Reviews (1)

marvelous prints, absorbing essays
If you enjoy the works of Georgia O'Keeffe, this is a book you'll want to savor.The reproductions of her paintings are marvelously printed, and the accompanying essays of O'Keeffe's life and work are erudite and lucid.

There are also pictures of O'Keeffe at various stages of her life and career, ranging from her time as a young student at the University of Virginia, into her weathered, mature age, the last one featuring her at 90 at Ghost Ranch in the desert.

Reviews (1)

If it's all you can find
This work is of medium value.The collection of reproductions is good, both in terms of the amount of them, as well as their quality.Certainly it's nothing overly-impressive, but it is a fine collection.

The problem lies more in the commentary.Renner spends a great deal of time on "re-codings" in Hooper's work, leading to many...interesting conclusions.As one reads along, one gets the impression that Hooper himself didn't have a great deal to say (espeically compared to artists, like Dali, who can't shut up), so Renner instead fills the space with what lamentably passes for art criticism these days (mostly of the postmodern and psychologizing variety).I wasn't terribly impressed.

Everything considered, you would be better served by another Hooper book from Taschen, this one written by Ivo Kranzfelder.Kranzfelder takes much greater care to deal with the little amount Hopper said, and (while the current style does occur to an extent) the commentary tends to be much more lucid as regards Hopper's works.Additionally, that volume has a much larger and better variety of Hopper's works than Renner's.

Reviews (1)

Isbn: 3822858560
Sales Rank: 527943
Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Individual Artist   

Reviews (5)

Good insight to the artist
Excellent book into the thoughts of the artist! If you are a Magritte fan, you'll love this book.

ONE OF THE MASTERS OF SURREALISM
While surrealism is not everyone's cup of tea,RENE MAGRITTE is certainly one of it's most celebrated figure.What i like about that collection is that it's affordable, even if it can't have everything.You can not say you don't have your money's worth.MAGRITTE is basically a painter who thinks ,that's why his works is unique in a strange way.The visuals aspects of his sex oriented works are often quite funny.Rock fans will recognize the sleeve of JEFF BECK'S TRUTH a 1968 record who uses LA CHAMBRE D'ÉCOUTE(The green apple).Those BELGIAN artists MAGRITTE,DELVAUX and TANGUAY were really something else.

Reviews (2)

Fantastic Introductory Book (Amazing Value too!)
This was the first book I bought about Tamara and I've subsequently bought (and read) the rest of the books in publication about her.I found this book comprehensive enough and an unbelievable value to boot (as all Taschen books are!) as to be a great starting point in learning about this mesmerizing artist.This book is filled to the brim with a plethora of color plates of Tamara's paintings, ranging from her most famous pieces, to her studies & sketches, to her late-life paintings.Though some of the pictures seem to have a canvas' sheen to them I think it just adds an antique quality to them, like the scratchiness of a needle on an old record album enriches the ambience of its sound.The last pages of the book contain a 2-page chronology including photographs of Tamara at many stages in her life.Throughout the book there are various photographs of her, in which she's painting, her various studios, and many of her not-so-humble glamour shots.There is just enough written about her in this book to whet your appetite for future reads about Tamara.There are not too many other books in circulation about her, but if you develop into a super-fan the cream of the crop is "Tamara de Lempicka : A Life of Deco and Decadence" by Laura Claridge.

Reviews (1)

Reviews (91)

A welcome surprise
I've always wanted to know more about the great Michelangelo but thought it too boring to read a biography. I found this biographic novel by chance and read this entire book without a moment of boredom. You feel as if you were there with him and he becomes a friend of yours. I certainly appreciate his work a lot more since reading about his life.

A Half-Step Above Johnny Tremain
Do not mistake this book for quality adult fiction. It's a spoonful of sugar for non-readers who want to be well-rounded.

If you're interested in learning about the past through the lens of fiction I strongly recommend Gore Vidal and Umberto Eco instead. Eco, an Italian, has a few books set in the same part of the word, though a couple hundred years earlier.

