Art Books - Page 4

Pop Surf Culture: Music, Design, Film, and Fashion from the Bohemian Surf Boom

Brian Chidester, Domenic Priore

Amazon Price: $26.37 List Price: $39.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Santa Monica Press Amazon Marketplace: 25 new & used starting at $17.90

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Fashion -> History
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> History & Criticism -> General AAS
Subjects -> Entertainment -> Pop Culture -> Art

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Obscure Surf images and history unearthed! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Who else to publish an eye-opening, history-breaking account of the beginnings of Surf culture than Sixties historian Domenic Priore and his Dumb Angel Gazette partner/publisher Brian Chidester.

Meticulously researched and packed full of incredible imagery, this book is a must for everyone from Pop culture history buffs to your average gremmie!

Buy a copy for every surfer friend for Christmas so they know their roots.

Editorial Review:

From original beachcomber personalities like the Waikiki Beachboys to the rise of Venice Beach as a creative center for music, art, and film, this insightful chronicle traces the roots of the surf boom and explores its connection to the Beat Generation and 1960s pop culture. Through accounts of key figures both obscure and popular, such as Mike Dormer, Rick Griffin, the Trashwomen, and the Beach Boys, the book illustrates why surf culture is a vital art movement of the 20th century. The entire spectrum of pop culture is covered, including discussions of the advent of surf magazines and the immense popularity of the “beach” movies starring Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon.

Art of the Modern Movie Poster: International Postwar Style and Design

Judith Salavetz, Spencer Drate, Sam Sarowitz, David Kehr

Amazon Price: $47.25 List Price: $75.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Chronicle Books Amazon Marketplace: 33 new & used starting at $42.56

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Design & Decorative Arts -> Graphic Design -> Commercial -> Advertising
Subjects -> Entertainment -> Movies -> General
Subjects -> Entertainment -> Movies -> General AAS

Editorial Review:

This is the ultimate book for poster fans and film buffs around the world. With over 1500 international posters from 1945-2005 - often comparing interesting variations in the way the same movie was visually presented from country to another - this volume offers a definitive survey of both film and popular graphic art in the modern era, and is an absolute must-have for fans of either one. Drawn from the collection of the prestigious Posteritati Gallery in New York (one of the world's foremost collections of movie posters), chapters introduce the design schools, quirks, and practices of various nations - from the U.S. to Poland to Japan to Turkey - and then illustrate the graphic output of each nation in a variety of posters.

Juxtapoz Tattoo (Juxtapoz)

Henry Lewis

Amazon Price: $19.77 List Price: $29.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Gingko Press Amazon Marketplace: 29 new & used starting at $18.78

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Design & Decorative Arts -> Graphic Design -> General AAS
Subjects -> Entertainment -> Pop Culture -> Art

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Good book about modern day tattoo art 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

From the front cover to the back and everywhere in between, this book is well illustrated with many page size photo's of high quality. Even though in good tattoo magazines you might find some similar photos - and even better - this book offers an overview of today's tattoo art, in different styles, by some of the USA's more or even most talented tattoo artists.

Editorial Review:

The second book in an ongoing series from the seminal West Coast art and culture magazine, Juxtapoz Tattoo focuses on a subject very dear to the inked hearts of its readers. Most of the featured artists came up at the beginning of Tattoo s modern renaissance in the mid 1990 s, hungry for a new approach, but steeped nonetheless in the traditions of their craft. Whether these gifted tattooists are creating a modern twist on a classic archetype, or pushing the boundaries of the future primitives aesthetic, innovation is the common goal. Featured tattooists include; Troy Penning, Alex McWatt, Brian Randolph and Chris O Donnell of New York Adorned, Scott Campbell, Daniel Trocchio, Steve Boltz, Bert Krak, Henry Lewis, Joseph Ari Aloi, Jason Schroder, Eli Quinters and more.

SKULLS

Noah Scalin

Amazon Price: $10.17 List Price: $14.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Lark Books Amazon Marketplace: 39 new & used starting at $6.90

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Artists, A-Z -> General
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Artists, A-Z -> General AAS
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> History & Criticism -> Themes

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

On June 4th, 2007, artist Noah Scalin came up with an ingenious idea: he cut a skull out of orange paper and posted it online with the note, “I’m making a skull image every day for a year.” His uniquely witty works became a wild success: five months later, nearly 250,000 people have visited the site, many sending in skull photos of their own and turning Scalin’s blog into one of the world’s top sites.
Why skulls? Noah answers, “why not?” He’s always found them fascinating—and these days, they’re found on everything from t-shirts to bumper stickers. But nothing equals Noah’s incredibly beautiful, odd, and often humorous pieces: they’re made from an astounding variety of materials, from toothpaste to melted candle wax, from tea leaves to plastic straws. One is even carved into a watermelon! (Yes, it was eaten.)
Each of the 150 skulls shown is accompanied by a brief description and fun anecdotal stories. As a bonus, there are four skull projects to make. Irresistibly merging pop, Internet, and craft culture, this fantastic collection provides an inspiring example of how to find creative potential in every aspect of daily life.

