Book Description
From the Greenbrier resort in West Virginia and Quitandinha in Brazil to her important fabrics for F. Schumacher & Co. and her automobile and airplane interiors of the 1950s, Draper continues to influence designers today.
Customer Reviews:
The Height of Glamour.......2007-07-12
When High STYLE was "in-style" Dorothy Draper was the queen of design... Every page reflects her understanding of space, light and perfection!!! This isa great read for the design professional as well as the casual reader. Her life story and her work are inseperable - she loved beautiful things and had an un-erring eye for the dramatic. "In the Pink: Dorothy Draper --America's Most Fabulous Decorator" is a visual treat as much as it is a fun read! As an iterior designer I see her design principles are as easily applied today as it was in the age of glamour. I would give it a 5!!! all across the board.
The gorgeous terror of excess, or "How I was blinded with ornament".......2007-06-01
While Kelly Wearstler was still in the womb, Dorothy Draper was jetsetting the style world in a solid gold Deusenburg that was fueled exclusively on Chanel no. 5. Her contribution to the interiors and custom fabricated furnitures and fixtures has forever seared a scar into the homes of hollywood and beyond. Liberace himself would be sent into a seizure over Dorothy's hallucinagenic oppulence and fearless approach to her indulgent, decorative torture chambers. Get this book and blow your mind.
Absolutely gorgeous book.......2007-04-06
It took a while for me to finally decide to drop that kind of coin on a book, but its absolutely gorgeous and worth the price. Very cool to page through and see her imprint on decorating and design through the 30's up to now. You page through a Domino magazine and see a cool black and white modern print on a white french chair and think 'wow' and then you page through the book and see that she was doing it in the 40's. Just makes me wish I had my own chandelier fabricator and my own master plasterer as those seem to be her tricks of the trade. Beautifully put together and one of the few decorating books I actually wanted to READ every word and not just page through for the pretty pics.
As History & Biography: Bravo! As Design Inspiration: Blah!.......2007-04-02
I bought this book for my wife, who is an artist and color consultant, because I thought she'd enjoy seeing an iconic designer known for her bold use of color and thematic environments -- especially done on a grand scale. And, yes, you will find page after page after page of grand ballrooms, hotel lobbies, mansion-size dining rooms, and so on here.
80% of them, unfortunately, are photographed in black & white. So much for the bold use of color.
There are two great color photos -- pages 161 and 207 -- that show off Draper's lush, vibrant style. But the rest of the book is either slightly out of focus color photos, color illustrations and old ads, or black & white photos. It's just sad in how it under-represents Dorothy Draper.
"But be fair," you say. "Dorothy Draper's peak took place before the advent of color photography." That's fine. But this book is a perfect example of the rare publishing project that truly is BEGGING for Photoshop colorization. On page 53, for example, the text refers to a House & Garden magazine article which declared one of Draper's most visible design projects, Hampshire House, to be "a gold mine of decorating ideas, particularly in color." And yet all four photos on that spread are in black & white, as are the spreads before and after it. A very good Photoshop artist -- and several do perfect, true-to-life work -- could give those old black & white shots the vivid, vibrant colors that would represent Dorothy Draper properly and accurately without changing Draper's style one iota.
As I say in my title, as a history (of the advent of superstar designers) and a biography (of Draper), this is a very good book that should not be overlooked. But how can you do a history of bold interior design, or a biography of a top interior designer, without SHOWING the vivacious use of color which was central to both? That's like doing a bio of Abe Lincoln without including the Gettysburg Address.
So is this worth seeing? Definitely. Worth buying used? Probably. Worth buying new? Only if you're rich.
MAJOR DISAPPOINTMENT.......2007-03-19
I HAD BEEN WAITING FOR THIS BOOK FOR SUCH A LONG TIME AND NOW I AM SO DISAPPOINTED.....WHILE THE COVER IS STUNNING AND IT PULLS YOU IN TO LOOK AT THE REST OF THE BOOK THE PHOTOGRAPHS INSIDE ARE NOT GOOD AT ALL...I AM SURPRISED WITH TODAY'S TECHNOLOGY THE PHOTOS WERE NOT BETTER....IT ALSO SHOWED ME THAT THE DORTHY DRAPER STYLE WAS NOT AS CLASSICAL AND LONG LASTING, EXCEPT FOR THE GREENBRIAR HOTEL WHICH IS STILL BEAUTIFUL...MOST OF THE INTERIORS THAT SHE EXECUTED AND WERE SHOWN WERE LIKE AN AMATEUR DID THEM..SORRY D.D. AND MR. VARNEY.....SOMEONE OK'D A BOOK THAT NEEDED TO BE RE-THOUGHT AND RE-EXECUTED BEFORE IT WAS PUBLISHED......MAJOR DISAPPOINTMENT..........
Average customer rating:
- Calculations are only as good as your numbers
- Pants on fire?
- Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed.
