Painting-the

The Dutch Golden Age wasn't high on my list of favorites -- until this book came along.

This, in common with other volumes in the "Perspectives" series, offers high quality (though small) reproductions of important works, up-to-date analysis and discussion of the art and the contexts in which it was created.

It does all this while also offering two things that are rare in art books -- clear, well-written prose accessible to a lay audience, and a reasonable price. An excellent introduction to the subject, and a wonderful addition to any library.

This book has many strengths: a large number of color photographs, the latest scholarship, and a variety of interpretative considerations. Westermann organizes the book thematically instead of by genre, which allows the reader to grasp the wholeness of Dutch art. Weaknesses: landscape and the contributions of Rembrandt are not given their due. Overall, a fine work that is appropriate both for the layman and the scholar.

This is the best and most readable introduction to the art of the Dutch Republic that is available today. Highly recommended

I have read this book and there are two authors in this book, Marlene Aguilar who is a Filipino and Larry Bortles who is an American. Marlene Aguilar is very more knowledgeable about the Philippines and has done her share in preparing the manuscript for the book. I wonder why her name was not included in the authors list. If there is a way this could be rectified, I hope her name will be put in the list.

PLS.SHOW CUSI PAINTING ON SALE. NOT THE ONE HAS BEEN SOL

i like to see more of rafael cusi drawings

THIS REQUEST FROM JUN MEDIN

The story continues and in color too! A brilliant third volume from the curator of the Photorealist art movement and made more enjoyable because the six hundred plus paintings are all in color. I have the two previous books and good as they were I always felt they were let down by having too many of the 2,323 pictures in black and white but here's an interesting point, the first book had 710 color and 493 b/w, the second book had 560 color and 560 b/w, this latest book has 620 color and no black and whites, does this mean the Movement is on the wane? I hope not because I feel that Photorealism is somehow a uniquely American art movement.

The format follows the same style as the others, an upfront essay (in this case Linda Chase writes about the use of photography by artists over the last century or so) followed by hundreds of illustrations from the featured artists, twenty-eight in this book. These artists are continuing to record 'the fascinating in the familiar' as Ms Chase succinctly puts it and this is one reason I love these paintings, they record Americana so wonderfully, though it is worth remembering that when these paintings, many of them huge, are reproduced a few inches wide it tightens up all the detail and they become even more 'photographic'. On page seventeen of the first volume twelve artists work was shown (unfortunately in black and white) the same size as the original painting and you can see how different their brushstrokes are.

Of the artists, some of my favorites are Davis Cone for his movie theaters (and if you like him too, have a look at a lovely book about movie theaters and his paintings, eighty shown in 'Popcorn Palaces') Robert Gniewek for street scenes at night, Charles Bell the pinball wizard, Linda Bacon for her toy tableau's including one called 'Crash' which has a three toy car pile-up and artfully uses Grant Wood's painting 'Death on the Ridge Road' as a backdrop. Perhaps the most amazing paintings in the book are Don Jacot's 'Retro-Active' (it took most of 1998 to paint) and 'Garbo's' (2001) both show shop-fronts with the windows crammed with nostalgia antiques. I sometimes think these artists do their best to make the painting as hard to do as possible!

So, a lovely book to enjoy over and over and thank you Mr Meisel for your faith in these artists and the Photorealist movement. I'm looking forward to the fourth volume around 2010.

This book, along with the earlier 'Photorealism' and 'Photorealism since 1980' are quite simply 'the best' in my collection of art books. I never get tired of looking at the masses of incredible images by these great modern artists. Louis Meisel is to be congratulated for allowing the rest of the world to share these great works, many of which would otherwise be hidden to most of us.

Louis Meisel et al. have produced yet another beautiful edition to the definitive series on photorealism. Like the two previous volumes ("Photorealism" and "Photorealism Since 1980"), this gorgeous coffeetable book contains page after page of beautiful plates. New work by all the old favorites is here including Estes, Goings, Bell, etc. plus many new artists not featured in the earlier volumes. If you liked either of the two previous volumes, jump on this quick before it's outta print and you gotta mortgage the pig farm to pay for a copy from a used art book dealer. Thoughtfully, this volume is the same dimensions as the previous books in the series so it looks real cool parked next to 'em on the old art book shelf.

Me like!!! 'Nuf said.

Inspired by "The Portrait of Dorian Gray," this book retells Wilde's classic story for children. The illustrations are enjoyable, if a bit gross. The storyline feels a lot like something that Pugsley and Wednesday Addams would do. The mischief that Morty and Ray get into is appropriate for 1st through 4th graders - if your kids are going to do it anyway, you might as well impress upon them the effect poor behavior has on one's character early. The moral of the story is left for parents to impart as needed, or for the reader to infer on his or her own.

