Book Description
First published in 1899, Arthur Wesley Dow's Composition has probably influenced more Americans than any other text to think of visual form and composition in relation to artistic modernity. While Dow is known as the mentor of Georgia O'Keeffe and Max Weber, his legacy as a proponent of modern art has suffered undeserved neglect by recent artists and art historians.
In Composition Dow develops a system for teaching students to create freely constructed images on the basis of harmonic relations between lines, colors, and dark and light patterns. Greatly influenced by Japanese art, he expounds a theory of "flat" formal equilibrium as an essential component of telling pictorial creation. Generations of teachers and their public school pupils learned from Dow's orientalism and adopted basic postimpressionist principles without even knowing the term. The reappearance of Dow's practical, well-illustrated guide, enhanced by Joseph Masheck's discussion of its historical ramifications, is an important event for all concerned with the visual arts and the intellectual antecedents of American modernism.
Customer Reviews:
Great Book! Terrible Binding.......2006-05-24
This is a wonderful approach to design and very valuable to the artist, photographer or anyone interested in the over arching principle " to fill a space in a beautiful way"
Unfortunately the bookbinding I received through Amazon and from the publisher is falling apart. The pages began falling out when I first opened the book. The binding loses more pages with each reading.
The worst binding I have ever seen!!! Buyer beware
Hey, it's not that bad.......2006-04-15
Having just read some of the past scathing reviews I thought I needed to comment. I started looking for information on Dow about 10 years ago. It was limited. I found an old library copy of "Composition" from the 1930s at a used book store($3) It was an excellent find. Crumbled edges and bug eaten pages and all. I did some research about Dow and realized the influence of his teaching on the design principles that we use today. All in all the current book is a good representation of the original, even if you skip over the introduction.
Poor Book Construction.......2005-11-05
This book is printed on lightweight Oak Tag. So heavy and stiff are the pages that they broke from the binding within two minutes of trying to pry open the book. Dow's own work should have been included, not the tedious introduction. Someone needs to do this book over properly.
Don't waste your money.......2004-03-01
I want composition that I can understand and deal with in my painting everday. I don't care at all to read the long intorduction offered. Thanks but no thanks
Composition Masterpiece.......2003-07-28
Dow's book is a classic of pictoral composition. Yes, there is a long forward, but so what? Dow didn't write the forward. The book is a workbook format, and many may not find the exercises useful, but the information sandwiched inbetween is priceless. Not an easy book to read, but well worth the effort. If you're looking for a quick fix with pretty pictures and easy formulas, don't buy this.
Book Description
Unlike traditional ukiyo-e prints, Japanese woodblock prints during the reign of Emperor Meiji--the famous ''Meiji period'' of 1867-1912--depicted current events rather than timeless scenes, and were printed in vivid colors reflecting the vibrancy of Japan's rush toward modernization at the turn of the century. Part commercial art, part ''photo-op'' before the fact, and part propaganda tool, the Meiji prints chronicle Japan's fascinated and ambivalent relations with the West, its emergence as an industrial and military power, and its populist emperor. In keeping with the new spirit of the Meiji years, the woodblock prints often feature lurid colors that prefigure 20th century poster art and stylistically point the way toward contemporary Japanese manga and animation. Japan At The Dawn Of The Modern Age features over 80 Meiji-era prints in full, dynamic color, along with two previously unpublished essays by the renowned historian and biographer Donald Keene on the Emperor Meiji and his times. Additional writings by curators Anne Nishimura Morse and Louise Virgin and the collector and historian Frederic Sharf place these writings in the context of their historical period, the collection itself, and their current home at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Customer Reviews:
Pictures of Change.......2004-08-04
For many years prints from the Meiji period have gotten a bad rap. Collectors have prefered the earlier Edo works that are justly celebrated. The artistic crimes alleged against the Meiji period artisans include harsher colors and dyes as opposed to the more restrained palate of earlier Ukiyo-e period. Travelers to Japan in the 19th century were offended by the supposed garishness of these modern works.