- Very Interesting
- History as Science Fiction
|
History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Anatoly Fomenko
Manufacturer: Mithec
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Similar Items:
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History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2 (Chronology)
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History: Fiction or Science? Astronomical methods as applied to chronology. Ptolemy's Almagest. Chronology III
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Discovering the Mysteries of Ancient America: Lost History And Legends, Unearthed And Explored
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They Cast No Shadows: A Collection of Essays on the Illuminati, Revisionist History, and Suppressed Technologies
ASIN: 2913621058 |
Book Description
Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.
Customer Reviews:
Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03
Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.
Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19
Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.
Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09
There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.
For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.
Very Interesting.......2007-03-07
It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.
History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10
Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.
I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.
Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.
Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.
I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.
This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.
Average customer rating:
- A home filled with curiosities and wonders.
- Amazing
- Inside Edward Gorey's house...
- Not MUST HAVE, but definitely NICE to have
- A specialty item for the true Gorey collector
|
Elephant House: Or, The Home of Edward Gorey
Manufacturer: Pomegranate Communications
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Binding: Hardcover
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Similar Items:
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Ascending Peculiarity: Edward Gorey on Edward Gorey
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Amphigorey Again
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The Other Statue
ASIN: 0764924958 |
Book Description
An intimate photographic journey through Edward Gorey's home.
Customer Reviews:
A home filled with curiosities and wonders........2007-08-09
This is a beautiful book of photographs and text that allows the reader an intriguing view of the home in which Edward Gorey lived and the collections of curious objects, books, and cats he filled it with.
The photographs are large and beautiful - haunting even - and there are lots of them. There is just the right amount of text to cast some light on the man behind the house and his elusive character - anecdotes about his life, his work, his friends and the things that inspired him.
If you are fan of Edward Gorey, or of eclectic interior decorating and design, and displaying collections of antiques, this book will be a treasure in your library.
Amazing.......2007-04-10
That's really all I can say. I have been waiting for this book for a long time, and it was the most incredible thing. Amazing photos. Read up on Gorey first, though. The details are some much better when you get the little visual jokes Gorey set up in his day-to-day life.
Inside Edward Gorey's house..........2006-02-01
If you are an Ogdred Weary fan...this is a truly wonderful book. Photographs of the exterior (peeling paint and kind of saggy porch) and the interior rooms of the house on Cape Cod in Gorey lived and worked, along with his cats and figbashes, piles of thousands of books, assorted rocks and oddish things, and the expected miriad of curiosities. Alas, or delightfully...just the environment one would expect of the eccentric Edward. A cabinet of curiosities...a delight!
Not MUST HAVE, but definitely NICE to have.......2005-09-10
This book wouldn't mean much to anyone who isn't already a Gorey fan. I own (and love) the compilations 'Amphigorey', 'Amphigorey Too' & 'Amphogorey Also', so have a head start. I also have the auto(?) biography 'Ascending Peculiarity', which is almost a necessary co-requisite to this book - it helps explain the cats, and many other Gorey details. Now that the individual books are available again, I'm tempted to get them too, because they are such nice objects - but only if the kids promise to share with me!
A specialty item for the true Gorey collector.......2004-04-05
Even dedicated fans of Edward Gorey will probably know very little about his personal life: he was an enigmatic recluse and few were permitted past his front door. Photographer Kevin McDermott's Elephant House will delight students of architecture and photography, providing rich duotone works of Gorey's intriguing home and its contents. A specialty item for the true Gorey collector, Elephant House is an impressive photographic showcase and a welcome addition to both architectural studies and photographic studies reference collections.
Book Description
More than twenty superstars from the world of crafting--including Anna Corba, April Cornell, Sandi Genovese, and Andrea Grossman--offer their expert advice on how to design a work space where creativity can blossom. Like the bestselling Business of Bliss, it's practical, inspirational, and beautiful to behold.
Research by Craft Trends Magazine reveals that 89% of all crafters are women, and that they want to work in an environment conducive to creating their art. This invaluable and very special guide helps them achieve that goal, whatever their passion. It goes straight to the experts: successful women who have made their mark in more than 10 different creative fields. These top designers and artisans offer insights gleaned from years of experience, reveal how they constructed their own creative spaces, and explain how the reader can make practical use of these decorating, organizational, and inspirational techniques as they go about designing their own work areas. Among the pertinent questions they answer: Where did you like to work as a child? What's the most important thing about having your own place to work? Are women's creative spaces different from men's? How important is it for you to organize your work, and how do you do it? Do you listen to music when you work--and what kind? The featured designers include Wendy Addison, Dena Fishbein, Jill Schwartz, and Suze Weinberg and their fields range from paper crafts to gardening.
A Selection of the Crafters Choice Book Club & the Homestyle Book Club.
