"Van Gogh and Gauguin: The Studio of the South" is a great and rare achievement, since it captures the atmosphere of artists lives as no other book or film has done in the past, being magnificently precise in details and facts, yet sensitive to the personal aesthetic visions of Van Gogh and Gauguin. Armed with wonderful maps, charts, photographs and documents the authors explore the "geography" of artistic process and communication between two men. I kept going to the exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago, and back to consult the book: they acted as an artwork in time and space, yet an object on the table - all at once. This book has finally answered lots of questions, and most importantly - it has made two artists and their visions closer to us as never before.

Collaborative conservators and Art Institute of Chicago curators Douglas Druick and Peter Zegers have drawn upon the rich, scholarly literature, letters and writings, and new technical investigations focused on the artists Vincent Van Gogh and Paul Gauguin, to present the most thorough, comprehensive, and insightful exploration of the Arles period to date. Landscapes and portraits painted in tandem by these two outstanding artists, their responses to each other, work together to envision vigorous dialogue occasioned by their strong personalities. Here presented for art students are fresh perspectives on Van Gogh and Gauguin's best-known works, as well as some of the more obscure aspects of their lives and their world. The informative, 424 page text is enhanced with 475 illustrations (300 of which are in full color). No personal, academic, or community library collection on the history of western art can be considered complete without the inclusion of Van Gogh And Gauguin: The Studio Of The South. This superb art history and analysis is also available in a hardcover format (Thames & Hudson, 0500510547, ...).

This lavish book of lush photographs has won Derek Fell another award - the Garden Globe Award for Best Photographer from the Garden Writers Association of America. Derek was one of only five individuals selected out of a field of more than 300 entries to receive a 2002 Garden Globe Award for work produced during 2001. This award could easily make Derek the winner of more awards from Garden Writers than any other garden communicator. The book was selected by a panel of garden communication experts - some Pulitzer Prize winners themselves -- who look for the best books, magazines, writers and photographers in the country. This book is more than a collection of beautiful photographs. Derek uses the painter's personal interpretations, color theory and painting techniques to inspire you to re-create van Gogh's breathtaking paintings in your own backyard. Derek even includes tips on creating the picture perfect van Gogh garden of your own, complete with a list of van Gogh's favorite plants. To view all the Garden Globe Awards...

This book is a great combination of learning about Van Gogh as an articulate gardener, nature lover, and color connoisseur as well as the artist as we already know him. It is a touching story told in a way that allows us to understand how Van Gogh used all these parts of his life and about the intensity with which he lived. His incredible appetite and curiosity about color combinations, the thought that went behind his choices of plants using color and texture as guide, and how he shared these experiences in letters to family. The pictures are gorgeous and yes, it has had an effect on the garden I am currently working on. How can one not be influenced by such genius. My thoughts on what goes into my garden & color perspective will forever be somewhat different, and made better, for having read this book. This book will give everyone who reads it a different way of looking at all gardens, plants, trees - and their selection of all these for their own garden.

Having read VINCENT VAN GOGH AND THE PAINTERS OF THE PETIT BOULEVARD, I regret I did not get to the exhibt in Saint Louis or Frankfurt where it closed in September 2001. This lovely book was created as an exhibition catalogue, but one does not need to have seen the exhibition to benefit from reading the informative essays or looking at copies of beautiful works by Van Gogh, Gauguin and other memebers of the self-styled "Petit Boulevard" artists group.

Essays on topics related to the subject are preceded by text written by the editor and exhibit curator, Cornelia Homberg, ("Vincent van Gogh's Avant-Garde Strategies"). Homberg suggests the 'petit boulevard' was both an avant garde artistic movement following the Impressionists and an actual commercial location in Paris at the end of the 19th Century. The Exhibit featured works by members of the avant garde group (Van Gogh, Gauguin, Seurat, Signac, Pissaro, Toulous-Latrec, Anquetin, Bernard and others "petit" artists).

Homberg challenges the notion that Vincent van Gogh always worked alone and that his art was a "one-off" as other critics have suggested. She says Van Gogh was a member of an artists colony located in the vicinity rue Lepic where he lived with his brother Theo (Montmartre area), that he may have coined the phrase "Petit Boulevard" (he discussed it with Theo in their letters following his removal to Arles), and he saw himself as a leader of this innovative group (which he hoped to bring to Arles as a "brotherhood" of artists).

