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

Reviews (2)

Tremendous journal for women artists
I cannot say enough good things about this special book, which I discovered at an independent bookstore (and am forever grateful for that!) ... For anyone who is a fan of well-written journals and diaries, including those of May Sarton and Anne Morrow Lindbergh, this book will be a real treasure. I couldn't put it down, and consider it one of the best books on being an artist that I have ever read.

I should add that it would be especially comforting and inspiring for women who want to be artists (or writers) yet still maintain close, loving families and home life. For many women today, it is an "either or" proposition, but I love the way Anne Truitt shows how her domestic life informs and balances her art. This viewpoint give us all courage if we want to attempt the same lifestyle. Truitt raised three children on her own, and made her mark as an artist -- and a wonderful writer as well. What an inspiration for us all.

Moving, well-written, and beautiful.
In one of the greatest meditations on the artistic life ever written, Anne Truitt completes the trilogy of journals she began in 1979. In "Prospect" she discusses the joys of parenthood andgrandparenthood, the perils of old age, and the way artists work. Each pageis rich with insights and thought. Simply the best book I've read in fiveyears. Her art is great, but it is for these books that Anne Truitt will beremembered, taking a place among diarists of historical significance. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Recommended!
OK, he wasn't my favorite Roller...but even I had to admit there was something about the devilish glint in Leslie McKeown's eye. His ego sometimes seemed bigger than the whole of Europe, so it's appropriate that he would be the Roller to come out with a book like this. I didn't know just how humble his beginnings were, and I have a lot more respect for him now. Leslie has a very natural, humorous style of writing and is a born storyteller. This kept me reading until I finished it in only 2 days. Even if you weren't a BCR fan, Leslie's book gives a good look into the realities of being a pop star in the 70s.

Well done, Les!
What an entertaining read! Les McKeown has been through a lot and shares it all in this book, which is at once hilarious, tragic, and eye-opening. He gives the inside scoop on his life as the frontman of the hysteria-inducing Bay City Rollers and beyond. Les shares the whole story with us - from his upbringing in Edinburgh, to his first forays into music, to teen idolatry in the Rollers, to the aftermath. His sense of humor remains intact and his take on life and his experiences is refreshing. He pulls no punches and seems like a pretty cool guy. Thanks for telling your story, Les! ... Read more

Book Description

The achievements of many women in the arts have, until recently, been downplayed or ignored. Spanning six centuries and hundreds of women, Women Artists presents a wealth of information on the subject, with more than 300 reproductions of works by extraordinary female artists, from pre-Renaissance times to the present.

Margaret Barlow's informative and well-researched text highlights the lives and accomplishments of both famous and lesser-known women who, despite societal pressures and restrictions, pursued successful careers in art through the ages, including Judith Leyster, Elisabeth-Louise Vige-Lebrun, Emily Mary Osborn, Kathe Kollwitz, Angelica Kauffmann, Lilly Martin Spencer, Paula Modershohn-Becker, and scores of others. Also included here are journal entries, letters, and excerpts from autobiographies of several women artists - fascinating for the light they shed on how these women perceived their life and work. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Women Artists
I received this fabulously beautiful book as a gift and am absolutely thrilled with it. I intend to spend many hours studying the pieces and reading about the women who created them. I would recommend this book for anyone who has an interest in aesthetics and an appreciation for women as artists. ... 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

Book Description

"MARVELOUS . . . A first-rate biography of an extraordinary man."

--The Wall Street Journal

"SUPERB . . . Ackroyd writes with clarity and ease: His book is consistently intelligent, entertaining and affectionate. One closes its pages full of admiration for Blake and eager to study his pictures and read his poetry. . . . Ackroyd emphasizes Blake the visionary Londoner, like Turner or Dickens, and convincingly relates the poet's work to the social upheavals of his time. . . . Above all, [he] makes Blake live for the modern reader."
--The Washington Post Book World

"LYRICAL AND ILLUMINATING . . .Ackroyd is a masterly storyteller and interpreter of Blake's writing and art."
--Chicago Tribune