Customer Reviews:
AWESOME.......2007-08-31
This book is one that I will page through again and again. I found
the work spaces of these woman, creative, fun, and totally beautiful
and charming. There are so many different ideas, and at the end of the book, you
are wishing to see even more. This book is worth every penny, and I will refer
to it now, and in the future, for inspiration.
Visually pleasing.......2007-08-11
While I was hoping for more this was a visually pleasing book. I enjoyed seeing how different creative women utilized their space. I would have like to see more spaces
Casual Cottage Chic favorite .......2007-08-05
What a delight to find many of our favorite artists in their working spaces. Cindy Ellis is one of our favorite artists...delighted to have a peak inside her studio, and studio's of many other creative women. They are all an inspiration to design and color!
Inspiring.......2007-08-03
For those of us who live and work in our creative spaces, this book is a great inspiration. It really helped me dream bigger about my work space, and gave me some great ideas on how to organize for beauty as well as funtion.
If you love vintage details (and even not) this book presents wonderful references for organizing and creating a workspace that is personal and inviting. Some of the artists studio spaces really push the idea of craft storage... Also the women featured in the book, who have used their art to make a business for themselves, can be empowering. Great photos, a good deocorating resource book for the price.
Where Women Create.......2007-07-07
I enjoyed the variety of creative women they featured. The photos were helpful and I got a lot of ideas for my new studio.
Book Description
Acclaimed designer Michael Smith has earned a reputation as the thinking celebrity's decorator, with a client list that includes Cindy Crawford, Kate Capshaw, Steven Spielberg, Dustin Hoffman, and Michelle Pfeiffer. Pairing lush interiors with dynamic insider advice, Michael Smith's Elements of Style beautifully captures the essential building blocks of good interior design. Smith covers in depth the most common decorating decisions everyone faces: working with color, selecting the right paint, choosing window treatments and floor coverings, creating a luxurious bed, and building a furniture collection over time. Illustrated with stunning color photography, including a dozen homes presented in depth to demonstrate how rooms work alone and together, the book also includes practical sidebars on learning how to buy antiques and attend auctions, how to ready your home for sale, and how to create a house that can evolve over time. This invaluable, idea-filled resource is about polished, fresh design that is both aspirational and attainable.
Customer Reviews:
ONE OF THE BEST AMERICAN DESIGNERS.......2007-03-19
MICHAEL SMITH IS ONE OF THE BEST AMERICAN DESIGNERS PRACTICING TODAY AND IT SHOWS IN THIS BEAUTIFULLY PHOTOGRAPHED BOOK...EVERYTHING ABOUT THE TEXT, THE WAY IT IS WRITTEN AND HOW IT LEADS YOU THROUGH THE BOOK, IS FIRST RATE.....I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK FOR WHAT WILL EVENTUALLY BE HISTORICAL INTERIORS; AND ITS DESIGNER, WHO WILL BE IN THE YEARS AHEAD THOUGHT OF AS A GREAT, GREAT DECORATOR... MR SMITH KNOWS HOW TO PUT ATMOSPHERE INTO A ROOM......
Michael S. Smith, artist.......2007-02-10
This book is instructional and very well done. The "instructions" are in the photographs. Read them like paintings, which is how I think Michael S. Smith's rooms each look. There are 2 illustrations in the Amazon listing. Look first at the pictures of the room with the green sofa, then at the cover illustration. Then, please, read below & see whether you agree with me.
1. Pairs help to create a formal look: See the 2 leaf green lamps w/blue grey shades, 2 crystal sconces on end wall, 2 ornate crystal candelabra, 2 brass candlesticks on mantle, and 2 photos framed alike.
2. Echoes: Black fireplace box w/white surround & mantle echoes... the black & white photographs/sketches w/white mats & black frames and...the black piano next to all-white floor lamp; Painting of black curving figures on light tan background in brass/gilt frame echo the very solid black coffee table on the cream rug w/tan curving figures.
3. Use of Color in this Room: A subtle example -- There are 3 pieces of furniture with painted wood (excluding the piano): A chair with a cream/white frame, a table/stool in oxblood, and a settee with a blue grey frame. These are shades of the three primary colors. The colors of these 3 painted pieces together comprise the complete spectrum. The "color scheme" of the room as a whole also comprises the complete spectrum. The painted wood is a microcosm of this characteristic of the room. (And the complete spectrum gives us? ...Light.)
4. Gradations of Tints: The use of light-to-dark shades of each color gives a painterly quality to the room, softening the contrasts of colors and emphasizing the volume of the architecture, of the space. RED: cherry rug border, oxblood table, deep coral chair, pink & red flowers (5 shades of red, 3 not counting flowers). GREEN: deep & light green in settee fabric, brighter green in sofa & curtains, slightly brighter green in lamp bases, spring green in leafy bouquet (5 shades of green, 4 not counting bouquet). GOLD: Cream walls & rug background, gilt of picture frame & candlesticks on mantle & gold of print on settee, light tan of painting background and sisal rug, light camel of rug pattern and side chair, deep bronze of oblong sofa pillow and mantle figure, muted yellow of Chinese vase, sunny yellow of blossoming plant on coffee table. (7 shades of yellow, 6 not counting flowering plant). BLUE: Light & darker blue in settee print, soft deeper blue of Chinese vase (3 shades of blue).
