YALE
UNIVERSITY PRESS: Joseph Wright of Derby in Liverpool by
Elizabeth E. Barker and Alex Kidson. 224 pp.; 9 7/8 x 11 1/2;; 180
Color Illus.; Bibliography; Index. $75.00 Hardcover. Unable
to gain success in London (he was excluded from the Royal Academy),
Joseph Wright of Derby found more than recognition in Liverpool, becoming
a successful portrait painter to the wealthy merchants of that town.
Beautifully and lavishly illustrated, Joseph Wright of Derby in Liverpool
vividly presents the artist’s life, work and influence. *****
Curiosity and Enlightenment: Collectors and Collections from the Sixteenth
to Nineteenth Century by Arthur MacGregor. 288 pp.; 8 1/2; x 11; 200 Illus.,
30 in Color; Notes; Bibliography; Index. $75.00 Hardcover. Comprehensive
and scholarly, Curiosity and Enlightenment presents
an exhaustive overview of the beginning and ongoing process of collecting
art. A major study. *****
Poussin and Nature: Arcadian Visions (Eds.) Pierre Rosenberg
and Keith Christiansen. 432 pp.; 8 1/4; x 11; 242 Illus., 232 in
Color; Bibliography; Index of works by Poussin; Index. 65.00 Hardcover.
Published in conjunction with an
exhibition of the same name at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC (Feb
12-May 11), this beautifully illustrated catalogue contains essays by
a half-dozen scholars who present an authoritative look into Poussin’s
landscape paintings. Highly impressive. *****
Masterpieces of European Painting, 1800-1920, in The Metropolitan Museum
of Art by Gary Tinterow. 344 pp.; 9 x 12; 409 Illus.,
202 in Color; Index of Artists and Works. $65.00 Hardcover. Presenting a broad selection from their collections,
Masterpieces of European Painting, 1800-1920 is
a veritable feast for the eyes that includes the master works of such
artists as Bonnard, Manet, Renoir, Pissarro, Vuillard, Matisse, Picasso,
and many others. Almost as good as a visit to the “Met” — but
never truly as good as seeing the real thing. *****
Art for Art’s Sake: Aestheticism in Victorian Painting by
Elizabeth Prettejohn. 320 pp.; 7 7/8 x 10 3/8; 125 Illus., 40 in
Color; Notes; Selected Bibliography; Index. $65.00 Hardcover. One of the latest contribution to The Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in
British Art, Art for Art’s Sake is
a scholarly analysis the presently much-maligned relationship between
art and beauty. Author Elizabeth Prettejohn, professor of history of
art at the University of Bristol, has authored several books on both
the subject of beauty and the Pre-Raphaelites. Absorbing. *****
Politics, Transgression, and Representation at the Court of Charles
II (Eds.) Julia Marciari Alexander and Catharine MacLeod.
214 pp.; 7 3/8 x 10 1/4;; 90 Color Illus.; Notes on Contributors;
Index. $65.00 Hardcover. Another in the series of The Paul Mellon Centre for
Studies in British Art, Politics, Transgression, and Representation
at the Court of Charles II explores
the era of Charles II’s return to the English throne after an eleven-year
interregnum, and his considerable influence on the course of politics
and the arts of his time. Scholarly and comprehensive. ****
A Tradition Redefined: Modern and Contemporary Chinese Ink Paintings
from the Chu-tsing Li Collection, 1950-2000 (Ed.) Robert
D. Mowry. 244 pp.; 7 5/8 x 11 3/4;; 151 Color Illus.; Artist’s Biographies;
Bibliography. $50.00 Softcover. Beautifully
and lavishly illustrated, A Tradition Redefined is both scholarly and informative, offering a comprehensive
overview of the delicate and ancient art of Chinese ink painting as
re-interpreted by modern artists. Published to coincide with a traveling
exhibition that has recently closed at the Arthur M. Sackler Museum
and which will travel to the Phoenix Art Museum (Jun 28-Sep 14), the
Norton Museum of Art, FL (Oct 11-Jan 4, ’09) and close at the Spencer
Museum of Art, KS (Feb 11-May24, ’09). *****
John Alexander: A Retrospective by Jane Livingston. 208
pp.; 10 1/4; x 11 1/2; 187 Illus., 169 in Color; Chronology; Exhibition
History; Checklist; Selected Bibliography; Index. $50.00 Hardcover.
Published as the accompanying catalogue
to an exhibition of the same name currently at Smithsonian American
Art Museum, Wash. D.C. (thru Mar 16) that will then travel to The Museum
of Fine Arts, Houston (Apr 13-Jun 22), John Alexander: A Retrospective offers up the life and work of this very versatile
artist. From academic-style florals to abstractions to a reprise of
the fantastical whimsy of Breugel, Alexander is a master of his tools.