"THE WORK OF A WRITER AT THE PEAK OF HIS LITERARY POWERS . . . It is one of the great strengths of Ackroyd's writing that he reminds us that every individual life and cast of mind has a tradition behind it, a context of other lives and minds which is half forgotten or not remembered at all. As a writer, he is always letting his bucket deeper and deeper down the historical well."
--The New Yorker ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Run-Of-The-Mill
With all the fantastic titles of Blake books out there ("Witness Against the Beast"; "Prophet Against Empire") all Ackroyd could come up with was, uh, "Blake"? From the book's bland title to its dry rehashing of many misconceptions and stereotypes about Blake and his work, Ackroyd's is just another voice tossed into the gathering wilderness of Blake scholarship. There is nothing distinctive or even revelatory about this book, and it seemed to me throughout my reading that it was written more out of obligation than passion. Ackroyd seems more interested in toning down the embellishments of a 150-year-old biography (Gilchrist's) than telling a good story, when it has long been understood that Gilchrist was writing with the fervor and love any writer might have when penning the very first biography of a figure whose legend was already blossoming into something gargantuine.

But more frustrating than Ackyrod's dispassion is the eagerness with which he embraces enduring but disastrous presumptions about Blake. Chief among these is the astounding claim (made by so many others besides Ackroyd) that Blake somehow decided to "turn inward" and thus deny fame: "he had the capacity to become a great public and religious poet but, instead, he turned in upon himself and gained neither influence nor reputation." But Blake WAS the "great religious poet" of his day, and Ackroyd himself concedes this early on: "it can truly be said that he is the last great religous poet in England." Well, which is it, Peter? Any suggestion that Blake somehow missed out on his claim to this distinction says less about Blake than it does about our own epoch, in which we find it increasingly hard to measure success with any yardsticks other than those of the dollars, cents and celebrity.

It is no secret that many of history's most brilliant artists died in squalor because of their practical ineptitude. I don't think Blake cared much for mortgage rates or 401Ks when he was around, and thank god he had the courage not to. Ackroyd repeatedly demonstrates his understanding that Blake was a wholly impractical man and completely unskilled at the cruder concerns of survival, yet he still somehow finds a way to hold Blake responsible for his failures as an entrepreneur. "He never could have been a tradesman," Ackroyd writes, "he was 'totally destitute of the dexterity of a London shopman' and was 'sent away from the counter (of his father's shop) as a booby'." A "booby." Sure doesn't sound like the description of a PR genius to me.

But Ackroyd goes even further in what amounts to a clear understanding that in order to become this "public poet" or "great engraver" Blake would have had to either ignore or compromise his artistic integrity. Sound like a familiar paradox? What Blake did for money and what Blake did for himself were two entirely different worlds in his life, and it is the latter that brought us "Jerusalem," "The Four Zoas," "Milton" and so many stirring and vibrantly colored plates. "He could have continued as one of the best copy-engravers of his day," Ackroyd carries on, "But ... he wished to experiment with his own technique." God forbid. Yes, he could have been marketable, but he was a visionary far more intrigued by his private muse than public fortune and the sacrifices it entailed. As Blake himself writes: "I must create a System, or be enslav'd by another mans/I will not reason and Compare: my business is to create."

Throughout this book the conenction is made -- though apparently without Ackyroyd's comprehension -- between convention and success, withdrawal and genius. This does not have to be the fate of every innovator, but with Blake there just doesn't seem to have been any other way. Why Ackroyd choses not to see this when he himself weaves together all the evidence is truly baffling. Observations such as "in want of income or renown, he had decided to return to more orthodox styles" both make and miss the point. This was Blake's life-long misfortune and that of so many artists who, for the sake of survival, often have to make art of massive appeal, not of private vision or originality. Worse, the banality of the work Blake was sometimes hired to illustrate condemned him to contribute material of corresponding weakness. What an acute agony it must have been for this man to be employed by writers whose skill he knew fell far short of his own, and yet to have to sanction their own work with his time and sweat! I'll take poverty over such indignity any day of the week.

Predictably, Blake himself puts it best: "To the Eyes of a Miser a Guinea is more beautiful than the Sun, and a bag worn with use of Money has more beautiful proportions than a Vine filled with grapes. The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the Eyes of others only a Green thing that stands in the way." Amen, Mr. Blake.