5. Use of Black: Always important, but especially obvious here. It's needed to balance the massive black piano.
6. Rooms Need an Element of Surprise. Here it's the settee. The architecture of this room, its paneled walls, high ceilings, wide windows and volume, as well as that 7-foot Steinway (I think.) suggest the use of traditional furnishings. The settee is a subtle and beautiful contrast to the overall English look here. The "surprise" of a steel & glass table, for example, would have been a boring cliché and no surprise at all, don't you think?
7. Now for the Cover Photo. Its design follows that of the previous room, even though the style is completely different. The branches and leaves of the paper, bouquet and table echo one another. Here too the colors yellow, blue/green and red all range from light to dark, pale to bright, and there is a restrained presence of black. The bright blue Chinese vase, the gilt table and the cherry red (of the cherries) in the paper dramatically form a full spectrum, emphasize the full-spectrum of the color scheme and create light right across the center of the photograph. The surprise here is the hand. I think the main role of the pagodas is as verticals against the movement in different directions of all the curvy diagonals in the paper, the table and the vase of branches.
8. True, in the end, it's in the eye of the beholder. And yes, some, even many, of the rooms in this book may not be what you want for yourself. Nevertheless, study this book -- carefully. Then follow Michael S. Smith's lead. Simple as that! (Sorry this is a bit long.)
"A lot of money for a book cover".......2007-01-04
I bought this book only because of the very rich Tony Douquette-like intior on the cover, fully expecting to see more of the same or similar inside. After all isn't the cover supposed to represent the main "idea". It spoke to me in my language, and looked like a room ripped from my own home. A friend of mine saw it and even said it looked like I had designed the room myself. Big mistake. There is nothing in the book that comes close to the richness, depth and beauty of the picture on the cover. It was a big disipointment!
Sophisticated style.......2006-10-04
This book is perfect for the advanced home owner or individuals who have developed a mature and sophisticated style. I find myself returning again and again to the advice of Michael Smith. The more I know about design the more I appreciate his unstructured yet very elegant and extremely discerning method of putting a home together. A terrific resource from a very talented designer!!!
Don't be fooled by the reviews.... like I was!!.......2006-08-15
This book leaves me cold. I ordered it as an 'add-on' because I was getting a couple of others and I guess it's what I deserve, for buying it sight unseen. This is the first time I have been compelled to write a review... and it is really just as a warning to others to look through this book first, before purchasing. I don't even like the pictures!
Book Description
The mesmerizing true story of Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin in the most celebrated cohabitation in art history.
From October to December of 1888, Paul Gauguin shared a yellow house in the south of France with Vincent Van Gogh. Never before or since have two such towering artists occupied so small a space. They were the Odd Couple of art history--one calm, the other volatile--and the denouement of their living arrangement was explosive. Two months after Gauguin arrived in Provence, Van Gogh suffered a psychological crisis that culminated in his cutting off part of an ear. He was institutionalized for most of the rest of his short life and never saw Gauguin again.
During the brief, exhilarating period they worked together in Arles, these not-yet-famous artists created a stream of masterpieces within the shared studio--including Van Gogh's Sunflowers, which decorated Gauguin's bedroom wall. Making use of Van Gogh's voluminous correspondence and new evidence, Martin Gayford describes not only how these two hallowed artists painted and exchanged ideas, but also the texture of their everyday lives. He tells us what they cooked and how they budgeted their meager finances and entertained themselves, and he movingly relays their inner fears and dreams. Gayford also makes a persuasive analysis of Van Gogh's mental illness--the probable bipolar affliction that led him to commit suicide at the age of 37. THE YELLOW HOUSE is a singular biographical work as dramatic and vibrant as the artists' pictures.
Customer Reviews:
Two Giants Make House Together.......2007-03-15
One of the most famous episodes of disastrous behavior by an artist is the tormented Vincent van Gogh's cutting off his ear. People who don't know anything else about the artist, or anything about art, know about the spectacular self-mutilation. There is more to the story, of course, and the excision of the ear is certainly not the most important part of van Gogh's life, but it did provide a climax to an important episode in that life, the collaboration between van Gogh and Paul Gauguin. In _The Yellow House: Van Gogh, Gauguin, and Nine Turbulent Weeks in Arles_ (Little, Brown), art critic Martin Gayford has recreated almost a day-by-day account of the time the two painters lived together, painted together, stimulated one another, and got on each other's nerves. It is a period that art historians have probed ever since van Gogh's postmortem fame, and while there have been recent discoveries made about details of the collaboration, Gayford's book in its chronological account gets close inside the minds of the two giants as they muddled their way through their period as housemates. Though Gayford tells in abbreviated form about what went on in their lives before and after their sharing of the Yellow House, the concentration on this particular period is wonderfully illuminating.
