Other Media Books - Page 12

Confrontational Ceramics

Judith S. Schwartz

Amazon Price: $34.65 List Price: $55.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: University of Pennsylvania Press Amazon Marketplace: 24 new & used starting at $25.99

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Those who associate ceramics with functional vessels or charming knick-knacks are in for a shock. Clay may start out soft, but in the right hands it can deliver a hard blow. From British Toby Jugs to Marcel Duchamp's Fountain to a wall of gruesome tiles that forms a portrait of President George W. Bush, ceramic art has the power to provoke and subvert.

Confrontational Ceramics surveys the work of contemporary sculptors, potters, and mixed media artists who have turned the ancient medium of clay into an articulate vehicle for political and social commentary. Educator and curator Judith S. Schwartz gathers the works of more than two hundred artists from thirty different countries into a glossy full-color overview of the radical ceramics scene. Provocative pieces from makers such as Grayson Perry, Robert Arneson, Richard Notkin, Howard Kottler, as well as newer talents, address personal, social, and geopolitical injustices from rape to racism. In their own words, these bold artists discuss the outrage behind their outrageous works. Schwartz provides historical context for current and late twentieth-century protest in the form of ceramics. She also places the artists within thematic groupings: war and politics, the social and human condition, gender issues, the environment, and popular and material culture.

Filled with subtle satire, garish jests, grotesque shock treatments, and moving testaments, Confrontational Ceramics is a radical departure from conventional coffee-table ceramics books on decorative housewares or formal abstractions. This art book will amuse, inspire, and possibly offend art historians, ceramics collectors, and anyone with an eye for the outlandish.

The Disasters of War (Dover Books on Fine Art)

Francisco Goya

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

15th century demons from hell 5 out of 5 stars.
19 of 22 people found this review helpful.

Like most dover press books, we have here a wonderful bargain: clear reproductions and good paper stock. Goya was a court painter trying to please his patrons, but in this series of etchings, he indulged his twisted soul in the first recorded anti war propaganda. These etchings are both lovely in their technique and horrifying in their imagery.

Brings the reader to the batlle field 5 out of 5 stars.
12 of 12 people found this review helpful.

The Disasters of war is a difficult book to read, containing the most impressing pictures of war and its consequences. The black/white drawings are as real as life itself, and sometimes even more!

Goya depicts tortures made on public squares, people starving to death, and warriors fighting. But the most amazing is the vividness and actuality of the pictures. The Disasters of war is like a poetry book, it has no time, and no defined significance; it can be interpreted in infinite different ways and it is always an up-to-date work.

In my view, one of the best ways to fight war is using art. War leads on to war, art leads on to art. Understanding what and how war happens is essential in order to fight it (I excluded Why since I believe there is no explanation for it). This book shows the What perfectly. I have written a review of the book 'Why?' by Nikolai Popov which is about the How.

Editorial Review:

Visual indictment of war’s horrors, modeled after Spanish insurrection (1808), the resultant Peninsular War and following famine. Miseries of war graphically demonstrated in 80 prints; includes veiled attacks on various people, the Church and the State. Captions reprinted with English translations.

Luckey's Hummel Figurines and Plates: Identification and Price Guide (12th Edition)

Carl F. Luckey

List Price: $27.95 By: Krause Publications Amazon Marketplace: 30 new & used starting at $6.33

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Fantastic 5 out of 5 stars.
7 of 9 people found this review helpful.

A absolute must have resource - well organized, descriptive, and easy to use. It has served me exceptionally well each time I have had to use it!

Prices in this guide are NOT based in reality. Waste of money. 1 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

These prices are not only inflated, they are downright lies. It's as if they didn't take the internet into account at all! The only redeeming quality of this guide is that it helps you identify the names and the pics are nice, but as i found out, nearly all the information you need is already located on the bottom of your hummel. If you want truth, do some completed auction research on ebay or contact a site like vintagerarestuff. google it :-) You may not like what you'll hear, but at least you will know what you will get for your item and what you can count on! My advice? Save your money and contact someone who will tell you the truth.