To be fair, Ackroyd does show great sympathy for the complexity of Blake's character, and especially for the plight described above. Specifically, Ackroyd's investigation into the various personalities Blake manifested over the years, Blake's deep and heartbreaking identity with Job, and Ackroyd's explication of Blake's "London" are long-lasting contributions to Blake scholarship and show that Ackroyd is capable of far more inspiration than he otherwise exhibits throughout the book. For more informed and illuminating discussions of Blake's life and work, David Erdman's "Prophet Against Empire," Harold Bloom's "Blake's Apocalypse" and, to a lesser extent, E.P. Thompson's "Witness Against the Beast" are so good as to render Ackroyd's book obsolete.

too fawning
I have really enjoyed Ackroyd's writing in the past. His London Biography, in particular, is an outstanding book.
I had, therefore, high hopes for his life of Blake, the 18th century visionary being a famous Londoner and a fascinating man.

I was a little disappointed. It's certainly learned and well researched (though it eggregiously overuses the word "vouchsafe"), but seems to skip over a number of important points: for one thing, Ackroyd hints darkly the Blake may have had misogynistic tendencies, but then declares "this isn't the place for a discussion of such things". Well, if a balanced biography isn't, I don't know what is.

Additionally, Ackroyd is somewhat credulous in his desire to portray Blake as a misunderstood genius, rather than a somewhat troubled individual. Serious credence is given to statements that certain people in Blake's circle (including, to an extent, Blake himself) were clairvoyant, whilst on the other hand short shrift is given to far more credible notions: such as that Blake - a man given to regular visions of angels and saints, after all - might have been mentally ill. Blake's behaviour may have been that of a genius, but is equally explainable as that of a flat-out nutcase, which appears to have been the general consensus of the time (and might partly explain Blake's lack of success during his own life).

A Good, But Not a Great Biography of William Blake
Peter Ackroyd's 1995 "Blake: A Biography," is a good, but not a great biography of the late 18th-early 19th century poet, prophet, painter, and genius, William Blake. Ackroyd's prose is fluid and easy to follow, but the structuring of the book, while it does mostly follow the pattern of Blake's life, is somewhat inconsistent. There are chapters in which Ackroyd does nothing but profile one poem (do we really need a biographer's interpretation of "The Tyger"?), which detracts from the progress of his narrative. Also, there are points in the course of the book where Ackroyd seems a little too condescending to his subject, which imposes a distance between biographer, subject, and reader - my own preference is for the biographer to bring the reader into the subject's life.

One thing that Ackroyd is good at is allowing Blake and his contemporaries to speak for themselves on a number of topics - revealing a depth of ambivalence towards, for example, Blake's lifelong experience of visions, Blake's business acumen (or lack thereof), his hardheaded independence, and so on. Henry Fuseli, John Flaxman, John Linnell, and of course, William Hayley, to whom Blake owed his three year sojourn at Felpham - all are quoted extensively, revealing the social network in which Blake moved. Ackroyd is at his best when he is examining Blake's movements in life, from engraver's apprentice, to art student, through his life of engraving, and in outlining what he was doing to support himself while he produced his illuminated masterpieces.

Ackroyd falters, though, when he tries to play the intentional fallacy game - attempting to explain Blake's nearly-inexplicable works of poetic and prophetic genius by way of the events of his life. Certainly, Blake is one artist who invites such interpretations, with the fact that he attributed his method of illuminated printing to a conversation with his dead brother, Robert, and the fact that Blake incorporates figures from his own life in his works. However, while Ackroyd acknowledges that biographical interpretations are far too simplistic for Blake's works, he does it anyway. I would have much preferred Ackroyd to stick to the conditions and circumstances in which Blake worked and lived and produced his works, than his half-handed attempts at literary and artistic criticism.

The sheer number of illustrations - three sets of portraits, and samples of Blake's works (commercial and non) - are worthy of praise and show a discernment in selection. However, none are noted or labeled anywhere in the text, which makes for somewhat confusing reading. And there are some works which are mentioned once which are represented in Ackroyd's seleciton of illustrations; while others mentioned several times go completely undepicted.

On the whole though, this is an interesting biography - I found myself reading through a lot of it quite voraciously - but I think this is more a testament to the inherent fascination which William Blake's life provides on its own, than the manner in which Ackroyd presents it. Is the book worth reading? Absolutely. For the Blake novice, it provides an entrancing glimpse which should certainly lead many readers into an enjoyment and appreciation for Blake's work. For the most part, Ackroyd does justice to Blake in presenting him as a working man - like anyone - who struggled and failed to make a name for himself in his own time, but whose genius has outlasted the fame of nearly all of his own artistic contemporaries.