This book is, of course, a way to learn about Michaelangelo, and a lot of the factual information is interesting and well-researched. But you can get that kind of an experience from an encyclopedia as well, without having to read Stone's repetitive and vanilla passages on what it means to have passion. Friends, It really is for kids.

Isbn: 0948462795
Sales Rank: 477526
Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. History - General    4. Individual Artist    5. Individual Painters - Renaissance    6. Art / General   

Reviews (9)

The Renaissance man of Renaissance men at work
Leonardo's curiosity and inventiveness are on display throughout this work. I cannot judge the quality of the translation , or how good the Richter edition of the Notebooks is. I can say that this is a tremendous amount of interesting observation and thought regarding the subjects from anatomy to perspective in painting, questions of architecture and aeronautics, that concern the Renaissance Man of Renaissance Men. All of this is in a way too much for another mind certainly one like my own who simply does not know anything about many of the areas Leonardo was interested in to real take in. But I think every person who takes an interest in the human mind and the way it works, in creativity and genius would do well to have and read these works.

ok, worth it cuz its cheap
This book is worth the money 'cuz its so cheap. The reproducions arent really that good, and there are some problems of provenance: the cover drawing attributed to Leonardo, but it is by his master/teacher Verrocchio.

Reviews (2)

Great Book Cover
The only good thing I can say about this book is it has great book cover. That is the only reason I am going to keep it. I was looking for information on Da Vinci's Codex Leicester and was poorly dissappointed with the information given me in this book. If you are into art and know anything about art history this book is not for you. This book is for someone who does not have much knowledge about art history or Da Vinci. Don't get me wrong - I am not being a snob- I just think the title and description are a bit misleading. This book barely has any images or information on the Codex Leicester. If you want a basic history of Da Vinci and how other artist have used his images then it is a good book otherwise I would suggest Leonardo da Vinci The Codex Leicester-Notebook Of A Genius.

Reviews (1)

Reviews (36)

Into the Heart of Vincent Van Gogh
"Isn't that the guy who cut his ear off?"
This is the usual answer you would receive if you asked someone if they ever heard of Vincent Van Gogh. Not the brilliant artist who produced some of the most recognizable works of art the world has ever seen. Not the evangelical humanitarian, who lived in poverty so that he could give nearly all he had to the poor miners of Etten. Sadly, to a lot of the world, Mr. Van Gogh is known as the crazy artist who cut off his left ear and gave it to a prostitute.
Like that same majority, I too only knew Van Gogh for his self mutilation. Sure, I had seen some of his paintings, but I always said to myself, "What's so special about that? Actually it looks kind of childish." Then one day I picked up a copy of Irving Stone's, "Lust for Life," and I never viewed art or artist the same again.
The beauty of Stones book is how it's written. He doesn't write it like a typical biography of facts and quotes from Van Gogh's life. But rather he turns Van Gogh into a character of interest that grabs the reader's attention. There was no point in the book where I felt lost from overused details and dates. I found myself enjoying a biographical sketch of a tortured and interesting life.
I found the life of Van Gogh to be fascinating. Though a lot of book has facts that seemed to be bent due to dramatic effect, nonetheless, that angular view only infuses the books appeal. For instance, we can never know what Van Gogh said behind closed doors, or the truth behind why he went insane; but Stone fills that void with a beautiful yet melancholic truth that triggers your conscience to have sympathy and empathy for this sometimes misunderstood artist.
Each chapter begins with a city. Each city has a special effect on Vincent's life. From his Evangelical work in Etten; to his artistic heights in Arles, we meet a lot of interesting characters who also had a special effect on Vincent. We meet the prostitute with whom Vincent loved and nourished while she was pregnant. We meet come in contact with other artist such as Gauguin and Pissaro. And we meet his brother, who supported Vincent both financially and spiritually throughout his whole artistic journey.
The only downfall of the book is that readers may take everything Stone has written in the novel as truth. Though a lot of facts throughout the book match up, a few of the ideas expressed are Stones own vision of Van Gogh's life.
But for those of you who are looking for an interesting story of a very interesting human being, then I highly suggest you read this book. By the end, I guarantee you'll find yourself seeking out museums that hold Van Gogh's works of art. It's one of those rare books you read that changes your perspective on life in general, and will have you lusting for a life that supersedes the ordinary.