Editorial Review:

Expert Hummel historian Dean Genth updates, expands, and enhances this eagerly anticipated new edition of a comprehensive volume for Hummel collectors, enthusiasts and dealers. This officially licensed book features nearly 3,000 figurines, prints, plates, postcards, calendars, and more. It includes full descriptions, current production status, identification information, and pricing, along with a colour photograph section featuring some of the most unique Hummel pieces. Readers will also discover tips on recognising fakes and forgeries and will gain valuable insight on how to better buy and sell on the secondary market. Features a 16-page colour section highlights some of the most unique pieces

Perceiving the Arts: An Introduction to the Humanities (8th Edition)

Dennis J. Sporre

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Informative 4 out of 5 stars.
5 of 6 people found this review helpful.

I used this book for my introduction to fine arts class and thought it was very good. Easy to understand and follow, and gave good information straight out without haveing to search for defintions or other stuff.

Pretty good book 4 out of 5 stars.
4 of 5 people found this review helpful.

I have taught a course on the Humanities using this book, and found it mostly spot on in its specific contents. How to present all of the Humanities using one paperback? But - with just a few exceptions - this presents a good first look and useful rules of thumb in approaching the various disciplines. In areas that are underserved, such as Landscape Art, it actually fills a void. I recommend it and will use it again.

Editorial Review:

KEY BENEFIT: Written for individuals who have little or no knowledge of the arts, Perceiving the Arts has a specific and limited purpose: to provide an introductory, technical, and respondent-related reference to the arts and literature. KEY TOPICS: Intended to give basic information about each of the arts disciplines–drawing, painting, printmaking, photography, sculpture, architecture, music, theatre, dance, cinema, landscape architecture, and literature–the book seeks to give its readers touchstones concerning what to look and listen for in works of art and literature. MARKET: For arts and humanities instructors and enthusiasts.

The Book of Exodus (Limited Edition)

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Subjects -> Religion & Spirituality -> Christianity -> Reference -> Old Testament -> Study
Subjects -> Religion & Spirituality -> Judaism -> Sacred Writings -> Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) -> Study

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

Editorial Review:

The Book of Exodus was originally conceived by artist Sam Fink as a gift to his family, now living in Israel, a vast ocean away from his home in New York City. The Book of Exodus details the Jews' enslavement in Egypt, their harrowing journey with Moses out of Egypt, and the formation of the new laws established for them by their God. With forty-five original watercolor paintings of skies illustrating the hand-lettered text, Sam Fink reaches his family across an ocean and readers around the world with an endless expanse of breath-taking sky scapes. Each page is meticulously hand-lettered, in Hebrew and the Jewish Publications Society's 1917 English translation, and thoughtfully painted by an artist whose commitment to bringing history's most meaningful documents to life is exquisitely realized here in The Book of Exodus.
This limited edition includes 45 loose folios, ambitious in size (22" x 16 3/4") and is eminently frameable. Each is printed sheet by sheet on Felt Weave paper, and laid into a Saifu cloth encased clamshel box. This extraordinary book will rest with great pride in anyone's library.

Visual Literacy: A Conceptual Approach to Graphic Problem Solving

Judith Wilde, Richard Wilde

List Price: $45.00 By: Watson-Guptill Publications Amazon Marketplace: 28 new & used starting at $3.29

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

Wonderful Book 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I bought this book to help me teach a graphic design course to high school students and found that it's visual problems were very useful and interesting. It approaches visual communication and literacy from a direction I have not seen before. The students were really forced to think and be creative, and the other art teachers took notice. I would also recommend this to those not interested in graphic design because the principles in the book can be applied in other media as well.

Editorial Review:

Now in a more affordable format for students, this stimulating hands-on course in creative thinking gets right down to specific design problems and offers viable solutions to them.

