Painting-the

Wonderful instruction, ideas with beautiful colorful illustrations. You won't believe all the creative projects there are to do with crayons

Excellent step-by-step instructions for unique art projects using crayons - useful to children and adults who teach children.

This is the book from which I learned sumi-e. It is well written, with wonderful examples. If one is seriously interested in the subject and in learning how to paint high quality works, it is the definitive work. The artist, P'u Ch'uan, who illustrates particular styles and strokes, is a master, providing some of the best examples one could hope for. The works of other artists in their instructional books pale by comparison; they fall into the "You too can paint a masterpiece in 60 minutes" sort of thing one sees on TV. Those are acceptable if you accept the limitations and set your sights accordingly. The standards set by this book are extremely high.

The historical perspectives help a great deal in understanding not only the background of the art, but also in understanding the background of the strokes. These backgrounds are essential to more fully appreciating the work of others and in informing your own work. The great variety of styles and artists presented--contemparary and historical--help one to form one's own style.

This book teaches both an appreciation of the art form and a sound basis for attempting it. I can't say I have mastered the form by any means, but working based on this book has been a rewarding experience.

Highly recommended.

This is one of the best books about Chinese painting for those who want to understand not just Chinese painting techniques, but also something of the history and variety of traditional Chinese brush painting. The one drawback is the usage of the outdated Wade-Giles romanization (the book was first published in 1962), but that is merely a trivial annoyance compared to the wealth of information the author provides. Most instructional painting books are written by painters who focus on their own style, and give no credit to all the masters who have gone before them. This book shows many examples of paintings by master painters (ancient and modern), along with examples from the author's own teacher, master painter P'u Ch'uan. He thoroughly describes the different painting styles, with excellent examples, and many bibliographical references. I especially liked the fact that he gave 7 different versions of translations of "the Six Principles" of Hsieh Ho; by combining the common threads in all of them, their real meaning becomes clearer.

Another subject he talks about, although briefly, is the importance of understanding brush strokes in order to be better prepared to deal with forgeries and copies. This subject is almost universally ignored in books on Chinese painting, and yet it is very important. I have seen a painting in a catalog from one of the big auction houses that on first glance looked like another one of Li Ke-ran's many water buffalo paintings, and was attributed to him by the (anonymous) seller. Upon closer scrutiny of the brush strokes used, it was obviously a fake. And I am by no means a true expert.

If you are a beginner with no teacher to help you, then you will probably need other books, too. But for anyone who wants to learn about the history and traditions of Chinese painting, this is the ideal book.

The goal of this series from The Metropolitan Museum of Art is provide an understanding of what makes an artist unique. Consequently, you will not find a large number of Picasso's paintings in this volume, but you will find over a dozen key works looked at in some detail. For example, "Guernica," which is probably his most famous painting, is presented as not only a two-page spread, but with five enlarged details. Other paintings looked at in detail are "Family of Saltimbanques," "Daniel-Enry Kahnweiler," and "Three Musicians," three paintings done in totally different styles, which, of course, is the essence of Picasso Richard Muhlberger tries to look at key facets of Picasso's long career, from the Blue Period (1902-05) to the playful abstraction of his later years.

Muhlberger focuses on how Picasso invented new ways of picturing things, even as he worked in a number of styles. We learn that Picasso showed objects from many viewpoints at a time, distorted shapes and colors to convey emotion, while also simplifying things into basic shapes. The strength of this series is that it gets down to the essentials for each artist, so that you get the sense their style is as recognizable as their signature. These books are not really intended as introductions to artist like Picasso, Monet and Degas, but as more advanced art appreciation lessons.

A true gem. Not that big, but focuses on his best works. Very good for students doing reasearch and art lovers alike. Beautiful illustration

This is a must-have book for anyone interested in paint by numbers. Everything you wanted to know about the creation and development of PBNs is here along with what happened to the "creator" of PBNs. This is the ultimate insider's guide to a fun and addicting art form.

A great read. It's got a bit of everything for PBNers. Not exactly a collectors book, but a fun, well writen account. Probably the only book written on PBNs. And from the (Craft) master himself!

