Book Description
What do we mean when we call a work of art `beautiful`? How have artists responded to changing notions of the beautiful? Which works of art have been called beautiful, and why? Fundamental and intriguing questions to artists and art lovers, but ones that are all too often ignored in discussions of art today. Prettejohn argues that we simply cannot afford to ignore these questions. Charting over two hundred years of western art, she illuminates the vital relationship between our changing notions of beauty and specific works of art, from the works of Kauffman to Whistler, Ingres to Rossetti, Cezanne to Jackson Pollock, and concludes with a challenging question for the future: why should we care about beauty in the twenty-first century?
Customer Reviews:
Beauty: Subjective or Objective..Or Is It Necessary?.......2007-08-25
Author Prettejohn has written an excellent book, accessible to all, on the relation of beauty to art. She starts with Johann Winckelmann in the 1700s who felt that beauty was important, but not definable. Philosopher Immanuel Kant stated that beauty cannot be objective. Beauty is not in the object, but is in the contemplation of the viewer. We should view art in a state of disinterest, not encumbered by our self interest. In other words anyone in any culture should be able to see the beauty in a work of art.
Madame de Stael takes Kant a bit further and says that art's purpose is to elevate the soul. Victor Cousin in the 19th century constructs a scale going from physical to intellectual to moral beauty. Art should not be a close imitation of nature, but should improve on nature. The artist Delacroix writes that the individuality of the artist produces the beautiful. It makes the bridge between the artist's soul and the observer. Academic painter Ingres felt there was no difference between the beauty of art and that of nature. Then we get to Baudelaire who hated realism. To him art should do something more imaginative than servile imitation of nature.
From there we move on to modernism and postmodernism where beauty seems no longer necessary to art. Color and form become important. The canvas is a two dimensional medium, and thus considered unsuited to scenic representation. Representational art thus takes a dive, and modern critic Greenberg substitutes the word taste for beauty. Taste, in his opinion is based on consensus. If those in the know agree that a work of art is good, then it is good. Of course Greenberg felt his sense of taste was superior.
This is really an excellent introduction to the concept of beauty as applied to visual art. Fortunately, unlike many books on aesthetics, Prettejohn's book contains numerous (127) color prints that help illustrate the concepts being discussed. The book is constantly engrossing, and never pedantic.
Book Description
We are all familiar with the stereotype of the German woman as either a Brunhilde in uniform or a chubby farmer's wife. However, throughout the interwar period fashion was one of Germany's largest industries and German women ranked among the most elegantly dressed in all of Europe. This book explores the failed attempt by the Nazi state to construct a female image that would mirror official gender policies, instill feelings of national pride, promote a German victory on the fashion runways of Europe, and support a Nazi-controlled European fashion industry. How did the few women with power maintain style and elegance? How did the majority experience the increased standardization of clothing characteristic of the Nazi years? How did women deal with the severe clothing restrictions brought about by Nazi policies and the exigencies of war? Nazi 'Chic'? addresses these questions and many others, including the role of anti-Semitism, "aryanization," and the hypocrisy of Nazi policies. The result is the first book in English to deal comprehensively with German fashion from World War I through to the end of the Third Reich.
Customer Reviews:
Nazi Chic is a GREAT Read; extremely well-researched.......2006-05-25
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in the period and/or in fashion. Loved the anecdotes! Fascinating from front to back. The pictures made the book even more enjoyable.
Can't wait to see what else Ms. Guenther writes!
Terrific Book - Highly Recommended.......2006-05-25
For an unusual and insightful look into the Third Reich, I highly recommend this book. The title is a bit of a pun, as the subject material covers the Nazis' unfashionable attempts to maniplate control over female fashions and women's roles through the use of propaganda and manipulation of the fashion industry. The book is well researched, well written, and discloses new findings exposing the purging of Jews from the German fashion industry. The book also details information on the little known German Fashion Institute and the very fashion-conscious Nazi officials' wives and their hypocritical husbands. The book accurately portrays the parody of Nazi political folly, as well as the realism of the devastated German home front through the lives of German women during WWII and the millions of women in the concentration camps throughout Europe. Be forewarned - this is one of those books that once you pick it up, you won't want to put it down until you reach the last page.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Canadian Journal of History, published by Thomson Gale on December 1, 2005. The length of the article is 1088 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: Fashion under Fascism: Beyond the Black Shirt.(Nazi Chic?: Fashioning Women in the Third Reich)(Book review)
Author: Kristin Semmens
Publication:
Canadian Journal of History (Magazine/Journal)
Date: December 1, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 40
Issue: 3
Page: 534(3)
Article Type: Book review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
Adolescence is a time of painful growth and unpredictable change, when kids come packaged in a jumble of baggy jeans, rolling eyeballs, and grunting communication. Cartoonists Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman have captured the humor of that challenging time with Zits, in which they chronicle the life and times of the typically exasperating yet ever lovable Jeremy Duncan. In this first Zits treasury, faithful fans of Jeremy's world will get a glimpse behind the scenes with never-before-seen sketches and the stories behind the strips. Sunday cartoons appear in full-color, highlighting the strip's acclaimed drawing style. Even though the teenage terrain is rocky, Zits is warm and sympathetic. "The highest compliment we hear from readers is, 'You must have a camera hidden in our house!'" says Borgman.
