Sam Gilliam: A Retrospective

Book Description

Sam Gilliam established himself as a major artist in 1968 when he jettisoned the wooden stretcher bars that had previously determined the shape of his paintings and allowed his vivid, sometimes ecstatic, rushes of color-stained canvas to hang, billow, and swing through space. Yet Gilliam's contributions to art history extend far beyond these often monumental and always dramatic works. In this volume, the first in-depth book devoted to this major figure, Corcoran Gallery of Art Curator of Contemporary Art Jonathan P. Binstock explores four decades of work and establishes the artist's place in the history of post-1960s art. Binstock's wide-ranging and provocative inquiry into Gilliam's groundbreaking achievements as a modernist and as an African American artist is supported with a wealth of beautifully produced illustrations--both full-color and black-and-white--as well as an annotated and illustrated chronology and an exhaustive bibliography. This thoughtful exploration and appraisal of Gilliam's extraordinary oeuvre places the artist at the forefront of American abstract art.
Copub: Corcoran Gallery of Art

Book Description

Yvonne Jacquette has for more than thirty years been depicting the landscape from elevated vantage points. Her art combines elements of abstraction and representation, surface pattern and illusion of depth, and observation, imagination, and memory.

Birds Eye View: Dancing With Martha Graham And On Broadway

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Well written story of an exquisite dancer-simply beautiful

Birds Eye View: Dancing With Martha Graham And On Broadway
Dorothy Bird , and Joyce Greenberg
Manufacturer: University of Pittsburgh Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0822957914

Book Description

An autobiography of Martha Graham’s protoge who went on to work with every major Broadway choreographer of the 1930s and 40s. It provides invaluable insights into Graham’s teaching while telling anecdotes about working on the Great White Way.

Customer Reviews:

Well written story of an exquisite dancer-simply beautiful.......1998-02-09

Dorthy Bird was a gifted dancer, and with Joyce Greenberg's assistance the reader is given extraordinary insight into the world of Martha Graham. Ms. Greenberg captures the exquisite world of modern dance and the life of a beautiful person, Dorothy Bird.. Brian Lamb should interview her on Booknotes.

Birds An Artist's View; Selected Paintings by Terance James Bond

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Birds An Artist's View; Selected Paintings by Terance James Bond

Manufacturer: Dragon's World
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000I2WMYM

Postcards published by Alfred S. Landis: The birds-eye view artist of vacation resorts (includes Landis & Alsop)

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Postcards published by Alfred S. Landis: The birds-eye view artist of vacation resorts (includes Landis & Alsop)
Joan Dunn
Manufacturer: Half Moon Postcard Club
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Drawing | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: B0006F5W9S

Book Description

See The Lawyers' Book of Ethics

Customer Reviews:

Gifted numerous copies.......2006-12-23

Another event and my gift brings down the house. Setting up the
recipient by making them read the back cover before cracking a page
makes it even better. The review labeled "worthless book" has a
serious problem as they age due to the blank pages between thier
ears. Goes well with Champaign Toasts, Birthdays, Christmas, and
get well hospital recovery visits. Perfect...definate "Coffee Table"
book.

Fun - Fun-Fun.......2006-07-12

I think that one of the reviewers missed the point - it is a joke book...and great fun for anyone to receive. A joy!

A worthless book.......2004-01-25

I rated this book with one star only because zero starts was not offered as an option. I recommend not buying this book unless you want to give it to someone as a joke (not really a very funny one). How can I comment on its contents when it has none. It consists of nothing but blank pages. True, the title as offered for sale has (blank) after it, but I couldn't believe Amazon would offer a book for sale with nothing in it. Maybe Amazon is trying to play a joke on its customers.

What a hoot!.......2002-04-28

I found this book in a shop and simply held my sides laughing ... If I told you more, it would be like telling you the end of a good movie and spoiling it for you. Truth is that this is one of the joys of getting older -- lots and lots of laughing at yourself! Thomas and Cindy Senior are brilliant! Buy it and read it!

