Why Art Cannot Be Taught: A HANDBOOK FOR ART STUDENTS

Customer Reviews:

Recovering MFA Survivor.......2007-08-23

As a recovering survivor of an MFA program I can wholly relate to Elkins' criticisms about the failure of critiques to shape art and artists. It is poignant that Elkins is unable to offer up a solution.

to be read BEFORE entering Art School.......2006-08-31

this book is not for current art students, or graduates (it's simply too late for you to read this)

considering the expensive and time consuming path of art training at the University level ? then i recommend reading (or even just skimming) "Why Art Cannot Be Taught : A HANDBOOK FOR ART STUDENTS" not only because it gives a clear overview of the evolution of the methods of passing craftsmanship in the fine arts through (European) history, but because you'll see that picking a few art classes is probably going to serve you far better than undertaking a full course of study (and the stories of "classroom psychodrama", and students having to explain and defend their work was easily worth the price of the book, IMHO)

Ignores the field of "art education".......2006-05-20

As a critique of how studio art has traditionally been taught at the university level, Elkins is dead on (pun intended). His portrayal of B.F.A./M.F.A. programs is vividly familiar to anyone who has gone that route. The book is also hilarious and a great read. But since we (studio folk) are the chief audience, we already know all of this, right?

The critique of Elkins' book is not that he misrepresents anything, but that he misses things: namely the field that addresses teaching art, known as "art education." He does not pretend to consider it, but that doesn't excuse the neglect. If that sounds funny to you, meaning you assume Art Education is a joke-field, I urge you to delve into the research published in its premier journal, "Studies in Art Education," and, then, compare this research to that which has recently emerged from Art History and Art--that is, if "Art" (studio professors) produces any research at all. Well, it does here and there, and Art History produces some interesting research, as does Art Education, whose primary agenda is to address issues of critical theory, postmodernism, and visual/material culture. In fact, I understand that the Art department at Elkins' institution is in the process of making this pedagogical shift as well as some other leading Art schools here and abroad, like Yale.

The point I'm making is that Elkin's portrait--that postmodern art is at odds with the outdated mode that exists in art schools--is partly untrue. Cutting-edge Art programs, and certainly Art Education, are exploring interesting post-disciplinary projects that resonate nicely with the sublime mantra of the postmodernist discourse that informs them. In a general sense, the schools that Elkins describes are those whose tenured faculty have rested on their boring Modernist laurels, which died quicker than their 4th-tier universities could pass them through the nominal tenure process, a tragedy that I think is slowly but surely evaporating.

Understanding that Elkins is probably aware of all of this and expecting academic readers to draw this out of the book, it's not so bad. But for those who do not know the inner workings of academic art programs, the book could do a better job of explaining where the pedagogical answer lies. I like to think that for some reason, Elkins had those answers and kept them reserved for another book, rather than that he, like the oldie-moldy prof's he ribs, is a living anachronism.

QUESTION - Visual Arts "different" as an academic pursuit?!.......2003-07-16

The answer: I think so. The author changed my way of thinking about the subject of what is plausible in arts education in our time. The apprearance of total artistic freedom from judgement as formulated by postmodernists, yet the intrinsic nature of how the academy/school affects an artist, is seriously examined by Elkins.

This book is amongst the first to pragmatically question some of our common misunderstandings about the methodology involved in teaching the visual arts. The reason for this maybe due in part to modernist and postmodernist intellectualizing of art (e.g.-the endless pages of ink spilled in history books about content free Minimalist paintings and Conceptual Art). Elkins really does an marvelous job at collecting the evidence that studio art teaching and learning is fundamentally different in goals from more conventional subjects such as the sciences, languages and even music...yet, artists should have a somewhat rounded education.