Blake, London, and Beauty - What Better Combination?
In 1995 & '96 I was traveling to London regularly on business trips. During one of my site seeing ventures the name of William Blake finally penetrated my consciousness. I became fascinated with the gallery the Tate museum (now Tate Britain) had of his work. I saw this book at the airport and picked it up and it became a London obsession for me. When I would get back to London I would look up streets and sites that I had read about in this WONDERFUL book.

This was the first book of Ackroyd's I read and became a fan immediately. Since he is also a writer of fiction and is a profound scholar of London he offers great insight into Blake and his art. I have since added many other volumes of Blake's works and other books on Blake to my library but I still have deep affection for this book. When someone asks me what book they should read about Blake I always point them to this great book.

You will get to know Blake's life and work, but you will also get to know Blake's relationship to London (where he spent almost all of his life) and to the other artists of his time such as Flaxman, Reynolds, and others. It is even worth re-reading. That is high praise!

Double vision
This is a great biography. Blake is a complex character. A visionary, an artist whose writing and paintings created a total vision. Ackroyd doesn't belittle the aspirations or eccentricities of Blake, and fleshes out his portrait with interesting details and contextualizes Blake's life within the world events through which he lived.

Of course the reproductions of Blake's work don't do justice to them. Particularly the watercolors in which the luminous white comes from the color of the unpainted paper. These works come off looking clumsy in reproductions. If you have the chance to see these works in person, the effect is altogether different. Blake created a worldview, and he inhabited that (largely interior) mythos.

Find this book. Buy it, and then do anything you can to see Blake's works themselves. ... Read more

Amazon.com

For modern readers--especially those in the sciences who revere him as the father of the inductive method--Francis Bacon (1561-1626) is the model of an English Renaissance man whose towering intellectual achievements somewhat paradoxically set him floating above mundane historical particulars. British academics Lisa Jardine and Alan Stewart fling Bacon back into the hurly-burly of Elizabethan and Jacobean politics, where he unquestionably belongs. Indeed, their magnificently detailed rendering of Bacon's bumpy progression to the pinnacle of royal office-holding, as James I's lord chancellor (he was forced to "retire" in 1621 after a bribery scandal), makes his scientific and philosophical contributions even more remarkable. How on earth did he find time to write The Advancement of Learning (1605) and Novum Organum (1620) at all? In the authors' deliciously dense re-creation, notable for their shrewd evaluations of often misleading written source material, Bacon seems almost exclusively preoccupied with intriguing for promotion, struggling to pay debts incurred by his lavish lifestyle, and currying favor with both Elizabeth's and James's male favorites. (The latter tactic leading to contemporary charges of "sodomy" that the authors do not necessarily dismiss.) Some may regret that this warts-and-all portrait does not spend more time on Bacon's books, but Jardine and Stewart brilliantly succeed in their stated goal of providing "a rich context for those works." Seldom has a scholarly tome so palpably conveyed the gritty, sweaty, faction-ridden reality of being a working politician at the turn of the 17th century. --Wendy Smith ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Mixed Feelings
A powerhouse of academic scholarship, this book is the most tedious and boring biography I have ever read.Too many pages on Bacon's political career, too little on his scientific achievements.

Bacon for sceptics.
While the book starts slowly with what seems to be an overly detailed account of Bacon's family and their activities, it is a clear headed and balanced account of a man who achieved fame across the centuries, as well as in his own time---but never great virtue, character or happiness in his own life.It is quite readable, and even engrossing in the second half.Scholars will appreciate the careful documentation and extensive reference to sources and supporting materials. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Despite the contemporary fascination with all things classical that has fueled the recent antimodern movement, this is the first book in more than half a century to explore the career of John Russell Pope (1873-1937).And it is worth the wait as it luxuriously presents the work of the architect of the National Gallery of Art, the Jefferson Memorial, the National Archives, and dozens of other buildings that are now intrinsic to the constructed environment of the U.S. capital. Pope was an architect of such harmony, balance, and effortless grandeur that he might well be ignored by current American neoclassicists, whose ill-conceived gewgaws are put to shame by Pope's stately homes, serene monuments, authoritative collegiate buildings, and regal museums.

Architect and historian Steven McLeod Bedford began his solitary, comprehensive, and difficult research for this book during the 1980s, when proponents of the high-minded cultural imperatives of the late 19th century, including the Hudson River School painters, were in vogue. Bedford admirably analyses the strengths and weaknesses of an architect whose most famous buildings "expressed the grandiloquent aspirations of private and public patrons." He also puts Pope's contributions in historical perspective, noting that a 1961 history of American architecture published by the A.I.A. found "no merit in Pope's work." Bedford himself writes with careful objectivity that "Pope seemed to adhere to the precept that a certain set of classical forms and plans existed whose inherent beauty was immutable."

