MBR: The Art Shelf

The Art Shelf

A Place of Refuge: Maynard Dixon's Arizona
Thomas Brent Smith & Donald J. Hagerty
Tucson Museum of Art
c/o University of Oklahoma Press
140 North Main Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85701
9780911611366, $40.00 www (dot) oupress (dot) com

The artist Maynard Dixon first traveled to Arizona in 1900 to
experience his perception of a 'vanishing West'. His paintings would
capture this wild landscape - and here Thomas Brent Smith explores
Dixon's focus on the 'old West', pairing a biographical essay with
works drawn from his early Arizona landscapes up to his last years.
Vintage photos accompany full-page color paintings and plenty of
literary insight in a book perfect for either Arizona or general-
interest art libraries.

The Man Who Made Vermeers
Jonathan Lopez
Harcourt Inc.
215 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10003
9780151013418, $26.00 www (dot) harcourtbooks (dot) com

Deserving of ongoing mention is the story of a man whose lifetime of
disappointment led him to become famous for forging Vermeers - and
whose much-publicized story wasn't true. Author Jonathan Lopez tracked
down primary sources in four countries and five languages to reveal
the real story of the man famous for forging Vermeers, revealing the
real story of his talents and efforts. A 'must' for any art library
strong in Van Meegeran's legend and art world deceit.

The Loggia Of Raphael
Nicole Dacos
Abbeville Press
137 Varick Street, Suite 504, New York, NY 10019-1105
9780789210043, $125.00, www (dot) abbeville (dot) com

Any list of Grand Masters of the western art world will include the
name of Raphael (1483-1520). A loggia is a colonnaded porch that is
part of the second story of the Apostolic Palace of the Vatican in
Rome. It was designed and decorated by Raphael, a process that began
in 1517 and concluded in 1519. Widely acknowledged to epitomize the
spirit of the Italian Renaissance with its synthesis of Christian and
classical themes, the thirteen square vaults of Raphael's loggia, each
of which includes four frescoes of scenes from the Bible, as well as
other architectural elements decorated with 'grotesques' modeled after
ancient Roman wall paintings, this complex work of enduring beauty is
magnificently showcased in "The Loggia Of Raphael: A Vatican Art
Treasure" by art historian Nicole Dacos, who is Director of Research
at the fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique in Belgium and
arguably the foremost authority and expert on the subject. Superbly
illustrated throughout with 200 illustrations, "The Loggia Of Raphael"
is a 352-page compendium of detailed information making it a core
addition to personal, professional, academic, and community library
Art History reference collections. Indeed, no study of the life and
work of Raphael can be considered comprehensive without the inclusion
of "The Loggia Of Raphael" as part of the student's reading list.

Artists' Guidebook to a New Creative Life
Alice Harrison & Susan G. Hammond
Art Press Publishing LLP
PO Box 554, Sparta, NJ 07871
9780615216188, $21.95, www (dot) artpresspublishing (dot) com

For artists, the hardest part of the job is getting their work
noticed. "Artists' Guidebook To a New Creative Life: Produce, Exhibit,
and Sell Artwork" is a guide for artists to getting their work noticed
and beyond. Going over a step by step process of exhibiting one's art
and how to turn that into profit and more, such as earning grants and
other deals that many artists dream of. An essential for any who want
to make their art their career, "Artists' Guidebook to a New Creative
Life" is highly recommended.

Digital Animation
Andrew Chang
Ava Academia
1130 West 8th Street, Plainfield, NJ 07063
9782940373567, $29.95

Digital animation has taken the world by storm, surpassing traditional
animation in today's big budget animated features. "Digital Animation"
turns towards the history of digitized animation, including well
before the personal computer gained acclaim. It also introduces the
basics and fundamentals of digital animation for those interested in
getting started in the field, and how one should pursue their
education in this art. "Digital Animation" is an absolute must for
fans who want to turn their fandom into a hobby or even a career.

Best of Draw! Volume 3
Mike Manley
TwoMorrows Publishing
10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614
9781893905917, $29.95 www (dot) twomorrows (dot) com

Where else can you find step-by-step lessons and interviews by top
professionals working in comics and animation? This third volume of
Draw provides a fine blend of black and white comic strip examples,
sidebars of information, and interviews outlining industry challenges,
how to break in, and more. Any aspiring comics or graphic novel artist
needs this, as do collections catering to them.