Van Gogh arrived in Arles in February 1888, and on his walks spied the Yellow House, which he leased for five months. He was well known as a loner, but he had long dreamed of making a colony for artists who would collaborate together; it wasn't that they would work jointly on their canvases, but they would "live and paint together - different in individual style but sharing a common aim, exchanging ideas, commenting on each other's work." Vincent's brother Theo, an art dealer in Paris who lent support in multiple ways to his brother, hoped that it would be good for Vincent to have a companion, and offered Gauguin, whose paintings Theo brokered, a stipend to move in. Shortly after Gauguin's arrival, they proceeded out to paint the autumn foliage of Arles. They would carry out their gear, set up a few yards from each other, and work simultaneously on parallel subjects. There are thus fascinating pairs of paintings to show what the two artists made of the same subject. They talked about their work, they criticized and praised, and for the first weeks all was well. Gradually, however, van Gogh began to behave in ways that Gauguin could not accept or change. The exact reason for van Gogh's peculiar behavior has been retrospectively diagnosed with a dozen maladies, but Gayford makes the case (already made by others) that van Gogh had bipolar disorder (also known as manic-depression). In the particular case of the Yellow House there were other strains. "The claustrophobic pattern of life," writes Gayford, "would have put a strain on the most phlegmatic pair of friends."
Toward the end of the collaboration, van Gogh was strained by the chromatic complexities of his portrait _La Berceuse_. He was drinking, and alcohol always made him more erratic, and he was worried about Gauguin's departure; Gauguin had written to Theo, "Vincent and I are absolutely unable to live side by side without trouble caused by incompatibility of temperament and he like I needs tranquility for his work. He is a man of remarkable intelligence whom I esteem greatly, and I leave with regret, but it is necessary." Van Gogh had taken to wandering at night and winding up near Gauguin's bed, disconcerting his companion. At one point, after consuming an absinthe, van Gogh hurled the glass at Gauguin. On 23 December, van Gogh rushed menacingly in the dark upon Gauguin, and (if the report of the latter is to be believed) did so with a straight razor. Gauguin escaped to a hotel, van Gogh returned home, took the razor, and sliced off his ear. Gayford analyzes possible sources for the self-mutilation, from the Gethsemane story to a newspaper report about Jack the Ripper cutting off the ears of one of his victims. The police were called to the Yellow House to pack van Gogh off the to hospital, where in his delirium he called repeatedly for Gauguin. Gauguin, however, claimed that a visit would make things worse, and left for Paris; they never saw each other again. Gauguin indeed was off to the tropics, and van Gogh was off for a year and a half of hospitalizations and remissions and astonishing productivity, ending in his suicide. Gayford's account measures each day and week in the collaboration with fitting detail, and always concentrates on the paintings that the two men produced during the time. It is the paintings, of course, that matter, not the incivility, neuroses, or madness of the painters. Van Gogh himself declared, "Old Gauguin and I understand each other basically, and if we are a bit mad, what of it?"
Vincent and Paul.......2007-03-04
A greatly enjoyable book. While focussed on just nine weeks in Arles, the narriative darts back and forth over the past lives of Van Gogh and Gauguin in the attempt to explain their specific actions that took place in and around the famous Yellow House.
Martin Gayford does not claim to have written an academic history, but one attempting to shed clarifying light on the actual motivations, thoughts and techniques that resulted in some of the Western world's greatest art. I think the author succeeded in his objective.
Good info, poorly organized; grammatical problems.......2007-02-08
Yes, I have loved Van Gogh forever, and I've read many of his bios. This book has loads of fascinating details, but is poorly organized despite its chronological sequence. Gaylord confusingly moves, from 1888, back and forth, creating disjointed scenes of Van Gogh's past, pieces of art (stupidly printed in black and white, when the author talks over and over about the importance of color), or a place, that he loses the content and context constantly.
His editors don't know how to use commas; and his editors don't seem to know when to reorganize his writing in a way that emphasizes Van Gogh.
Tangents on Paul G. are weirdly excessive, yet shed no light on their relationship. Missing is any reasonable discussion of their alleged duel, and yet, the author takes great liberty in suggesting a confrontation amidst the two with Van Gogh carrying an alleged razor (But where is the source of this conclusion)?
Then the info stops. And starts, and is told in a way as manic and unmanageable as Vincent's disease.
This book is worthy for the author's interesting research and revelations. But the book is a poorly organized hodge podge of this research.
Also: he suggests Van Gogh's funeral in Auvers with no further insight. I've been to Vincent's grave in Arles.
The author would have been smart to clarify why Arles as the final resting place of not only Vincent, but his brother, Theo, right next to him as well.