Bedford writes warmly but dispassionately about buildings that many people love, and some--such as those who listened to Martin Luther King Jr. speak on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, or visited the soaring, softly sky-lit rooms of the National Gallery--have special attachments to. Beauty of this exalted type may no longer be of interest to the architectural cognoscenti, but there is a quality of calm endurance to Pope's buildings that has lasting appeal. In spite of the author's reserve, this is an inspiring, elucidating book, filled with plans, drawings, and color photographs that do some belated justice to Pope's career. --Peggy Moorman ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Great archtitect, long overdue book, writing a little dry.
This wonderful architect deserves study. his work is represented well but society context, office practice, growth in style are a little lacking and could have beenbetter . Still a great addtion to any library!

Pope rehabilitated
This carefull reappraisal of Popes work was long overdue. One would hope that it will be followed by books on Cass Gilbert and Paul Cret who with Pope were the last masters of American Classical Architecture.Their work has stood the test of time beter than many more modern buildings.

another great topic in the wrong hands
I love all architecture and I can remember when I could count on titles from Rizzoli to uphold a certain standard, but that was too long ago. J.R.P. was an extrodinatry man for his time and a classic architect whodeserves the same type of fame given to Frank Lloyd Wright. Rizzoli onceagain has failed the topic. GREAT COVER AND NO SUBSTANCE A.K.A. PAPERGARBAGE. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great Read about a Great Designer
This is a well-written biography about one of the leading industrial designers of the 20th century. Anyone who has ever marvelled at the simple elegance of the 'round' thermostat has Henry Dreyfuss to thank, and this book tells much of his story. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

I laughed so hard it hurt!
I first read this book as a summer assignment a quarter of a century ago. I picked up this old book again this year, and believe it to be written by arguably one of the best humorists in the last one hundred years. James Thurber is a master at the art of language and never fails to tickle the proverbial funny bone. For an easy, lighthearted read, this book is well worth the money and will likely become a favorite for your own private library.

My Life and Hard Times
This is my favorite book. After reading it six times, it is still laugh out loud funny. It is short and easy to read, but lets the reader have a look into the oddities of James Thurber's childhood. This is a book to read just for the fun of it.

A True Classic Side-Splitter
OF all the books of his period, James Thurber's "My Life and HArd Times" is a mirror into the mind of a true renaissance man, humorist extraordinaire, and story-teller. Ever since I was a teen reading this for the first time, I have kept a copy on my nighttable, for those evenings I needed a complete separation from reality. It has never failed me! Each story (which by now I have memorized) brings to mind the family quagmyres and dilemmas common to all, in a form only a genius like Thurber could do. His talent in a far simpler age lives well beyond him, and will forever.

Elegantly simple and hilarious to boot
James Thurber actually does tell something of the story of his life in this famed biography, but mostly he just moseys along telling stories with his trademark dry, mopey wit. The very first chapter--"The Night the Bed Fell"--begins with the laconic observation, "I suppose that the high-water mark of my youth in Columbus, Ohio, was the night the bed fell on my father."

Thurber goes on to explain how his grandmother felt that electricity leaked if not plugged up, a preoccupation that kept her busy filling in every gap in every lamp or outlet in the house.

All the chapters are pretty much entitled with the name of some highlight of Thurber's Ohio youth: "The Day the Dam Broke" and "The Night the Ghost Got In" and that sort of thing. What the chapters all have in common is that Thurber is a brilliant storyteller who manages to make the most plebian, everyday happenings matters of sparkling humor.

Do yourself and everyone else a favor and READ THIS BOOK.
Other reviewers have said it before, but I feel the need to back them up even more: This book is a work of pure genius and originality.

I was lucky enough to discover James Thurber while in the 8th grade, after flipping ahead in my English book and reading "The Car We Had To Push." A year later, I stumbled across copies of this book and "The Thurber Carnival" (an anthology of all his books) at a Harper Collins discount book sale. I consider this book to be the greatest deal of my life, since I purchased it for fifty cents and now feel that I would have done the same if it had been fifty dollars instead.

