Editorial Review

Whether measured in minutes or eons, time is a good friend of British artist Andy Goldsworthy's. He spends long, solitary days outdoors in all kinds of weather, doing things like piecing together many, many yellow leaves to create a brilliant band of color at a river's edge in upstate New York or stacking small pieces of ice on the Nova Scotia coast to build a sculpture in the compact shape of an ancient stone monument. Threatened by a strong gust of wind, the incoming tide, or a sudden rise in temperature, these are fugitive works comfortably in synch with the natural rhythms of growth and decay.Read more

Reviews (6)

Nature inspiration
Andy Goldsworthy's work inspires me to look at nature in a very deep way.
What a work of creative and artistic genius!
What a work of creative and artistic genius! Another superb look at Andy Goldsworthy's ephemeral art
Andy Goldsworthy's artwork is utterly ephemeral and fleeting, and perhaps because of this, utterly transfixing.There is something of the ancients in the way Goldsworthy puts together stone, or wood, or leaves--or even in the way he lays himself down on a dry patch of ground in the rain so that when he gets up, we see a sort of reverse shadow of his body.There is an astonishing intellect at work here, and a soul which sees the value in what some art snobs might term "mere beauty."Read more

Subjects:  1. 1956-    2. Art    3. Catalogs    4. Conceptual    5. Contemporary Art    6. Diaries    7. Goldsworthy, Andy,    8. Individual Photographer    9. Outdoor sculpture    10. Photoessays & Documentaries    11. Photography    12. Sculpture    13. Art / General    14. Art styles: c 1960 -    15. Goldsworthy, Andy    16. Individual artists   

Subjects:  1. 1887-1927    2. Art    3. Art & Art Instruction    4. Art Museums And Galleries    5. Artists, Architects, Photographers    6. Biography & Autobiography    7. Cubism    8. Exhibitions    9. Gris, Juan,    10. History - General    11. Individual Artist    12. Spain    13. Art / History / General    14. Gris, Juan   

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. History - General    4. Art / History / General    5. Exhibition catalogues and specific collections    6. Individual artists    7. Painting & paintings    8. Post-Impressionism   

Reviews (3)

A Poets Ruminations
This is not a book for anyone seeking information on life and/or the works of the great Americn painter, Edward Hopper. Pictures are all in black and white, while few facts about his life ae given.
Refreshing, concise, insightful
Just because the previous reviewer didn't get what he expected from this volume doesn't mean it isn't brilliant in its own right.From an outsider's perspective (I am not an art critic, but a literary scholar), I found Mark Strand's insights into Hopper's work to be refreshing and insightful, the first collection of art criticism I have read that speaks thoughtfully and intelligently to its readership without making the assumption that the reader already has the thoughts and inclinations of the critic him or herself.Instead, this is a book that teaches, and I am grateful for it!

Strand Leaves The Reader Stranded
I found this thin volumen incredibly inadequate, as it barely (if at all) mentions some of Hoppers most important themes such as silence, voyeurism, and loneliness.Strand spends approximately two poorly developed paragraphs on a number of paintings, often doing nothing more than describing them with bland geometric terms and giving little-or no-insight.I'm in the process of doing a six month research and writing project on Hopper, I found this to be the worst of all my resources.
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Subjects:  1. 1882-1967    2. American - General    3. Art    4. Art & Art Instruction    5. Criticism    6. Criticism and interpretation    7. Hopper, Edward,    8. Individual Artist    9. Individual Painters - 20th Century    10. Strand, Mark - Poems & Criticism    11. Art / Criticism   

Editorial Review

Sleeping angels. Flower fairies. Woodland nymphs and watermelon seeds. Anne Geddes's magical world is populated by hundreds of beautiful, chubby babies and gorgeous children dressed as peapods, pansies, peonies, and pearls. Geddes fans will be thrilled by Read more

Reviews (28)