Lots of great data poorly organized; lots of incomplete data, but well worth the price of the book for the facts you can find here and there.
No sound footnotes, vague explanations of translations, and a poor bibliography make me wonder how well the subject was researched.
Lorraine Keenan
insight into the mind and soul of the great painter.......2007-01-10
This book gives us insight into the mind and vision of Van Gogh. A very good read.
Well-Researched Art Biography.......2006-12-12
Most people have heard of Vincent Van Gogh, the famous--or infamous--nineteenth-century artist. He's the one who painted Starry Night and various Sowers and Sunflowers, among a very few. But he is also notorious as the deranged artist who cut off his ear in 1888.
What lead to this act of self-mutilation, this event known as "the Crisis"? In the weeks leading up to the Crisis, Van Gogh shared a cramped studio with another renowned artist, Paul Gauguin. Located in the southern French town of Arles, the Yellow House became the setting for one of art history's oddest pairings.
In hopes of changing the future of art, Van Gogh and Gauguin agreed to a period of collaboration. Great things indeed happened. But with such disparate personalities, the idyll of the artists' dream didn't last.
Martin Gayford presents an intimate look into a critical period in art history. Dogged research not only into letters written by Van Gogh and Gauguin, but through public records and more, has allowed Gayford to surmise what daily life must have been like for the two artists that autumn.
Art enthusiasts interested in either artist's story will find THE YELLOW HOUSE a fascinating study. Casual purveyors, however, might find their attention wanders when Gayford gets into minute details that mean more to an artist than the average person, such as the weather on a given day. Overall, this accounting of "nine turbulent weeks in Arles" is well done. It is less dry than many biographies, and there is a real sense of the rise and fall of the Yellow House studio, and the enormous emotional impact on all those involved.
This is a definite recommendation for readers interested in Vincent Van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, and/or art from that period. Readers who are only interested in the Crisis may be surprised to learn a lot more than they expect, as well.
Reviewed by Christina Wantz Fixemer
12/11/2006
4.5-Books on WUAT = S-Stars on Amazon
Book Description
These distinguished houses are located in diverse settings across the United States, from San Francisco's Russian Hill to the Rocky Mountains to the Long Island and New England coasts. In every case, Stern has emphasized the importance of context by exploring the nature of the place through houses that embody the region's vernacular architectural heritage, as well as gracefully reflect each site's unique natural setting. Whether considering classical New York town houses, Shingle Style "cottages" by the sea, or Scandinavian log houses as reinterpreted on the American frontier, Stern has fostered a strong sense of architectural continuity and connection to the past by participating in the dialogue across time that he believes lies at the heart of architecture.
Customer Reviews:
Magnificent Stern.......2005-10-23
Robert Sterns homes are so elegant and tasteful, even if they are often enormous in size. This book does a wonderful job of captureing these homes at their best, the photographs are vivid and very well done and the homes themselves are amazing. Mr. Stern has a knack for making a traditional home somehow eclectic, he is true to the style, but adds interesting touches that at first glance you would not think would work, but somehow in Robert Stern hands they come out spectacular. If you have any interest in amazing residental architecture, then buy this book, you won't be disappointed.
True craftsmanship.......2002-03-01
What a beautiful display of true Architecture for Architectures' sake. Yeah, you may need a bit of $$ to personally afford buildings with this calibur of workmanship, but it will be well worth it and timeless. Builders and purchasers of todays' Suburb homes need to look to great works like these to realize the real issue of urban sprawl.
Great book. Great photo's. Great ideas. Great craftmanship. Outstanding architecture.
fabulous.......2000-11-08
Photography is breathtaking, projects included are well covered, array of homes represents a wide variety, shows tremendous range of styles. A truly necessary addition to your home library!!
Book Description
In The Painted Ceiling, Graham Rust shares his secrets for creating a wide range of painted ceilings: daytime and nighttime skies; birds and animals; cloud formations; rustic schemes featuring flower-decked trellises; trompe loeil architectural details such as plasterwork, paneling, and coffering; simple geometric patterns; and allegorial scenes in a grand manner. He also explains how to choose just the right design for the area you wish to paint.
Customer Reviews:
Not instructional.......2006-07-03
This book is chock full of beautiful painted ceilings using trompe l'oeil. There are no instructional references.
very useful.......2006-03-18
i'm starting out as a muralist. i found this book very helpful. great pictures, useful designs...
if you're interested in murals this is a must in your library
View from a professional.......2004-04-10
As a professional mural painter, I found some of the ideas in this book to be inspiring. However much that was written in the book was useless information describing what you are seeing in the picture. This is not an instruction book. As for his artistic style, I really didn't care for it - his use of color seems rather Disney-esque. Everything is bright and vibrant without much richness and depth. While the creatures he paints look decent, his cherubs and people leave a lot to be desired.
This book was usefull for me in the aspects of seeing how another artist does his layout, but if you're looking for a book to study murals and color use... study the paintings done by the real masters.