Amazon.com

His music has provided a prototype for several generations of blues and rock musicians, his songs remain current in countless new versions, and his own brief but astonishing output of recordings has earned gold records a half century after his death. Yet bluesman Robert Johnson remains among the most elusive figures in 20th-century art, the details of his life as shadowy as his music is brilliant. Johnson's personal obscurity makes the triumph of screenwriter Alan Greenberg's unfilmed script Love in Vain: A Vision of Robert Johnson all the more remarkable, as it weaves the slender factual threads of the musician's life into a haunting--and haunted--portrait that resonates with the history of blues itself.

Written in the early '80s, when blues scholarship was just beginning to unearth important new details about the life of the singer, guitarist, and songwriter, Greenberg's script follows the young Johnson from cotton field to juke joint as he pursued his muse. His abrupt transformation from a ham-fisted blues acolyte into a singer and guitarist of riveting intensity, famously rumored as a deal with the Devil, is inevitably a central plot development, and Greenberg honors both the factual evidence (the influence of guitarist Ike Zinnerman) and the Faustian explanation. Johnson's subsequent triumphs as a performer are laced together with the hardscrabble poetry of the songs themselves, as Greenberg uses blues lyrics to underscore the harsh realities of Mississippi Delta life.

Less obviously, Greenberg re-creates a world where telephones, automobiles, and phonographs coexist with conjurers, devils, and mojo hands. Johnson himself was a cryptic loner whose obsession with his music and immersion in it were paralleled by his descent into alcoholism. While invoking potent and pertinent dualities of sin and salvation (Johnson's early blues peers mirrored--and sometimes became--Bible-thumping preachers), Greenberg does not soften the hard price Johnson paid. His relentless womanizing is neither romantic nor particularly titillating; when the story reaches its inevitable conclusion, with the singer's death from poisoned whiskey, the moment is both tragic and squalid. --Sam Sutherland

Customer Reviews:

Colorful Story, Good Details, Fun Read.......2005-01-25

For me, it was the "Notes" area that accompanies the 'script' that make this book highly recommendable. In fact, the information in the "Notes" is a fine read by itself!

The story of Johnson is part myth, part dream and occassionally part fact. This book/script is best when read as part of a larger look at Johnson and the Blues. In other words, read this - but don't stop here or you won't be getting the bigger picture.

Recommended for blues or Johnson fans. Worth the read.

Good "script".......2004-04-21

A good script based on Robert Johnson. If you like movie scripts this one is very readable.

Not a bad book, just not the place to start........2001-06-20

Any author who tries to su up the life of Robert Johnson is going to have a hard time. The life of this man is a mystery beyond belief. The one thing that stands out is the music. I really feel that owning Johnson music is better than any book. Pick up the two CD set that has the booklet. Read that booklet and then put the CD's in and get ready for an experience this book can not give you. This book is good after you have done this. The music helps explain things a little more.

When will someone turn this into a movie?.......2000-01-05

It's a long way from the Mississippi Delta to Australia but this screenplay allowed me to visualise and feel the passion and raw edge to the music and landscape of Robert Johnson. It seems a shame that no Director has been brave enough to attempt to put this tale onto film as it could surely be an outstanding work if properly attacked. The comprehensive attached notes provide the reader with an opportunity to fill in any gaps in their knowledge to the point where one can almost picture the juke joints with their duelling musicians. The brutality of life in this community was shocking to me and the early death of Robert Johnson now seems to be less of a tragedy and more of an inevitability.

Groundbreaking Book.......1998-10-27

I never read anything like this before--it was like watching an amazing movie in written form. This unique book is an undiscovered gem.