Manga Matrix: Create Unique Characters Using the Japanese Matrix System

Hiroyoshi Tsukamoto

Amazon Price: $16.47 List Price: $24.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Collins Design Amazon Marketplace: 47 new & used starting at $14.15

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Design & Decorative Arts -> Graphic Design -> General AAS
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Drawing -> General
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Drawing -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

a pleasant and thought provoking tutorial 5 out of 5 stars.
9 of 9 people found this review helpful.

The main purpose of this book is to systematically pre-design your characters and do it in a way that is logical, formulaic and archetypically sound.
I almost wrote that I didn't think it was 'for beginners', but thought the better of it when I remembered those that inspired me in my youth and younger days... They were not giving me 'step by step' instruction, instead they inspired me by their work instilling in me the desire to do my own work, and to imagine.
What Tsukamoto-san has done here is just that, with the added benefit of laying out a methodology of creation. I can see this of greatest benefit to those starting out who have various characters laid out in the scheme, but who lack the skills to 'invent' the soul of that character. This book is to explain and punctuate that skill.
When first I paged through after opening my mailer envelope from Amazon... my initial impression was the flash of inspiration I got when I first (in the early 1970's) saw the work of Brian Froude... or when I was perusing the works of Roger Dean or Frank Frazetta or Boris Vallejo... or reading over and over again the works of jean Giraude's (Who created work under the name Moebius) "The Air Tight Garage" in Metal Hurlant.
Not to mention Fred Schrier or Dave Sheridan's spectacular works of wonder. It is that that makes me say to who ever takes the time to read this review, please do yourself a favor, get this book. Keep it by your desktop, close at hand and read it in the still of the evening when you want to dream, or in the heat of creation when you need to find that one thing to fill the gap. It is that good! Even though the mythologies are primarily 'foreign' (being from the ancient Shinto and archaic Japanese cultures, though not completely!) to the western mind, maybe it will inspire 'aspiring artists' to plunge into studies of ancient cultures of their own ancestry! It is a wonderfully presented book.
And to those who have been out there for a bit I would say, "YES! It is worth the price!"
I give it 'two thumbs up"!

Editorial Review:

Manga Matrix presents an easy grid method for mastering manga, an increasingly popular comic style. Using this unique Japanese system, artists can plot and cross-section elements on a matrix diagram to create an infinite number of original characters, creatures, and multiformed beasts. Angels, demons, dragons, monsters, and robots are all included in this book, along with descriptions of costumes and personalities for each.

Manga Matrix is unlike any other manga instructional guide and is an invaluable resource for both the budding artist and the polished professional.

Keith Haring

Jeffrey Deitch, Julia Gruen

Amazon Price: $63.00 List Price: $100.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Rizzoli Amazon Marketplace: 31 new & used starting at $57.94

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Artists, A-Z -> ( G-I ) -> Haring, Keith
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Artists, A-Z -> General
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Artists, A-Z -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Closely based on Haring’s own concept for the monograph he wanted to publish before his untimely death, this volume represents more than a decade of research and contains a wealth of unpublished photographic and written material including drawings, studio photographs, and journal entries. From chalk drawings deep in the New York City subways to murals in Pisa and Berlin; collaborations with William Burroughs and the famous body painting of Grace Jones, this book follows the incredible trajectory of Keith Haring’s artistic career: how a young man from a small town in rural Pennsylvania came to revolutionize the art world—and the course of art history—within little more than a decade. An incredibly prolific artist, Keith Haring created countless bold, provocative, endearing, and unforgettable images that continue to inspire artists—and delight children—worldwide. Tracing the arc from his early subway "tags" to his poignant work on social issues as diverse as AIDS, illiteracy and apartheid, this visually stunning book is the definitive work on Keith Haring.

100 Years of Harley Davidson

Willie G. Davidson

Amazon Price: $40.95 List Price: $65.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Bulfinch Amazon Marketplace: 50 new & used starting at $14.95

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> History & Criticism -> General AAS
Subjects -> Business & Investing -> Biography & History -> Company Profiles
Subjects -> Entertainment -> Pop Culture -> Art

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

The name Harley-Davidson is recognized the world over as an icon of the American lifestyle and the American Dream. In 2002, the legendary motorcycle manufacturer celebrates the 100th anniversary with a travelling exhibition, an array of television programming and online events, and this publication. The author is the grandson of the founder and the man who has personally styled some of their most popular bikes. "Willie G." - a god among Harley fanatics and the spirtual and stylistic life blood of the the company - tells the inside story of the family business. The book contains over 500 illustrations including rare and unseen photographs from the Harley Davidson archives which feature races, rallies, famous faces and more. Willie G's narrative includes family reminiscences about the company's origins; insight into the making of Harley's classic models; personal views about custom bike styles and the freewheeling biker life; and behind-the-scenes accounts of the company's dark days and stunning revival.

