyday life. With her trademark charm and wit, she draws in quilters and non-quilters alike as she discusses the joys of creativity, the challenges of repairing errant stitches, and the pleasures of friendships. The result is sometimes humorous, sometimes poignant, but always thought-provoking. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

refreshing
This book is a must for any quilter. It is a comedic approch to the craft, sure to put a smile on your face.

A very enjoyable read
What a wonderful collection...a joy to read for any quilter who knows what it's like to trip over the ironing cords and cut holes in fabric where they don't belong. :0) Highly recommend! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Rodin and the Fragmented Form
"Rodin: A Passion for Movement" by Dominique Jarrasse is an objective exploration of Rodin's major works based on three dimensions; movement, (as the title suggests), light and shade and the fragmented figure. These elements are explored through articulate text and beautiful, high-resolution photographs and drawings. The focus of the book is on Rodin's motivation and his alchemist method of modeling his figures to achieve the exact postures, which would give the sculpture a sense of movement. He paid an enormous amount of attention to the interplay between light and shade, taking from the masters, most notably Michelangelo. However, a great deal of controvesy surrounded Rodin's work based on his constant rejection from the academic community. In spite of his mastery, Rodin wasn't accepted because of his affinity for the fragmented figure, which he saw as a finished piece of work. This notion was affirmed by his quote, "I will never again make anything complete. I will make only antiques."(P. 46) The book begins with an analysis of "The Burghers of Calais", a monument to the six martyrs who surrendered the keys to the city of Calais to King Edward III during the Hundred Years War. The author explores the psychological undertones of each of the six men and Rodin's efforts to exact the pain and distress felt by these heroic men. Rodin paid close attention to the facial expressions of each of these figures in an effort to personify the different emotions these men and this monument symbolize. He chose a circular composition to depict the moment where these men were walking to the town hall, to meet King Edward and to meet death, creating a sense of eternal movement. Rodin established himself in the art world at the age of forty with a commission for the Musee des Arts Decoratifs. He found inspiration for this grandiose work from Dante's "Inferno", which he titled "The Gates of Hell." This work became "essentially an ode to sculpture" (p. 53) and took over twenty years for him to create. He reused fragments from other works that he created and many of his more famous works are found in this sculpture. At the top sits "The Thinker", which was Rodin's depiction of Dante. Rodin said, "His head on his fist, he wonders. Fertile thoughts slowly rise in his mind. He is not a dreamer. He is a creator." (p.90) Rodin was constantly studying and revising his fragmented forms. In Rodin's opinion these fragments were the essence to his work. Gustave Kahn explained, "The fragment is beautiful in itself, and the study of the fragment, a useful and legitimate thing." (p. 210) Throughout the book, the author includes a variety of photographs, however it would have been more informative had the author included many more of these studies and variations on each work.

Superb collection of photographs
This large-format book really does justice to Rodin's work, with a very large number of photographs covering all his major works, often from several perspectives.

Good descriptions of Rodin's pieces
This book depicts most of his major works with many color photographs. Likewise, a short narrative accompanies each photo describing the artist's inspiration, background and overall effect of each piece. A good book to accompany any novice wanting to learn more on Rodin. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Unfair comparison
After discovering Andy Goldworthy I wanted to go deeper into his kind of soulful art, his unique way of uncovering beauty where others don't see anything else but what's there. I really felt touched by his book and his communion with nature. Looking to explore further into this new vision, I came across Chris Drury. In your book reviews you compare him to Andy Goldworthy and somebody even calls him more soulful. When I got Chris Drury's book, I was disappointed, almost cheated. No doubt Chris Drury is a capable craftsman, but it's unfair to compare the two artists. Chris Drury's art doesn't even come close to reaching the depths Andy Goldworthy's does. Chris Drury utilizes nature for his art, whereas Andy Goldworthy blends with nature and together they do art.

Beautiful, mystical, natural, quietly profound art.
This book is an inspriation. Drury has a strong and quiet way of finding the primative symbols of early art and revealing them to the modern eye. He is a breath of fresh air. Much like Andy Goldsworthy but with a depth of spirit that reaches deeper. ... Read more

Book Description

From accelerators to workmate, here is everything a sculptor needs to know. Written with the working sculptor in mind, this second edition of the key reference work includes the latest information. Numerous photos showcase sculptors at work and famed sculptures, plus diagrams of tools. Recipes—including one for mixing aggregates—and facts about setting, hardening, and curing times are invaluable.
... Read more

Reviews (1)

An all-in-one book about paper and printing
I first read this book quite some years ago, and happened to find a copy just now. For a neophyte like myself, who has to work with different kinds of papers, technics and prints, it is a real blessing. Of course, if you are a trained professional on the subject, you probably already know everything it says...Anyway, if you want a book that's pretty interesting (and well made too), this is the one! ... Read more

