City Travel Guides > Books > History of Art and Architecture

.Becoming the Natural: My Life in and Out of the Cage
City Travel Guides > Books > History of Art and Architecture
by: Randy Couture

July 22, 2008

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.Painting and Experience in Fifteenth Century Italy: A Primer in the Social History of Pictorial Style (Oxford Paperbacks)
City Travel Guides > Books > History of Art and Architecture
by: Michael Baxandall

May 19, 1988
This is the kind of book that History of Art departments throw at you early on in their courses to instil the right respect and awe for the whole academic ritual.

When I first saw this book at Birkbeck College (2003 History of Art MA) I was duly impressed and intimidated into thinking this was somehow a classic. In this work Baxandall is the exemplary academic, slowly building up a case from painstaking research and cleverly interpreted trivia.

This approach is fine and dandy until you reflect that at the end of it the conclusions Baxandall has laboured so hard to arrive at are perhaps a little banal -- i.e. Renaissance painting was influenced by such contemporary phenomenon as religious practices, dancing, and the ... Read More:
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.It Just Occurred to Me...: The Reminiscences and Thoughts of Chairman Humph
City Travel Guides > Books > History of Art and Architecture
by: Humphrey Lyttelton

July 04, 2007
I enjoyed this book immensely. It is very tempting to describe the book by what it is not, not autobiography, not a companion to "Sorry I haven't a clue", not about Jazz... Though I think anyone with an interest in these areas will enjoy it.
The book is quite literally a collection of rambling thoughts and reminiscences - which does not sound very appealing. But Humphs love of language and music shine though continually, and it flows along in a delightful manner.
While his achievements in Jazz and Comedy are well known, Humph's journalism successes are perhaps less well known - and in my opinion his abilities as a writer are every bit as great, and that shines from the pages of this book. I really think anyone with a sense of humour ... Read More:
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.Akiane: Her Life, Her Art, Her Poetry
City Travel Guides > Books > History of Art and Architecture
by: Akiane Kramarik

2007-11
I enjoyed this book immensely. It is very tempting to describe the book by what it is not, not autobiography, not a companion to "Sorry I haven't a clue", not about Jazz... Though I think anyone with an interest in these areas will enjoy it.
The book is quite literally a collection of rambling thoughts and reminiscences - which does not sound very appealing. But Humphs love of language and music shine though continually, and it flows along in a delightful manner.
While his achievements in Jazz and Comedy are well known, Humph's journalism successes are perhaps less well known - and in my opinion his abilities as a writer are every bit as great, and that shines from the pages of this book. I really think anyone with a sense of humour ... Read More:
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.After Modern Art, 1945-2000 (Oxford History of Art)
City Travel Guides > Books > History of Art and Architecture
by: David Hopkins

September 14, 2000
I'm amazed nobody has reviewed this book yet! Among the various studies of post-war art it is by far the best. Driven by the relationship between American and European art it seems to cover all of the main debates and is not afraid to tackle complex theoretical issues in a very readable manner. The book contains lively discussions of all the key names: Warhol, Beuys, Rauschenberg, Bourgeois etc. as well as being excellent on Modernism/Postmodernism. Very impressive all round.
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.This Is Modern Art
City Travel Guides > Books > History of Art and Architecture
by: Matthew Collings

July 06, 2000
I was so exhilarated by Collings' Channel 4 mini-series "This is civilisation" that I had to search the web to find something similar in book form. I didn't, but came across This is modern art, with its amazon.co.uk collection of high ratings, which convinced me to take the plunge. I don't know, this may be a personal issue, but I think I can generally appreciate good writting, even when it's not to my taste. This book, however, I found confusedly written, with no flow and no inspiration. As I say, it may be just me, or it may be that Collings comes across better on tv. Nonetheless, I thought it healthy to add my view as a healthcheck on the total.
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.The 20th Century Art Book : Mini Edition
City Travel Guides > Books > History of Art and Architecture
by: Phaidon Press, Susannah Lawson

March 25, 1999
This a really good book for any art student, Artists are listed alphabetically and there is a page devoted to each. Photo of their typical work and brief synopsis and names of similiar artists. Want to buy a pressy for your favourite art student? This is the one. Also a very good book for anyone wanting to know a bit about art, take it round the galleries, slip it in your pocket. Just the right size.
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.Modern Architecture Since 1900
City Travel Guides > Books > History of Art and Architecture
by: William Curtis

June 27, 1996
In covering well-trodden ground, William Curtis still manages to shed new light on the subject of Modern Architecture. Much has been written over the years, including Sigfried Giedion's seminal work, Space Time and Architecture, which sought to give Modern Architecture its proper perspective. Mr. Curtis seems greatly beholden to Giedion, especially in his interpretations of Le Corbusier, which comprise a sizeable chunk of this volume. Mr. Curtis downplays the polemics and focuses more on the individual contributions of an incredibly broad range of architects from the early 19th century to the present day.

Wonderful chapters encapsulate the various movements such as his piece on the Revolutionary Architecture of Russia, and how these ideas ... Read More:
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.Practices of Looking: An Introduction to Visual Culture
City Travel Guides > Books > History of Art and Architecture
by: Marita Sturken, Lisa Cartwright

December 21, 2000
This book is a splendid introduction to theories about visual culture. It opens up the sociological / psychodynamic / anthropological theories that exist about the visual media to laymen. Another good thing is that they do not focus on high culture visual media, but also on film, television, advertising, etc. This is what makes the book valuable to people who are specialized in neighbouring fields and who wish to know more about visual media (for instance, marketeers, perception psychologists, therapists, people studying politics, etc.). On every topic the background literature is made accessible by good references and a short introduction to these references. This is really helpful! For instance, i always wanted to know more about Barthes theorizing about ... Read More:
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.Vivienne Westwood (VA)
City Travel Guides > Books > History of Art and Architecture
by: Claire Wilcox

October 03, 2005
This is a gorgeous,sumptuous book. It works precisely because it let's Vivienne's clothes speak for themselves. The full page glossy pictures of the most influential designer of the 20th Century almost make you salivate. I used to shop at World's End and wore the original Pirate range, but even then I'd still forgotten just how stunning it was. If you are interested in fashion, music, history, art, literature, anarchy and chaos, then this is for you.
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