Tintin: The Complete Companion

Michael Farr, Herge

Amazon Price: $19.77 List Price: $29.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Last Gasp Amazon Marketplace: 31 new & used starting at $18.78

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Artists, A-Z -> General
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Artists, A-Z -> General AAS
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Museums & Collections -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 27 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A mixed bag 4 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

A strange book! The information and illustrations in it is great, but there are curious qualities to it. The writer is a native speaker of English, but from errors in sentence structure and some obvious mistakes in word usage, this publication was translated from French. There are curious recurring preoccupations and repetitions, almost suggesting that each chapter appeared separately, possibly in a magazine. For example, the comparison of Herge's work and that of his studio with that of Raphael and his assistant Giulio Romano occurs at least three times! The reproduction of pictorial archival material from Herge's collections and elsewhere alongside panels from the books is fascinating. But Farr often dedicates a lot of space to discussion of the source of a particular image or set of images -- and then there's no illustration. At other times there are illustrations that are scarcely mentioned in the text.

Still, we have to be grateful for all the data given here. I remember an old Tibetan lama looking at "Tintin in Tibet" with my children, and pointing out corners he knew in the panoramic picture of Katmandu, being puzzled by the Abominable Snowman, and laughing at the pictures showing levitation. In the '60's I camped all through through Yugoslavia; my young kids were reading "King Ottakar's Scepter" and constantly pointed out details in the landscape that matched the book. Herge did his homework, and it's great to have the sources laid out.

Despite its flaws, this book is a keeper.

Editorial Review:

An overview of the life of Herge, Tintin's creator.

Pop Art (Taschen 25th Anniversary)

Tilman Osterwold

Amazon Price: $10.19 List Price: $14.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Taschen Amazon Marketplace: 20 new & used starting at $9.42

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> History & Criticism -> General AAS
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Schools, Periods & Styles -> Contemporary Art
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Schools, Periods & Styles -> Pop

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Comprehensive and colorful 5 out of 5 stars.
13 of 13 people found this review helpful.

First, an admission: I judge books about pop art mainly by the pictures. And by that measure, this book offers one of the broadest and most pleasing collection of pop art pieces to be found between two covers. The large 9-1/2" x 12" format allows for excellent reproduction of the art with ample detail. The vast majority of the photos are in color, and the few that aren't don't suffer greatly for it.

But even though I'm a pictures-first kind of guy, the supporting text has to be informational and relevant. Again, by this measure, this book delivers. The text by Osterwold is lucid and perceptive, without being overly-academic (which is the downfall of many a pop art book). The translation from German was done expertly, for it reads well in English without any obvious awkwardness in style.

Prior to this book, the best overall historical discussion of the subject was found in Lucy Lippard's _Pop Art_ (also available on Amazon), first published in the early 70s and reprinted in 1985. That book remains a worthy addition to any pop art aficionado's library, but if you're only looking for one book as a general treatment of the subject, Osterwold's is the one to get.

Editorial Review:

TASCHEN's 25th anniversary ? Special edition! Large-format hardcover edition at a special bestseller price ?Everything is beautiful, ? raved Andy Warhol, in raptures at the glamour of modern life, consumer society, and the world of the media and its stars; his proclamation can be considered the maxim of the pop generation, which included artists Jasper Johns, Roy Lichtenstein, Claes Oldenberg, Robert Rauschenberg, James Rosenquist, Tom Wesselmann, and Richard Hamilton, among others. The pop artists of the 1960s had a profound effect on the cloth of art history and their influence can be clearly seen in art today. Here, Tilman Osterwald explores the styles, themes, and sources of pop art around the world.

Pink Box: Inside Japan's Sex Clubs

Joan Sinclair

Amazon Price: $23.10 List Price: $35.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Harry N. Abrams, Inc. Amazon Marketplace: 54 new & used starting at $10.00

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Photography -> Erotic Photography
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Photography -> Travel -> Far East
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Photography -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 26 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

This Isn't a Book for Prudes or Feminists 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.