Book Description

Who hasn’t thrilled to the wonders of the carousel, with its wind-blown manes and fanciful steeds? From glistening white unicorns to winged elephants and roaring tigers, this celebration of carousel animals takes a colorful look at an art form that’s one part fantasy and two parts exceptional craftsmanship. More than 100 photographs display the work of the most prolific and skillful woodcarvers of the carousel heyday and examine the loving detail they poured into each of their creations. Collectors, preservationists, and all who have been mesmerized by the undulations of the carousel menagerie will find themselves caught up in the magic on view in these pages. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A MUST
this book is a MUST for any artist, artisane or just art-lover.
i am a dollmaker & papier-mache crafter & teacher. And i"ve searched for this subject"COMEDIA-DEL-ARTE" for many years. I traveled all over the world, in many bookstores and theater bibliotecs. finaly now my dream came true !!! BRAVO !!!
Thanks amazon!!! about me:www.geocities.com/pushadolls

Exquisite
This book, received as a gift, is one of the finest and most enjoyable art books I've read (in several decades of reading books on art). It covers the history and technique in detail - along with the behind-the-scenes stories and fascinating intrigue related to the theatre, the factories, and the courts of the period. The prose is authoritative and lively, and the color plates are absolutely breathtaking. It's exquisitely produced - a coffee table book that captivates all my guests. ... Read more

Book Description

The task Charles Simic undertakes in this diverse, essentially unclassifiable book is one of illumination and tribute. Rather than constrict his response to Joseph Cornell's surreal art to the objective terms of critical analysis, Simic sets out to recreate in a differentmedium - the written language of the poet - the experience of viewing Cornell's enigmatic constructions of boxes, collages, and film. Partly an appreciation of Cornell's work, partly an appropriation of his method, Dime-Store Alchemy interweaves elements of art history, poetry, and biography in a series of short texts that create a kind of poetic equivalent to Cornell's visual art. The artist's premise that the world is beautiful, but not sayable becomes Simic's as well. From incisive meditations on Cornell's methods and aims, Simic moves to create his own assemblages in the spirit of Cornell and the poets he admired - Dickinson, Whitman, and Poe. The resulting prose poems are studded with the same unlikely combinations of found objects and dime-store jewels that inhabit Cornell's boxes. Simic's evocative images, like Cornell's, defy rational explanation but instead invite the viewer to participate in the imaginative life of the art, "to make up stories about what one sees." This highly personal consideration of one of the most important visual artists of the twentieth century conveys the same spirit of chance, the same playful celebration of the miraculous properties of the commonplace, that distinguishes the work of an artist who is, as Simic writes, "in the end unknowable." ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Delicious!!
Reading Dime-Store Alchemy is a fine way to get to know Joseph Cornell's work (and of course Charles Simic's). Simic uses a writing style which pieces together different elements of Cornell's favorite authors and poets, beautifully reflecting the montage operation created by Cornell himself. As Simic ambiguously reveals aspects of Cornell's life in New York City, the reader finds him/herself on the same search for an understanding of beauty that the artist spent his entire life investigating. Don't miss it! ... Read more

Book Description

In 1972, when the packing and crating for a major exhibition made it impossible for him to work in his sculpture studios, Henry Moore retreated to a small studio that looks out on a sheep meadow. Over the course of several months, as sheep were suckled and sheared, Moore produced this delightful flock of sketches and drawings. Sheep are as much a commonplace of the English countryside as hedgerows, but Moore looked at them afresh. Here are ewes nurturing their lambs, lambs playing in the meadow, and the swollen stateliness of sheep with full coats of wool. Many of the sketches evoke themes that are important in all Moore's work. The depiction of a ewe and lamb, for instance, suggests the mother-and-child theme often evoked in Moore's sculpture by a large form sheltering a smaller one. Henry Moore presented the sketchbook to his daughter, Mary. In this facsimile edition, first created under Moore's personal supervision, Mary's little lambs will charm anyone who sees these tender, vigorous drawings. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

This is his actual sketchbook of his very own sheep.
This book is one of the most helpful sources to understanding and looking at Henry Moore's world, work and learning his regard for the objects of reality he transformed into his sculptures. It is truly amazing and it is the actual sketchbook of his very own sheep. It is a wonderful book. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Disjointed
A valiant effort, but I found this book hard to follow...many of the essential steps seem to be missing...perhaps the book is geered towards only the advanced. I was dissapointed by the characterish results of the approach and was hoping for more of an attempt at "fine" art.

good likeness
The author gives a step by step approach for modeling a likeness in clay. Very helpful and good at using calapers to get the correct demensions to start with. I would recommend Bruno Lucchesi's books also as he is a modern day master.

A must-have for aspiring sculptor portraitists.
Mrs Grubbs has lots of talent, being a pedagogue is not the least of them. As she shares her technique with the reader, every step is thoroughly illustrated and commented. Numerous examples of specific situations are shown in detail along with the sculptor's comments.

The first sections establishes the general principles governing the achievement of a likeness, going step by step through the measurements and accurate mass and volume placement, with practical demonstration.

