New
Art Books / Videos
PRESTEL:
[Non]Conform: Russian and Soviet Artists: The Ludwig Collection, 1958-1995
by Barbara Thiemann. 528 pp.; 9 ½ x 11 ¾; 700 Illus.,
350 in Color; Appendices. $99.00 Hardcover. Surely the most comprehensive
collection of Russian and Soviet art, the Ludwig Collection housed in
Aachen, Germany is here catalogued for the first time under one cover.
Impressively inclusive, [Non]Conform presents the work of over
240 artists, all enhanced by scholarly essays that address not only the
individual artists included, but also an extensive look into the socio-political
context in which they lived. *****
YALE
UNIVERSITY PRESS: Art and Emancipation in Jamaica: Isaac Mendes Belisario
and His Worlds by Tim Barringer, et al. 612 pp.; 9 x 12 ½;
499 Color Illus.; Appendix; Bibliography; Index. $75.00 Hardcover. More
than just another fine art book featuring the artistry of Isaac Mendes
Belisario, Art and Emancipation in Jamaica offers up a comprehensive
overview of “sugar. slavery, and the topography of Jamaica” from the years
1655 through to the beginning of emancipation in the 1840s. Breathtaking
in its scope, this oversize, lavishly illustrated volume belongs in all
public and institutional libraries. Scholarly and impressive. *****
POMEGRANATE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC.: Cape Dorset Prints: A Retrospective: Fifty Years
of Printmaking at the Kinngait Studios by Leslie Boyd Ryan, et
al. 304 pp.; 10 ½ x 10 ½; Over 200 B/W & Color
Illus.; List of Plates; About the Authors; Index. $75.00 Hardcover. A
host of scholars and artists bring to life the fifty-year history of Cape
Dorset’s Kinngait Studios, presenting in essay and reproduction the rich
fruits of that institution in this impressive new catalogue. Includes
the work of over seventy-five artists. Impressive. *****
THE
VENDOME PRESS: In Another Light: Danish Paintings in the Nineteenth Century
by Patricia G. Berman. 272 pp.; 10 x 12; 288 Color Illus.; Notes;
Selected Bibliography; Index. $75.00 Hardcover. The first such catalogue
in English on19th-century Danish painting, In Another Light offers
up a pot pourri of painters that, to many, will be new-found treasures.
Presented in a grand manner, indeed, the excellent reproductions of these
Danish masters make this book not only a visual treat, but also a wonderful
introduction to a body of work that can rival any 19th-century
school on the European continent. Very impressive. *****
FIREFLY
BOOKS LTD: Canadian Paintings, Prints and Drawings by Anne Newlands. 368 pp.; 9 ½ x 11 ½; Over 165 Color
Illus.; Bibliography; Glossary; Index. $69.95 Hardcover. This handsomely produced catalogue with full color reproductions
and commentary on each of the artists included (some 164), offers up a
roster of Canadian art and artists — Aboriginal, Inuit, and European
descendants — that have made their mark on the history of North
American art. A visual treat as well as an eye-opener to those unfamiliar
with Canada’s rich history of art. *****
ABRAMS:
Enclosure by Andy Goldsworthy. 191 pp.; 10 ½ x 11 ½;
200 Color Illus. $60.00 Hardcover. With an Introduction by James Putnam,
Enclosure offers up an array of Godlsworthy’s most impressive Cumbrian
earthworks. Visually exciting. ***
HEYDAY
BOOKS: Impressions of the East: Treasures from the C.V. Starr East Asian
Library, University of California, Berkeley by Deborah Rudolph. 120
pp.; 11 x 11; Color Illus.; Maps; Bibliography. $39.95 Hardcover.
As its title clearly declares, Impressions of the East offers up
an overview of a collection that showcases the history and evolution of
Asian printing. Among the three largest such collections of rare books
in the country, this is the first such text to celebrate its riches. Visually
stunning. ****
TEXAS
A&M UNIVERSITY PRESS: Jerry Bywaters: Interpreter of the Southwest
(Ed.) Sam DeShong Ratcliffe. 120 pp.; 10 3/8 x 11 ¼; 77
Illus., 42 in Color; Index. $30.00 Hardcover. Published in conjunction
with an exhibition at SMU’s Meadows Museum of Art (thru Feb 24, ’08),
this handsomely illustrated volume offers an overview of the vision and
versatility — he paints in oil, watercolor, tempera and pastel —
of the painter Jerry Bywaters. A chronicler of his region, Bywaters presents
the reader with his “interpretation” of the richly visual Southwest. ***
STERLING
PUBLISHING CO., INC.: Understanding Color: Creative Techniques in Watercolor
by Marcia Moses. 144 pp.; 8 ½ x 11; Color Illus.; Color
Glossary; Indices. $19.95 Hardcover. The Complete Guide to Painting
on Porcelain & Ceramic by Priscilla Hauser. 128 pp.; 8 ½
x 11; Color Illus.; Metric Conversion Chart; Index. $24.95 Hardcover.
Abstract and Colour Techniques in Painting by Claire Harrigan.
128 pp.; 8 ½ x 11; Color Illus.; Index. $24.95 Hardcover. Complete
Anatomy and Figure Drawing by John Raynes. 144 pp.; 8 ½
x 10 7/8; Color Illus.; Index. $24.95 Hardcover. This latest selection
of “how-to” books published by Sterling continues in their long practice
of offering quality artbooks at modest prices. All are designed for both
tyro and pro, all chock-full of the latest advances on materials and techniques,
all complete with clear instruction and advice on materials and their
application, all ready for instant and ready reference. Books from Sterling
are always bargains. *****
SKYLIGHT
PATHS: The Painting Path: Embodying Spiritual Discovery through Yoga,
Brush and Color by Linda Novick. 208 pp.; 7 x 9; B/W & Color
Illus.; Resources. $18.99 Softcover. Re-rooting art in its pre-literal
origins, The Painting Path offers up a wonderfully potent pot-pourri
of technique, direction and spiritual discovery. Novick, a fine painter,
now reveals her talent as a writer. **** Compiled by Raymond J. Steiner |