Luckily, the prints of this period were saved for future generations by collectors of vision who saw the artisitic merit in these examples of the Meiji period. The works detailed in this book are among the finest examples of the genre. They show a nation in transition. The forms are very similar to the earlier types of woodblocks, but the subject matter is not. These works celebrate the transition of Japan to a modern nation state. The emperor is shown indulging in a number of modern pursuits (going to the races or the circus). But the general patriotic tone of these prints is not limited to the emperor. Both the Sino-Japanese and Russo Japanese wars provide a rich source of illustration. Personally, I find these works more fascinating as they show how the Meiji period artists incorporate old forms in new genres.
This book celebrates woodblocks in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) in Boston and features a great deal of commentary. The essays by Donald Keene are up to his usual high standard of scholarly excellence and serve to put the period into context. However the most interesting is by Frederic Sharf which describes the deliciousness of building a world class collection of Meiji era prints. It is not just the joy of collecting he describes, but pleasure to be gained from learning the history of a cherished object. Sharf generously donated his collection to the MFA, making this unequalled collection available to the wider public.
This book is essential to anyone seeking to collect these marvelous woodblocks (many of the ones pictured in the book can still be acquired and remain within the reach of the ordinary collector).
Recommended for any collection concentrating on Japanese art.......2001-11-09
Japan At The Dawn Of The Modern Age is a specialty item which is recommended for any collection concentrating on Japanese art. Woodblock prints from the Meiji era are presented in a series of over 90 color illustrations which go beyond the traditional perception of Japanese subjects as gardens and geishas. These prints depicted current events and were painted in vivid colors, and Japan At The Dawn Of The Modern Age captures their vibrant spirit, along with history essential to understanding their meaning.
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Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer: The Comic Strip, Volume 2
Mickey Spillane
Manufacturer: Ken Pierce Incorporated
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Contemporary
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Spillane, Mickey
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Look Inside Mystery & Thriller Books
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ASIN: 0912277262 |
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Hammer of God: Sword of justice
Mike Baron
Manufacturer: First Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
General
| Comics & Graphic Novels
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ASIN: B0006PAM98 |
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Wahoo! Cowboys In Love
Texas Bix Bender
Manufacturer: Gibbs Smith, Publisher
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Humor
| Entertainment
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Love, Sex & Marriage
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Love & Romance
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ASIN: 087905915X |
Book Description
3 1/4 X 4 1/2 In, 64 Pp, Line Drawings The Humor-Tinged Quips Include * All The Foofaraws In Texas Ain't Worth A Tear In One Good Woman's Eye. * The Right One Is Worth A Million Wrong Ones. * When You Find The Right One, Don't Waste Any Time Kicking The Jackrabbits Off The Trail. * Love-Frettin' Can Leave Your Heart Fractured Like A Watermelon In A Cow Pen * When You're In Love, You've Got The World By The Tail and It's A Downhill Pull. Not Just For The Lovelorn Cowboy, This Book Is Perfect For Anyone Who Has Ever Felt The Pangs of Love and Still Knows They Could Learn A Thing Or Two.
Book Description
The perfect companion to MUSIC IN WESTERN CIVILIZATION! With an introduction to, a score for, and lyrics and translation for each piece, ANTHOLOGY FOR MUSIC IN WESTERN CIVILIZATION, VOLUME II:THE ENLIGHTENMENT TO THE PRESENT enhances your understanding of the major European styles, genres, and composers.
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Hats Off: Photographs by Jason Bell
Manufacturer: Dewi Lewis Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 1899235493 |
Book Description
Jason Bell's latest book features 68 leading celebrities from the United States and Europe. An impressive list of names make up this unique book of portraits. Included are: David Blaine, Kim Cattrall, Chemical Brothers, Hugh Grant, Macy Gray, Daryl Hannah, Elton John, Alicia Keys, Lenny Kravitz, Pet Shop Boys, Barry Manilow, Sam Mendes, Moby, Summer Phoenix, -Cybill Shepherd and Kate Winslet.