Impressive. *****
Watercolors by Winslow Homer: The Color or Light by Martha Tedeschi, et al. 228 pp.; 11 3/8 x 10;
275 Color Illus.; Notes; Selected Bibliography; Index of Technical Terms;
Index of Works. $45.00 Hardcover. Sure to delight the avid
watercolorist or watercolor enthusiast, Watercolors by Winslow Homer:
The Color or Light is a handsomely-produced little book
that offers up insights into the technical aspects of Homer’s considerable
expertise with aquamedia. Lavishly illustrated. *****
Neuroarthistory: From Aristotle and Pliny to Baxandall and Zeki by
John Onians. 225 pp; 6 1/4; x 9 1/2;; 50 B/W Illus.; Notes; Index.
$40.00 Hardcover. Gleaning information from twenty-five philosophers,
artists, and thinkers from “Aristotle to Zeki”, author John Onians offers
nothing less than a major re-thinking about art and its making in his
just-published Neuroarthistory. Scholarly,
insightful, and knowledgeable. *****
Princeton University Art Museum: Handbook of the Collections (Ed.)
Jill Guthrie. 384 pp.; 5 7/8 x 9 5/8; 442 Illus., 436 in Color; Index
of Artists and Works. $35.00 Hardcover. Handsomely produced and densely packed with information,
this Handbook offers a
comprehensive overview of the extensive art collections held by Princeton
University. Includes art from ancient to contemporary times. ****
UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA PRESS: The Night Entertainments of Han Xizai: A Scroll
by Gu Hongshong. 96 pp.; 9 1/4;
x 6 3/4;; 24 Color Illus.; Notes; Index. $45.00 Hardcover. This
handsome little book serves as both artbook and social history, presenting
to the reader an inside view of the “guilty pleasures” of the upper
levels of ancient Chinese society. The Night Entertainments of Han
Xizai is both an informative study and visual treat. ****
UNIVERSITY
OF WASHINGTON PRESS: Breasts, Bodies, Canvas: Central Desert Art as
Experience by Jennifer Loureide
Biddle. 176 pp.; 8 1/2; x 11; 97 Illus., 32 in Color; Notes; Bibliography;
Index. $40.00 Softcover. All you perhaps want to
know about Australia’s Aboriginal art, but an interesting look into
a lttle-known culture. ** An American Artist in Tokyo: Frances Blakemore,
1906-1997 by Michiyo Morioka. 200 pp.; 8 1/2; x 11; 246
Illus., 113 in Color; Appendices; Notes; Selected Bibliography; Index.
$35.00 Hardcover. This is an extraordinary
book about an extraordinary artist: Frances Blakemore whose extensive
artistic output — paintings, prints, murals, illustrations, children’s
books, cartoons, greeting cards, and propaganda leaflets — spanned
a Tokyo that included both pre- and post-war times. Handsomely produced,
well researched, and lavishly illustrated. *****
Diversity and Dialogue: The Eiteljorg Fellowship for Native American
Fine Art 2007 (Ed.) James H. Nottage. 120 pp.; 8 1/2;
x 11; 79 Color Illus.; Contributors; Checklist; DVD. $25.00 Softcover.
Diversity and Dialogue offers a compendium of Native American art that celebrates
the Fellowship’s 10th year, the included work reflecting
the inevitable interchange of cultures. ***
An Artist Abroad: The Prints of James McNeill Whistler by
Jane Kinsman. 88 pp.; 6 x 7 1/2;; 66 Color Illus. This
charming little book offers up a beautiful little set of Whistler prints
— the “French Set”, “Thames Set”, “First Venice Set”, and “Second
Venice Set” — for a viewer’s delectation. *****
DOUGLAS
& McINTYRE: Joe Fafard by Terrence Heath. 223 pp.; 9 3/8 x 10 1/4;; B/W
& Color Illus.; Notes; Chronology; Selected Exhibitions; Selected
Bibliography. $45.00 Hardcover. Published in conjunction
with an exhibition traveling throughout Canada, Joe Fafard offers an overview of the life and whimsical sculptures
of this noted Canadian artist. A pleasant opportunity to catch a glimpse
of the humor in our neighbors to the North. ****
SOUTHERN
METHODIST UNIVERSITY PRESS: Jerry Bywaters: Lone Star Printmaker by
Ellen Buie Niewyk. 200 pp.; 12 x 9; 57 B/W Illus.; Appendices; Bibliography;
Index. $35.00 Hardcover. The first catalogue raisonné of
the artist’s oeuvre, Jerry Bywaters: Lone Star Printmaker offers
a comprehensive overlook of his life (1906—1989) and work. Excellent
reproductions. ***
THE
MIT PRESS: Exiles, Diasporas & Strangers (Ed.) Kobena Mercer. 224 pp.; 7 1/8 x 9 1/4; B/W
& Color Illus.; List of Illustrations; Select Bibliography; Biographies.
$30.00 Softcover. The latest addition to the MIT’s Annotating
Art’s Histories series, in Exiles, Diasporas & Strangers, London-based writer and critic Kobena Mercer here
offers up a pot-pourri of art that covers the globe. An ambitious and
eye-opening undertaking. ***