This very sophisticated book is far more than the accompanying catalogue for a travelling exhibition by Irish artists that took place in 1998 -1999. Ireland is a country steeped in artistic tradition though most of us know that tradition in the guise of literature, poetry, and drama instead of painting. James Joyce, Oscar Wilde, W.B. Yeats, J.M. Synge, O'Casey, Seamus Heaney, and the McCourts to just tickle the surface. The wise editor Steward opens this volume with a thoroughly entertaining and informing essay 'The Irishness of Irish Painting' and then has the good graces to turn over the remainder of the written half of this book to fine essayists who write about 'Politics', 'Jack Yeats and the Making of Irish Art in the Twentieth Century', 'Irish Women Painters and the Introduction of Modernism', and 'Madonna and Maiden, Mistress and Mother: Woman as Symbol of Ireland and Spirit of the Nation'. All of these ( and there are more!) add a variety of style and perspective to the impressive pictorial catalogue which follows in the second half of this book. Thus prepared solidly we are free to bask in the beauty of the works by Sir William Orpen, Willaim Leech, Sir John Lavery, Paul Henry, Roderic O'Conor, Jack B. Yeats, Sean Keating, Dermot Seymour, Patrick Graham, Christopher Campbell - the list is very large. So many of these fine painters are instantly recognizable to the inveterate museum goer, but many do not enjoy the world fame of their contemporaries. After spending time with this book I think you will wonder why....... A very fine collecton and well conceived and produced book.

This is an amazing book from an amazing art exhibit. Since all the artwork has returned to it's original collections, all that remains is this book. It illustrates the intense passion and political ideology of Ireland over the past 100 years. Many artist rarely mentioned are included in this vast work, artists whose work powerful, humourous, beautiful - art that enriches the human experience. If you have any interest in Irish art, be you an Irish-American or an international art enthusiast, purchase this book to open a new world of art for you and to enjoy for many years to come.

I love animals and I love art so there couldn't be a more perfect combination for me than this book. Many of the finest contemporary wildlife artists have contributed to this collection. Creatures from all areas including water, seashore, mountain, rainforest, field, forest, plain, lake, marsh and swamp are here.

Information on each piece includes the artist, title, medium and size as well as a brief note about it from the artist, giving the book a personal touch. My only wish is that some of the stunning artwork was a bit larger. Most are only about a half a page.

My favorite area is the rainforest. It includes a mama gorilla and baby, an adorable tree frog, a gorgeous macaw and a lizard chasing a butterfly. Favorites from other areas include a hooded warbler bird with rhododendrons, a selection of woodpeckers, rhinos under a baobab tree and a solitary cougar in the snow.

I like this book so much I plan to buy another copy so I can frame some of the pictures and put them on my walls. If you're seeking a wonderful coffee table book that will inspire you with the beauty and diversity of nature, this is the book to get.

This is personally my favorite of all books on wildlife art. Each of the artists has produced excellent quality work. There are also many surprises, people who I am sure that we will be hearing about more in the future. The format of this book is simple, each artist has written several paragraphs about their work. For the aspiring artist, this information is useful; for the collector like myself, it is very interesting to know more about the artists whose work we collect. I have several other books on this subject, but since I purchased it several months ago, it has been the only one that I have since re-opened.

I just received Wildlife Painting Basics by Jeanne Scott. What a nice book! Its full of great information and even better illustrations of her work. This artist obviously studies her subjects and renders them well. More importantly she is not afraid to share her knowledge. Her approach is clear and easily understood. Its a good addition to anyone's art library.

Jeanne Filler Scott's book appeals to people who enjoy small animals as well as those who aspire to painting or drawing them.

She obviously has much familiarity with these kinds of animals and enjoys their company. Her commentary includes personal anecdotes about her interactions with her subjects, as well as easy to follow instructions for painting them, or simply understanding the color and detail of their anatomy.

