The text of this book manages to be both dull and embarrassingly amateurish. But the paintings? They are spectacular. The book is worth owning even at this price simply for the art. It's high time Godward was recognized and appreciated, and this book will no doubt contribute much to his wider appeal.

What a remarkable book this is. A comprehensive book about one of the greatest masters of 19th century-John William Godward.

The book contains a great collection of his works as high quality pictures as well as a comprehensive biography from his grandfather to the life of his family after his death in details. The book is well published and written.

Your library misses it.

A well researched, beautiful book. Essential for anyone interested in the works of Godward.

A friend of mind who loves the late Frida Kahlo gave me this book to read to become familar with her work. Needless to say, I was very impressed with the artist and the way Ms. Hardin captures her in this book. The book has inspired me to do more research on Frida by capturing some of Frida's greatest work here. I recommend this book to anyone who desires to begin study on the work and life of Frida Kahlo.

This is a book that would be excellent as an introduction to Kahlo's work, or for those who are familiar with it and want more, as there are some pieces included that are not often seen, like drawings and some glorious still lifes.
It also shows examples of the things that influenced her, like Mayan figurines, engravings from Chichen Itza, "Day of the Dead" items, etc...and has some personal photos that are marvelous as well.

Terri Hardin writes simply and directly, and has done an good job of researching Kahlo's life. The book is 9 x 12, and its 128 pages are mostly devoted to Kahlo's art, so the biography of her is detailed with a minimum of text, but includes the essentials for one to get to know this great artist. She writes of her tumultuous relationship with Diego Rivera, as well as the many other events that made her life a full but tragic one, and in describing her pictures, manages to interpret them quite well.

Though so well known for her portraits, the two pictures that thrill me the most in this book are still lifes...one from 1942 on page 110 (there's an incredible, lush and vivid detail of it on pages 96-97), and "Still Life with Parrot" from '51 on page 113. The fruit and vegetables seem to dance with energy, and there are always a few cut open, exposing the insides, and their seeds.

The quality of this book is wonderful, with thick, glossy paper (making it feel heavy for its size), and the color reproduction is vibrant. For anyone interested in Kahlo's work, this is a lovely book to own and treasure.

When I bought this book I was expecting pictures of flowers. Instead I end up reading a book on Mr. Morris' life. His love of flowers and wonderful drawings have made this book better than I could have imagined it.

When wealthy King Artaxerxes gets bored with all his treasures, he takes a walk (not unlike the Buddha, I suppose), and along his route, he is offered still more treasures and riches. He turns them all down, then feels thirsty. Only when a poor young boy offers him a drink of water does he show any gratitude. He holds his water cup with pride and joy, and cherishes it beyond all matter of treasure.

Christopher Manson packed the pages with imagery. Most pages are crowded with pictures of numerous Persians, dressed in traditional garb, accompanied by their objects of art and craft. Drawn with brilliant detail, the illustrations convey a richly remembered (or imagined?) Persia of the past. Most hues are some variety of brown, gold, or earthtone, giving Artaxerxes' desert journey a realistic look.

The story is predictable, but the quality retelling, illustrations, and lesson more than offset that shortcoming.

_A Gift for the King_ is a valuable addition to any library, home or otherwise.

Ken32

The watercolors of JMW Turner have the concise, simplified vision of contemporary art even though they were painted in the mid 1800's. This survey shows the progression of this master of light and delicate color from tightly delineated landscapes to the atmospheric , nearly abstract vistas of his late career. The reproductions are supported by quotes selected from writings contemporary to the paintings. This book provides an inspirational overview of the work of Turner and belongs in the library of the serious watercolor artist.

The idea behind "Nat Tate" is an excellent one-- the life of an obscure (and fictional) American artist set against the backdrop of the triumph that was American (and specifically, New York) painting after World War II. The problem, however, is that this particular treatment of a Zelig-like character, as published, reveals only a kind of abstraction, and little that suggests a living, breathing individual. Tate's obscurity notwithstanding, the testimonies of those who brought to life the "facts" of this artist's life belie their relationship with the man as less than we might have imagined them to be. The book is filled with interesting photos documenting Tate's life and his relationships with the famous and notso-famous, at times blurred to suggest a kind of off-handedness, or that the photos had no particular importance when they were taken. Troubling, however, is that an error (even if only a typo) which captions a photo as being that of Frank O'Hara, circa 1935, is troubling since, in 1935, Frank O'Hara, a famous American poet and art critic, was only 9 years old. In a book full of deliberately fictional assertions meant to be taken as truth, one needs to accurately depict those historical truths surrounding the fiction to maintain this sort of story's credibility.

William Boyd demonstrates his versatility with this wonderful satire on modern biographies of arty types. Nat Tate is a fictional artist drawn by Boyd to possess every possible cliche-ridden characteristic, and whose life never deviated from that expected of him by the gullible art consuming public.In fact, so cleverly is the book presented that where I bought it in the Sydney (Australia) Art Gallery, there is a sign that directs purchasers to see the sales clerk before buying it- presumably to let you into the secret that the book's a joke, before you embarrass yourself before friends! The shallowness and predictability of the artist's (guess what) short life will bring a chuckle to the reader on every silly page. William Boyd's reputation as a great modern comic writer is firmly reinforced by "Nat Tate".

This book was a typical biography, good for reports and whatnot, it has some of Turner's Paintings, and it has a lot of information.

This book provides basic background information on Turner's progression as an artist, and it does contain a nice selection of Turner's landscapes. However, the reproductions are poor in quality, hardly doing the authentic works justice.