Average customer rating:

A Fine Biography

Harold Arlen: Rhythm, Rainbows, and Blues
Edward Jablonski
Manufacturer: Northeastern University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Similar Items:

The Harold Arlen Songbook

Who Put the Rainbow in The Wizard of Oz?: Yip Harburg, Lyricist

Somewhere Over the Rainbow: Harold Arlen

Harold Arlen Sings Sweet and Hot

The House That George Built: With a Little Help from Irving, Cole, and a Crew of About Fifty

ASIN: 1555533663

Book Description

"The book is filled with arresting detail about Arlen's career. . . This one is required reading for anyone who cares about American popular music, or, it goes without saying, musical theatre." -- Show Music

Customer Reviews:

A Fine Biography.......2003-05-27

A very fine biography of the wonderful and unique popular song composer, Harold Arlen. Edward Jablonski surpasses own earlier biography of Arlen. Particularly interesting are the fresh insights into Arlen's home life and emotional life. I highly recommend this to those interested in American music.

Average customer rating:

Excellent repertoire

Useful timesaving suggestions

Good on many levels...

Go and buy this book - it really is great!

Some very good advice on how to defend against 1 e4

Play 1e4 e5: A Complete Repertiore for Black in the Open Games (Everyman Chess)
Nigel Davies
Manufacturer: Everyman Chess
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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How to Beat 1 D4: A Sound and Ambitious Repertoire Based on the Queen's Gambit Accepted

Dealing with d4 Deviations: Fighting The Trompowsky, Torre, Blackmar-Diemer, Stonewall, Colle and Other Problem Openings (Everyman Chess)

Mastering the Chess Openings: Unlocking the Mysteries of the Modern Chess Openings, Volume 1

Silman's Complete Endgame Course: From Beginner To Master

Chess Openings for White, Explained: Winning with 1. E4 (Alburt's Opening Guide, Book 1)

ASIN: 1857444019

Customer Reviews:

Excellent repertoire.......2007-01-11

I own several repertoire books, both for white and black, but I find that this book always seems to appear in my car, or by my bed, or by my board. The reasons I return to it over and over is that the lines advocated are a great mix of simple and strong. Many repertoire books advocate lines that are universal, but no necessarily the strongest. Davies does an excellent job of picking lines that are relatively easy to learn but still playable at any level of chess. The fact that he advocates both a mainline closed lopez and the two knights shows that he is concerned that players play only strong lines, but his choices of Bc5 in the scoth and king's gambit show a reconigition that not all of us have unlimited time to study. By using the strongest and most complicated lines with the most common openings (lopez, italian) and simpler but still solid lines for the less common, Davies really helps to economize your preparation. This book gave me the confidence to play ...e5, which I had normally eschewed before as giving white too many options. White does have a lot of options, but all of them can be well met, and Davies provides the means to do so. I have found this to be an extremely valuable book.