Burning Tradition
Ken Matsuzaki
Pucker Art Publications
c/o Syracuse University Press
1600 Jamesville Avenue, Syracuse, NY 13210
www (dot) SyracuseUniversityPress.syr (dot) edu
1879985209, $50.00, 1-800-365-8929

Born in Tokyo, Japan, in 1950, Ken Matsuzaki graduated from the Fine
Arts Ceramic Department of Tamagawa University in 1972 to become an
apprentice to the late Tatsuzo Shimaoka who was acclaimed as a
National Living Treasure by the Japanese government. After studying
with this master potter and internationally renowned artist for five
years, Matsuzaki established his own kiln and created memorable works
of art utilizing both gas- and wood-fired kilns while developing his
own distinctive Shino glaze. Now presented in "Burning Tradition", the
artist and his art are showcased with a profuse gallery of his work
presented in full color. Enhanced with an informed and informative
essay by Asian art expert Andrew L. Maske (currently an Assistant
Professor of Art History at the University of Kentucky), "Burning
Tradition" is an impressive and illustrative study of a master potter,
making it an enthusiastically recommended addition to personal,
professional, academic, and community library Art History collections
in general, and Japanese ceramic reference shelves in particular.

Graffiti Japan
Remo Camerota
Mark Batty Publisher
36 West 37th Street, Suite 409, New York NY 10018
9780979048678, $27.95 www (dot) markbattypublisher (dot) com

Japan has long been known for taking Western culture and adding
innovative, unique twists … but graffiti has taken a distinctly
different route away from its western origins, infusing Japanese
culture more deeply than other art forms - and GRAFFITI JAPAN reveals
these differences, offering up interviews with notable taggers and
color visual images of their art. Whether you view graffiti as
vandalism or public art, GRAFFITI JAPAN offers college-level art
libraries and those strong in Japanese history and culture a fine
survey of Japanese artists and purposes.

Art in Detroit Public Places
Dennis Alan Nawrocki
Wayne State University Press
The Leonard N. Simons Building, 4809 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, MI
48201-1309
9780814333785, $24.95, www (dot) wsupress (dot) wayne (dot) edu

One's art has to be the best of the best to be displayed along the
streets of a major city like Detroit. "Art in Detroit Public Places"
is a collection of photographs and history about the wonderful sights
one can see in the Motor city. Each entry contains its location, its
origin, and a black and white photograph of the of the piece. This
newly revised, updated and expanded third edition is the first new
edition in nine years and adds many solid landmarks, "Art in Detroit
Public Places" is highly recommended for anyone plotting a trip to
Detroit.

A Wood Engraver's Alphabet
G. Brender a Brandis
The Porcupine's Quill
68 Main St., Erin, Ontario, N0B 1T0, Canada
9780889843110, $16.95, www (dot) sentex (dot) net/~pql

Woodcutting has become a bit of a lost art form in the modern day. "A
Wood Engraver's Alphabet" is a collection of twenty-six woodcuts of
flower decorations, in black and white, all paper reproductions of
Brandis's woodcutting work. Intriguing and artistically pleasing " A
Wood Engraver's Alphabet" is something to be considered for art fans.

Moscow & St. Petersburg: 1900-1920
John E. Bowlt
The Vendome Press
1334 York Avenue, New York, NY 10021
Harry N. Abrams, Inc. (distribution)
115 West 18th Street, New York, NY 10011
9780865651845, $50.00, www (dot) abramsbooks (dot) com