To the authors credit, the book avoids the idealistic view of the arts, dispenses with the RomanticEra cliches of " the gifted talent" or "starving artist" or "outsider art" and deals with THE pragmatic reality of art instruction. Elkins' surveys are about the historical roots of art instruction: the Medieval workshops, the Renaissance guilds,the Baroque academies, and the 20th c. Bauhaus School are compared and contrasted with one another.

THIS comparison of instruction models is EXCELLENT!

The assumed historical 'reality' of the types of artists each system was capable of producing serves as a spring board for discussions on how philosophical discourse influences the instruction model. The book addresses the question of "what body of knowledge is central to the education of an artist?" Is it life drawing, technical and mechanical skills or is it a selected reading and immersion in the liberal arts(i.e.- should an artist have a classical education w/ emphasis on Greek literature -or- postmodernist and shifting in emphasis related to an artist's native culture?_)

Elkin's book fully illustrates the very real world dilemna that students interested in the visual arts face when choosing between "art schools" and small "Liberal arts colleges." "Art schools" tend to only be interested in art, with a myriad of opportunities to be exposed to the art world, with little if any exposure to core general education courses. Paradoxically, the art schools are also places where one is likely to find the latest art theory in deployment despite an 'art school'student populace that MAY NOT have the educational background to engage in meaningful discussion with instructors. The situation is the exact inverse with students at "liberal arts colleges" (and the university in general) where the student is academically armed, yet, is enrolled in significantly less demanding studio courses. "Liberal Arts colleges" and art departments of universities,while providing excellant general education for an art student -most barely engage in the issues of making Studio Art much beyond the dilettante level. Elkins makes a very fine point of emphasis on what is either impractical or too obscure to teach about art in the general curriculum of both classroom enviroments-i.e.-such things as art that uses obscure techniques, extremely radical and/or conservative methods. He deals with that rarely mentioned art class phenomenon- "the critque"- where the student presents thier work to the class to be analyized. Elkins illuminates 'The critque' of art schools (and studio art departments) in a manner that should deal with every sort of postive and negative experience that could be siphoned from such an ordeal.

Essentially the heart of "Why Art Cannot be Taught" is to illuminate what works and what makes 'sense' to teach in the pedantic school environment about art. Elkin's thesis ("that art cannot be taught") is a descriptive interpretation of the reality that art education like 'true art', the 100%creative stuff, is something unique and irrational that can't be easily duplicated at the whim of educators. A must for anyone that has interest in the peculiarities of being a student of the visual arts!

all art students and profs should have to read this.......2001-12-21

The author details art instruction through the ages and discusses the question asked in the title. Art and artists would be so much better thought of by society, and art istself would improve, if the ideas in this book were taken seriously. It is a DEEP book, not for casual reading.

Why Art Cannot Be Taught: A Handbook for Art Students

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Why Art Cannot Be Taught: A Handbook for Art Students
James Elkins
Manufacturer: University of Illinois Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OPYTTE

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Creative Folk Art & Stenciling
A. Allen
Manufacturer: Quilters Resource
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Folk Art | Schools, Periods & Styles | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1863431985

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Creative Happenings, Folk Art Collectibles, Book III, Stenciling and Candlewicking
Beverly Nielsen Page
Manufacturer: Creative Happenings, Pensacola, FL
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000O7SX80

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Siempre!, published by Thomson Gale on January 4, 2004. The length of the article is 1165 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Espléndida crónica de la violencia familiar en España: cine de hoy: Te doy mis ojos.(Reseña de película)
Author: Mario Saavedra
Publication: Siempre! (Magazine/Journal)
Date: January 4, 2004
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 50 Issue: 2638 Page: 74(2)

Article Type: Reseña de película

Distributed by Thomson Gale

La mujer golpeada: Te doy mis ojos, de Iciar Bollain.(Reseña de película): An article from: Siempre!