Sickie bag, Please!
I was recently presented with a copy of this--compendium of cultural toxic waste--by a friend with dark sense of humor. I had confessed to her that, after lapsing into unconsciousness after a bender compounded of too much Maker's Mark and not enough food, I had had odd and disturbing nightmares studded with grotesque images of infants. By the following weekend, she left a copy of this monstrosity on the cocktail cabinet. After shaking up a suitable quantity of Manhattans, we fell to thumbing through this glossy bit of schlock. The inevitable debate arose: Does this stuff really reflect some vision of Geddes', or is this a very well put-over joke? I thought I had the better end of this argument by suggesting that anyone who collaborates with Celine Dion must have an immense sense of humor, but I was reminded that listeners to the latter are often a really humorless lot. That stymied me. And Geddes' objectification of infants, I was reminded,has the hallmarks of kitsch and sentimentality, but with an edge of--fetishization. These images are no more genuine, no more reflective of the (rare) bit of beauty that one can glean from a squirming screechling, than a grainy Linda Lovelace flick. Either Geddes is a master ironist, or a very, very disturbed photographer. For a case of the creepies, only Wegman and his harem of porno-Weimaraners can do more psychic damage.
Until Now
Anne Geddes takes such beautiful pictures of babies!This price for such a big book is a GREAT value for the money.You won't be disappointed!

Let's not take this computer-enhanced art too seriously!
This is a beautiful and creative book if you like to look at tiny babies.That's about it.
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Subjects:  1. General    2. Inspirational    3. Inspirational - General    4. Life Stages - Infants & Toddlers/General    5. Photo Techniques    6. Photography    7. Subjects & Themes - Portraits    8. English    9. English (ie as school subject)    10. Photography / General   

Subjects:  1. 1853-1890    2. 19th century    3. Architecture    4. Art    5. Art and literature    6. France    7. French Literature    8. General    9. Gogh, Vincent van,    10. History    11. History - General    12. History and criticism    13. Individual Artist    14. Individual Painters - 19th Century    15. Naturalism in literature    16. Psychology    17. Art / General    18. French    19. Gogh, Vincent van    20. Gogh, Vincent van,--1853-1890--Psychology    21. History of art & design styles: from c 1900 -    22. Painting & paintings   

Subjects:  1. American - General    2. Art    3. Art & Art Instruction    4. Individual Artist    5. Individual Painters - 19th Century    6. Techniques - Painting    7. Art / Individual Artist    8. History of art & design styles: c 1800 to c 1900    9. Individual artists    10. Painting & paintings    11. USA   

Features

• Illustrated

Reviews (19)

David Hamilton: 25 Years of an Artist
Hamilton's work is chronicled in this volume and showcases his love affair with his subjects and his passion for photography.
Interesting Collection of his Work
The book has photos spanning David Hamilton's career as well as a bit of an auto-biographical essay of his life and how he got into photographing beautiful young models. BEAUTIFUL!!!
This book is a masterpiece!Everything about it is just plain beautiful.I can't believe that Hamilton ever had problems with these incredible pictures that he has taken.And that takes us back to what is art?and what is pornography?It seems that in this country, people tend to believe that if a girl is under the age of 18 and nude, it is pornography.Hamilton has proved them wrong.If it is legal for familys, which do in a lot of cases include young girls and teenage girls, to go to nudist colonies or be naturists, where they are nude three fourths of the time, why is it not right for someone to capture this beautiful lifestyle on film?Read more

Subjects:  1. Artistic photography    2. Individual Photographer    3. Photo Essays    4. Photography    5. Photography of the nude    6. Photography, Artistic    7. Subjects & Themes - Portraits    8. ARTISTS_BIOGRAPHY    9. Biography & Autobiography / Artists, Architects, Photographers    10. Individual photographers    11. Photographs: collections   

Reviews (2)

Dreams
Dreams of a Young Girl, is a collection of photographs of the female form in its most natural and beautiful state. There is nothing more precious of all gods' creations than the form of a young woman in all her innocents. Mr. Hamilton through bravery and mastery of his art shows us why.

