New Art Books / Videos

Compiled by RAYMOND J. STEINER
ART TIMES May 2008

YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS: The Sixteenth-Century Italian Paintings: Volume II: Venice 1540-1600 by Nicholas Penny. 544 pp.; 8 3/4; x 11 1/2;; 255 Illus., 235 in Color; Appendices; General Index. $150.00 Hardcover. Published in conjunction with the National Gallery, The Sixteenth-Century Italian Paintings is replete with scholarly updates and excellent reproductions on their extensive collection. Includes the works of such artists as Titian, Veronese, Tintoretto and many more. The latest in a series cataloguing Italian painting, this book ought to be on the shelves of libraries and art institutions the world over. A major accomplishment. *****
The Art of Natural History: Illustrated Treatises and Botanical Paintings, 1400-1850 (Eds.) Therese O’Malley and Amy R.W. Meyers. 280 pp.; 9 1/4; x 11 1/4;; 227 Illus., 63 in Color; Contributors; Index. $65.00 Hardcover. As much a science book as well as an art book, The Art of Natural History offers a pot pourri of images from a wide range of European artists that devoted their considerable talents to “making knowledge visible” (the words of a 16^th-century naturalist). Covering a range that includes botany, horticulture, insects, birds, and animals as well as medicine, garden design and natural history, the book offers up a treasure trove of information on patrons, technology, production, reception and innovation that characterized those dedicated artists who combined their considerable talents of representation and scientific knowledge. A beautiful and informative book. *****

Julian Onderdonk: American Impressionist by William Rudolph. 160 pp.; 10 1/4; x 9 1/4;; 140 Illus., 132 in Color; Chronology; Checklist of Exhibition; Bibliography; Index. $45.00 Hardcover. Published in conjunction with a traveling exhibition presently at the Dallas Museum of Art (thru Jul 20) that will then travel to the Witte Museum, San Antonio (Sep 18-Jan 11, ’09) and the Stark Museum of Art, Orange, TX (Feb 10-May 24 ’09), Julian Onderdonk: American Impressionist presents the life and work of this little-known Western American painter. A student of William Merritt Chase, Onderdonk took Chase’s lessons back with him to Texas — this book catalogues the brilliant success of his apprenticeship. A visual treat. ****

ABBEVILLE PUBLISHING GROUP: The Art Atlas (Ed.) John Onians. 352 pp.; 10 1/8 x 13 5/8; List of Contributors; Bibliography; Note on Spellings and Place Names; Index and CD. $55.00 Hardcover. Through the innovative use of maps, The Art Atlas clearly illustrates that, at bottom, art is and always has been a “global affair”. Explores the relationship between art and local geography/culture in an excitingly new way. A must for every art classroom and library, a host of scholars make this a fine text for either art or social study class. Excellent reproductions; highly recommended. *****

ROUTLEDGE/TAYLOR & FRANCIS GROUP: Art of the Brooklyn Bridge: A Visual History by Richard Haw. 280 pp.; 8 3/4; x 11 1/4;; B/W & Color Illus.; Notes; Index. $50.00 Hardcover. From paperback novel covers to caricature to movie posters to fine art, author Richard Haw serves up everything you ever wanted to know or see about the life of the Brooklyn Bridge in representation. Extensively researched and illustrated, Haw’s takes us from conception (as a physical phenomenon) to visual conception as art — in brief, as complete a “visual history” as you might wish. As a Brooklyn-born native, I highly recommend this unique take on a New York landmark. *****

PHAIDON PRESS, INC.: Studio Pottery by Oliver Watson. 288 pp.; 11 x 9 3/8; 600 Illus., 120 in Color; Appendices; Bibliography; Index. $49.95 Softcover. The newly released and updated paperback edition of Studio Pottery: Twentieth Century British Ceramics in the Victoria and Albert Museum Collection (1993) catalogues and places in historical context the major masters and techniques that characterized the “studio pottery” section that paralleled the British Arts and Crafts movement during the last century. Lavishly illustrated and fully annotated, this will stand as a definitive sourcebook for some time to come. *****