IncredibleIncredible Incredible !
Very few books have influenced me deep down as has Lust for Life, the classic biography of Van Gogh, arguably the greatest impressionist of all times.
Gogh, led a life in extreme poverty till his death, partly because his impressionist style was not accepted as a ''style'' until much later, and partly because he refused to give in however difficult it got.

The life:
Van Gogh led a remarkable life. And a very painful one.
Despite being one from a well placed family, he led himself from one occupation to another - unable to find himself suited to any one of them. Misunderstood by everyone except his dear brother Theo, Gogh was forever alone. His sensitivity, especially to the pain felt by other people often led him to put himself through punishing tasks and challenges.
An episode from his life that was particularly touching was when he was serving as a preacher in an impoverished mining town named Borinage. In an attempt to save men from dying from the mercilessly cold winter plus dangling unemployment, Gogh gives away all his clothes, wrapping himself with grocery bags and utility box wrappers.
In another episode, Gogh walks for days without food and proper shoes, ultimately leading himself to a breakdown.
The author brings Gogh in front of our eyes. We could see him. We could feel him. And of course, we cried as well.


The artist :
During the course of his life, Gogh discovers his relationship with the (sketch and charcoal) pen and later colors. He painted as he saw things, and anyone who has seen his paintings knows that they speak volumes.
The author very effectively delves into the psyche of Gogh through his experiences. Gogh's involvement with the people around him made way for his intense portrayals in form of sketches and paintings. If you have seen ''the potato eaters'' you know what I mean.
The book tells the stories behind many of his now greatly acclaimed paintings; from potato eaters, to self portrait, to the painting on ''Pigeon'' the prostitute, to starry nights..each one now seems to throb with life when I see them.

The greatness:
Is in the fact that the human face of Gogh neither diminished nor tired throughout his life. The dazzling brilliance shined though the darkest nights. Creativity never gave in. In the end, the body gave in, the spirit did not.

The writer:
Brings life into sentences,paragraphs and pages. It seems I've known Gogh all my life.
Read it once to check for yourself.

Editorial Review

In this magnificent book, Pietro Marani, the director of the project to restore Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper, presents all the artist's known paintings. The history and significance of each are analyzed at length: we read, for example, that "from a very early date, Mona Lisa was considered among Leonardo's most extraordinary accomplishments, one that made every other artist 'tremble and lose heart.'" Context is provided by a wealth of related paintings and sketches. The presentation is extravagant: double foldouts show frescoes in their entirety, and small areas are hugely expanded to give access to a world of sensuous detail. The intimacy of these extreme details--a tiny blue landscape glimpsed through a window, or the warm flesh of a baby's foot resting on its mother's arm--is unexpected, and one of the book's many successes.

Isbn: 0870704060
Sales Rank: 698737
Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Fine Arts    4. History - Modern (Late 19th Century to 1945)    5. Individual Artist   

Reviews (3)

From a Recent Still Convert
A few of my favorite painters are contemporaries of Still, so I saw it as my duty to see the Hirschhorn exhibition.Well, I picked a dead day and had the show to myself and simply put I am now a fan.The book is great and David Anfam's addition to the book is especially enlightening about the work of Still.

From a new Clifford Still fan:
I am a painter who has largely avoided Clifford Still but this book has turned me into a great admirer. Particulary influential was the contribution by David Anfam, the art historian who was responsible for the magnificent, award-winning Mark Rothko catalogue raisonne. Anfam's essay is insightful, far-reaching, beautifully written with poetic underpinnings, a pleasure to read. All you'll ever need to know about Clifford Still, his work, and his place in art history is covered in this essay. The color plates are also wonderful and, even as reproductions, offer a great chance to appreciate the paintings.