New
Art Books / Videos
ART
TIMES May 2007
French Genre Painting in the 18th Century (Ed.) Philip
Conisbee. 320 pp.; 9 ¼ x 11 ¼; 205 Illus.; 30
in Color; Index. $65.00 Hardcover. Though much maligned by present
day modernist pundits, the interest, allure, and appreciation of “genre”
painting is still very much alive as French Genre Painting in the
18th Century so eloquently proves. Revisited by a host of scholars, French genre painting
is here critically reviewed and reassessed through a range of social,
political, and historical contexts that bespeak a continuing depth of
influence on the course of Western art not usually realized by present-day
viewers. Lavishly and beautifully illustrated. *****
The Unknown Monet: Pastels and Drawings by James A. Ganz and
Richard Kendall. 328 pp.; 9 7/8; 11 7/8; 297 Illus., 223 in Color;
Appendix; Notes; Checklist of Exhibition; Index. $65.00 Hardcover.
The accompanying catalogue to an exhibition due to open
at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute (Jun 24— Sep16),
The Unknown Monet brings to light an “unknown” aspect of Monet’s
working practice, specifically his extensive use of preliminary drawings
for his more famous paintings. Long known as an “anti-draftsman” —
an image he fostered — Monet, in his many unpublished and secreted
sketchbooks, actually shows just how much he relied on an avid practice
of draftsmanship. A beautiful book. *****
Renoir Landscapes: 1865-1883 by Colin B. Bailey and Christopher
Riopelle. 296 pp.; 9 7/8 x 11 ½; 210 Illus., 200 in Color;
Bibliography; Index. $65.00 Hardcover. Published in conjunction
with an exhibition of the same name currently at The National Gallery
London (thru May 20) and which will travel via the National Gallery
of Canada, Ottawa to the Philadelphia Museum of Art (Oct ’07 —
Jan 6, ’08), Renoir Landscapes_ 1865-1883 focuses strictly on
that artist’s landscapes and specifically on those executed in his later
years. Extremely “experimental”, they illustrate Renoir’s freer and
freer use of composition, color, form, and light, some indeed almost
pure abstractions —(the very thing, in fact, that moved Cézanne
to seek more “solidity” of object in his own paintings). Beautifully
and lavishly illustrated. ****
The Great Wall of China: Photographs by Chen Changfen by
Anne Wilkes Tucker. 162 pp.; 9 ¾ x 12 ¼; 80 Illus.,
42 in Color; Map; Biography, Exhibitions, and Publications of Chen Changfen;
Checklist of Exhibition; Index. $45.00 Hardcover. Almost as good
as actually visiting the Wall — which I did some years ago when
I climbed the entire section at Badaling (Beijing) — would be
to peruse the photographs of Chen Changfen who has been chronicling
the wall for some forty years. Gorgeously illustrated in both color
and black and white photographs, The Great Wall of China offers
as complete a picture of this 200-century-old world wonder that one
might wish for. Published to coincide with an exhibition at the Museum
of Fine Arts, Houston (thru Aug 17), the catalogue includes extensive
commentary and an interview with Changfen by the author. *****
UNIVERSITY
OF VIRGINIA PRESS: Country Pursuits: British, American, and French Sporting
Art from the Mellon Collections in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
by Malcolm Cormack. 492 pp.; 9 x 12; 225 Illus., 185 in Color;
Bibliography; Biographies of Artists; Concordance; Index. $75.00 Hardcover.
In an oversized, handsomely produced, and lavishly illustrated catalogue,
Country Pursuits offers up a full panoply of “sporting art” from
the Mellon Collections housed at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Separated
into three major sections — British, American, French —
the volume further categorizes the collection by such sub-headings as
“Racing,” “Shooting,” “Boating,” “Hunting,” etc., each reproduction
accompanied by extensive commentary. Includes an overall introductory
essay that places the “country pursuits” genre in a social and political
context. Impressive. *****
PRESTEL: Once Upon a Time: Walt Disney: The Sources
of Inspiration for the Disney Studios (Ed.) Bruno Girveau. 360pp.;
9 ½ x 12 ¼; 390 Color Illus.; Appendices. $75.00 Hardcover.
For the youngster — or for the child in us all brought up
on the fantasies of Walt Disney — Once Upon a Time is sure
to delight both the eye and the memory. Extensively researched and fully
documented, this search into Disney’s sources will long stand as the
definitive text on Disney’s work and legacy. Beautifully illustrated
and handsomely produced, this will make a great gift for artlover, film
buff or fairy-tale aficionado. *****
Kokoschka: Erotic Sketchbook by Norbert Wolf. 64 pp.; 6 ½
x 8 ¾; 35 Color Illus.; List of Illustrated Works. $25.00 Hardcover.
The newest addition to Prestel’s “Erotic Sketchbook” Series —
the 6th by Norbert Wolf (his others include the erotic sketchbooks
of Klimt, Schiele, Rodin, Picasso, and Rembrandt) — Kokoschka
a captures some of the intimate watercolors of models and visitors
to his studio. Handsomely bound and ribboned (as are all of the series).
****
Fernando Botero: Paintings and Drawings by Werner Spies. 180 pp.; 7 ¾ x 9 ½; 170 Illus., 110 in
Color; Selected One-Man Exhibition; Selected Bibliography. $19.95 Softcover.
The latest release in Prestel’s “flexi” editions, Fernando
Botero offers a concise and comprehensive overview of one of South
America’s most notable artists. Abundantly illustrated with reproductions
of work that cover his entire career, the book also includes several
samples of the painter’s short fiction. ****
SOUVENIR
PRESS LTD: To the Kwai — and Back: War Drawings 1939-1945 by
Ronald Searle. 192 pp.; 9 ½ x 11 ¼; B/W & Color
Illus.; Bibliography. $37.95 Hardcover. Chronicle, history, sketchbook,
testament to man’s inhumanity to man, To the Kwai—and Back
presents a moving record of one-man’s war experiences, captured
“on the sly” as he moved from incarceration to incarceration while imprisoned
by the Japanese during WWII. Compellingly “real.” *****
BLACK
DOME PRESS CORP.: The Life and Times of Asher B. Durand by John
Durand. 256 pp.; 6 x 9; 14 B/W Illus.; Appendix. $17.95 Softcover.
A reprint of an original Charles Scribner imprint (1894), this volume
features an Introductory Essay by Linda S. Ferber, V.P. and Director
for the New-York Historical Society. Otherwise faithful to the original,
The Life and Times of Asher B. Durand offers up the life and
career of one of America’s early masters as seen through the eyes of
his son, John. As both chronicle of the times and as an important look
back at the early history of American art (almost before it could properly
be called “American” art), this is a welcome reminder of where
the artist once stood vis-à-vis his society. ****