Book Description
Although the status of Outsider Art has grown in the art world-with its own canon of classic works and artists, dealers, museum exhibitions, an annual fair, and even its own auction category at a major international house-most art lovers still can't say precisely what it is and don't know how to assess its worth. How is it different from "self-taught" or folk art? What does it have to do with conditions such as autism and schizophrenia? As outsider works increasingly command upwards of six figures, there is a pressing need for a book to help people navigate both the aesthetics and business of Outsider Art.
This is the only book that lays out the ground rules for understanding, appreciating, and evaluating outsider artworks. It provides an overview of the field; showcases the most exciting works, many never before published, by such important artists as Henry Darger, William Hawkins, and Adolf Wölfi; offers guidelines for aesthetic and collecting judgments; and gives compelling accounts of some of the field's spectacular successes. How to Look at Outsider Art attests to these works' growing importance to contemporary art. AUTHOR BIO: Lyle Rexer is the author of several books on art and photography, including a number that focus on Outsider Art and artists. He has published numerous catalogue essays on contemporary artists and contributed articles to publications such as The New York Times, Art in America, Art on Paper, and Aperture. He lives in Brooklyn.
Customer Reviews:
Great photos -- text too small.......2005-08-31
This book presents a series of black and white still life images along with information from each photographer on how they took the image and their approach to photograhy. I love the images--many of which are not done in a more standard style; instead there are many images that are grainy and toned -- in a word, soulful.
But the text is so painfully small, that its hard to read. I've seen this with another photo book from RotoVision, so I assume its a particular graphic style they've taken on. But it goes against the basic idea of putting text in a book, which is to convey information and ideas.
I'm always amazed when publishers do something like this. It seems that they would have the knowledge and skill to know better, so I wonder, how does this basic "unreadability" slip by? I imagine someone sitting in front of a very large computer screen, composing the layout of this book, and later marveling over the "look and feel" of how the book turned out. But they probalby never sat down and read the book or they'd know how un-readable it really is.
So, a book with great, inspiring black and white images. But get out your magnification to read the text.
David
Whidbey Island, Wash., USA
Customer Reviews:
Fantastic book - not for beginners.......2006-03-17
No need to write a full review here Conrad J. Obregon has said it all perfectly in his review below.
This is not a book for beginners, if you do not have some experience with Landscape Photography the value of this book will be lost on you. However, if you do have some experience this book is an absolute joy. If you wish for your photo's to convey the 'feeling' of the landscape, this is the book for you.
As for the the negative and silly comments in other reviews .... ignorance is bliss !
Pleasant and thoughtful........2002-06-27
I like this book, but I don't feel inspired by it. Benvie's photographs and text tend to be low-key and thoughtful, but they don't send me out in the field to make my own.
Boring!!.......2002-06-08
It's just plane boring!! Very little, if any information on photographing landscapes; it just seems to ramble. No mention of what cameras or camera sizes used, just rambles on about nothing. No technical information and the photographs are made in europe. What little hard information there is, is in the metric system...all in all, not nearly worth the cost of the book.
A Great Book, But Not for Everyone.......2002-02-09
Creative Landscape Photography is an excellent book, with a specific audience that does not include the rank beginner or even someone who is just comfortable with the controls on a single lens reflex camera. If you fall into that category I suggest you read John Shaw's Landscape Photography or, if you want something a little more up-to-date and covering almost the same ground, Shaw's Nature Photography Field Guide. Benvie presumes you know about technique and tries to develop your creative side so that you can put your opinions, beliefs and experiences into your landscape pictures. He believes that while great pictures can be found, many others must be intended.
The first things he examines are some of the concepts that are critical to understanding what can be influenced to convey your vision: exposure, space, light and darkness. For example in his discussion of light he talks about the nature of fog and some of its different forms and how this can be used by the photographer in creating his image.
He next examines the environments of landscape: wilderness, land dominated by people, city and garden and what he calls the intimate landscape, that is, the detailed view or close-ups. In discussing the city he talks about both iconic scenes and the incongruous. His views of each of these environments in terms of photographic vision reflect his feeling about man's relationship to the landscape. Benvie say "I have merely recounted my own response to environments and suggested that we should think about what we are looking at, rather than taking it at face value."
Benvie discusses the hardware that he uses for landscape photography in a chapter that seemed to say, "my editor said I have to talk about equipment". Although I'm sure, for a committed professional, a one-yard square softbox may be essential, most readers will not be inspired to make such an investment.
A chapter I particularly liked was devoted to digital finishing. Few photography authors acknowledge that the digital darkroom is rapidly replacing its chemical predecessor. Benvie takes several photographs and shows how he adjusted them in Photoshop. This in no way constitutes Photoshop instruction (for that, I'd recommend Barry Haynes' Photoshop 6 Artistry to both novice and experienced photographers). But it is interesting to see how a particular artist approaches his work and uses his photographic intentions to select digital tools.