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La mujer golpeada: Te doy mis ojos, de Iciar Bollain.(Reseña de película): An article from: Siempre!
Tomás Pérez Turrent
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B00082UXL6
Release Date: 2006-10-24

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Siempre!, published by Thomson Gale on July 11, 2004. The length of the article is 831 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: La mujer golpeada: Te doy mis ojos, de Iciar Bollain.(Reseña de película)
Author: Tomás Pérez Turrent
Publication: Siempre! (Magazine/Journal)
Date: July 11, 2004
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 51 Issue: 2665 Page: 72(1)

Article Type: Reseña de película

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Bajo los tibios ojos de mi madre amapola (Oda luna)

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Bajo los tibios ojos de mi madre amapola (Oda luna)
Rosa Roma
Manufacturer: Ediciones y Distribuciones Requena
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Spanish | Foreign Language Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 8489887128

De los ojos azules de la luna de agosto =: Dels ulls blaus de la lluna d'agost

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De los ojos azules de la luna de agosto =: Dels ulls blaus de la lluna d'agost
Jose Luis Clemente
Manufacturer: Opera Prima
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Teatro, urgente: Luna negra, y Fantastic calentito (El Ojo de la avispa)

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Teatro, urgente: Luna negra, y Fantastic calentito (El Ojo de la avispa)
Luis Araujo
Manufacturer: J. Garcia Verdugo
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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Great!

Great Book

Science Frictionless!

Detente is when...

How hard sci fi can be funny.....

Schlock Mercenary: The Blackness Between

Manufacturer: The Tayler Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Schlock Mercenary: Under New Management

Babylon 5 - The Lost Tales

Girl Genius Volume 6: Agatha Heterodyne And The Golden Trilobite (Girl Genius)

Girl Genius Volume 5: Agatha Heterodyne & The Clockwork Princess (Girl Genius)

Penny Arcade Volume 4: Birds Are Weird (Penny Arcade)

ASIN: 0977907430
Release Date: 2006-11-15

Product Description

This is the second print collection of Schlock Mercenary, and it is chock-full of new footnotes and sketches, plus 8 pages of never-before-seen bonus story explaining how Schlock got rich escaping from the circus. This 100 page, full-color collection can stand alone, but makes an ideal companion volume to Under New Management.

Customer Reviews:

Great!.......2007-07-20

Great read from one of my favourite webcomic authors. Nicely printed and lots of interesting bonus content.

Great Book.......2007-05-09

Before I found Schlock Mercenary, I thought that all web comics were terrible. Schlock Mercenary opened my eyes to a new world of entertainment, and now I read webcomics every week.

Schlock Mercenary is my homepage.

This is the second Schlock Mercenary compilation, continuing the story started in Under New Management. It also carries on the quality set in the first book, the humor is consistent and it's an all around crowd pleaser.

Buy this book!

Science Frictionless!.......2007-03-04

Howard Tayler's series is one of the best there is. His setting is well-constructed and thought out enough to please the hard science-fiction fans, but is approachable and appeals to all readers. The plot, with its conspiracies, factions, and betrayals, is one that keeps you coming back for more, but Tayler makes you laugh a few panels later.

Hard sci-fi can be intimidating to some people, but Tayler's work is accessible, funny, and fun.

Detente is when..........2007-03-02

...you each throw away enough weapons you only have enough left to kill each other twice.

The artwork is better, the plotting tighter, the plotting in-story even backstabberier, and Sergeant Schlock gets to use his Plasgun to THOOM lots of stuff that...well..._mostly_ needed blown up.

With more twists than a fifties dance hall, lots of laughs and tactics that resolve to, "Shoot it," you'll find yourself quoting the Seven Rules Of Highly Effective Pirates to your friends. Especially Number 34.