Nineteen challenging assignments and over one thousand pieces of solution art executed by the authors' students are presented. Each visual problem shows the actual assignment sheet given to the students and includes an analysis of the problem's underlying intent, addressing principles such as framal reference, negative-positive relationships, cropping techniques, and other important issues.

Electric Firing: Creative Techniques

Edited by Anderson Turner

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Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Other Media -> Ceramics

Editorial Review:

Electric kilns are a wonderful thing! They're so readily available and simple to install that any artist can take advantage of the incredible potential this tool has to offer. Nearly every ceramic artist now uses one in some capacity in their studio because electric firing offers a control and dependability not found with any other type of firing.

As the popularity of electric kilns has increased over the past few decades, manufacturers and suppliers made this tool even more versatile. Advances in controllers, energy efficiency, materials and safety make it possible for studio potters to take advantage of this tool for relatively little investment.

In Electric Firing: Creative Techniques you'll discover the contributions of studio artists who use electric kilns. They eagerly share the results of their experiments, their research and their artistic successes. Build on what they've learned through the up-to-date information on processes, glazes, tools, materials and techniques they provide.

At one time you could make Low-Fire Electric Reds by mixing your own. David Gamble explores the new types of commercially-available reds that will add zing to your work.

Gail Kendall demonstrates her step-by-step for decorating colorful work using a variety of methods in Low-Fire Surface Decoration.

DaNisha Sculpture is the collaboration of two talented artists, Nisha and Dan Ferguson. The electric kiln allowed them to concentrate on their elaborate forms and decoration.

Using the vessel for narrative storytelling inspires Jitka Palmer, who says she enjoys painting on curved surfaces because it makes the images more dramatic.

See examples of Using Colorful Underglazes in a variety of ways by top artists.

Each winter Kesl and Tilton collaborate on work and their story is intriguing. You'll get a rare look at a sustained involvement of a passionate team.

Scott Bennett finds inspiration in jewelry and explores what happens when you make brooches, pins and rings monumental in size.

V'Lou Oliveira uses commercial glazes for the brilliant colors that enhance her playful iconclastic approach to her work.

China Paint is at the lowest end of the temperature range in ceramics and Paul Lewing guides you through the basics to get you started.

Joan Takayama-Ogawa uses china paints to decorate her unusual teapots and constructions sometimes taking up to 9 firings to finish a piece.

Versatile Recipes for engobes, slips, glazes and self-glazing clays can add a lot of character to your work.

Looking at one of the most influential potters of all time, John McQuistion pays in his artistic work. Palissy would be amazed at the modern twist.

When it comes to Surface and Form Kelly King achieves a personal and contemporary sense of design sure to inspire you.

Faith Rahill shows you that Creating Neriage Blocks provide a great way to work three dimensionally with patterns and images.

Laura Kukkee reveals how her subtle change in a technique lead her to impressive results with her slip decorating.

Paul Wandless maintains that Testing Your Clay provides you with information you can observe, touch and feel firsthand in your own environment.

You can expand the capabilities of your electric kiln with gas by Building a Gas/Electric Kiln. It's all about hybrids now.

We live in an era of recycling so it makes sense to have a description for Converting an Electric Kiln for Wood or Gas Firing.

If you missed the lecture on kilns, you'll appreciate this refresher course on the Ten Basics of Firing.

And much much more!

Japanese Prints (Taschen 25th Anniversary)

Gabriele Fahr-Becker

List Price: $14.99 By: Taschen Amazon Marketplace: 9 new & used starting at $11.25

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Disappointing 1 out of 5 stars.
13 of 16 people found this review helpful.

Don't get me wrong, the book is well produced, with a lovely dust jacket, and it's inexpensive. However, if you're looking for Hiroshige and Hokusai and the kind of pictures that I in my ignorance associate with that school of art--landscapes, cityscapes and depictions of the natural world--you will be as disappointed as I was.