I bought this as a gift for a friend's son, a 1st grader, and he really enjoyed it. I will probably buy another to add to my son's library in a few years - I may buy it now and just enjoy it myself until he gets old enough to appreciate it.

Pinkwater gets inside the heads of two friends who discover the joys of an old black-and-white movie on TV. It's The Picture of Dorian Grey, hilariously depicted in monochrome by Jack E. Davis. The boys decide to create their own dual-self-portrait, and then misbehave to see if the picture becomes hideous like the one in the movie, (and the Oscar Wilde classic). It does! But their delight turns to dismay when they, and the ghastly picture, go too far. They then learn a basic lesson about differences in taste. I heard Pinkwater immodestly review his own book with Scott Simon on NPR--but I forgive him. Pinkwater and Davis have created a masterpiece.

Best friends Morty and Ray have a great idea after watching a "Picture" on TV, but their hijinks may have unforseen effects. Pouring pickle juice down anyone's pants really isn't very nice!

Pinkwater and Davis are a great team. The illustrations are a work of art and the surprise ending will really get you thinking!

I love the paintings vibrant colors, the images of the 40's and 50's the use of shadows. Even with the vibrant color the images invoke a peaceful, time rememberd feeling.

These paintings are not so much a 'perfect world' as a figurative and simple-to-understand world that is saturated in light and color. If you grew up somewhere else and then visited California, the light quality may have astonished you. It did, me. Nelson gets the shockingly bright California light just right. It's mostly the suburbs of southern California. Nelson loves the '20's houses and their lush yards - bulbous shrubs and all. In addition, he has painted people and urban scenery - reminiscent of and deliberately and humorously imitative of Edward Hopper. But Nelson's scenes have a happiness about them -a little garish at times, and ironical perhaps, but cheerful nonetheless.

Nelson uses color to a variety of ends. A palette of moody greys and browns is used for "East, Coast 1990" (there is a comma between East and Coast - in the book) and again for "Years of Discretion, 1997," also the east coast. You get his point: a Californian in New York notices the greys, the browns, and would appear to feel the somberness of things. In fact, "Years of Discretion" begs the question - What, exactly, was going on that was represented by that bridge? You sense some sadness there.

Nelson's paintings wink genially at Rene Magritte, David Hockney, and many others. Nursery rhymes, too. (A grown-up Jack and Jill climb a hill, in one painting.) Their titles are often funny - but never cute. These are literate and extroverted paintings, and deserve to be seen by a wide audience.

This man is amazing. I cannot stop looking at his paintings. They are very smooth and linear. If you like good art, you'll like this...

Using simple language book covers Renoir's life & painting career with surprising alacrity & detail. Good prints. Shipped as promised & in excellent shape.

Mike Venezia's book about Pierre Auguste Renoir for the Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists series is as much about the Impressionist movement as it is about Renoir. We see Impressionist paintings by Claude Monet, Alfred Sisley, and Camille Pissarro before we see Renoir's most famous painting, "La Moulin de La Galette." There are also notable paintings from the period by artists other than the Impressionists, which give young readers a better sense of what the Impressionists were rebelling against. This is especially important since Renoir was content to do some paintings in the "old" style, such as "Lise with Sunshade," in order to have works shown at the Salon But the most interesting comparison is between the paintings of the same scene at "La Grenouillere" by Renoir and Monet, which gives you a sense of their distinctive styles as artists, even if you cannot articulate the differences in artistic terms. As always in this series, Venezia tells the story of Renoir's life, using not only the art of the times but his own cartoons to illustrate the important and fun moments. The one portrait of Renoir in the book is done by Frederic Brazille (although I think he did a self-portrait of the back of his head in one of the paintings). What I will remember most is how Renoir abandoned the Impressionist style just as the movement found acceptance and how he told a friend, just before he died, "I think I'm beginning to understand something about painting." Renoir has never been one of my favorite Impressionist artists, but I enjoyed learning about how he spent his entire life experimenting as an artist and trying different things. That lesson is probably the most important one budding young artists can pick up from this entertaining and educating book. Of course, I heartily recommend this entire series of introductions to the world's greatest artists by Venezia.

"Occasionally, Renoir would paint landscapes and still lifes, but his favorite subjects were always people.", p. 29

The young reader will learn about Renoir's birth in Limoges, France; his family's move to Paris when he was young; his early drawings using his tailor father's chalk; his working years in a workshop painting decorations on china; his learning the formal method of painting in the studio of Charles Gleyre; and his participation in the creation of the "Impressionism".