"All I ask is that viewers not assume that the profession is inherently degrading. It's more complicated than that. These women are not powerless, they are not on drugs. They have made conscious choices: they have their own dignity. The clubs are a reflection of modern Japan, a literate society, where the rules are written out, prices are not negotiable, and fantasies are predetermined, prescripted, and prepaid." Those are the words of Joan Sinclair, the young female photojournalist of this amazing book. In addition to startling pictures of a startling world unimagined to most of the western world the reader is provided some valuable historical information about what they are seeing. One of my favorite pictures is a close up a man's smiling face with a woman in the background laughing at his silly antics for the camera while she enjoys a cigarette. The customer quote from the 65 year-old Mr. Taniguchi is "I think men are universally perverted; it's just that in Japan, we do something about it." According to economists, in 2001, "the commercial sexual services sector in Japan accounted for nearly $20 billion." "Pink" or "pinku" translates as "Sexual: Commercial Sex." Most of these pictures were made in 2004.
It's amazing that this book was ever made. In the United States the people involved would probably never have allowed the foreign photographer in the front door, much less let her take any photographs. What is very obvious from the pictures is that the people involved in this fantasy land of sex are having a good time and even enjoying being photographed for publication. Their profession simply doesn't have the negative stigma attached to it, as is the case in the western world. Japan never experienced an extended period of time when various forms of sex was considered taboo or wrong. It was just a natural bodily function that was intended to be enjoyed by both partners. It was considered an important element of good health and long life. Guilt over sex wasn't a part of Japanese culture. Here you have both the hosts and hostesses as well as their customers cutting up for the camera lady. It was obviously a lark for them. They obviously weren't worried about being recognized by their family members and being ostracized from society because of their behavior.
This book provides an incredible look at an unknown to the western world phenomena. It shows high school girls selling their used high school uniforms and underwear to a "Used Underwear Shop." It shows a television auction for a woman's panties (they sold for 26,000 Yen) and she included a freshly plucked pubic hair as a bonus. There is a smiling portrait of a beautiful young woman holding up the 53,000 Yen she had just received for her used, soiled underwear. Sociologist James Farrer provides a very helpful introduction to this alien universe. The various clubs and lounges photographed and discussed include Hostess Clubs, Host Clubs, Nude Theaters, Touch Pubs and Pink Salons, Soaplands, Peeping Rooms, Fashion Health, Hotel Health, Cosplay (costume play), Image Clubs, (with fantasy rooms such as "Pervert Trains" full-sized scale models of subway cars for groping other passengers, Happening Bars and Couple Cafes, and a whole universe of fantasy, S&M, Kinky stuff that I can't begin to mention in this review. Some of my favorite pictures were of women dressed in their favorite Anime Character costumes. Other interesting and almost unbelievably surreal pictures were from the Club Mammoth, Tokyo's club for those usually skinny guys who like really big, big (obese) Sumo sized women. There were also clubs where customers can paint nude bodies with traditional calligraphy brush and ink, Karaoke with some unusual twists, sushi or sashimi meals served on a nude woman. This 192-page photographic coffee table book is beautifully done and manages to tastefully skirt actual pornographic pictures (not an easy task). Some of the text in the book's picture captions is so small it's difficult to read without a magnifying glass, but most of the text is actually oversized. I suspect the weird combination of type sizes and fonts had to do with the fact the book is probably translated into several different languages? Whatever, this book will provide readers and viewers with a voyeur's eye view of the underside of Japan. Just as with Brassai's coverage of the underbelly of Paris in the 1930's, this tome is not for prudes or puritans because western ideas of sexuality standards and culture don't apply. This world is an adult amusement theme park. The mostly young people pictured in the book are obviously proud of their profession and the money it makes them. They may even feel that they are on a par with rock stars and super models? The book is full of cartoon-like settings and cartoon like characters. One has to view it with an open mind and not try to psychoanalyze it to death. The obvious question of what happens to these young hosts and hostesses when they begin to show their age isn't answered or even discussed. This is a talented photojournalist's coverage of what is there and the reader/viewer will feel like they have actually been there looking over the shoulder of the thirty-year old American lawyer/photographer. That fact is not important to the book's pictures, but it does give you additional insight into the mind of the photographer. There is a lot of both intentional and unintentional humor displayed by the various photographic subjects. This volume is a peek at a surreal world that could probably only exist in Japan. It's probably already reached the status of the traditional Japan Shunga (Floating World) Pillow Books of the Edo Era. The two types of book are obviously related.
As one views this book they may feel an urge to pinch themselves to be certain they aren't dreaming and what they are viewing is real, not fiction. It is fantasy, but it is also very real.

Editorial Review:

In Pink Box, photographer Joan Sinclair takes us on a journey inside the secret world of fuzoku (commercial sex) in Japan, a world where kawaii (cute) collides with consumerism and sex.

Unrivaled in their creativity and the sheer number of choices, the clubs featured in this book offer their clientele every fantasy imaginable. Subway groping, visits to the nurse’s office, and comic book character encounters are just the beginning of the immense list of possibilities that are played out in colorful playrooms for adults where no detail is overlooked. Sinclair’s photographs capture it all, while an introduction by sociologist James Farrer provides a brief history of commercial sex in Japan and places the images in the context of contemporary Japanese culture.