In his essay entitled "The Cultural Geography of the Petit Boulevard" Richard Thomas describes the material dimensions of the place and time within which the "petit boulevard" artists worked. He describes the "off-off-Broadway/Bourbon Street" atmosphere of the bohemian artistic community -- a proletarian territory dominated by factories, caberets, taverns, le circque, brothels, and other down scale establishments (Chat Noir, Molin Rouge) where 'decadent iconograpy' was born. He says artists such as Toulouse Latrec, Steinlin, Willith, and others developed commercial prints depicting this mileau.

In the third essay, Elizabeth Childs describes the escape of Gauguin and Seurat to Pont Aven and Van Gogh to Arles following their Paris adventures. Here the artists hoped to reconnect with the timeless cycles of nature and leave the crass, commercial, class-ridden city behind. Childs says once Gauguin reached Pont Aven, the Celtic Catholic nature of Brittany spurred Gauguin to develop a medieval stain-glass cloisonnist style of art. She contrasts Gauguin's work with Van Gogh's 'rural' art which he based on a love of Japanese prints (by Hiroshege and others) and what he fancied to be Japanese culture, as well as the Barbizon style which included Daumier and Millet. In the last essay, John House discusses landscapes by Van Gogh (who influenced by his Dutch predecessor Rembrandt and the French Millet) as well as other artists of the period including Gauguin.

The book is filled beautiful reproductions of the paintings and other works included in the Exhibit (prints and photographs of the various items of art, the people involved, and the places they lived and worked). Sadly, one would have to do quite a bit of traveling to recapitulate the Exhibit, and then the synergistic effect would be missing. On the other hand, the book is a solid testament to the art that followed Impressionism. Although I had seen many of the paintings in their home museums (National Gallery, Chicago Art Institute, D'Orsay, Van Gogh Museum, etc.) I had not seen some of the works in private hands, nor the photographs of the period. This book is a valuable addition to my collection.

The Impressionist movement never really impressed me until I went and experienced this exhibit. This book is a great companion to the exhibit, going into much greater detail than the audio tour did, but can be equally appreciated (as a stand alone art history text) if you couldn't make it to St. Louis. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for information on some of the lesser known impressionists (those of the Petit Boulevard), as well as information on this brief period in van Gogh's life.

I spotted this book and, having been impressed by the Van Gogh exhibit at the National Gallery last year, decided to check it out. (That being said, I know very little about art and seldom read about it, so this review should be taken in that light.)

Van Gogh was an amazingly prolific painter. His artistic career lasted scarcely ten years, but in that time he created enough paintings to decorate nearly every page of this 250-page book - and those aren't even all of them.

The book itself is a combination of a biography and an analysis of his paintings. This flows smoothly, perhaps because Van Gogh put so much of himself into his art: his moods are clear from what he depicted and how he depicted it.

The biographical portion makes for interesting reading in and of itself. Van Gogh actually came rather late to art after failing at other occupations, including that of a minister. Once he turns to art, he is almost immediately remarkably capable. Later on, he attempts to set up an artistic community in his famous "yellow house," with the help of Gaugain. It's a collaboration that fails disastrously, with Gaugain leaving and Van Gogh cutting off his earlobe. Van Gogh has a difficult time psychologically for a few years, then, when it seems he has finally turned things around, goes out and shoots himself. The authors suggest it's due to his believe that a dead artist is more valued than a live one, a strange but possibly true premise.

The analysis of the paintings, comfortably intertwined with the biographical information, are interesting as well, at least to someone like me who only barely understands painting. While the analysis occasionally descends into what is to me artsy gobbledegook, by and large the comments are incisive and point out the distinctive qualities of each painting and how it relates to his other work. The tone is positive and descriptive, which I liked. I could easily have imagined a much more critical approach or a tone that indicated this is the way to look at this painting. But the authors fall into neither trap.

So this artistic novice, at least, found this to be an excellent book about a great artist. Recommended for all those with an interest in the subject.