Customer Reviews:
Zits Review--great!.......2006-11-04
How can you not love Zits? Teenages and adults alike have to laugh at this great book!
Lots of Laughs.......2006-07-07
As my children have gotten older, Zits has taken the place of Calvin and Hobbes in terms of how close to home it hits. The strips are funny and accurate, and this book shows the evolution of the characters from the beginning. I had a lot of laughs from this collection, and expect when I reread it again in a year I'll laugh again. First, I have to get the next treasury!
Zits is the best.......2005-10-07
This is a fun Treasury - if you don't have the previous volumes. Except for some extra non-essential art work, there are no new panels. If you don't have the other volumes and want a book with a nice selection, good choice - otherwise, don't waste your money.
The author must have been in my house!!.......2005-08-30
While raising the the youngest of my four sons, I began reading the Zits comic in our daily newspaper. How so very accurate Jerry Scott is!! He must be looking in on our house!
My son and I laugh together at the experiences of Jeremy.
Hilarious.......2005-08-23
Zits. Funny name for a comic strip. Charles M. Schulz once said, "Zits is the silliest name for a comic strip since Peanuts." Still it's A MUST READ!
15 year old Jeremy Duncan is a freshman in high school and often complains, doesn't talk, and uses sarcastic remarks to his parents. Connie and Walt Duncan are only concerned parents, interested in their son's life even if he doesn't want to talk about it. Also complicating his life is his girlfriend, Sara Toomey, who doesn't exactly think of Jeremy as her boyfriend but as an experiment because he adores her and she loves that. Making things smoother is Jeremy's best friend, Hector Garcia, whose polite, gives words of wisdom, and the voice of reason.
Zits is a hilarious look into the life of teenagers. Parents and teenagers will be able to relate to this strip and laugh about it after reading it. A MUST READ!
Book Description
From The Sacraments of Grooming to The Semiotics of Smoking—the startling manifesto of “The Tweed Revolution.”
Customer Reviews:
Long live the Revolution!.......2003-10-15
As the AnarchoDandyism followers attempt to spread their brand of urbane, civilised living throughout the world, they strive to enlighten those who are yet to appreciate absinthe, moustaches, houseboys and all manner of good manners. With sections on what being a chap is, how to spread civilised living throughout the world, and how to live as a chap, this is a handbook for all those who aspire to more than label-wearing, lager swilling and boorishness.
This is a clever, witty, acerbic little book. The humour is *very* English, which may leave some readers behind. However, this is an asset in my view, and they keep it consistent from start to finish. You may not actually learn much from this book, but that is not the point - it is a satirical look at the world, so just go along for the ride, and if you decide that moustache wearing and absinthe drinking is for you, go for it.
Following the `Manifesto' idea of the title, the layout is in circa 1950s Soviet style red and black with socialist style typeface for the chapter front pieces, which is a little incongruous compared with the suave, slightly bohemian style of Chappism. Some sections of the book are a little too dense with blocks of text, but in most places there are appropriately hilarious illustrations.
Good show, old fellow!.......2003-01-21
I must say, Mssrs. Temple and Darkwood have the right idea, they do. The level of poppycock and unsavory balderdashery I am forced to endure in these most unpleasant times is simply intolerable, and these two right chaps are doing something about it.
Here they have produced something first-class, an assault on the doggerel fed to erstwhile gentlemen by television, so-called restaurants with foul yellow letters for signs, bad manners of all kinds, and worst of all the foul institution of forced labor. You know, the kind that my servants pay rent with?
As for myself, I prefer to work in more subtle ways-- my albino manservant fetches my Persian slippers, lights my best pipe, and as I don my Fez he manicures my toes whilst I plot the downfall of those hideous, beeping contraptions everyone is glued to these days... and let Gustav and Vic do all the hard work for me. I'm throughly entertained.