This is what dreams are made of
Dreams of a Young Girls is a typical work of David Hamilton's.Those who are familar with his particular brand of artistry will feel at home with his adoration of the young female form.Those a bit more on the prudishside will see the man as nothing more than an aging voyeur.Whatever yourpersonal opinion, "Dreams of A Young Girl" is standard Hamiltonfair. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. Photography    3. Photography, Artistic    4. Photography, Erotic   

Reviews (7)

Long overdue assesment of this groundbreaking sculptor!
Eva Hesse was one of those rare creative spirits who took the unsettled, unhappy, tragic, and difficult aspects of her life and used the underpinnings of uncertainty to forge a wholly unique and superbly creative body of work."Oh...more absurdity!" she would exclaim, reviewing her latest creation. One hears in that comment an undertone of glee, that she has unleashed another unheard-of creation upon the world.Her use of uncoventional materials is also a provocative element of her work, and she knew that...saying "art doesn't last...life doesn't last..." and this was before her terrible diagnosis of brain cancer in her early 30's.As with the early death of Mozart, here we have an instance of a powerfully creative spirit cut off in her prime.Who knows what powerful masterpieces she would have created had she lived on...(she would have been 70 this year...not unreasonably old...)
great design and reproductions
I really appreciate the work of this artist who I only found out about recently. The essays in this book are full of details of the artist's process and pursuit of a pure vision while living in the U.S. and in Europe. She had a hard time being taken seriously in the early days but she persisted in her work--thankfully for all of us. The interviews with her are fascinating and show her internal struggle as she was developing a creative direction. Great catalogue!

Gorgeous book; too much space for early work
This is a beautiful volume on Hesse.Elizabeth Sussman, a wonderful curator and Hesse scholar, organized this exhibition and this is the catalogue. The design, images and layout are just wonderful, the only thing that is somewhat off is the concentration on her earlier work.Her paintings especially are widely featured and those are not nearly as transcendent and absolute as her later work.Her great accomplishment as a major artist was done when she "left" the canvas.The book does not present it as such; I find Lippard's book "Eva Hesse" to be the very best available.This, however, still has the best reproductions and it is a definitive book for all of us who admire Eva Hesse. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1936-1970    2. American - General    3. Art    4. Art & Art Instruction    5. Artists, Architects, Photographers    6. Biography / Autobiography    7. Collections, Catalogs, Exhibitions - General    8. Exhibition Catalogs    9. Exhibitions    10. General    11. Hesse, Eva,    12. History - Contemporary (1945- )    13. Individual Artist    14. Sculpture    15. Art / General    16. Individual artists    17. Sculpture & other three-dimensional art forms   

Subjects:  1. 19th Century Art    2. American - General    3. Art    4. Art & Art Instruction    5. Exhibitions    6. Landscape in art    7. National characteristics, American, in art    8. Subjects & Themes - General    9. Subjects & Themes - Landscapes    10. Tourism and art    11. United States    12. Art / History / American    13. History Of Art / Art & Design Styles    14. USA   

Reviews (1)

informative overview to this influential but short-lived artist
Leaving an extensive body of work in varied media and an unfinished, seeming boundless career when she died in 1970 at the age of 34 from over-exposure to the toxic materials she used in her art, Eva Hesse was rendered into an almost legendary figure representing the risks and promise of art coming about in the culturally fertile period of the 1960s. Born in Germany, she emigrated as a girl to the U.S. with her family; and did most of her art work in New York City.Containing numerous samples of all kinds of Hesse's work, the book with its nine writings from individuals who knew Hesse and her work well, including an interview with Hesse's one-time collaborator Doug Johns, is mainly an expansive reflection on her as a person and artist. The writers variously recount and discuss her techniques, and consider her place in modern art. The assorted remembrances and thoughts combine for an attempt "to apply these newer critical concepts to her work" (referring to new critical theory which has been developed for dealing more appropriately with postmodern and women's art in the decades since Hesse died). In an informal way through remembrances, knowledgeable though limited comments on the art including pertinent of pertinent remarks by Hesse, and loosely organized chapters--rather than systematic or scholarly investigation, for example--the book brings comprehension of Hesse forward without proffering a definitive view. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Individual Artist    4. Individual artists    5. Minimalist art    6. Sculpture   

Reviews (1)

A book about a contemporary art work, but an important one.
Good way to approache to one of the most important and famousworks of Gilbert and George. Losing their individuality, two people become an artist and transform their own life into an art work. For The Singing Sculpture, Gilbert & George become metalic living sculptures and repete a sequence of robotical movements and gestures again and again, while a song plays.Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Art    3. Artists, Architects, Photographers    4. Collections, Catalogs, Exhibitions - General    5. England    6. General    7. Gilbert & George    8. Gilbert & George.    9. Performance art    10. Singing sculpture   