Her book fills a needed niche in small animal painting instruction. Her step by step approach and honest, detailed descriptions of how to achieve painting effects will enable anyone interested in painting or drawing to create beautiful renderings of these animals. The animals showcased in her book include: rabbits, squirrels, foxes, raccoons, woodchucks, otters, mice, hamsters, ferrets, guinea pigs, gerbils, prairie dogs and chipmunks.

Jeanne Filler Scott has been included in numerous wildlife art books and magazines. This, her first book, is an excellent, clearly illustrated and clearly written work, and will undoubtedly become a collectable. Enjoy it!

One of the New York action painters, abstract expressionist Willem de Kooning was born in Holland almost a century ago. He began as a portrait and figure painter, later becoming "an artist who makes ambiguity an hypothesis on which to build."

This gloriously beautiful retrospective of his work was published in conjunction with the first major exhibition devoted exclusively to his paintings at the National Gallery of Art. With 80 color and 50 black and white plates, exhibit curator Prather, art historian Sylvester, and art history professor Shiff offer commentary on 84 of de Koonings's paintings which span five decades of his career.

Beginning in the 1930s with the earliest series of paintings of men and women to the 1980s when the artist's style became more abstract, this superb volume is testimony to de Koonings' life and oeuvre.

A contemporary of Rothko, Kline, and Pollock, Willem de Kooning's works are sometimes taken as metaphors, dynamic with shapes and colors splayed across the canvas. He is one of the most influential artists of our generation. This splendid catalogue is apt tribute.

This is probably the best book about Willem De Kooning on the market. Along with a multitude of color plates David Sylvester offers historical, technical, and philisophical insights about Willem De Kooning and his life works. The large format makes viewing the artists works very enjoyable. The reading is not overly complicated as it paints a full portrait of the artist, his accomlishments, his techniques, and also offers an approach to understanding the significance of his work. A must have for any De Kooning, or Abstract Expressionist enthusiast.

After using this book for slide researching in an art gallery, I bought it online and am very happy with it. It has excellent quality photographs of Wegman's dogs and his fashion pictures that revolve around Fay Ray and Man Ray and has a well-written prologue and interview with Wegman. However, I think the book is far more interesting because of Wegaman's other art interests including hilarious film stills, photographs of objects, comic line drawings, and full-page images of his collage-like oil paintings. They help to complete a picture of not just a funny artist, but of an artist who can use multiple media to represent his ideas in a fresh, funny, and uniquely beautiful way. I'd recommend this book to anyone who knows of William Wegman and wants to know more about this very talented man.

I do not own this book, but soon shall. I recently saw some of Wegman's work at the Birmingham Museum of Art and it was pure talent. I think that this exhibit drew more attention than the mummy and egyptian exhibit. His work is wonderful and I loved it. I give 5 stars to Wegman. Any true lover of Photography and/or Animals should see his work. It's great.

_____________________________________________________________________________

This artist's paintings are destined to earn him a coveted and honored place in art history. A brilliant colorist, his works are minimalist in nature, and of nature. This book contains many breathtaking reproductions of oil paintings and pastel drawings from various periods of his life - concentrating on his later works. Meandering throughout these is an informative narrative on the artist's life, family, friends, colleagues and his art philosophy.

I've looked at various books on Wolf Kahn and personally feel this one is the most detailed and comprehensive. I believe it also has the largest number of his works illustrated and is of larger dimensions than the other books. The reproductions are of high quality and the colors very vibrant.

If you like tasteful and vibrantly colored expressionist landscapes it's impossible to go wrong with Wolf Kahn. 5 stars all the way.

I had never even heard of Wolf Kahn until I saw this book at a local store. I looked through it fell in love with the art and had to have it. I recieved the book as a present(ordered from amazon--saved 15 bucks or so) and loved it. It has great info on Kahns life and comments on style, use of color etc. But what really makes this book great are the pages and pages of paintings. What makes most art books truly great(to me at least) is a lot of high quality color photos of the artists work to go along with some insightful commentary. This has many. From his early works up to as recent as 1995 paintings I would recommend this book to anyone who likes the painting on the cover. If you like that you will not be disappointed