Translation: Buy this book, get into a hot bath, and laugh your head off as you learn the ways of Counter-Vulgarity.
Book Description
An engrossing examination of a popular box office genre--the gross-out movie-- Laughing Screaming is the first study to take this lowbrow product seriously.
Customer Reviews:
More Analysis than Lexicon - Only a few Pictures.......2000-09-29
Certainly an excellent Analysis about modern (80ties) Teencomedies and Teenhorrorfilms But if you are rather looking for a fullcolor Book with many pictures - more the lexica-type where you can look up single films - you won't be perfectly happy with it.
German: Sicherlich eine excellente Analyse der Achtzigerjahre Teeni-Komödien und Teenislasherfilme. Stehen Sie jedoch eher auf farbig bebilderte Nachschlagewerke, wo man mal rasch was zu einem einzelen Film nachlesen kann, ist dies leider nicht das richtige Buch
A Masterpiece of Film Criticism.......2000-03-28
An amazing analysis of the modern grossout film - written looking back at the the films of the late 70's and early 80's (Carrie, Animal House, etc). For a Film Professor, Paul actually appears to appreciate some of the films - at least, he doesn't lump them all together to condemn them. This is surprising. He examines them critically using Rabelais. I especially appreciated his analysis of HEAVEN HELP US - a fantastic movie that has long gone unnoticed. Many film critics talk about the collapse between "high" and "low" culture, but Paul actually takes this collapse seriously and engages critically with films that most of the elite wouldn't give a second thought. Bravo for that.
One can also appreciate how prescient Paul's book is - he anticipates both the revival of the grossout comedy (American Pie, There's Something About Mary) and the return of the horror/slasher film (Scream, I Know What You did Last Summer) written at a time when most film critics were considering these genres dead.
Only one thing - I would have loved for Paul to analyze my favorite early 80's sex comedy - THE LAST AMERICAN VIRGIN - perhaps, because it is not available on video, he wasn't able to find it, but LAV would've fit well with his analysis.
Average customer rating:
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Jazz in Search of Itself
Larry Kart
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Jazz
| Musical Genres
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
All Titles
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Biographies & Memoirs
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Entertainment
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
ASIN: 0300104200 |
Book Description
In this engaging and astute anthology of jazz criticism, Larry Kart casts a wide net. Discussing nearly seventy major jazz figures and many of the music’s key stylistic developments, Kart sees jazz as a unique perpetual narrative—one in which musicians, their audiences, and the evolving music itself are intimately intertwined.
Because jazz arose from the collision of specific peoples under particular conditions, says Kart, its development has been unusually immediate, visible, and intense. Kart has reacted to and judged the music in a similarly active, attentive, and personal manner. His involvement and attention to detail are visible in these pieces: essays that analyze the supposed return to tradition that the music of Wynton Marsalis has come to exemplify; searching accounts of the careers of Miles Davis, Thelonius Monk, Bill Evans, and Lennie Tristano; and writing that explores jazz’s relationship to American popular song and examines the jazz musician’s role as actual and would-be social rebel.
Book Description
By defying our sense of perception with optical illusions, we gain a greater understanding of the way we look at the world, how appearances deceive and how the mind resolves conflicting images.
This second volume of mind-boggling designs combines 160 of the most beautiful, engaging and bewildering optical illusions from the much-loved ground/field reversal images to Escherist impossible crates and eternal spirals, to innovative new images such as the scintillating grid illusion. With a clear description of what each illusion is and how to see it, More Optical Illusions will stimulate readers to advance their understanding of this fascinating area of study where art and science blur together.
Customer Reviews:
A Rip Off.......2005-11-14
I bought this book along with The Great Book of Optical Illusions by the same author. The "Great Book" was suggested by Amazon as pair for "More," and indeed if you look on Amazon's page for "More Optical Illusions" you find that many people bought both books. However, "More" is just the last half of the "Great Book" so if you buy the "Great Book" you don't get any more with "More." This is especially galling in view of the text by author Al Seckel, who writes in BOTH books: "Many books on optical illusions reprint the same examples over and over again, but this is not the case [in this book]." Amazon's book pages and suggested pairings may be generated by a computer, but this is one case where Amazon should insert a human's touch to make sure its customers understand before purchasing "More" that it is simply a partial version of "Great."
Now,look at it this way!.......2005-10-03
This is an excellent follow-up to "The Art of Optical Illusions " by the same author in 2000 and which was voted BEST BOOK for young adults in 2001 by the American Library Association.The only thing I can say about that is, don't let yourself think this is a book just for Juveniles. See my review for that book dated Feb 26,2005.
