New Art Books / Videos

Compiled By RAYMOND J. STEINER
ART TIMES April, 2006

YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS: The Cabinet of Eros: Renaissance Mythological Painting and the Studiolo of Isabella d’Este by Stephen Campbell. 240 pp.; 7 7/8 x 10 3/8; 130 Illus., 30 in Color; Notes; Bibliography; Index. $60.00 Hardcover. Beautifully produced with fine reproductions, The Cabinet of Eros presents a scholarly and comprehensive look into the emerging interest in mythological imagery as exemplified in the famous studiolo (a place of learning and luxury) of Isabella d’Este. Though it concentrates on the work of Mantegna, Perugino, Costa, and Correggio, the authors also refer to the works of Giorgione, Titian, and Michelangelo. Well researched and lucidly written. *****
Searching for Shakespeare by Tanya Cooper, et al. 224 pp.; 9 7/8 x 11 ¼; 182 Illus., 165 in Color; Select Bibliography; Index. $60.00 Hardcover. As much history book as it is an art book, Searching for Shakespeare, published to coincide with a major exhibition presently at the National Portrait Gallery, London (thru May 29) that will travel to the Yale Center for British Art (Jun 24-Sep 17), is a fascinating and scholarly search into the illusive visage of William Shakespeare. Lavishly illustrated, this volume offers up a visual treat, if not a definitive likeness of the playwright. ****
Papermaking and the Art of Watercolor in Eighteenth-Century Britain: Paul Sandby and the Whatman Paper Mill by Theresa Fairbanks Harris, Scott Wilcox, et al. 192 pp.; 8 ¾ x 9 ¾; 92 Illus., 72 in Color; Glossary of Papermaking Terminology; Index. $50.00 Hardcover. This handsome little book explores the not-much-thought-about close relationship between the makers of fine paper — in this case, watercolor papers — and the practitioners of painting with aquamedia both, incidentally, highly specialized artforms. A pleasant read. ****
William Wegman: Funney/Strange by Joan Simon. 292 pp.; 7 5/8 x 10 ½; 293 Color Illus.; Notes; Bibliography; Exhibition History; Films and Video; Index. $45.00 Softcover. Published in conjunction with a traveling exhibition organized by the Addison Gallery of American Art, Phillips Academy, Andover, Massachusetts, Funney/Strange offers up a retrospective look into the whimsical and varied creative world of William Wegman.  A visual romp into the world of the absurd. ***
The Revenge of Thomas Eakins by Sidney D. Kirkpatrick. 608 pp.; 6 3/8 x 9 ½; 95 Illus., 42 in Color; Notes; Bibliography; Index. $39.95 Hardcover. Availing himself of newly discovered letters and papers, author Sidney D. Kirkpatrick, author and documentary film producer, offers up yet another look into the enigmatic work and life of artist Thomas Eakins. Compellingly written, The Revenge of Thomas Eakins still does little to enlighten the viewer standing in front of an Eakins’ painting. The truth remains that the figurative language of art has never successfully been translated into the linear language of prose. ***
Writings on Art by Mark Rothko (Ed. Miguel López-Remiro). 176 pp.; 6 ¼ x 9 ¼; Chronology; Index. $16.50 Hardcover. The Artist’s Reality: Philosophies of Art by Mark Rothko. 176 pp.; 7 x 9; 7 Color Illus.; Index. $16.50 Softcover. The newest among a growing spate of books on artist’s writings — both public and private — Writings on Art offers up a compilation of Rothko’s letters, essays, lectures, and statements gleaned from a period covering the years 1934 to 1969 — roughly coinciding with the span of his artistic career, while The Artist’s Reality presents a considerably shortened version of the same. Although such books might offer insights into an individual’s life and thoughts, because art and language remain two distinct methods of communication, it is still moot whether an artist’s writings actually open up pathways into the oeuvre. ***

PRESTEL: Xenia Hausner: Hide and Seek by Rainer Metzger and Katharina Sykora. 128 pp.; 12 1/8 x 9 1/2; 100 Illus., 90 in Color;  $49.95 Hardcover. Working in a neo-expressionist style, Viennese artist Xenia Hausner makes her realist statement largely through the use of arbitrary color. Hide and Seek offers up an overview of her bold and dramatic paintings, enhanced by insights into her life and work by the commentary of both Metzger and Sykora. ***