There are roughly 160 pages of color plates. Great! Except that about 25 of those pages are devoted to the kind of pictures I mention above. The other 150 pagesor so are devoted to depictions of human figures, mainly women as they get dressed and apply makeup. This is an important element of Japanese art, I suppose, but it is one that does not interest me. The cover of the book, which depicts Hokusai's famous tsunami wave in front of Mt Fiji, is misleading in the extreme. Yes that picture is in the book, but as I say, for every such picture there are literally five or six pictures of geisha women combing their hair. Yawn.

I'm no expert in Japanese art; I just happened to see a small exhibit in a local museum, thought it was great, and ordered this book because I wanted to see more. I'm not interested in human figures. If you are, go for it, it's a great book. But if you're hoping for landscapes, koi fish, snowy mountainsides, views of Edo, etc, avoid this book. Or you can look for a copy at the local used bookstore, which is where I'm taking mine this afternoon.

Puzzles about Art: An Aesthetics Casebook

Margaret P. Battin, John Fisher, Ronald Moore, Anita Silvers

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Puzzles provide exciting introduction to aesthetics. 4 out of 5 stars.
36 of 36 people found this review helpful.

"Puzzles About Art" is a welcome and refreshing departure from the standard approach to philosophical aesthetics which can often make the novice shake her head and wonder how philosophical debates could be relevant to resolving issues in art. Following trends in comtemporary ethics, Battin uses both fictional and factual puzzle cases to introduce and highlight many of the problems which arise when making judgements concerning art. The puzzles are written in such a way that even the philosophically uninitiated can begin to take up and discuss the issues and to feel the tensions inherent in the puzzles.

The puzzles cover a wide-range of aesthetic issues including the definition of art, interpretation, and conflicts between art and other values. Each section begins with a discussion of the main issues highlighted in the following cases and some of the ways in which philosophers have tried to resolve the issues presented.

I came across this book while searching for a suitable resource to help introduce primary-aged students to philosophical aesthetics, but needed a more active approach that would capture the interest and curiousity of children. The puzzles are constructed in such a way that many can be stripped of their more advanced concepts and adapted for this age group, yet retain much of their force and intrigue.

If you are interested in issues in aesthetics or in teaching aesthetics, it is definitely worth looking at this book!

Editorial Review:

The first casebook for use in courses in aesthetics, Puzzles about Art provides more than 180 real and hypothetical cases that illustrate important principles and theories in the philosophy of art. With 25 illustrations as well as concrete examples from legal cases, museum experiences, newspaper articles and various media, including painting, sculpture, photography, music, drama, and film, Puzzles about Art helps students understand specific problems in the visual arts.

Clean Cartoonists' Dirty Drawings

Craig Yoe

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

A lot of fun and just a tiny bit naughty 5 out of 5 stars.
22 of 23 people found this review helpful.

I'd been waiting for this book for a long time, reading about it on the web site, and anticipating it anxiously. I wasn't disappointed.

It's a tricky topic and I can see how it could easily have been mishandled. Make it too dirty and people are offended. Make it too clean and they're disappointed. I think Craig has achieve the perfect balance of showing the work of familiar cartoonists whom we know from the funny pages and the comic books, and giving us just a peek at what they draw for themselves in their private moments.

Art schools are full of nude models in life drawing classes, so it should come as no surprise that most artists have drawn an unclad female at one time or another. The fun is in seeing drawings like this from the pen of well-known cartoonists who specialize in family-friendly material. It's a novelty that in no way detracts from their vast body of work but shows them as rather human.

I also have to mention the beautiful production. You don't usually find such high-quality paper and printing in a book at this price point. The cover alone is impressive, gorgeously printed with embossing and spot varnish. A real art book kind of treatment, nicely designed and executed.

I'm looking forward to the next volume!

Editorial Review:

The classic American comic strip is known for being wholesome family entertainment, accesible to everyone. But these artists, including Sidd (B.C.) Hoff and Mort (Beetle Bailey) Walker, also had a mischievous side they only shared with peers and friends. Now, in Clean Cartoonists' Dirty Drawings, the general public can see the work of these American masters in their moments of blue humor.