Editorial Review

This thorough collection of van Gogh's letters has been assembled with an artful eye and sensitivity to the artist's thinking. The result is an atypical take on Vincent van Gogh that avoids putting too much stress on his troubled mental state and too much straining by the editor to shape a narrative out of van Gogh's epistolary clues. Instead, we see the thoughtful and contemplative side of this creative genius, as well as his concern for the impact his art and life had on those people closest to him. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

The greatest letters ever written by an artist
Van Gogh is a tremendously powerful letter- writer. In these letters mostly written to his brother we see a great , suffering , soul, a devoted artist tormented and striving. This may all sound like 'cliche' but Van Gogh is perhaps the most conspicuous example of the cliche of the suffering , rejected in- his- life artist who knows great recognition only after death.
"the best way to love God is to love many things"
A very fine collection of the letters, with multiple sides of VVG revealed. To read a collection of letters by an artist whose work you know very well is to invite yourself to take a look at him as a person. As a person, I found that I liked him best in these letters when he was struggling with his religion, his art, and his purpose. I'm glad that Roskill didn't make a selection that focused solely on the more famous and theatrical depressions. An Intimate Look
I bought this book several years ago in a college bookstore. How fortunate these students were to have been able to read and discuss this with others! I have had a long interest in Van Gogh and found this book to be fascinating, an almost voyeuristic look into his short life. I am glad to see that it is available * *and would hope that people now seeing the traveling Van Gogh portraiture exhibit might read it.Read more

Subjects:  1. Artists, Architects, Photographers    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Biography & Autobiography / Artists, Architects, Photographers    5. Biography: general    6. Individual artists    7. Painting & paintings   

Reviews (1)

Lust and Trust: Nan Goldin
Nan Goldin is one of this decade's most influential photographers. She is very much a part of the world that she photographed and therefore she has unlimited access to her subjects. There is no sense of exploitation eventhough these people, who are on the margins of society, are often caughtoff guard in private moments. Her work is raw and snapshot esthetic--arecurring theme is that the subjects never quite belong and are lost andlonely in what can often be a bleak and hostile urban environment. Sheshares with us quite eloquently a form of diary; one can relateso much oftheir own lives, fears, desires, and pain. She put it best: "I used tothink that i could never lose anyone if i photographed them enough. Infact, my pictures show me how much i've lost." ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Individual Photographer    2. Individual Photographers And Their Work    3. Nudes & Erotic    4. Photo Essays    5. Photography    6. Portraits    7. Photographs: collections   

Reviews (22)

I love this book!Great coffee table book...
This is a great coffee table book, leaves wonderfuly warm feelings in all that pick it up for a quick look.The quotes on each page, along with the picture are wonderful combinations.This is one precious photo book, even my young daughters like to look at the pictures. I just simply love it!!!
The book is heavenly beautiful. This book captivates some of Anne Geddes' precious work.I just simply love it.

Sweet
This is the best address book. And all throughout the book there's many pictures of babies and Anne's work. This is a great gift to anybody! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Individual Photographer    2. Infants    3. Inspirational    4. Inspirational - Gifts    5. Photo Essays    6. Photoessays & Documentaries    7. Photography    8. Photography of infants    9. Portraits    10. Quotations, English    11. Subjects & Themes - Portraits   

Subjects:  1. Calendar    2. Calendars & Diaries    3. Calendars - Photography    4. Individual Photographer    5. Non-Classifiable    6. Subjects & Themes - Portraits    7. Photography / General   

Reviews (10)

Let the reader beware- this is more novel than letters
I, like the many reviewers of this book, was enthralled and inspired by this collection of letters when I first read it 25 years ago.I have recommended it to many friends.At the time I would have given it five stars or even more if they were available.Irving Stone writes in his preface "My aim has been to edit the 1670 pages of material down to a swiftly flowing, continuous normal-sized book..."He succeeded but even 25 years ago I was a little disturbed by the complete absence of indications where exactly Mr. Stone had done his cutting, or his editing.Today, in the age of internet we can now do some easy checking.The unabridged letters are on the net and reveal that basically what this Dear Theo is, is another novel written by Irving Stone.There is almost no resemblance to the original letters.The novelist has used his talents and the raw material to create a beautiful saga.Worth reading, but let the reader beware.