Jason Bell is one of the most respected international portrait photographers in high demand with "A list" celebrities. His work appears in fashion and style magazines worldwide as well as on film posters and CD covers.
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Violence at Work: How to Safeguard Your Firm
Mark F. Murray , and
Andrew A. Chakeres
Manufacturer: American Institute of Certified Public Accoun
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Labor Policy
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Workplace
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Labor & Industrial Relations
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Leadership
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ASIN: 0870511874 |
Book Description
GOOD FOOD FOR A HEALTHY MENOPAUSE.
Nutrition expert Elaine Moquette-Magee gives you all the dietary advice you need to manage your menopause naturally and comfortably. By following her "10 Diet Commandments for Menopause and Beyond," you can alleviate discomfort, minimize the risks associated with hormone replacement therapy, and slow down the aging process. Discover:
- How to increase your estrogen naturally.
- The best ways to increase your energy level, and ward off cancer, heart disease, and osteoporosis.
- The latest information on antioxidants and phytochemicals.
- Nutrition tables and charts for easy reference.
- Simple and delicious recipes that incorporate all the right foods and nutrients.
Customer Reviews:
Elaine is Wonderful.......1999-10-05
Elaine is so talented as an author and a Registered Dietician. I would recommend all of her books to anyone. She is truly a delight and always adds such a personal touch to all of her books.
A valuable resource........1998-02-10
This is a great book, and one that every woman over 40 should have. It is very easy to read and isn't written with a lot of complicated terms. I think what I liked best was the book's common sense approach and giving the reader the information needed to make the important decision - pills or no pills. Although I'm not quite there yet, I know when I sit down with my Doctor, I'll be able to make an informed decision, one that will be right for me. This is a book that I will refer to often.
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- The Conclusion of the Peninsular War
- The Complete Story
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A History of the Peninsular War: December 1810 to December 1811 Massena's Retreat, Fuentes De Onoro, Albuera, Tarragona (History of the Peninsular War)
Charles Oman
Manufacturer: Greenhill Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
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Portugal
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Spain
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A History of the Peninsular War V6: September 1,1812 to August 5,1813 The Seige of Burgos,The Retreat from Burgos,The Ca (History of the Peninsular War)
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A History of the Peninsular War V5: October 1811 to August 31, 1812 Alencia,Cuidad Rodrigo,Badajoz,Salamanca,Madrid (History of the Peninsular War)
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A History of the Peninsular War Volume IV: December 1810-December 1811 Massena's Retreat,Fuentes de Onoro,Albuera
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A History of the Peninsular War Volume II: January to September 1809 from the Battle of Corunna to the End (History of the Peninsular War)
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ASIN: 1853672246 |
Customer Reviews:
The Conclusion of the Peninsular War.......2005-10-04
This is the wonderfully affordable paperback version of Volume VII of Charles Oman's definitive study of the Peninsular War. In it, the Duke of Wellington, at the head of an Anglo-Portuguese-Spanish Army, crosses the French border as part of a larger Allied coalition campaign to end Napoleon's reign as Empereor of France. Wellington's campaign is paced by the on-again, off-again negotiations between Napoleon and the Coalition. A series of victories by Wellington's Army over the forces of French Marshal Soult are therefore never quite decisive. Wellington's Army, in addition, faced formidable challenges conducting an offensive inside France over difficult terrain and against a nominally hostile population. However, Wellington's task is made easier by Marshal Soult's seeming inability to manage his army in close combat, and by the slow wasting of what had once been a veteran French Army, as enthusiasm for Napoleon begins to dwindle.
