Art History Textbooks ReviewsArt History Textbooks Reviews

great seller
The book was in new condition with no damage to the cover and no markings in the book, arrived fast, would buy from from this seller again.

Comprehensive listing, limited explanation.
This book is most appropriate as a companion to other overviews of Indian art. It is useful in that it lists art and architecture items by region. However, it gives little information as to why they are significant, or how they figure into the overall developmental pattern of Indian art.

hmmm
Love this book. Using it as a reference has saved me on more than one occasion.

A great book for painters
Scenic Art for the Theatre is a book you should own if:

1) You are interested in the history of scenic art.
2) You are a designer who needs to understand painting better.
3) Are interested in a career painting scenery, especially drops.
4) Most of all if you are a designer who needs to "paint their own stuff."

Scenic Art for the Theatre is by far the best painting book on the market. Susan Crabtree is a fabulous painter with years of experience, and also a GREAT teacher. I was very fortunate to take a class of hers at Cobalt studios, and even after designing and painting scenery for 25 years, she definitely improved my knowledge base.

Buy this book!

John Holloway

Pretty pictures with idiotic PC commentary
At the simplest level, 'Picturing Plants' can be enjoyed simply as a pretty book, with 100 illustrations (many in excellent color) from the Victoria and Albert Museum, where Saunders is a curator.
Saunders covers 500 years of botanical illustration, and her incisive comments would help sharpen any connoisseur's eye.
Probing a level deeper, there is the evolution of intent, as well as of method. Early book illustrations were woodcuts, unsuited to capturing the delicate organs of plants.
But at first there was no need to depict them. The herbals of the 16th century tended to ignore blossoms in favor of roots, because plants were valued for their medicinal properties. Today, of course, flowers are everything.
The brief text of 'Picturing Plants' is full of substance, including at least a few references to Asian modes of illustrating plants, for comparison to western European practices. But Saunders' text still hangs in midair, without support at either end.
It is true that she is a curator of drawn illustrations, but in an analytical survey, however brief, one would have expected at least a mention of attempts to depict plants in other media. Before the printed book there were stone illustrations -- the leaves of Southwell Abbey, for example -- and just before the perfection of color photography there were the glass flowers that are the most popular attraction at Harvard's Agassiz Hall.
Saunders' theme is that depictions of plants, even by color photography, always are based on compromises. The compromises, in turn, are influenced by cultural conventions. 'The objective reality is always enveloped by local and national differences in perception, and in the graphic conventions and techniques available.'
It's indisputable, but Saunders' relentless pursuit of political correctness twists that thought into some odd shapes. Anyone not inclined to worship at the altar of anticolonialism will find this book constantly irritating.
Thus, in commenting on Chinese and Japanese plant illustrations done for Europeans, she charges that 'by imposing Western pictorial conventions such as perspective, the West colonized native perceptions of the flora, and effectively devalued "other" ways of seeing and representing what was seen.'
This can be demonstrated to be wrong in every respect. For one thing, there are the actual plants to look at. For another, I can walk into Shirokiya (or could until it went broke) and buy any amount of Japanese goods illustrated with plant motifs that owe nothing to western ideas.
And it's possible that mathematical perspective had an intrinsic appeal to craftsmen who had not thought of it themselves, and was adopted not merely by compulsion.
But if you assume that western imperialism was irresistible even in such a minor corner as picturing plants, the logic of your ideology results in even stranger results.
A sad example refers to my backyard, where Saunders assumes that the great collector Joseph Banks acquired his specimens (of cultural and botanical things) as 'booty.'
This contradicts the facts of how they were acquired, and also devalues the shrewdness of the 'others,' who bargained and, I would assert even if Saunders can't, made satisfactory trades. If they thought a wife was worth a nail, it is only triumphalist Eurocentrism to say they were wrong to do so.
It is also hilarious to see Saunders refer to Mughal painting as 'native' to India.
Still, as long as Saunders sticks to the subject at hand, 'Picturing Plants' well repays time spent. Like a seed, this book encompasses a lot of information in a little space.

Comprehensive book
First: it is great book full of a lot of examples and connections. And I love it and I can recomend it for everyone who wants to know something about graphic design.
But sometimes it lost connection between graphic and polictic, which is important in 1920s and 1930s.

A must read...
for design students. The book gives a complete analysis of the graphic design's history.

Great book on American Art
This book is extremely well written, well rounded, and well researched. A great book for a art history student or someone who is just curious because it examines the subject matter from several points of view - not just the standard white male version of history. Folks that are normally breezed by in other texts are discussed here in length - finally! I loved reading this book and gaining insights into the history of what makes American Art unique in it's vision. I am a college art teacher and will be recommending this book for my next semester. Thank you to Frances Pohl!

Superb!
Wow! Another incredible book published by Thames and Hudson! I love their art compendiums. Here, the author gives us a Canadian viewpoint on US history that is erudite and fascinating. Huge detailed book yet quite refreshing to read. I'm using it in a History of American Art from a Multicultural Perspective class. Lots of history and beautifully detailed artworks, including timelines. The printing is superb (Singapore). I highly recommend it! Great reading and a wonderful addition to your home library.

Fantastic Resource
This is one of the only books I've seen that approaches teaching art in a holistic, content-rich manner. The author has compiled a wonderful set of resources. Each section begins with a brief overview of the period or style being discussed....very helpful refresher. This is followed by a story about the artist that really captures the kids' attention. There is no need for extensive research on your own, the author has done it for you. She provided extensive lists of resources for each topic, along with a brief comment about each. I am a National Board Certified Teacher, with experience and think this book is one of the best finds ever, a must-have resource for art teachers!

A Lifesaver!
This book has been a lifesaver for my art classes. The students love for me to read the stories as they are working on their art project! Which keeps them very quiet!! Never before have I seen so many great stories of so many great artist all in one book! Any art teacher will love it!!

Perfect book For Elementary Teachers seaking to add more art
Has your school district cut back on the arts. This book will help you intergrate art into social studies and Langauge Arts. In addition to the excelent lessons, the format is easily adaptable to author/illustrators.