How hard sci fi can be funny............2007-03-02

Others will tell you how this little volume is the excellent sequel to "Under New Management" and how there exists on line at the Schlock Mercenary site not only the books but the amazing Schlock saga before and since. See the amazing advances in artistic skill that constant practice at turning out a strip that is both scientifically plausible and funny at the same time can produce!
In fact why buy the printed versions at all? - 1. they don't need a computer to access them 2. there are extras in the books in the form of additional illustrations, footnotes and stories that you won't get online.
Buy the books AND check out the strip! (just use a Famous Search Engine and you'll find the URL)

Never mind that the humour here is clean and wholesome with an ominous hummmmm or that "Elf" Foxworthy is hot hot hot.....

This is funny stuff done by an artist who is a great guy. So buy buy buy.

Average customer rating:

Great!
How this Book Changed My Life
Military Hard Science Fiction Comedy. Seriously Funny.
Soldier of Fiction
There is no overkill.

Schlock Mercenary: Under New Management

Manufacturer: The Tayler Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Perfect Paperback

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0977907422
Release Date: 2006-05-19

Product Description

This is the first-ever print collection of Schlock Mercenary comics. It includes the complete "Under New Management" story, plus all new footnotes, Sunday-style coloring on every strip, sketches galore, deck plans of the Serial Peacemaker, a group 'photo,' and a bonus 'origins' story about Sergeant Schlock and his first plasma cannon. These 80 full-color glossy pages are a must-have for fans of the comic, and a perfect primer for everyone else.

Customer Reviews:

Great!.......2007-07-20

Great read from one of my favourite webcomic authors. Nicely printed and lots of interesting bonus content.

How this Book Changed My Life.......2007-05-09

All right. The title might sound over the top, but Schlock Mercenary DID change my life in a very real way. Before I found Schlock Mercenary, I thought that all web comics were terrible. Schlock Mercenary opened my eyes to a new world of entertainment, and now I read webcomics every week.

Schlock Mercenary is my homepage.

That said, Schlock Mercenary is a masterfully constructed story. Howard has managed to create a captivating cast of characters that cover every role in a sci-fi mercenary unit. This allows him to tell entertaining stories from every possible point of view. The story is riveting and honest, in it's own bizzare way.

And did I mention FUNNY?

Military Hard Science Fiction Comedy. Seriously Funny........2007-03-08

I've been a regular reader of the online strip Schlock Mercenary - if you aren't, you really owe it to yourself to start reading - and finally getting my hands on a print version was a long awaited joy.

For the unfamiliar, Schlock Mercenary follows the mercenary combat Tagon's Toughs as they gleefully resort to violence on behalf of the highest bidders across the Galaxy. The story is smart, coherent, action-packed without being graphic and consistently funny. Schlock Mercenary is also very family friendly without being dumbed-down or banal. The book is a very high quality item, with glossy pages and many extras for the reader - the margins are filled with early concept art and the visual evolution of the artist's designs, and including the footnote commentary to selected strips. As a bonus, there is a short origins story that is not available online, existing only in this book collection.

This is a worthwhile addition to any bookshelf.

Soldier of Fiction.......2007-03-04

Howard Tayler is producing great work in the comic medium for the SF genre.

He offers science fiction hard enough to please the SF purists and technophiles but like any good comic artist puts his engaging plot first. He leads readers through an interesting setting populated with delightful characters and lays the final touches to a foundation for a surprisingly intricate plot in this volume.

It's unique. It's hilarious. Stuff blows up.

There is no overkill. .......2007-03-03

That's just one of the many rules of Highly Effective Pirates.

Go buy this book.

What, you need more?

Howard Taylor is probably one of the funniest comic strip authors on the face of the earth. Sci-fi humor is very difficult to get right (to my knowledge, only Douglas Adams was ever able to pull it off, and even his work started to lose something after it hit the fifth book of the trilogy), but Schlock Mercenary is consistently funny. Howard Tayor manages to blend geek humor (name me another author who can work a dyson sphere into a joke, and it's actually funny), military humor (because it's funny when the right things blow up, and even funnier when the wrong ones do), and bad puns all into one nifty package. And now you can own his work in two (so far-- more please) volumes.