This book operates in the overlap between photography and philosophy. Ultimately the question the reading photographer must ask is whether he (or she) is at the stage where he needs to develop his photographic vision. If one is, there is no clear or easy path to that development. Benvie may or may not work for you. You might benefit from Galen Rowell's Inner Game of Outdoor Photography. Or you might need to look afield to something like Simon Schama's Landscape and Memory. I believe that this is the most difficult step for a committed photographer and that it takes a combination of many different tools to develop vision. Some tools will be more helpful for a particular individual. But I think that Creative Landscape Photography is well worth the try.
Product Description
Lots of color illustrations!
Book Description
What if you were an international super spy? What if you had the latest technology at your fingertips? What if you had martial-arts training to hone your mind and body into the perfect living weapon? What if you didn`t know it? But what if others did? High school student Alex Fleming`s life is the standard teenage mix of homework, dating anxiety, and getting his face shoved in the toilet by school bullies until one day when his dormant abilities begin to surface as he is drawn into a hidden world of mystery, intrigue, and bizarre villainy. Everybody`s out to get SpyBoy...but Alex Fleming doesn`t know why! Written by comics superstar Peter David and illustrated by Pop Mhan and Norman Lee, SpyBoy has captured the imagination of readers from a broad spectrum. If you`ve missed the early issues of this instant sell-out smash, don`t miss the opportunity to get on board the wildest ride in the park!
Book Description
What They Didn’t Teach You in Your Screenwriting Course
Screenwriters, listen up!
Breakfast with Sharks is not a book about the craft of screenwriting. This is a book about the business of managing your screenwriting career, from advice on choosing an agent to tips on juggling three deal-making breakfasts a day. Prescriptive and useful,
Breakfast with Sharks is a real guide to navigating the murky waters of the Hollywood system.
Unlike most of the screenwriting books available, here’s one that tells you what to do after you’ve finished your surefire-hit screenplay. Written from the perspective of Michael Lent, an in-the-trenches working screenwriter in Hollywood, this is a real-world look into the script-to-screen business as it is practiced today.
Breakfast with Sharks is filled with useful advice on everything from the ins and outs of moving to Los Angeles to understanding terms like “spec,” “option,” and “assignment.” Here you’ll learn what to expect from agents and managers and who does what in the studio hierarchy. And most important,
Breakfast with Sharks will help you nail your pitch so the studio exec can’t say no.
Rounded out with a Q&A section and resource lists of script competitions, film festivals, trade associations, industry publications, and more,
Breakfast with Sharks is chock-full of “take this and use it right now” information for screenwriters at any stage of their careers.
Customer Reviews:
MEDIOCRE.......2007-08-03
First a disclosure - I am not a screenwriter. I am an avid reader. So the fact this book didn't thrill me may mean nothing. If you're in pursuit of this dream you may have the background to assess the advice proffered.
From purely a readers point of view I think the book could flow better. I have a keen interest in most things Hollywood, and those chapters dealing with Hollywood as town were intriguing. Save The Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need
Good advice for any entrepreneur .......2007-07-29
I read this book expecting to find a lot of Hollywood gossip. Instead, it was a down to earth 'how to' guide for becoming a star-screenwriter.
Some of the suggestions are very specific to the industry. For example, how to decide when to move to Hollywood or how to get across the San Fernando valley for an interview when you don't own a car. Most of the advice is fairly general, though. Ben Franklin would approve.
The text is fast paced and entertaining. It doesn't quite read like a novel, but you will start watching for the author's name to appear on your local cinema.
Breakfast with Sharks!.......2005-05-31
Wow! Full of sound advice from experience. Michael Lent is clearly someone who pays attention to the whole process. The best part is he shares it with the rest of us! This book is fun to read from start to finish. Lent constantly encourages the reader (screenwriter) to adopt an attitude of, what I would call, "strategic humility" in their business dealings. How rare!!! This stuff helps in life too! I've never written a feature length screenplay, but I still found this book efficacious in learning the ins and outs of this goofy industry. And I know goofy - www.chrismundell.com
Practicle Advice.......2005-02-08
I'm on my third reading of Michael Lent's "Breakfast with Sharks" (2-7-05), and I highly this book to any screenwriter making serious go of trying to sell his/her work.
Micheal Lent doesn't make things up. His book is filled with real life "lived" experiences.
This book is a godsend if you've a written a screenplay and have started your foray into the next scary step-selling!! "Breakfast with Sharks" will help you disciminate information and buzzwords used at screenwrinting seminars and help decode the Hollywood Creative Directory.
My favorite section in the entire book is "Studio Notes: What They Are and How to Handle Them".
Overall a great book, insprationaly it ranks right up there with Karl Iglesias' "The 101 Habits of Hightly Successful Screenwriters".