My Life and Hard Times is only a quarter of an inch thick, disguising the awesome amount of humor it contains. When I packed for college, this was the first book to accompany me on my journey, and I still reread it once or twice a month. The stories can be enjoyed on their own, but when combined into a biography such as this, the realization that Thurber can take the most ordinary-seeming events in life and turn them into a riot of laughter. It almost makes *me* wish for a family as interesting as he makes his own out to be. The stories provide a good dose of nostalgia for those who remember life in the early twentieth century, but for the rest of us, it's a treat to hear the stories through the eyes of someone who lived through it.

I'll stop gushing about how much I absolutely adore this title and leave you with the best advice I can give: BUY THIS BOOK, and treasure it. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Keith Haring: Radiant Child
I first became interested in Keith Haring as an artist when I saw a collection of his work at the Tampa Museum of Art in the very early 1990's. By that time, Keith had already passed away; however, he left behind a very large legacy of his remarkable work. I decided I had to know more about this man whose colorful pop art had caught my eye, so I went out and bought the book, "Keith Haring: The Authorized Biography." This book is awesome!! It is part autobiography, part miniature art gallery. Keith's story is told in a very intimate, revealing way, and it really makes you feel as if you are right there in the middle of his life in New York in the 80's. All of the famous artists and people from the entertainment world that comprised Keith's social circle are also included in the book, offering up their observations and anecdotes of Keith Haring, his lifestyle, and his art. There are many personal photographs of the artist at work and with his friends included in the book, as well as eye-popping photos of some of Keith's famous works. Often Keith Haring is called a "grafitti artist." When you read this book, you will realize that he is more than just that; Keith Haring was a down-to-earth man whose stunning and sometimes controversial art holds a universal appeal and a bittersweet social commentary of life as he knew it. Art lovers - don't miss out on this one!

This was the first biography that I'd read
I had always been under the impression that biographies were purposely designed to be dull and pointless, until I picked up this book. I have always liked Haring's work and wanted to find out more about the man himself. Not only is this book a biography but it contains words from Haring himself. It is very accessible, all chapters are broken down into easy to read sections and you can dip in and out of the book as you wish. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in his art (it contains many colour photographs of his more famous works) and all those who are interested in learning more about Haring's colourful life.

A fascinating and intimate portrait of an artist
What makes "Keith Haring: The Authorized Biography", such a moving work is its unique approach to the biographical format. Rather than just recount his research into Haring's life, author John Gruen has pieced together writings by Haring, the artist's friends, companions, mentors, and dealers. The narrative switches perspective quite often, resulting in a balanced and more revealing account of Haring's life and art, from different points of view. Among other things, Haring recounts his beginnings as a graffiti artist, his rivalry with the painter Jean-Michel Basquiat, and his coming to terms with being gay, and eventually, his contraction of AIDS. Profusely illustrated throughout, the book also gives an inside look at several aspects of the 80's art scene in New York city. By the end, the reader gains not only a thorough knowledge of Haring the artist, but more importantly, an understanding of the humanist philosophy and intent behind the art ... Read more

Amazon.com

Georgia O'Keeffe, who was born in 1887 and lived nearly 99 years, was a prolific, successful artist whose work was exhibited continually throughout her adult life. To give an impression of the scope of this two-volume boxed set, here is a sentence from the preface by Barbara Buhler Lynes: "The catalogue reproduces and describes 2,045 objects, made by O'Keeffe between 1901 [when she was 14] and 1984." And for an idea of the care Lynes brought to her task, here is the next: "Of these, 2,029 were located and examined between June 1992 and December 1998: 821 on canvas or board; 1,137 on paper...."

Obviously, this catalog will be indispensable to many libraries and museums, but it is also a work that any lover of O'Keeffe's art will pore over for years. From the first pages of volume 1, a reader is struck by the early appearance of motifs that remained essential to O'Keeffe throughout her life: architectural forms; flowers; vases and vessels with monumental, simplified shapes. (After the early years, however, she deals with the human metaphorically, in phallic sculptures or nipple-like seed pods, or the swollen bellies of clay pots.) For those readers who may have fallen out of love a bit during the 1970s--when O'Keeffe's least works seemed to be included in every gathering of second-rate, so-called women's art--these two volumes will renew their passion. Her astonishing talent, which she never betrayed, pulses through these color-saturated pages. While most works are necessarily reproduced smaller than the originals, the book's designers have dealt thoughtfully with issues of scale by increasing the size of the reproductions as O'Keeffe's paintings became larger and printing her vast, late cloudscapes and other large works at full- or double-page size. This is typical of the sensitivity with which this catalog was conceived. --Peggy Moorman ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Wonderful
I was not a fan of Georgia O'Keefe before checking this volume out from the library. Now, I am frankly astonished by the beauty of her work especially her watercolors which are vibrant, clean, and just beautiful. It will be an eye opener to anyone who has formed their opinions solely on her giant flower or cow skull paintings-- whether you like her or not. She was an artist that constantly explored different techniques from printmaking to sculpture. She is inspirational. If you have a library that carries the volume I encourage you to check it out first you will be pleasantly surprised. I am definitely going to purchase these books.