Under New Management chronicles the adventures of the mercenary company Tagon's Toughs as they hunt down their former owner and commander Breya Andreyasn. Or, at least, that's the plan of their latest employer. We'll see who actually gets hunted.

Foremost in the story is Sgt. Schlock, a carbo-silicate amorph who looks like a pile of crap but acts like a violently antisocial pile of crap. He likes to hurt people and break things, and he's very good at it. You don't think you'll like him, but you will.

The story is crisp and funny, the artwork is crisp and funny, and the jokes are crisp and funny. The whole book reads like a bag of fritoes being eaten by a monkey in a pirate costume-- but with more explosions.

Now, having said all that, buy this book. Don't make Sgt. Schlock deploy his sawed off multicannons. (Yes, I copied and pasted much of my review of The Blackness Between for this review. It applies equally well to both)

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This particular title never existed...

Schlock Mercenary

Manufacturer: STEVE JACKSON GAMES
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 155634743X

Customer Reviews:

This particular title never existed..........2007-03-01

This particular Schlock Mercenary title doesn't exist, and will never be available. Looking for Schlock books? Check out "Schlock Mercenary: Under New Management" and "Schlock Mercenary: The Blackness Between," both available now through Amazon.

--Howard Tayler
Creator, Schlock Mercenary

Average customer rating:

Interesting

Comprehensive and Enjoyable

Great book for Leone's western fans

Once Upon a Time kn Italy: The Westerns of Sergio Leone

Wonderful book, for a wonderful price

Once Upon a Time in Italy: The Westerns of Sergio Leone
Christopher Frayling , and Autry National Center's Museum of the American West
Manufacturer: Harry N. Abrams
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Direction & Production | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
General | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
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General | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
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Spaghetti Westerns: the Good, the Bad And the Violent: A Comprehensive Illustrated Filmography of 558...

Once Upon a Time in the Italian West: The Filmgoers' Guide to Spaghetti Westerns

Spaghetti Westerns: Cowboys and Europeans from Karl May to Sergio Leone (Cinema and Society)

The Art Of Sergio Leone's Once Upon A Time In The West: A Critical Appreciation

Once Upon a Time in the West

ASIN: 0810958848

Book Description

In the mid-1960s an unknown Italian film director named Sergio Leone was given $200,000 and some leftover film stock, and he went to make a Western. With an American TV actor named Clint Eastwood and a script based on a samurai epic, Leone wound up creating A Fistful of Dollars, the first in a trilogy of films (with For a Few Dollars More and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly) that was violent, cynical, and visually stunning. Along with his later masterpiece, Once Upon a Time in the West, these films came to define the "Spaghetti Western," a genre that has influenced such contemporary filmmakers as Martin Scorsese, John Woo, and Quentin Tarantino.

Written by the preeminent Leone scholar, this is the first illustrated book to focus on his Westerns, illuminating his visual style, offbeat sense of humor, and sophisticated, elliptical way of telling stories. Augmenting the text are a wealth of visual materials, as well as interviews with Leone, Eastwood, Eli Wallach, Lee Van Cleef, Bernardo Bertolucci, composer Ennio Morricone, designer Carlo Simi, and others. The book accompanies an exhibition with the same title opening in July 2005 at the Autry National Center's Museum of the American West in Los Angeles.

Customer Reviews:

Interesting.......2007-01-09

Really good purchase for S.Leone estimators.Interesting pages about behind the scene and some funny screenshots from the set.

Comprehensive and Enjoyable.......2006-07-25

This book is like an encyclopedia of Leone's Italian westerns. The detail on each film is exceptionable, and Frayling writes in a style that always keeps your interest. The research that went into this book must have taken years. Thanks for filling us in with all the behind the scenes material. Excellent job!