Further sections detail the progress of the work, and the end sections are practical examples of different portrait renditions of models which vary in age, sex, ethnic features, all being taken from actual work carried out by the artist.

As Mrs Grubbs favors kiln-firing of her clay portraits, readers interested in this technique will also find very valuable information, and will learn how to properly prepare a portrait for this purpose. ... Read more

Book Description

Jacob Epstein (1880-1959) was a pioneer of modern sculpture in Britain. Yet he always felt an outsider in his adopted country, subjected as he was to relentless attacks and vilification. With his determination to break the taboos surrounding the depiction of sexuality, and his use of expressive distortion of the figure in a manner modeled more on non-Western art than the classical ideal, he aroused hostility throughout his career. Such controversy has meant that considerable attention is paid to certain aspects of Epstein's long and productive career, while in other respects the true nature of his overall achievement has been overlooked. This book intends to redress the balance. It provides a fascinating account of a sculptor who had a profound influence on successive generations of artists--not only for his carving but also for his courage. ... Read more

Book Description

Men like Benvenuto, unique in their profession, need not be subject to the law. --Pope Paul III on learning that Cellini had murdered a fellow artistBenvenuto Cellini was beloved in Renaissance Florence. A renowned sculptor and goldsmith whose works include the famous salt-cellar made for the King of France, and the statue of Perseus with the head of the Medusa, Cellini's life was as vivid and enthralling as his creations.A man of action as well as an artist, he took part in the Sack of Rome in 1527; he was temperamental, passionate, and conceited, capable of committing criminal acts ranging from brawling and sodomy to theft and murder. He numbered among his patrons popes and kings and members of the Medici family, and his autobiography is a fascinating account of sixteenth-century Italy and France written with all the verve of a novel. This new translation, which captures the freshness and vivacity of the original, is based on the latest critical edition. It examines in detail the central event in Cellini's narrative, the casting of the statue of Perseus. ... Read more

Book Description

Nearly 700 photographs and line drawings accompany informative text, exploring types, purchase, and care of woodcarving tools. Details sharpening methods and equipment; accessory tools; abrading; carpentry; electric tools, and much more. Modify tools to suit individual needs, and what holding devices to use. "...the Cadillac of books on woodcarving....It is more than just a craft-tool, project-oriented whittler's guide....Pye is a man who knows woodcarving...."--Arts & Activities.362 pages, 8 color illus., 690 b/w illus., 8 1/4 x 10 7/8.
... Read more

Reviews (3)

Not what I expected
This book is an encyclopedia. I just wanted to know what to buy as a first tool and find out what kind of wood to start with. Wow! There is a lot more to whittlin' than I expected. I need a basic primer for now. I will keep this book as a master reference for the future. The sizing chart is way cool.

Woodcarving Tools, Materials & Equipment is Outstanding!
Chris is an English carver with a vast knowledge of tools and carving history. This not your typical wood carving book with remedial carving instructions and patterns for spirits and gnomes. In fact there are "no" patterns in this book.

The book has a very thorough description of every carving tool imaginable and a discussion of how many of them are made commercially and explains how others can be made at home. He also tells you how to modify existing tools--reshaping, grinding, and bending. He included a very good explanation on how to anneal, harden, and temper your own carving tools.

I first opened this book, early one evening, intending to read for an hour or so; I finally set it down at 2:00am. In one session, I learned more than enough to justify the cost.

Wow, excellent book on carving tools!
This is not a book on carving, it is a book about the tools and etc. The sections on selecting and sharpening tools are spot on. Mr. Pye writes very well; this is a good read.

Highly recommended ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Small but comprehensive
Although largely biographical, it covers most of his important pieces and their impact on his life and the art of that era. But, what I love about the book are the beautifully written prose of (the poet) Rainer Maria Rilke and his commentary about particular pieces, that can't be found in print elsewhere. Particularly striking is Rilke's commentary on Rodin's The Burghers of Calais in the first several pages, which gives a dynamic piece its true emotional content. This is what makes this small book unique. Coffee table sized books on Rodin will give more satisfying visual reproduction of Rodin's works and probably provide more critical commentary on the meaning of individual works, but this small book does have rather unusual content. It has sections in the back on the lost wax technique and excerpts of letters and interesting photographs of Rodin at work in his studio and imposing his enormous ego over the works that made him one of the most important sculptors since antiquity.

very biographical but not criticle enough!
A very interesting biography on rodins work and his personel life and how this, through the path of time reflected in his work. Although laking in criticle views and historical context of what his influenses were (apart from that of Michelangelo)it did mention the possible influence that Camille Claudel had on him.

A great little book
I have dozens of books on Rodin and this is one of my favorites. Great, though small, photographs, concise text and even a nifty section in the back of the book with copies of letters to Rodin as well as a thoughtful explanation of the bronze casting and transfer to marble processes. It's inexpensive and compact as well. Excellent! ... Read more