Inspiration.......2003-03-22
If you are looking to be inspired, this is the book. I am a muralist who is looking for something extraordinary to aspire to. I found it here. This is not a how to book for the meek. If you can paint well already you can learn to improve your own work by careful study of the renderings but you won't find instructions.
For Graham Rust fans only.......2002-07-07
I bought this book on the basis of some of the glowing reviews here but was very disappointed. Yes, his paintings are beautiful, BUT his advice is mainly on how he makes HIS work. There is a chapter entitled 'Practical Aspects', but it has only ONE page of actual text! The rest are more pictures of the same work.
If angels, clouds, and birds are not what you aspire to paint exclusively, then stay away from this book. If you are buying a book solely for inspiration, as I was, a better choice is a book featuring the work of many artists such as 'Trompe L'loeil' by Lynette Wrigley. If your aim though is to paint like Graham Rust, this book is it.
Book Description
The most pivotal and yet least understood event of Frank Lloyd Wright’s celebrated life involves the brutal murders in 1914 of seven adults and children dear to the architect and the destruction by fire of Taliesin, his landmark residence, near Spring Green, Wisconsin. Unaccountably, the details of that shocking crime have been largely ignored by Wright’s legion of biographersâa historical and cultural gap that is finally addressed in William Drennan’s exhaustively researched Death in a Prairie House: Frank Lloyd Wright and the Taliesin Murders.
In response to the scandal generated by his open affair with the proto-feminist and free love advocate Mamah Borthwick Cheney, Wright had begun to build Taliesin as a refuge and "love cottage" for himself and his mistress (both married at the time to others).
Conceived as the apotheosis of Wright’s prairie house style, the original Taliesin would stand in all its isolated glory for only a few months before the bloody slayings that rocked the nation and reduced the structure itself to a smoking hull.
Supplying both a gripping mystery story and an authoritative portrait of the artist as a young man, Drennan wades through the myths surrounding Wright and the massacre, casting fresh light on the formulation of Wright’s architectural ideology and the cataclysmic effects that the Taliesin murders exerted on the fabled architect and on his subsequent designs.
Customer Reviews:
All My Life I Have Been Plagued by Fires.......2007-09-29
Ever since I studied FLW as a freshman in architecture school, I wondered how he made it thru such a dark and difficult time. So when I found this book, I had to get it. I have always admired and actually enjoyed studying FLW designs and visiting his works. I had read that he was very arrogant but most of what I had read just glossed over his personal life and focused on his work.........which is ok. In fact when I can, I tend to use his design vocabulary in my designs. After reading this book I am truly sickened to discover how much of jerk and crook FLW truly was. How a father of six children could leave and not just leave but stay away from them for over a year? I am grateful that I did not know him as a person and that I cannot relate to his behavior at any level.
Given that, I have no idea how such a loser could be such an architectural genius? If it takes an ego of this magnitude to BE a genius, I am grateful that I am not one.
It appears that the author has researched the Taliesin murders in great depth. There are over 30 pages of footnotes! Drennan's analysis for me is sound. The only thing I could not agree with was that FLW's houses became fortifications after the Taliesin murders. If you read the book "Wright Space: Pattern and Meaning in Frank Lloyd Wright's Houses" you will find that all his houses were sanctuaries of refuge starting with the hidden entrance. That's one of the characteristics of what his clients loved about the houses, security and privacy. Did FLW look for ways to prevent fires after the murders........yes as all competent architects should, would and do.
It is clear that he got caught up in some bad karma. The Spring Green community hated him the most and believed that FLW committed the murders. Even the parts of Taliesin that were burnt (living quarters) versus the parts that remained untouched (design studio) reflected his life.
There is not much evidence to support racial hatred towards Julian Carlton, the alleged murderer and arsonist, but being so close to the time of the civil war, it seems likely that there was. I still don't understand why they let the wife go. She was found hiding dressed in her Sunday's best? She had answers that remained hidden.
No matter how much FLW deserved getting what was dished out to him, you can't help but pity the man when at the end of the book, one of his apprentices heard him walking the grounds of Taliesin in the dark repeating the following statement over and over, "All my life I have been plagued by fires, All my life I have been plagued by fires.............."
Brilliantly written. I had very difficult time putting this book down.
"Enquiring minds want to know" journalism.......2007-05-14
Mixed view of this book. The author has dug deeply to unearth whatever facts are still out there about this tragedy. And, the story is compelling. However, I am bothered somewhat that recent books on Wright have focused soley on the sensational aspects of his life rather than the work which made him famous and which is still relevant today!
As for the content, I am not totally convinced by the timeline of events which he puts forth. However, he does convincingly demolish the long-standing, accepted version. That leaves some big questions which will probably never be answered. Finally, Bill (the author) has an irritating tendency to constantly refer to Frank Loyd Wright as "Frank". Bill needed a more competent editor.