Useful timesaving suggestions.......2006-02-17

This book is a nice one to buy for anyone wishing to travel down the mainline of the Ruy Lopez. It is not aimed for those wishing to play the Marshall Attack. As someone who plays the Open defense, I would have liked more extensive coverage of white's fifth move options, yet what is presented is quite good. As an Open Spanish player, I can attest to the number of times I have had to face 5 d3. 5 Bxc6 is not covered, but, since the black dark bishop is not committed to e7, black has the option of putting it on d6, which I think is better. I am amazed how often Keres and Spassky played the move 5 Nc3. 5 Qe2 seems less effective than when played on move six. I dislike facing the Center Attack 5 d4, this is something that simply must be learnt.I like the plan of declining the Kings Gambit with 2..Bc5. This move is scorned in most KG books, yet it has a solid foundation. It also saves a lot of time, and avoids some very sharp theory. I like the move 4..Bc5 against the Scotch. The other mainline move, 4..Nf6 sucks one into a deep pool of complicated theory. The move suggested, Bc5, is easier, gives black an active position with certain structural problems. It is a good line to learn. The Two Knights Defense is a more controversial choice, but one I like. I think that 3..Bc5 also incurs the risk of facing a sharp line like the Evans or Moller attack. An advanced player facing the Two Knights often choses the closed variation anyway. I like Davies choice of 5..Ne4 against 5 e5, since the mainline move 5..d5 has a long(but sound)theory trail. The Anti-Max Lange with Nxe4 is sound, but needs to be carefully learned or one can fall into a nasty pin along the way. 4 Ng5 is main reason players are reticent about playing the Two Knights. However, the knowledge base required by white is fairly steep just to play the move. All in all, I think black is ok, he has a couple of lines he can try. Against 8 Qf3, I think h6 is likely the best move, although I think the play is complex. Against 9 Nh3 the move g5 seems to give black strong play. The Nf3 mainline is trickier. Davies recommends 9..Bc5. I think theory here is not fully worked out. Obviously 9 Nf3 is the critical move. Personally, I think black can play 6..Bd7 and avoid all of this. Nevertheless, I think all of this is worth a player's investment of time. Being comfortable in the Two Knights makes playing 1..e5 much less of a roll of the dice. The Spanish Four Knights with 4..Bb4 is dull, but the soundest way to play. 4..Nd4 is far more involved. The Scotch Four Knights is also annoying. Davies recommends going straight down the main lines. I think this is probably best too. The line with Qe7+ is interesting, but riskier. As is 5..Bc5. The gambits, such as the Danish and Goring, are best defanged with the Capablanca defense. Trying to refute these gambits will get you more points, but will take more investment of time and stress. The Ponziani is an irritant, as the attempt at refutation is with 3..d5, but that move is very tricky to remember with all the tactics involved. The move 3..Nf6 is what is chosen here. I do not particulary like it, and it can transpose into Goring gambit declined lines. But with some study, I think one will be ok. The Ponziani is not seen too often nowadays anyway. The Glek fianchetto lines in the Four Knights and Vienna are a pain. They have to be studied, because if one just tries to "wing" them, one will get into a hell of a mess right out of the opening. It is best to know two lines, since the Vienna move order should allow black to play 3..c6. The Vienna is another line that has to be learnt, but the gambit f4 lines do not look so bad, and the Bishop/Vienna line with 4..Na5 seems easier to play than 4..Bb4. The Exchange Spanish is a tricky line. The good thing is there are a number of lines to try. I used to study the complex 5..Bg4 line. This one still has some murky waters. Davies suggests an unusual line with 5..Qf6. This is an offbeat choice, I will have to test it before I conclude anything. The 5..f6 line is complex, and seems to give white a nagging edge. The Exchange is something every Spanish player needs to come to terms with. The reward to all of this is, of course, the fact that 1..e5 is a wonderfully solid defense. It has vast depth, so one will never get bored. There are multiple choices. One is never forced down a narrow path. And this volume does not really expose one to the vast panorama that is the Spanish Game. There is plenty here to hook a black player's interest. I recommend this book. Davies choices are perfectly tailored to one just starting to play 1..e5.

Good on many levels..........2006-02-14

I have become a big fan of Nigel Davies - his writing is full of good sense and wisdom, seasoned with an oblique English humor (humour?). As the title says, this book indeed offers a complete set of recommendations for Black in the open games. Half of the book is (rightfully) devoted to the Ruy Lopez, of which the Keres Variation serves as the core of the repertoire. Separate chapters address the Two Knights Defense (recommended against 3.Bc4), the Scotch Game, the Four Knights (and other 3rd move options), and the King's Gambit (and other 2nd move options). Each chapter is built around annotated complete games from recent professional competition, and is followed by a brief summary and variations index.

Davies opens with a bit of philosophizing about openings: an accomplished player on the international circuit, he has come to believe that 1...e5 is the most principled response to 1.e4, and that learning it is a valuable part of a serious player's training. To get this done, he has developed a repertoire based on a "keep it simple" strategy - sound and reliable lines while minimizing the amount of memorization. The Keres Variation of the Closed Ruy Lopez is his recommended main line. This sensible choice (now critical at the world class level) is built around straightforward ideas, such as pressuring White's center while preparing counterplay based on f7-f5. Even if this is not what you play for the Ruy, going through the material will help you learn something about Closed Ruy systems. Against 3.Bc4, Davies advocates the Two Knights, thereby cutting out the Evans Gambit and other wild lines that would require lengthier preparation. He takes a similar approach to other White tries.