Renoir was a rarity in that he was successful at painting in many styles. He was very versatile. Most painters lock themselves into a painting method and stick with it for awhile. All their paintings during that period of time use the same method. Renoir locked into what he painting and let it determine the method. If he were painting outdoors, he would choose impressionism with an emphasis on people having a good time more so than the outdoor setting. If he were doing a portrait, he would typically choose the older style but with less formality. His chose of method would be similar to a photographer choosing to use black and white film for certain shots and color film for others. Children are very sensitive to their surroundings. Their response can at time be instantaneous. They go with the moment and therefore will appreciate Renoir's similar approach.

My favorite painting in the book is Renoir's "Umbrellas". He let the figures chose the method. He chose impressionism for the more formally attired, and he utilized a more formal method for the less formally dressed woman on errands with her basket.

Venezia's illustrations are humorous. His narrative is delightfully entertaining. His approach brings the artist within reach of the young. His embellishment of the variety of surfaces on which the young Renoir chose to draw with chalk is creatively done.

The size of the book is perfect for smaller hands. It enables the young to have art within their grasp. Venezia gives the locations of the paintings and as result if the child lives near one of the museums or will be near one on vacation, she/he would be able to see the original.

This is the 20th in Venezia's "Getting to know the World's Greatest Artist" series. His series is a wonderful way for the young to be first introduced to the brilliance of artists. He also has a similar series on composers. Venezia's back cover illustration ties back to the subject. "While studying Renoir and the Impressionist movement of the 19th century, Mike was inspired to ...".

The price of the book is well worth paying. Venezia includes pieces by the artist, pieces by the artist's colleagues and art styles referenced. The book contains the following: Renoir's paintings (16); Venezia's illustrations (6); Others' paintings (8) and paintings on a vase (1).

Gay Daly's first book I believe is so rich with facts and so well researched I couldn't help thinking all the way through how much time and effort she must have put into it.

It is a journey back in time to Victorian England making you feel you like you are there watching these amazing artists do their thing. To have found out so much detail on the lives of these people was astonishing to me and if you read it you will get a fabulous education on the Pre-Raphaelites and what they believed in.

"Each is a psychological and aesthetic puzzle," Gay Daly writes about the women who modeled for the Pre-Raphaelite painters. "One woman sits with eyes closed in a religious trance that seems to border on sexual ecstasy. Another, longing for an absent lover, stretches like a langorous tiger, her voluptuous body wrapped in a dress of rich royal blue velvet that dominates the canvas, insisting that the viewer dwell on her curves" (pp. xvii-xviii). Founded in 1848, the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, namely William Holman Hunt, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, John Everett Millais, Edward Burne-Jones and William Morris, "believed that every rose must be painted from a live flower, every face from an actual human being" (p. xviii). They searched every Victorian street corner, drawing room, and church for the faces and bodies that would fire both their artistic and romantic fantasies. The "beautiful" and equally "disturbing" women they painted came from almost every class and corner of London. Among them were the "spoiled, petted daughter of a solicitor, a hearty, motherly prostitute, a wily barmaid, and the daughter of a Methodist minister" (p. xix).

Drawn from letters written by and to these intriguing women (p. xxii), Daly's book triumphs at bringing the Pre-Raphaelites and their romances to life in these pages. For instance, Daly explores the ten-year romance between Rossetti and his "medieval shining angel" (p. 32), Lizzie Siddal (a shopgirl), which ended with her suicide at age 32; Hunt's "dance of approach and avoidance" (p. 120) with a "gorgeous young" barmaid, Annie Miller (p. 101), a "street urchin" who "swore like a trooper and couldn't read a word" (p. 104); and Millais' sexually-charged marriage to Effie Gray, who was previously linked to John Ruskin in a strange marriage that was never consumated. Along the way, Ruskin, Charles Dickens, George Eliot and Rudyard Kipling make appearances in Daly's ambitious book.

Although it was challenging to locate a copy of Daly's out-of-print book, her study of the Pre-Raphaelites was as interesting to read as a Victorian novel. She insightfully examines Victorian social values and marriage, and reveals that the romantic lives of the Pre-Raphaelites were just as mesmerizing as their luminous paintings.

G. Merritt

The author reveals the intimate lives and souls of both the Pre-Raphaelite painters and their models. The thoughtless treatment of the women by these self-centered men is made acceptable only by the evidence of the genius involved in their craft. Daly's ability to bring these complex personalities to life is captivating.

Priscilla has done a wonderful job with this book! It is very informative, with step by step instructions for each brush stroke technique as well as gorgeous photos of each phase of the design. All that you have to do is follow her detailed directions, and practice, and you too can turn out stunning artwork! Everything you need to know is included in this book! It's just fun to page through and look at, as she is a very talented artist!