Oman's mastery of his subject and of his prose is complete. The narrative flows smoothly. His retelling of the second siege of San Sebastian is remarkably vivid, capturing both the heroism and the horror of the final Allied storming of that fortress. His account of the confusing multi-day Battle of the Nive is clear and easy to follow. Oman highlights the remarkable tenacity of British and Portuguese infantry battalions that withstood a series of French counterattacks at unequal odds. Oman's narrative of the campaign across southern France is clearer than any other studies this reader is familiar with.
The primary focus of this book is the confrontation between Wellington's Army and the French Army under Marshal Soult. However, Oman does not neglect the campaign in Catalonia or the political background to the last nine months of the Peninsular War. Oman includes a nice concluding essay about the fates of the more prominent generals after the war, as well as an acknowledgement of the messy end of the conflict in Spain.
In this volume, the last of seven, Oman assumes that readers are already familiar with the history of the Peninsular War up through the fall of 1813 and the Battle of the Pyrenees. Oman does not recap the story, nor does he reintroduce personalities from earlier volumes. There is just a slight sense that Oman was pushing to finish a project that had already taken nearly thirty years.
This volume and series are highly recommended to dedicated readers of the Peninsular War and the Napoleonic era. The casual reader without background in the conflict may find this volume the wrong place to start.
The Complete Story.......2005-05-24
Sir Charles Oman's comprehensive seven volume history of the Peninsular War is the yardstick by which any other history of this theatre must be measured. It is exhaustive in detail and in breadth of coverage. If it happened, it is in one of these volumes. Napoleon may have considered Spain a side show, but as results turned out it was a bleeding ulcer. French losses here, combined with the 1812 campaign, placed a strain on the Empire which could not be overcome by even the best generalship. Any true student of the Napoleonic Wars should find these books and read them. They are essential to a complete understanding of the conflict.
Amazon.com
Ordinary middle-class Americans have often tried to assuage their jealousy of the rich by repeating the axiom "money can't buy happiness" to themselves. But according to New Republic senior editor Gregg Easterbrook, "the rich" are, in fact, those same ordinary middle-class Americans and no, they're not happy at all. Wages have soared over the past fifty years and regular citizens own large homes, new cars, and luxuries aplenty. Better still, the environment, with a few exceptions, is getting cleaner, crime is on the decline, and diseases are being wiped out as life span increases. So why do people report a sense that things are getting steadily worse and that catastrophe is imminent? Easterbrook presents a few psychological rationales, including "choice anxiety," where the vastness of society's options is a burden, and "abundance denial," where people somehow manage to convince themselves that they are deprived of material comforts. The sooner we accept how good we have it, the better off the whole world will be, he says, because if we would just realize that we have this wealth, we could be using it to alleviate hunger, provide health care for the millions who lack it, and otherwise address the ills that actually do exist. While at times the book's attempts to make the world a better place seem a bit of a stretch, it's admirable that Easterbrook is willing to make that stretch and not suggest people simply light up cigars and bask in their newly discovered joys. One might look a bit askance at some of Easterbrook's sunny perspectives on our societal fortunes--he celebrates rampant consumerism while skating past the rampant consumer debt that lies beneath it, for instance--but it's hard to deny that the pessimistic viewpoint is much more widely stated than that of optimists. Is the glass really half empty or should we, as Easterbrook indicates, enjoy the wonderful world in which we secretly live? --John Moe
Book Description
In The Progress Paradox, Gregg Easterbrook draws upon three decades of wide-ranging research and thinking to make the persuasive assertion that almost all aspects of Western life have vastly improved in the past century–and yet today, most men and women feel less happy than in previous generations.
Detailing the emerging science of “positive psychology,” which seeks to understand what causes a person’s sense of well-being, Easterbrook offers an alternative to our culture of crisis and complaint. He makes a compelling case that optimism, gratitude, and acts of forgiveness not only make modern life more fulfilling but are actually in our self-interest. An affirming and constructive way of seeing life anew, The Progress Paradox will change the way you think about your place in the world–and about our collective ability to make it better.