The illustrative games are well annotated for the prospective player of the Black pieces. The explanations are rich with ideas - about where pieces should go, what the plans are for each side, traps to look out for, what reasonable alternative moves there are, who stands better and why. This is exactly the sort of detail that makes an opening book successful. It is easy to tell that the author is an experienced and popular coach. For the more advanced player, there is a fair amount of hard analysis - even complete supplementary games are sometimes given in the analytical detail. Although I will not adopt every line of this repertoire, I've come away from this book with something more valuable: a greater understanding of chess in general.

I recommend this book heartily.

The text is laid out in two-column format with an attractive font, main lines in boldface. There are generally two to four crystal-clear diagrams per page. I did not notice any typos or analytical errors.

Go and buy this book - it really is great!.......2006-01-19

Grandmaster Nigel Davies recommends a complete black-repertoire based on the move 1 ...e5! in reply to 1 e4. What immediately caught my eye was the fact that the book is dedicated "For the Memory of Paul Keres", one of the greatest experts in the open games and, in my opinion, one of the most venerable Grandmasters of all time.

Lets have a short look at the content:

- against the Kings Gambit 2 ...Bc5 is recommended
- against the Scotch it is also 4 ...Bc5
- against the Scotch Fourknights its 5 ...Bb4
- against the Fourknights with 5 Bb5 its also 5 ...Bb4
- scottish and similar gambits with c3 are countered by ...d7-d5
- Ponziani 3 ...Nf6
- Two Knights e4 e5, Nf3 Nc6, Bc4 Nf6, Ng5 d5, ed5 Na5, Bb5+ c6, dc6 bc6 or 4 d4 ed4, e5 Ne4 or 4 d4 ed4, O-O Ne4
- Vienna and Bishops Opening with 2 ... Nf6 and a possible transposition to the Two Knights
- in the Ruy Lopez, Davies recommends the Keres variation e4 e5, Nf3 Nc6, Bb5 a6, Ba4 Nf6, O-O Be7, Re1 b5, Bb3 d6, c3 O-O, h3 Na5, Bc2 c5, d4 Nd7!? and all kinds of very good recommendations to possible sidelines in the Ruy Lopez (such as e.g. 5 ...Qf6!? as reply to the Exchange variation).

I really am delightened about this book! Sometimes even sidelines are covered with two or three games (!) and this really makes you feel safe, to have a weapon against everything White may throw at you - and thats great! I believe it was mentioned by Top-reviewer Jill Malter that Davies only fails to cover the Alapin with 2 Ne2 and I suppose this must have been a
simple (and minor?) oversight.

Davies writes that Grandmaster Psakhis once told him that every ambitious player should have a good education in the open games if he or she aims at improving further - this book for sure is a very good "exam" then! Besides: John Emms' book "Play the Open Games as Black" still is a very good addition to this work of Davies' though Emms did not cover the Ruy Lopez. Both books succeed in inspiring for the magical world of the Open
Games!

Go and buy this book - it is great! Play 1 e4 e5! like Keres, Alekhine and many others. Enjoy and win with it!

Some very good advice on how to defend against 1 e4.......2005-11-28

In this excellent chess book, the author advises defending against 1 e4 with 1...e5. And so do I. Although I often answer 1 e4 with 1...d5, my other defence is 1...e5, and I play the Berlin Defence to the Ruy.