This book is very similar in concept ,but has a whole additional array of 137 new and different illusions.To anyone who likes unusual art,graphics,and the various art forms that comprise the world of optical illusions;you'll love this book.There are a raft of books that include some illusions and even some that are full of them;but none that show the breadth asd variety that Seckel gives us.He must have spent an enormous amount of time searching for these examples from the works of artists all over the world and from many past years and centuries.
While these illusions easily grab the attention of people of all ages and artistic as well as technical background;Seckel gives explanations,at least where they can be explained,to tell what makes the illusion work.
It wouldn't be fair to review this book without commenting on the supurb quality of the graphics,paper,color rendition,printing and overall construction of these two books
If this book has been as enjoyable to you, as it is to me,may I also recommend "Masters of Deception" also by Al Seckel.See my review of it Dec 1,2004.
With all of these Optical Illusion books by Seckel,its a thrill to sit back and go through the book and come upon a whole new experience with each turn of the page.A sure pleasurable treat to anyone who enjoys the world of intriguing and unusual things.Or, if that's not enough,when coming across something strange likes to ask,"How did they do that"? ...well Seckel gives good explanations,if the reason is really understood.
More Optical Illusions.......2003-12-18
I purchased this book from Amazon.com as a set, paired with "the Great Book of Optical Illusions" by the same author. "More Optical Illusions" is simply the last 4 chapters of "the Great Book of Optical Illusions"!! Why on earth does Amazon sell these as a set, giving the impression that the "More" book is a collection of different illusions than the first book???
If you buy these 2 as a set, you are simply paying extra for another copy of the last half of "Great Book...".
What a rip...
The Seckel Tandem, the King & Queen of Illusions.......2003-07-14
The 2 Seckel optical illusion collections (this volume + "Art of...") are the best collaborations I've ever seen on the subject. Not limited by or to the trite everyday old-time "dot-outside-box" stuff relegated to kids, these 2 volumes sample every category in optical-illusion science, including perspective, color, a whole host of 3D/1D impossible objects (including our old friend, the "3-pronged blivet" of 1964), modern/surreal artwork/photography, and op-art psychedelia as well as illusions which are actually experiments that test our other senses. Many you still don't believe even after proof!
I especially had interest in the "face" category, which includes faces hidden within plants and scenery; upside-down faces within right-side-up faces; the mirror-image bilateral split of Hillary Clinton's face; and what I call the "Eyes (& Mouths) of the Beholder" heads (Thatcher & Frakes) in which faces of famous people can be presented upside-down, while only some of their facial features left upright. Photo-cropping software can reproduce such effects. These last 2 ideas could start national fads if the results weren't so unnerving...
The illusions are beautifully presented on each glossed page with enough white-space for breathing room, while not too much to be considered a waste of page area. The paperback books are strongly bound, so pages wouldn't easily become dislodged. Most of the entries have explanatory notes set up as "footnotes" at the end of each "gallery" section (I would have to dock 1/2 star because several of the illusions I questioned were left without explanations).
Get one of the volumes, get both; they complement each other (but the 3rd, larger book, "Great Book of..." appears to be a rehash of the material in both of these).
Average customer rating:
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Upside Downers: More Pictures to Stretch the Imagination
Mitsumasa Anno
Manufacturer: Tuttle Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Anno, Mitsumasa
| ( A )
| Authors & Illustrators, A-Z
| Children's Books
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Anno's Math Games
| Math & Science
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General
| Baby-3
| Children's Books
| Subjects
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ASIN: 0834820056 |
Product Description
Compilation of Optical Puzzles from 6 authors. Large paperback 8 1/4" X 11"
Average customer rating:
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More Optical Illusions
Manufacturer: Carlton Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0681453702 |
Book Description
Bestselling author Marsha Collier presents readers with an all-new guide that goes beyond all previous eBay business books, offering one-stop guidance on eBay techniques as well as entrepreneurial fundamentals. She provides in-depth coverage on the most critical eBay topics, including merchandise sourcing, marketing, advertising, and customer service.
The minibooks that make up the guide cover eBay registration, navigation, and buying; getting ready to sell; digital photography and scanning for sales pages; eBay selling and marketing; getting legal and licensed; using auction management software; setting up an office (PCs, Internet, networking, and shipping); and PayPal.