Before the domination of Communist state-sponsored and approved art
with the political ascension of the Bolsheviks, Moscow and St.
Petersburg, the premier cities of Russia, were home to vibrant,
creative, and extraordinary communities of artists, architects,
writers, dancers, and musicians. "Moscow & St. Petersburg: 1900-1920
-- Art, Life & Culture Of The Russian Silver Age" by academician and
specialist in Russian art history John Bowlt (Department of Slavic
Languages and Literatures, University of Southern California, Los
Angeles) is a superbly written work of meticulous scholarship
providing an informed and informative history of the artistic
personalities and achievements represented by two outstanding decades
of an artistic renaissance in a Tsarist Russia that were the last free
form art movement that country was to see until the collapse of the
Soviet Union. Enhanced with the inclusion of 650 illustrations (400 of
which are in color), "Moscow & St. Petersburg: 1900-1920" also
features a section of extensive notes, a glossary of terms and
abbreviations, a bibliography for further reading, and a comprehensive
index. A truly seminal work, "Moscow & St. Petersburg: 1900-1920" is
especially recommended for academic library European Art History and
Russian Cultural Studies reference collections in general, and the
personal reading lists for students and non-specialist general readers
with an interest in pre-Soviet Russian contributions to the arts in
particular.

Chihuly Black
Dale Chihuly
Portland Press
PO Box 70856, Seattle, WA 98127
9781576841662, $95.00, www (dot) portlandpress (dot) net

Art springs from the imagination of the artist and is as diverse in
range, scope and composition as the talents, life experiences, and
mediums employed by them. Dale Chihuly is an artist living and working
in Washington state. "Chihuly Black" is an elegantly black leather
bound, 208-page, coffee-table compendium showcasing 138 spectacular
full color photographs of the best of his work with blown glass
sculptures. For more than 30 years Dale Chihuly's work has been
recognized for its artistic merit and displayed in a number of museums
and his sculptures established in site-specific public places around
the world. Enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of an informed
and informative essay by Barbara Rose on the historical relevance of
black works in glass and Chihuly's influence in glass sculpture,
"Chihuly Black" is a seminal work whose inclusion into personal,
professional, and academic library Art History reference collections
must be considered essential. Also very highly recommended from
Portland Press is the "Chihuly Black Note Card Set" (978157684144,
$12.00) consisting of twelve note cards and envelopes.

Brilliant Strokes
Ka Bo Tsang
University of Alberta Press
Ring House 2, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6G 2E1
9781551952161, $29.95, www (dot) uap (dot) ualberta (dot) ca

Chinese art is as diverse as its European and American counterparts.
"Brilliant Strokes: Chinese Paintings From The Mactaggart Art
Collection" is a compilation of Chinese art compiled with commentary
by Ka Bo Tsang (Curator of Chinese Painting at the Royal Ontario
Museum) to showcase such varied techniques as 'baimiao' (plain
drawing), 'shuanggou (double outlines), gongbi (meticulous drawing),
'xieyi' (jotting down ideas), and 'mogu' (images rendered in washes
with no contours), among other Chinese painting techniques. The
selected paintings span some five hundred years, from the 15th Century
to the present day. It should be noted that these selected examples
are only a fragment of the entire Chinese Art paintings that comprise
the University of Alberta's Mactaggart Art Collection. Superbly
illustrated throughout, "Brilliant Strokes" is a seminal work of
scholarship that is both highly recommended for academic Art History
collections and non-specialist general readers with an interest in
Chinese Art.

The Fundamentals Of Graphic Design
Gavin Ambrose & Paul Harris
Ava Publishing (UK) Ltd.
55a Chaple Road, Worthing, West Sussex, BN11 1BE, UK
annmiddlebrook@comcast (dot) net (publicity)
9782940373826, $34.95, www (dot) avabooks (dot) ch

Graphic design is a fundamentally important aspect of contemporary
daily life, ubiquitously influencing commercial advertising and
consumer decisions. Co-authored by professional graphic designer Gavin
Ambrose and veteran freelance writer Paul Harris, "The Fundamentals Of
Graphic Design" provides an informed and informative introduction to
all the varied aspects of the graphic design process. Beginning with a
chapter defining graphic design, "The Fundamentals Of Graphic Design"
continues with graphic design influences and creative elements; the
processes comprising graphic design; the usage of graphic design with
respect to print, direct mail, informational design, packaging, screen
design, and environmental design; procuring graphic design employment
through self-promotion and portfolios; and concludes with a chapter on
graphic design production processes. Enhanced for graphic design
studies with an appendix, glossary, and index, "The Fundamentals Of
Graphic Design" is specifically recommended as an introductory text
for graphic design students and is a core addition to academic library
Art & Graphic Design reference collections.

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