Mrs. Hauser's book is a wonderful step-by-step guide to learning basic brush strokes of decorative painting and complete information on supplies whether you paint in acrylic or oils. She explains EVERYTHING! Preparing surfaces, Finishing surfaces, everything inbetween and even explains why! She has covered different brushes and what they do, and supplies for whichever medium you decide to do and always what and why you need them. I love this book!!

Priscilla Hauser has long been known to painters as a leader in the industry - and founder of the National Society of Tole and Decorative Painters. This book is a comprehensive manual on painting - including all the instructions and step by step guides in both acrylic *and* oil. END

This book is a trip through Roma from a pigeon's point of view. The pigeon flies around, through, over and past many of Rome's historical landmarks, and a brief section in back describes their history and significance.

I checked this out of the library to read with my 5 year old after I went to Rome last year, and bought a copy for myself, just to enjoy the pictures and the memories they bring! The Chiesa de San Ignazio (Church of St. Ignatius) is an especial favorite, as my choir performed there to a "standing room only" crowd! Quite a feat for an amateur choir on their first overseas tour!

The pen and ink sketches, the snippets of history, and the wonderful way they evoke the charisma of Rome make this a great addition to any child's or adult's library.

Share David MacAuley's obviously personal portrait of Rome. It's a portrait in the most obvious sense: lovingly detailed drawings of Rome's greatest architecture captured from MacAuley's witty and often weird perspective. But, through the drawings and the wonderful conceit, you see that this little book is also a personal exploration of a city that touches the heart.

This is the finest illustrated gift book for the Romaphiles that you love!! Get it now and make a gift to the one you love. It will be appreciated for years to come.

Lucy Maxym has written two authoritative books on the subject of Russian fairy tales and the beautiful laquer art that depicts these folktales. This is one volume of a two volume set. Unfortunately there is no cover art available online to show the magnificent scene shown from Voron Voronovich or The Raven. When the book is opened up it shows the complete panel that is the actual size. There are over one hundred full color plates that are beyond description with their delicate intricacy and unsurpassed attention to minute detail. The precise tempura egg based brush strokes are unbelieveable. They are in a word, exquisite. I've enjoyed this book for years and have it handy for quick and easy inspiration. Many of the color illustrations are actual size which allows the viewer to appreciate the intricate finesse involved in the small works of art. Sometimes a magnifying glass helps to appreciate the fine detail. The subtlety and skill in producing these works of art is nothing short of amazing. The actual text is complete, concise and explains the nineteen Russian legends and fairy tales chosen. My own interest grew out of a collection of plates I have from some of these folktales where I wanted to know more about the story behind the magnificent laquered plates. I found this book to be helpful to understanding the tales and was even more pleased by the art work included. If you like Russian folktales or the miniature lacquer paintings this book will bring much joy throughout the years, year after year. Get both volumes for a double treat.

This is the second of two volumes of Russian fairy tales, illustrated with stunning color reproductions of "lacquer-miniature" masterpieces. The art of miniature oil painting began in Fedoskino centuries ago, and today features realistic renderings of village life, portraits, and archetecture. The villages of Palekh, Kholui, and Mstera were long the center for ikon painting, with successive generations following the tradition of apprenticing with Masters. Ikons were painted with the extremely durable egg-tempura paints, utilizing natural dyes. After the Bolshevik Revolution, iconography was discouraged, and painters from these three schools began depicting pagan folk tales, troikas and village life, heroic legend, history, and "inspirational" revolutionary themes. Traditional iconic style distinguishes the works of these little rural villages, whose artists still use the ancient techniques and materials. Many of today's Masters are currently working to restore treasured ikons damaged under Stalinist decree. The beautiful glossy photos in these volumes represent some of the best work of Russia's Master painters. For collectors of this appealing art, or for those who appreciate intricate Russian folk tales, the Lucy Maxym series is a wonderful addition to your library.

This is one of two volumes of Russian fairy tales, lavishly illustrated with full color reproductions of lacquer miniature paintings. This volume gives a fairly detailed description of the process of creating this folk art form, beginning with the fabrication of the papier-mache' box or plaque, through the mixing of the egg-tempura or oil paints, to the fine details of the miniature masterpieces. All four Villages, or styles, of the art are represented, featuring the works of world-reknowned Masters. For any collector of fine lacquer art from Palekh, Kholui, Mstera, and Fedoskino; or for anyone who enjoys Russian folk tales; this is a wonderful, high-quality book. It also makes a very nice gift.