A Wonderful Gift
This book was on my wish list before it was published! I received it as a gift upon my graduation from Art Center College of Design. I have loved Georgia O'Keefe's work since I was very young, and I have most of the books published about her and this one is not only the most comprehensive but beautiful as well. In a review I read it was described as 'cumbersome', obviously not written by an artist. How can you reduce a life's work into one volume especially a life that was so influential to so many artists, especialy women. I give it my highest recommendation.

Georgia O'Keeffe : Catalogue Raisonne
Beautiful - Beautiful - Beautiful I am a huge fan of Georgia O'Keeffe and this book has it all. Great color pictures. There are also many things that I learned from her throughout her life as an artist. This book is on my coffee table and will stay there for life. I will never put it away! A must for any Georgia O'Keeffe fans! ... Read more

Book Description

In 1977,Madonna Louise Ciccone moved from Michigan to New York City, re-christening herself simply ‘Madonna’. Six years of hard work in the clubs of Manhattan with a succession of bands propelled her to the forefront of the New York scene. In 1983, her self-titled debut album was released, and the hit singles ‘Holiday’ and ‘Borderline’ soon followed. Then came seventeen consecutive top ten hits, a further ten albums, and roles in nineteen feature films, from her debut in the 80’s classic Desperately Seeking Susan to the steamy thriller Body of Evidence. Multitalented, controversial in her own proud sexuality and a dedicated campaigner for sexual tolerance, Madonna is one of the great Millennial Icons, a one-woman pop phenomenon who has pushed back and blurred the boundaries of the music, film and fashion worlds.

‘Madonna in Art’ is a celebration of the Pop Goddess at every stage of her career. A testament to her unique global impact, it features work by over a hundred artists, including Andrew Logan, Bruni, Sebastian Kruger, Al Hirschfeld, Donna Lief and Peter Howson. These images range across every role Madonna has played on the world stage, from erotic dancer to the dignified figure of Eva Peron in Evita. ... Read more

Taschen

John Lautner learned architecture through hands-on-working experience rather than through classic academic training. He wanted ongoing change and passionate devotion. In 1933 he joined Frank Lloyd Wright at Taliesin West. Later, with his own office in Los Angeles, he became the only one of Wright's pupils who not only adopted the master's ideas but developed them further. For 50 years Lautner experimented with new methods of construction and with inventive formal departures, and of his 188 designs no fewer than 113 were built, most of them private houses. The sheer daring of these designs stunned his contemporaries, and remains stunning now. Many of his buildings, such as the celebrated Chemosphere, a home positioned atop a single concrete column built above Los Angeles in 1960, came to be seen as the symbols of a new architecture of limitless possibilities. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Curvaceous Concrete Castles!
I would have given this book 4 stars except that it is written in more than one language which makes the book a bit harder to follow. But there are lots of nice photos of Lautner's homes, except for 2 of them which look like they where done with a cheap digital camera and printed on a xerox machine! I cannot complain about the price though.

John Lautner-The Big Series
The large color photo's in this book are wonderful, but unfortunately, there is not as much information on the architect and the individual projects he worked on, that there are in the other 2 Lautner books I have Purchased ("John Lautner- Architect", and "The Architecture of John Lautner". Also this book is written in three languages and therefore the layout is a little confusing. If you are a huge Lautner fan like I am, you will still enjoy the book, and considering the cost is less than 1/2 the price of the other 2 I mentioned (unless you purchase the softcover edition) I consider it a great coffee table bargain. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Charis Wilson jump starts her recollection of her years with Edward Weston with a visit to Death Valley (where, as model and photographer, they made many of his most famous photographs) for the first time in nearly 50 years. From there she follows the flow of memory. Wilson was just 19 when she first met the 48-year-old photographer. Shortly after that first encounter, Weston jotted the following entry in one of his Daybooks: "I have not opened this book for almost 8 months--and with good reason; I have been too busy, busy living. I notice the last entry was 4-20. On 4-22 a new love came into my life, a most beautiful one, one which will, I believe, stand the test of time." Wilson remembers spotting a "short man in brown clothes" as she scanned a crowded room after a concert; he was Weston. Wilson soon became his model (she is the subject of more than half of his recorded nudes), then his lover, and ultimately his wife. Their relationship seemed to transcend that of artist and muse. The two worked alongside one another, she assisting him in the darkroom, he illustrating texts she wrote.