Customer Reviews:
A hack job by a hack writer.......2007-09-19
There is nothing in this book worth the paper it is printed on, the writer is amateur at best. Actually, that is an insult to amateurs. Hardly thought provoking, informative nor insightful... this is the reason why books used to be better, because drivel like this never would have been published 10-20 years ago. So much for Progress!
Thought-provoking.......2007-09-18
The ideas presented in this small book are extremely interesting, and do not place the author clearly in either liberal or conservative camp. Recommended.
A magnificent book!.......2007-07-19
Easterbrook argues with compassion and logic and provides extensive end-notes to help those who want further reading. He argues neither from a left or right wing and does not claim that life is now or ever will be perfect.
What he does provide is a clear look at how good most of us in the "First World" have it, but how we can also do better. We can do better for ourselves and for the world.
I hesitate to ever suggest that "everyone should read this book," but this is about as close as I would come to such a remark.
Now if he would only come out with a full-length version of "Tuesday Morning Quarterback."
A Glass Half Full in a Glass Half Empty World.......2007-06-08
"The Progress Paradox" exposes one of the greatest lies of the past few decades, that the world around us is falling apart. Easterbrook takes aim at this myth and picks away at it with incredible detail, painting a compelling argument that American life, and that of the world in general, has vastly improved in nearly every aspect over the past century. Personal wealth, the quality of education and medicine are up, while pollution, crime, race and gender inequality are all down. Interestingly, one of the only areas not to improve has been personal happiness, showing a disconnect between material prosperity and contentment.
The reason for this disconnect is at the heart of "The Progress Paradox" with Easterbrook exploring several different theories from the media's bias for bad news, to choice anxiety that comes from people actually having too many choices then experiencing the stress of constantly wondering if they made the right one. Large portions of the book are spent understanding "positivie psychology," or the reasons why some people seem to have a much easier time being happy, gracious and forgiving. While the book can at some times be a bit repetitive it is full of incredibly compelling statistics and studies that will change your current view of the world and how you relate to it.
Great.......2007-03-30
What an incredibly interesting book. It is such an easy read while providing not only amazing data but presented in a mezmerizing manner. A very provocative premise that flies in the face of what we are spoon fed every day about how the world is on the brink of destruction. It convinced me and was so refreshing. The only complaint I have is that I wish he would of sourced his book better and let us know where he is getting more of his information. He does start to moralize at times but it is not over the top and is to be expected. I found that he attempts to present the ideas from an objective political framework which is hard to find these days.
Product Description
8 cassettes, 12 hours
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Birds of America: Americas Nat
Frank Shaw
Manufacturer: Gramercy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Birds
| Field Guides
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General
| Birdwatching
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Reference
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Ornithology
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ASIN: 0517679795
Release Date: 1989-01-13 |
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Wild Flowers of North America
Pamela Foley
Manufacturer: World Publications (MA)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Flowers
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ASIN: 1572152613 |
Books:
- Conversation Pieces: Community and Communication in Modern Art
- Creating Meaning Through Literature and the Arts: An Integration Resource for Classroom Teachers (2nd Edition)
- Decorative and Sculptural Ironwork: Tools, Techniques, Inspiration (Schiffer Book for Collectors)
- Designing with Plants: Creative Ideas from America's Best Gardeners (Fine Gardening Design Guides) (Fine Gardening Design Guides)
- Don't Just Applaud-Send Money!: The Most Successful Strategies for Funding and Marketing the Arts
- Dragons (Beyond Projects: The CF Sculpture Series, Book 1)
- Draw Real People! (Discover Drawing Series)
- Drawing the Living Figure
- Drawings of Mucha
- Exploring Art with Infotrac: A Global, Thematic, Approach
Books Index
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Pictorial Composition (Composition in Art)
Notan: The Dark-Light Principle of Design
Composition: Understanding Line, Notan and Color
Composition of Outdoor Painting
The Simple Secret to Better Painting: How to Immediately Improve Your Work with the One Rule of Composition