A fire starter
These letters speak the truth of van Gogh.This book opens a window of knowledge on a man so misunderstood to the world.At 14, I absolutely am in love with this book."Dear Theo" has ignited a fire in my soul, a burning desire to study art and the men behind the works.

Interesting and revealing
Vincent Van Gogh was a great painter, but not a writer. So these letters are of interest in terms of history and painting. The life of Van Gogh is better exposed here than it would have been in a "real" autobiography, because Theo, his younger brother, was the only real friend Vincent ever had. He was his supporter, admirer and listener, and in fact Vincent had an emotional dependence on his brother. People interested in the process of artistic creation and creativity will find this book of enormous value and interest, since Van Gogh speaks a lot about that process in himself, one of the greatest painters of all time.But it is true, as one reviewer said, that these letters include, each and every one, eternal whining and begging from Vincent to his brother. He was, of course, always out of money and, as a genius really disconnected from the common world, unable to make a living by conventional activities. So he depended almost entirely on Theo. I would like to insist in that, although by no means a literary accomplishment, these letters are worth reading, since they expose naked the soul of a great artist and an extremely sensitive man, certainly a tortured and twisted soul. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1853-1890    2. Artists    3. Artists, Architects, Photographers    4. Biography    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. Correspondence    8. Dutch artists    9. Gogh, Vincent van,    10. Individual Painters - 19th Century    11. Netherlands    12. Belgium    13. Biography & Autobiography / Artists, Architects, Photographers    14. Biography: general    15. Gogh, Vincent van    16. Individual artists   

Reviews (4)

Childe Hassam American Impressionist
This book is an excellent read and provides ample pictures for immense enjoyment. Through Amazon I was able to purchase the book for nearly half the price compared to anywhere else. Thanks Amazon!

Excellent book on Childe Hassam!
Excellent book for the student, collector, dealer or art historian interested in Childe Hassam! As one of America's foremost buyers of Childe Hassam paintings, I highly recommend this book. www.LawrenceBeebe.com

An essential addition to American Impressionist literature
My feelings about this book mirror the feelings I had when I attended the exhibition this catalogue is drawn from. I had the pleasure of seeing the Childe Hassam retrospective in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2004; it was one of the few times that I have seen total strangers turn to one another at an exhibition this size and speak with each other about their mutual amazement for the artist's technique. I knew a bit about Impressionism, and a bit about American artists such as Whistler and Cassatt who were influenced by Impressionism. But I didn't know anything about Hassam. Who was this wonderful artist and why didn't my college courses in modern art teach me about him?
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Subjects:  1. 1859-1935    2. American - General    3. Art    4. Art & Art Instruction    5. Collections, Catalogs, Exhibitions - Museum    6. Exhibitions    7. Hassam, Childe,    8. History - Impressionism    9. Impressionism (Art)    10. Reference    11. United States    12. Art / History / American    13. Impressionism    14. Individual artists    15. Painting & paintings   

Reviews (2)

TO SEEVERY MUCH
Anyone who has ever wondered how a truly great artist gets his inspiration, works on a daily basis and incorporates his philosophies of life into his work will want to read this terrific story of how a young, American writer sat for his portrait by the legendary Alberto Giacometti. Absolutley Fabulous!
This book is a must, for fans of Giacometti's work and for artists world wide. It gives one the opportunity to be in the studio with a great artist. It is wonderfull but terrible at the same time, as an artist, I came awayfrom the book feeling completely insignificant untalented and without hope,however this is a good thing, it is an experience all artists must, and dogo through. Please read the book you will learn so much! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1901-1966    2. 1901-1966.    3. Art    4. Artists' models    5. General    6. Giacometti, Alberto,    7. History - General    8. Individual Artist    9. Lord, James    10. Photography    11. Portrait of James Lord    12. Psychology    13. Art / Individual Artist