* Marsha Collier's eBay books have sold hundreds of thousands of copies and her Starting an eBay Business For Dummies is currently the bestselling eBay reference on the market
* This one-stop reference examines not only eBay techniques and issues, but also the basic business strategies that people need to run any successful venture
Download Description
Bestselling author Marsha Collier presents readers with an all-new guide that goes beyond all previous eBay business books, offering one-stop guidance on eBay techniques as well as entrepreneurial fundamentals. She provides in-depth coverage on the most critical eBay topics, including merchandise sourcing, marketing, advertising, and customer service. The minibooks that make up the guide cover eBay registration, navigation, and buying; getting ready to sell; digital photography and scanning for sales pages; eBay selling and marketing; getting legal and licensed; using auction management software; setting up an office (PCs, Internet, networking, and shipping); and PayPal. * Marsha Collier's eBay books have sold hundreds of thousands of copies and her Starting an eBay Business For Dummies is currently the bestselling eBay reference on the market * This one-stop reference examines not only eBay techniques and issues, but also the basic business strategies that people need to run any successful venture
Customer Reviews:
Great Service!.......2007-07-06
This is a great book with all of the information that I was looking for. The product was received on the date specified. The service was excellent. Thanks again!
Great eBay starter book.......2007-06-14
If you are trying to get started in eBay you gotta get this book.
Good comprehensive starting point for the prospective eBay-er.......2007-03-28
This author is one of the current gurus in the area of making a ton by selling stuff on eBay. I've been registered there for almost a decade myself, buying books and stamps at first, and then selling them. I was never out to amass a fortune, the way Collier and so many others seems to be, but I've made a slow and steady income and I've been happy with that. Since I taught myself how to do all that stuff back when eBay was still a relatively site, I've never felt the need of a how-to book, but a colleague recommended this one so I decided to take a look at it. Not bad, not bad at all. While enthusiastic (because it's required by the publisher of this series), Collier manages not to get carried away too often. For instance, she will suggest good online business practices, then confess that she seldom follows this one or that one herself. I didn't find anything I didn't already know in the "Basics" section (which was kind of a relief), but she has some interesting things to say about researching goods on the Web, whether you're buying or selling, and some subtle points about the way PayPal works which I hadn't really thought about, and so on. The author also has a strong background in marketing and sales and what she has a number of thoughtful things to say regarding the application of that experience to eBay, things that us humanities majors have never had to learn. So, while I won't follow her advice on using QuickBooks, and I don't expect to open an eBay Store, I certainly put a lot of bookmarks in this fat volume for future reference and rereading.
Very informative!.......2007-03-13
Although you will find yourself needing a lot of time to read it, I think this book has all what you need to know about ebay. either to buy or sell. It is very informative and easy to read. I recomend it.
Outstanding Resource.......2007-02-14
If you're on a tight budget, much of what she tells you is actually explained on eBay in the "Site Map", but you can't spend ALL your time online! For example: I wanted to have my own domain outside eBay. Marsha provided a springboard saving me hours of research time. I ended up with one of her suggestions. That tip alone has saved me beaucoup $$. Ideal for beginning to intermediate sellers.
CON: this deals only with eBay. I find selling on Amazon often to be the better choice. Also no mention of Overstock nor Yahoo.
Books:
- Beyond the Brillo Box: The Visual Arts in Post-Historical Perspective
- Byrdcliffe: An American Arts and Crafts Colony
- Carlo Crivelli
- Changing Images of Pictorial Space: A History of Spatial Illusion in Painting
- Coinage in the Roman Economy, 300 B.C. to A.D. 700 (Ancient Society and History)
- Collectible Beads: A Universal Aesthetic (Beadwork Books)
- Color Codes: Modern Theories of Color in Philosophy, Painting and Architecture, Literature, Music, and Psychology
- Color Image Scale
- Community In The Making: Lincoln Center Institute, The Arts And Teacher Education (The Series on School Reform)
- Coven Volume One : A Gallery Girls Book
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- John Steinbeck: Travels with Charley and Later Novels 1947-1962: The Wayward Bus / Burning Bright /
- History: Fiction or Science
- From Line to Design: Design Graphics Communication
- In Your Wildest Dreams
- History: Fiction or Science
- History: Fiction or Science
- It's a Jungle Up There: More Tales from the Treetops
- Flowers from Shakespeare's garden: A posy from the plays
- Good Kids, Bad Habits: The RealAge Guide to Raising Healthy Children
- Graveyard: More Terrifying Than Stephen King - Because It's True!
Portraiture (Oxford History of Art)
The Art of Art History: A Critical Anthology (Oxford History of Art)
Eroticism & Art
Landscape and Western Art (Oxford History of Art)
Venus in Exile: The Rejection of Beauty in Twentieth-Century Art