Davies, however, recommends playing the Chigorin, and he has a good reason: the line he recommends, 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 0-0 Be7 6 Re1 b5 7 Bb3 d6 8 c3 0-0 9 h3 Na5 10 Bc2 c5 11 d4 Nd7 12 Nbd2 exd4 13 cxd4 Nc6 14 d5 Nce5 15 Nxe5 Nxe5 16 f4 (White can also try 16 a4 Rb8 17 axb5 axb5 18 f4 Ng6 19 Nf3 Bh4 20 Rf1 Bg3 21 f5 Ne5 22 Ng5 Nd7) 16...Ng6 17 Nf3 Bh4 18 Nxh4 Qxh4 19 f5 Ne5 20 Rf1 Bd7 21 f6 Bxh3 22 gxh3 Qg3+ gives Black a draw (he does show ways for Black to play for more in this defence). Not only that, White's attempts to win in this line tend to be risky.

Well, that is fair. I think this line is certainly worth trying. Davies also has some good recommendations for other White tries on moves 12 and 9. In addition, Davies does not try to spook White by playing 7...0-0 and 8...d6 (reversing the order of moves 7 and 8 to see if White will panic and play an anti-Marshall). That's a good idea too, given that Black would simply have to learn a couple of anti-Marshalls.

Of course, Black also has to learn how to defend against the Worral attack (6 Qe2), as well as Exchange Variations on moves 4 and 6. But the book has plenty of good material to help one do just that. Of course, since I play the Berlin, I don't have to worry about this. But I do need to know all the stuff that follows, with White variations on moves 2 and 3.

One reason many folks don't play the Black side of the Ruy is that they're afraid they'll get 3 Bc4, or 3 d4, or 3 Nc3, or 3 c3, or 2 f4, or 2 d4, or 2 Nc3, or 2 Bc4. These are the Italian, the Scotch, the Four Knights, the Ponziani, the King's Gambit, the Danish Gambit, the Vienna, and the Bishop's Opening, respectively. And some of these may transpose into other openings. All this may seem like too much to learn!

Davies has some good practical advice here. Versus 3 Bc4, he recommends the Two Knights Defence (which is what I play). By the way, that lets him recommend a good line against the Bishop's Opening which can transpose into a Two Knights. And he supplies some solid lines against the rest of these openings as well. In general, he turns down gambits (2...Bc5 versus the King's Gambit, and ...d5 against the Scotch Gambit and the Danish Gambit). I prefer to accept these gambits, but it takes more work to learn how to do so safely. The author's approach is less scary.

I do have a very minor criticism. You see, there is, unfortunately, a, um, White opening this book fails to cover, namely the Alapin. Yes, White can play 1 e4 e5 2 Ne2. The idea is pretty obvious, namely to get in f4, with the f-pawn defended by the Knight. There may later be possibilities to play Nf4 or Nxf4, with the Knight now covering d5 as well as threatening to open the f-file just by moving. While Black should be okay after 2...Nf6 3 f4, I think some discussion of this opening would be in order in this book. Of course, Black can also try to transpose into a Sicilian after 2...c5 or into a Scotch after 2...Bc5. Here's a casual game I played for those who are interested in this opening:

1 e4 e5 2 Ne2 Bc5 3 c3 Nf6 4 d4 Bb6 5 Ng3 exd4 6 cxd4 d5 7 e5 Ne4 8 Nxe4 dxe4 9 Be3 0-0 10 Bb5 a6 11 Ba4 Bf5 12 Nc3 Kh8 13 f3 Ba5 14 0-0 Bxc3 15 bxc3 Bg6 16 fxe4 Bxe4 17 Qg4 Bg6 18 Bg5 Qc8 19 Qxc8 Rxc8 20 e6 (after getting such a nice center, am I simply hanging my e-pawn?) 20...fxe6 21 Rae1 Bf5 22 Bb3 Nd7 23 Bxe6 (looks like I'm getting that pawn back) 23...Bxe6 24 Rxe6 h6 25 Bh4 Rf8 26 Re7 Rxf1+ 27 Kxf1 Rd8 28 Ke2 c5 29 Rxg7 Kxg7 30 Bxd8 cxd4 31 cxd4 and White eventually won.

In spite of this minor omission, I strongly recommend this book.

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