New
Art Books / Videos
ART
TIMES October 2007
YALE
UNIVERSITY PRESS: Dutch Paintings in The Metropolitan Museum of Art by
Walter Liedtke. 2 Volume Set; 1,083 pp.; 8 ½ x 11; 480 Illus.,
230 in Color; Bibliography of Works Cited; Indices. $175.00 (Boxed) Hardcover.
A major study on a major collection, Dutch Paintings in The Metropolitan
Museum of Art features commentary and research on the 228 Dutch paintings
(from 1600 — 1800) at The Met. A comprehensive treasure of information;
lavishly illustrated. *****
The Age of Rembrandt: Dutch Paintings in The Metropolitan Museum
of Art by Esmeé Quodbach. 72 pp.; 8 ½ x 11; 83 Illus., 61 in Color;
Select Bibliography. $24.95 Softcover. A companion of sorts to the
previous work, The Age of Rembrandt offers an overview of the major painters in the collection
of Dutch Paintings at The Met. In addition to commentary on the art and
artists, the book contains information about the prominent patrons who
have made the collection possible. ***
The Language of Objects in the Art of the Americas by Edward J.
Sullivan. 336 pp.; 9 ¼ x 11 ¼; 211 Illus., 162 in Color;
Notes; Index. $65.00 Hardcover. Sweeping in its scope, this volume
presents a scholarly analysis of the “object” as art as seen through the
eyes of Spanish and Portuguese artists over a five-century period of time.
A seminal study, The Language of Objects in the Art of the Americas
will stand as the definitive text on the subject for some time. Lavishly
illustrated. *****
The Painted Face: Portraits of Women in France, 1814-1914 by Tamar
Garb. 288 pp.; 9 3/8 x 11 3/8; 210 Illus., 70 in Color; Notes; Index.
$65.00 Hardcover. Ranging over a period of 100 years, from Ingres
to Picasso, The Painted Face explores the many facets that lay
behind the evolving concept of the painted portrait. Author Tamar Garb,
author of Sisters of the Brush: Women’s Artistic Culture in Late Nineteenth-Century
Paris, probes deeply and astutely; a fascinating study. *****
Abstraction and the Holocaust by Mark Godfrey. 304 pp.; 7 ¾
x 10 3/8; 140 Illus., 40 in Color; Notes; Bibliography; Index. $55.00
Hardcover. Perhaps there is no one effective or proper way to commemorate one of history’s
blackest times, but mark Godfrey’s Abstraction and the Holocaust suggests one: abstraction. (For another attempt, I invite
my readers to see the critique on Barbara Green’s “Der Zirkus Beginnt”
in this issue). Speaking of, depicting, recalling, interpreting, excusing,
or even denying the Nazi Holocaust can never quite enable us to get our
minds around this horrific event in human history, yet this book shares
the attempts of several notable artists — from Barnett Newman to
Sol Lewitt, amongst others. As much social history as an art book, this
is one that deserves close reading. *****
Camille Pissarro: Impressions of City and Country by Karen Levitov
and Richard Shiff. 96pp.; 9 x 8 ¾; 76 Color Illus.; Exhibition
Checklist; Notes; Index. $19.95 Softcover. A small book, relatively
speaking, but Camille Pissarro: Impressions of City and Country,
published in conjunction with an exhibition currently at The Jewish Museum,
NYC (thru Feb 3, ’08), admirably embraces and addresses those qualities
that make — in my estimation — this artist to be among the
very best of the French Impressionists. Authors Levitov and Shiff present
a rounded portrait of a man who was not only emotionally involved in his
world as an artist but also as a man who was both socially and politically
involved in the issues of his day. Excellent. *****
ABBEVILLE
PUBLISHING GROUP: Italian Frescoes: The Baroque Era, 1600—1800 by
Steffi Roettgen. 440 pp.; 11 x 13; 330 Illus., 260 in Color; Map; Bibliography;
Inscriptions and Legends; Index. $135.00 Hardcover. The 5th
in a series of sumptuous volumes dedicated to Italian frescoes published
by Abbeville, Italian Frescoes: The Baroque Era, 1600—1800 caps
a triumphant finish to one of the finest set of artbooks that one might
wish for. As lavishly illustrated as its predecessors, the present volume
covers the whole of Italy, giving not only in situ contexts but
also vivid details of frescoes one could never see at first hand. This
is a gorgeous book! *****
The Sistine Chapel: A New Vision by Heinrich Pfeiffer, S.J. 352
pp.; 9 7/8 x 13; 186 B/W and Color Illus.; Notes; Bibliography; Index
of Names. $125.00 Hardcover. No matter the controversy that continues
to be waged on whether or not the Sistine restoration was a resounding
success or misguided mistake, the books surrounding Michelangelo’s famous
ceiling seem to be not only perennial affairs but also an ongoing drama
that continues to enthrall. The latest, The Sistine Chapel: A New Vision
published be the Abbeville Publishing Group adds fresh zest to the
discussion. Beautifully and lavishly illustrated, the book brings new
arguments, new insights, and new photographs into the fray…..with an abundance
of detailed illustrations that strengthen and enhance our understanding
of this unique work of art. A marvelous addition to the Abbeville roster
of outstanding art books. *****
THE
OVERLOOK PRESS: Vermeer by Albert Blankert, John Michael Montias and
Gillies Aillaud. 240 pp.; 10 ½ x 12 ½; 199 Illus., 164
in Color; Notes; Documents; Critical Anthology; Chronology; Abbreviated
Literature; Index. $65.00 Hardcover. An updated, revised, and enhanced
reprint of a 1975 edition published in Holland, Overlook’s Vermeer
revisits the life, the work and the impact of one of the most enigmatic
Dutch painters. Though we only know of some thirty of Johannes Vermeer’s
works, his intimate paintings of women in interior settings have long
haunted art historians, critics, and viewers. A beautiful book and one
that all artlovers will want to own. *****
UNIVERSITY
OF PENNSYVANIA PRESS: Chimney and Towers: Charles Demuth’s Late Paintings
of Lancaster by Betsy Fahlman. 208 pp.; 9 ½ x 11; 160 Illus.,
60 in Color; Selected Bibliography; List of Illustrations; Exhibition
Checklist. $39.95 Softcover. Published in conjunction with an exhibition
at the Amon Carter Museum, Fort Worth, TX, Chimney and Towers covers
the latter period of Demuth’s work, at a time when he was battling a debilitating
illness that was slowly affecting his working capabilities. Ill health
notwithstanding, Demuth’s “precisionist” paintings remained strong, his
images clear and arresting. Author Betsy Fahlman presents a well-rounded
picture of the artist and his work, including in her study previously
unpublished correspondence that underlines the support and encouragement
given him by the great art collector Albert C. Barnes. *****
Compiled by Raymond J. Steiner