I purchased this book not being aware of the complete painting book but if I knew about the other one ( complete painting ) I probably would have chose that book for sure ! Anyway, as a second choise this is a great value book . The picture are beautifull and the text is full of detail about Van Gogh's life that is exceeded only by the Letter to Theo book published by Penguin. Well,now that you know my opinion, order this book if you are tight with money; other wise you may consider the complete painting if the quality of the picture and the text is as good as this book. Ciao

Vincent Van Gogh: Painter & Portrait accompanies the international loan exhibition and explores the artist's changing view of how the portrait was produced. From his first experiments with character studies around 1880 to his transition to new media and representations, this includes pieces from the artist's letters to provide a fine portrait of Van Gogh's perspective.

The eight by seven and a half format makes it easy to carry around and digest, but tasty enough to encourage the reader to look up more of Van Gogh's letters than those quoted, and references to other paintings. The overview of his Van Gogh's life emphasizes his intellect and relationship with other art lovers rather than illness and matters of the heart. What I love about this book are the close-up reproductions that clearly show details, like how Van Gogh painted the eye, sometimes very photographically, other times as a single stroke. A series of portraits like those of Postman Roulin illuminate the intensity of van Gogh's passion to conquer composition and color. Both words and pictures offer surprises for even those familiar with van Gogh's life and work.

Vincent Guerithault's book is filled with easy gourmet delights. For those too busy to spend hours in the kitchen, but love to eat meals that taste like we have, this is the cookbook to buy! I was fortunate enough to meet Vincent and sample one of his dishes at the California Wine and Food Festival. Of the fifty or so chefs in attendance, including Wolfgang Puck, his creme brulee and basil raviolli was by far the best in at the festival.

Vincent Guerithault has a keen understanding of classic cooking techniques and the ability to infuse the flavors of the southwest. His innovative and delicious recipes are truly easy to follow and the results have been rewarding.

This is a wonderful picture of what might have been, written with deft style. You come away feeling you better understand the painter, the paintings and the true anguish he suffered.

This is a must read for artists and those interested in the arts. It is a inspirational account of a great painter who had to overcome pain and suffering to give the world beauty. I found van Gogh in a new light after reading his missing journals and I appreciate him now more then ever. I understand his passion and demons, his committment to a dream and his ability to overcome obsticals in order to make some of the best art of the 19th century. I also found the book to be a spiritual read. It raised the issue of the how influences by organized religion can come into conflict with creativity, yet it showed van Goghs love of God and nature.

This is the most beautifully illustrated and comprehensive guide I've found for the wildlife of southern Africa. The invertebrate info is hard to find elsewhere, and the fact that this guide includes plants is a welcome bonus. If you buy one guide to carry with you on your trip, this should be it.

While visiting So.Africa, I had a million questions on what I looking at. I found this book and carried it with me throughout the trip. When we went on game runs, I would check off what we saw and make reference notes (e.g. the Baboons were eating Jackalberries - I could reference both the mammal and the tree section). The variety of birds in the country (over 900) was astounding and having the book made it much more fun and interesting to look up. This is the only book I found that combined lower invertabrates, spiders and other arachnids, insects (including a large butterfly collection), fish, frogs, reptiles, birds, mammals,grasses-sedges-ferns&fungi,wild flowers, trees. Several people on the tour had me write down what we saw so they in turn could get this book and make notes. A good book combining everything in one neat package for those who like to play outside!

Baring-Gould has taken it upon himself to explain what the childhood of Sherlock Holmes was like, as well as what really happened during the Great Hiatus, Holmes vs. the Ripper, and even Dr. Watson's first wife. (ACD wrote but never published a play in which Watson traveled to San Francisco and met Constance Adams in 1884.) A nice touch is the timeline at the end of the book, starting from the meeting of Holmes' parents, and an index of books and magazines from 1920-1960. Basically, a necessity for true Sherlockians.

Clearly written and concise. Dr. Prince is a great pioneer in the development of MRA. Book begins with a general discussion of contrast enhanced 3D MRA and then has specific chapters on different anatomic areas. Book covers the key issues in detail such as timing of contrast administration and ways to improve images such as elliptical centric filling of k-space etc.