- Review given by Eric C.Henrikson Febuary 7, 2005
One way to fish through the crowd.......2005-01-21
As a beginning screenwriter I know the competition is fierce especially for those like me without film school, living outside of Hollywood. That's why I bought Breakfast with Sharks. There isn't a screenwriting resource out there like it. Sure, I've bought a few screenwriting books but most of them say the same things, how to write a screenplay and a query letter. This book delves into the business of screenwriting, if you don't have a father in the business you will need to learn the business and Breakfast with Sharks is a way to do it. I found the book also enjoyable to read with personal stories of Hollywood misfortune and finally success. Breakfast with Sharks rises above the competition with a unique purpose and helps you to write above the competition with what many others forget to bring to Hollywood, a plan and a unique voice.
Average customer rating:
- A super read about the greatest band ever...
- Not quite everything about the Manic Street Preachers
|
Manic Street Preachers: Sweet Venom
Martin Clarke
Manufacturer: Plexus Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Arts & Literature
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
| Actors & Actresses
| Artists, Architects & Photographers
| Authors
| Composers & Musicians
| Dancers
| Entertainers
| Movie Directors
| New Age
| Television Performers
| Theatre
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Rock
| Musical Genres
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Everything: A Book About Manic Street Preachers
ASIN: 0859652599 |
Book Description
Here is the full story of the iconoclastic British band - from their formative years as an insular gang in south Wales to the tragic disappearance of rhythm guitarist Richey Edwards. "A fascinating yarn, and one told quite brilliantly by Clarke . . . well-balanced, incisive, and utterly definitive." - Vox
Customer Reviews:
A super read about the greatest band ever..........2006-01-18
This book was brought to my attention after seeing the Manics live. They fast became my favourite band and have stayed on top of my musical taste ever sinse. mainly because, as they say, 'They're brilliant and everyone else is rubbish.' This book is not just a regurgitation of information, but a well informed and opinionated bio on a band that has had mor talking points many others will ever have. Through all the contoversial points they raised when they started with Suicide Alley right throught the mental torture of Richey and then to the carrying on after he went. Just buy it and read it. Enjoy!
Not quite everything about the Manic Street Preachers.......2000-08-25
At the time this book came out, this was the best biography about the Manic Street Preachers. Since then, however, it's been eclipsed by Simon Price's Everything. Still, Sweet Venom is a good read about the band. It is more than just the cut-and-paste jobs of earlier Manics bios; the author goes beyond simple retelling of information that was previously available in the media. The book also has some wonderful photos, many not available anywhere else (I believe).
Book Description
From its inception in the Han dynasty (206 B.C.-220 A.D.), the salt monopoly was a key component in the Chinese government's financial toolkit. Salt, with its highly localized and large-scale production, was an ideal target for bureaucratic management.
In the Song dynasty (960-1279), fiscal pressures on the government had intensified with increased centralization and bureaucratization. A bloated administration and an enormous standing army maintained against incursions by aggressive steppe neighbors placed tremendous strain on Song finances. Developing the salt monopoly seemed a logical and indeed urgent strategy, but each actor in this plan -- the emperor, local officials, monopoly administrators, producers, merchants, and consumers -- had his own interests to protect and advance. Thus attempts to maximize the effectiveness of the monopoly meant frequent policy swings and led to levels of corruption that would ultimately undo the Song.
Unlike other contemporary sources, the Songshi treatise organizes its subject into an intelligible and detailed narrative, elucidating special terminology, the bureaucracy and its processes, and debates relating to Chinese finance and politics, as well as the salt industry itself. Professor Chien's extensive annotation relies on parallel histories that corroborate and supplement the Songshi account, together providing a comprehensive study of this important institution in China's premodern political economy.
Cecilia Chien is Assistant Professor in the Division of Humanities at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
Average customer rating:
|
Television the Business Behind the Box (Harvest Book)
L. Brown
Manufacturer: Harcourt
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Television
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Performing Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0156884402 |
Books:
- Illuminating Video: An Essential Guide To Video Art
- Inside the White Cube: The Ideology of the Gallery Space
- John Updike: Just Looking: Essays on Art
- Kandinsky, Complete Writings on Art
- Keith Haring: I Wish I Didn't Have to Sleep! (Adventures in Art Series)
- LaPorte, Indiana
- Let's Get to the Nitty Gritty: The Autobiography of Horace Silver
- Light Up Your Watercolors Layer by Layer
- Looney Tunes: The Ultimate Visual Guide
- Lovers and Others Strangers: Paintings by Jack Vettriano
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Parenting With Grace: Catholic Parent's Guide to Raising Almost Perfect Kids
- Rising Storm
- Life Volume 1 & Volume 2 & Lecture Notebook
- Sister Carrie
- Journey of an Art Quilter: Creative Strategies and Techniques
- No Sheep for You: Knit Happy with Cotton, Silk, Linen, Hemp, Bamboo & Other Delights
- Keeshond Champions, 1983-1994
- Making Indian Bows and Arrows, The Old Way
- Mountain Interiors - Interieurs Des Montagnes
- Parricide on the Pampa
Outsider Art: Spontaneous Alternatives (World of Art)
Everyday Genius: Self-Taught Art and the Culture of Authenticity
Art Brut: The Origins of Outsider Art
Raw Creation: Outsider Art & Beyond
Coming Home!: Self-Taught Artists, the Bible, and the American South