Wilson's memoir is filled with anecdotes about Weston's work methods and personal habits that his admirers will find delightful: Weston wore glasses to focus his shot, then yanked them off to view his subject so that each shot was achieved through a flurry of the glasses flying off and onto the photographer's face; he used a heavy tarp to transform the back of his Ford V-8 into a darkroom; he ambushed the sun, laying in the sand until it illuminated his subject just the way he desired; coated cats' whiskers with butter so they'd lick them, staying in one place long enough for him to take his shot; and had a penchant for foods that would revolt even the most iron stomached. These recollections combined with other details about their lives together, their friendships with Ansel Adams, Imogen Cunningham, Jack London and other luminaries and their work form a comprehensive if roseate view of Weston that is a substantial addition to what we know about the legendary photographer. --Jordana Moskowitz ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Edward Weston through another set of eyes
Weston is my FAVORITE photographer of all times. I've read the daybooks (which are excellent) and own many Weston Books. While I'll not pretend Charis Wilson is a great writer (OK...it was "Co Written" by her)the book is a different prespective on a great photographer. Skip the "life and times of Charis" sections and you'll be privey to a personal side of Weston not often revealed in other writings.

A well-written, revealing rememberance.
Charis Wilson reveals some sides of Edward Weston not previously published, and corrects some missimpressions that have been published. She is an excellent writer. Readers should recall that this book is a rememberance, not a spicy revelation; with that in mind, they should enjoy it.

A snapshot into photography's greatest man-woman partnership
This biography is an expansive treatment of the brief insight offered by Charis Wilson in her remembrance in "Edward Weston Nudes" (an Aperture monograph). It describes the artistic partnership between one of the greatest photographers in history and his muse/model/wife/inspiration - also one of the greatest in history.

As both an amateur photographer and writer, I have learned much from both about making images and writing stories. There are many published books on Weston's photography; this book has everything that is missing - the half of the story that has been largely untold for half a century.

A marvelous book which introduces us to C. Wilson
Charis (Kar-is) Wilson was long the companion and lover of Edward Weston. She met him at an early age (19 or 20) when he was twice her age. She proved not only a love force in his life, but she wrote much of his captions for his photographs. She tells her story in a frank and honest manner with some bit of humor. We really find out who she was and what she thought about being with one of the world's greatest photographers at the time. The book reveals new information about Edward at the same time we are finding out about Charis. A very good read which flows easily. Makes everyone want to drop life's stress, grab camera and head for Pt. Lobos and the art community of Carmel, CA ... Read more

Book Description

Featuring more that 250 color reproductions, this comprehensive edition explores Renoir's formative years, his artistic evolution among the Impressionist painters of the Parisian art world, and the fame he enjoyed before his death in 1919. Includes extensive critical text and captions. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Renoir- his life and works
A very large lovely book with many of Renoir's most famous works. Has a somewhat brief bio as well with many actual photos of Renoir himself, his family and works. ... Read more

Book Description

Already published in France, Spain and Germany to wide acclaim, this book presents an insider’s portrait of Pablo Picasso, the women in his life and the Picasso family. The author, Picasso’s grandson Olivier Widmaier-Picasso spoke extensively with relatives, friends, and contemporaries of the artist and discovered unknown information about Picasso’s life. Correcting previous portrayals of the artist which have been highly critical of his personal relationships and treatment of women, this book offers a balanced and sensitive account of his life. Olivier Widmaier-Picasso—whose grandmother was the artist’s muse and lover Marie-Thérèse—answers allegations about everything from the artist’s sexuality and relation to money and politics to the feuding over his estate and the author’s own handling of the artist’s legacy. This compassionate, penetrating biography, which includes never before published family photographs, offers a unique perspective as it explores the double-edged sword that is fame and talent. ... Read more