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA PRESS: Metonymy in Contemporary Art: A New Paradigm by Denise Green. 136 pp.; 7 ½ x 9; Color Illus.; Bibliography; Index. $39.95 Hardcover. Artist Denise Green offers the viewer a new way to appreciation and criticism by focusing on “metonymy”, a method of seeing creativity as either a sub- or unconscious melding of the human and natural worlds. Opens up a wide range of new insights and interpretations. ****
The Aesthetics of Disengagement: Contemporary Art and Depression by Christine Ross. 264 pp.; 7 x 10; B/W Illus.; Notes; Index. $24.95 Softcover. Author Christine Ross, associate professor and chair of art history and communications study at McGill University, explores the relationship between art, science, and depression, a study that offers startling insights into a great deal of contemporary art and the artists who produce it. Sure to raise some hackles as well as remove the darkly-tinted glasses of a great many of today’s confused art viewers. Engrossing. *****

THAMES & HUDSON INC.: Gustav Klimt: Drawings & Watercolors by Rainer Metzger. 399 pp.; 6 ¼ x 9 ¼; 307 Color Illus.; Chronology; Bibliography; Concordance of Works; Index. $31.95 Hardcover. Rainer Metzger, prolific writer and author of books on such artists as van Gogh, Satie, Chagall, and Cage, brings together one of the most extensive collections of Klimt’s drawings and watercolors between the covers of one volume. Handsomely produced and lavishly illustrated, Drawings & Watercolors offers the readers a comprehensive overview of some of the artist’s most provocative and beautiful work. Hours of pleasurable browsing. *****

UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA PRESS: Westernness: A Mediation by Alan Williamson. 192 pp.; 6 x 9; 8 Illus., 5 in Color; Notes; Index. $29.50 Hardcover. The old adage that East and West shall never meet is here challenged by the “meditations” of author Alan Williamson. By looking at art, literature, and culture through the lens of “westernness”, this delightful little book goes a long way toward revealing the “ties that bind”. ****

ELLIS LANE PRESS/INDEPENDENT PUBLISHERS GROUP: The Last Folk Hero by Andrew Dietz. 400 pp.; 6 x 9; 16 Color Illus.; List of Sources. $26.95 Hardcover. As much about social history as it is about art, The Last Folk Hero explores the machinations and dirty secrets involved in the world of art collectors. Enlightening, if disheartening. ***

WATSON-GUPTILL PUBL.: The Painter’s Handbook (Revised and Expanded) by Mark David Gottsegen. 352 pp.; 7 x 10; 100 B/W Illus.; Glossary; List of Suppliers; Bibliography; Index. $24.95 Softcover. Already valued as the “bible” for many artists, The Painter’s Handbook is now brought fully up to date with present-day materials, suppliers, methods, etc. Not only a must for the working-artist’s bookshelves, but a bargain to boot. *****

CORNELL UNIVERSITY PRESS: Treasures from Olana: Landscapes by Frederic Edwin Church by Kevin J. Avery and John Wilmerding. 72 pp.; 9 7/8 x 9 7/8; B/W & Color Illus.; Notes. $24.95 Hardcover. NEW BRITAIN MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART: For Spacious Skies: Hudson River School Paintings from The Henry and Sharon Martin Collection by Kevin Sharp and John Wilmerding. 96 pp.; 9 ½ x 11 ½; B/W & Color Illus.; Notes; Select Bibliography. $25.00 Softcover. (Note for both NYC residents and visitors: Both of these books are available at the Museum Shop of the National Academy Museum & School of Fine Arts, 1083 Fifth Ave., NYC). Never out of style, these two books bring alive what has long been recognized as America’s first artistic voice — the “Hudson River School” of painting. Beautifully illustrated, both offer vivid reminders why the Hudson River/Catskill Region continues to lure the landscape artist to its perennial beauties. ****

Compiled by Raymond J. Steiner

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