Well Done.......2007-05-07
This is a fascinating book that is written in an interesting style The history of Frank Lloyd Wright and the Taliesin Murders in particular are well documented. Well worth the purchase.
This book has it all.......2007-05-03
William Drennan blends brutal murder, sensational scandal, exhaustive research and thought-provoking theory in this important book. A clear style and a flair for the mot juste make this book both scholarly and page-turning.
At last, an author has had the courage, persistence and skill to delve into Wisconsin's crime of the 20th century. It's a wonder no writer previously tackled this topic, given that it involves a horrific killing that claimed the paramour of America's foremost architect, as well as his signature home design, Taliesin. We're all fortunate Drennan accepted the challenge.
A Great Read!.......2007-04-26
Meticulously researched and thoughtfully presented, Death in a Prairie House is also a great read. I recommend it.
Average customer rating:
- Eichler Style is Classic
- Very Good
- A great book that, like Eichler homes,will never go out of style.
- Simplistic, self-serving and not very good
- I never get tired of this book.
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Eichler Homes: Design for Living
Jerry Ditto , and
Lanning Stern
Manufacturer: Chronicle Books
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ASIN: 0811808467 |
Book Description
More than a modern-day success story, Joseph Eichler changed the face of American architecture by creating the ultimate, affordable family home. Now, nearly 50 years after the phenomenon of the Eichler home, once a quintessential symbol of the American Dream, this beautifully illustrated volume chronicles both the success and ultimate demise of a legendary company. With over 100 full-color photographs of the homes' various models, as well as an introduction by architectural expert Sally B. Woodbridge and an essay by Eichler's son Ned, Eichler Homes tells the poignant story of a unique post-war business, and of a singular vision and unforgettable legacy that continue to inspire architects and designers around the world.
Customer Reviews:
Eichler Style is Classic.......2007-04-11
I have been looking for as much information as I can on Eichler houses and this was a real find. It not only provided me the fundamental information I had been searching for but surprised me with wonderful photos, including the very house that I want to build. The only problem I have now is trying to find contractor willing to provide a contemporary interpretation.
Very Good.......2006-12-07
This is the first book on Eichler, and it does an admirable job of getting the topic out there. The good part is that there are plenty of color photos and the book is very well desgined. The not-so-good part is that many of the homes pictured are remodeled and don't truly represent the original designs. The text is by 4 different authors and doesn't hold together well as a complete narrative. Still, if you are relatively new to Eichler this is a nice browsing book that will give you plenty of visual stimulation. For the definitive historical tome on the Eichler story, get "Eichler: Modernism Rebuilds the American Dream" by Adamson which is more complete and scholarly but not as visual and colorful. The two books actually make a good set and give you both sides of the story. In all, this is a very good book about beautiful and innovative homes by an important midcentury homebuilder and businessman.
A great book that, like Eichler homes,will never go out of style. .......2006-02-24
As a fan of Mid-century modern and Eichler homes,I loved the many photographs in this book.I believe this book would be a good reference for anyone who owns an Eichler home or someone who wants to achieve a modern look in or outside their home.
Simplistic, self-serving and not very good.......2005-10-22
Being a real fan of the "Eichler Home" architectural style, I was excited to recive this book. After a quick read, I felt that it was a waste of time and money.
First, the narrator (who is Mr. Eichler's son) skims over the architectural concepts that embody the Eichler Home concept. And this from an architect! The design elements of the home are covered so quickly, with practically no details, that this book will be useless to anybody wanting to use this as a teaching aid, reference text, or just to get a better appreciation of how these homes were designed.
The author also spends an inordinate and oddly placed amount of time to describe how magnimonius Mr. Eichler was to sell homes to African Americans, unlike the trend at the time. Unfortunately the author's claims are not borne out by my personal experience in looking through the housing covenants of an Eichler Home in Mountain View that date to the early 60's, which specifically stated that the home would not be sold to people of colour. Nice retrospective attempt at social equality, but the treatement of that sad portion of America's history is treated in a white-washed derisitory fashion by the author.
And the book ends with a weird comparison of Mr. Eichler to other property development tycoons, including Donald Trump, with the conclusion that the brave Mr. Eichler rose above the greed and vanity of the rest.
This is a simplistic, self-serving, useless book. Look elsewhere.
The photography and interior shots are good.
I never get tired of this book........2001-10-15
I agree with the other reviewers' comments about the excellence of the Eichler homes and this book. I have many design books, but I keep coming back to this one and never tire of the clean, modern--but not cold--design. I wish Ditto, et al. would produce a video on the subject.
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- Introduction to Materials Management (5th Edition)
- Introduction to Materials Management (5th Edition)
- Introduction to Materials Management (5th Edition)
- Introduction to Materials Management (5th Edition)
- Inventory Accuracy: People, Processes, & Technology
- Inventory Accuracy: People, Processes, & Technology
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