Great book for Leone's western fans.......2006-03-27

Highly recommended for fans. DVD owners will recognise Frayling as the man who provides some history & comments on the DVDs. The book contains interviews with actors, crews and later directors who were influenced by Leone. Also lots of posters (those days they were artwork) from different countries, production sketches & photos.

Note that this book concentrates on Leone's spaghetti westerns with only brief mentions of his other movies so it is not an autobiography. FYI, his first few movies were sword and sandals stuff.

In general, this is like the bonus materials of the DVDs but in a gorgeously printed format.

Once Upon a Time kn Italy: The Westerns of Sergio Leone.......2006-01-31

A great book for anyone who loves Sergio Leone, the true master of the spaghetti western and his great characters. I liked learning about my favorite The Man With No Name and Clint Eastwood the actor who portrayed him. Plus the other great characters he created like Tuco, Eli Wallach, and Colonel Morterimer, Lee Van Cleef.
It was very interesting to see how he put his heart and soul into his movies, and how a man from Italy gave us the most realistic view of America's most remarkable time, the old west.

Wonderful book, for a wonderful price.......2005-09-20

I bought this book as a gift for a man that did all the barbequing and grilling for a birthday party I threw for my daughter's birthday.

This guy is an avid collector or anything and everything connected with Sergio Leone and his great westerns. He's got the music from the films, the biographies of all the actors in the films, location info, costumes facts, etc.,etc.

When I handed him the book and he glanced down at it, he actually teared up. He is now taking it to bed and reading the book every night. He tells me that it is a fabulous book, the pictures are great, many he's never seen before. The text is complete with many indepth interviews.

Once Upon a Time in Italy: The Westerns of Sergio Leone (ISBN: 0810958848)

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Once Upon a Time in Italy: The Westerns of Sergio Leone (ISBN: 0810958848)
Christopher Frayling
Manufacturer: Abrams
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000LCCAS2

Customer Reviews:

A fun and fascinating read!.......2002-05-25

This is one of the most exciting and enlightening books I've read in a long time. It's full of ideas and observations that will make you think twice about things you've probably wondered about but passed over in the hustle and bustle of everyday life. It's a great thought-provoker as we continue to move fast-forward into an age where the pace of life is sometimes unrelenting and our ability to enjoy ourselves is diminishing.

Ms. Laskaris obviously knows her stuff. The book is extremely well-written and lucid, and she takes great pains to ensure that the reader is having as much fun reading each page as she had writing it. There are lots of personal examples as well as ones about what is happening with entertainment and communications in general. The explanation of why happy care-free kids can grow into gray suit-wearers made more sense than many of us would like to admit. It is also fascinating to read about the "fun" aspects of developing digital and mobile entertainment.

This book is a treat to read, and will get you thinking more about how to live an enjoyable life. It also offers some practical tips to get more fun out of the workaday world. I highly recommend this book, especially if you think you're too busy to read it!

Had Fun Reading About Fun!.......2002-05-21

I read books for pleasure and for learning. The Future of Fun fed both of these needs. It is a subject that, in its uniqueness, permitted me to discover a world I had never given much thought to. The history and future of entertainment, as well as its multiple aspects taught me a great deal! While leafing through descriptions of board games, toys we played with as youngsters and gadgets that keep us child-like as adults, I could not help but be inspired to inject a lot more fun into my everyday life. This is perhaps one of the book's greatest strengths. By the last page you want to lighten up and just have fun. What better purpose can a book fulfill?

If you are a businessperson, you will also be stimulated by the very clear analysis of business trends in the industry of "fun". The author puts a magnifying glass to facets of the entertainment world, such as marketing and advertising, which we could all easily align with our individual fields.

Overall, The Future of Fun is a book packed with generously researched material, some terrific peeks into the future to look forward to, and an inspiration for us all to have more fun!

Book Description

The BBC's Sports Personality of the Year award was first presented on December 30th, 1954. Now, 50 years later, this book is a reminder and a celebration of some of the biggest names and personalities in sporting history.

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