Painting by Numbers: Komar and Melamid's Scientific Guide to Art

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Since the days of the ancient Greek philosophers, people have asked the eternal question "What is beauty?" It took the insight of Russian artists Vitaly Komar and Alexander Melamid to apply modern scientific principles to this problem and finally to produce an answer. Using polls conducted by telephone in Europe, Asia, Africa, and America, Komar and Melamid were able to determine what each country wanted to see in a painting, and what was least likely to please the public. They then produced canvases based on their polling, creating the most and least wanted paintings in the world. The results are not only funny, they are also oddly disturbing. Almost every nation had the same preferences: people wanted landscapes, and did not want abstract art. Only one nation bucked the trend, but you'll have to read the book to find out which. Painting by Numbers has more insight into art and commerce than any 10 dry studies of aesthetics, and is one of the most significant documents on popular taste ever produced--plus it's a laugh riot. And that, Plato, is beauty.

Book Description

What is art? Who defines it? And why is high art so remote from most people? With the same puckish humor and critical genius that made them the bêtes noires of Soviet cultural commissars, the Russian émigré art team of Vitaly Komar and Alexander Melamid takes on not only the billion-dollar American art industry but also capitalism's most venerated tool: the market research poll. With the help of The Nation Institute and a professional polling team, they discovered that what Americans want in art, regardless of class, race, or gender, is exactly what the art world disdains--a tranquil, realistic, blue landscape.
Painting by Numbers includes the original questionnaire and reproductions of the "most wanted" and "most unwanted" paintings the artists made based on American survey results and on polls they commissioned in ten other countries--including Russia, China, France, and Kenya--representing almost one-third of the world's population. Essays by JoAnn Wypijewski and noted art critic Arthur Danto, as well as an interview with the artists, explore the crisis of modernism, the cultural meaning of polls, the significance of landscape, and the commodificaion of just about everything.

Customer Reviews:

A Laugh, a Guide and a Result to be proud of..........2007-02-24

After 10 years, I bought the book. I visited the exhibition of the paintings in Rotterdam (Netherlands) back in '97 and was pleasantly shocked by this project and the results. The book was out of stock then, but the surprising results kept haunting my head for a decade. Now I finally have the book and it still makes me laugh.

Although the whole project has an entertaining dosis of irony, it can be a guide in understanding art and demographics - oh well, it can even help you design for the masses !

Lastly, I think every Dutch designer should buy this book or maybe it should be governmentally issued to every Dutch citizen. Why ? Just look at the very last pages of the book. I understood that the "Holland" results came in too late to be submitted to the edited content of the book. But fortunately Komar and Melamid decided that this outcome deserved a very special place, like a well kept secret that defies the other 200 pages...

I'm proud to be Dutch !

Fascinating Look into Tastes in Art.......2002-01-10

This book will get anyone thinking about what qualifies as "art". Have you ever gone to a modern art museum or picked up a modern art magazine and wondered "how can anyone call that art?" Well this book will get you thinking about questions like that. Using scientific polling methods 2 Russian immigrants canvased the U.S. to find out what the average American considers art.

The results are exactly the kind of works most working modern artists or their patrons would be dismayed over. Get this book. It is a fascinating and entertaining read. One interesting note from the book - the editor of The Nation said that when they published the results of this poll it drew an avalanche of reader mail. It generated the largest reader response of anything they'd published in the history of that magazine to date. Several newspapers interviewed owners of prominant NYC art galleries as well as some prominant artists. All of them were horified by the results of this poll. One commentator sniffed the poll just proves Americans are boors when it comes to art - prefering only the safest, most banal subjects. What is interesting is that the book shows the results of this poll were duplicated in many other countries around the globe. Countries as diverse as Kenya and Iceland showed their own polls duplicated the preferences of the average American - i.e. a liking for landscapes with peaceful blue skies.

The book reproduces in full the entire questionaire used by the polling company along with an interview with Momar and Kelamid. The two Russians also gained notoriety by creating pictures of each countries most-preferred and least-preferred paintings. Each painting had the canvas divied up to match the percentages shown in the poll that respondents wanted (or didn't want in the case of the 'Least Preferred' paintings). Thus if the poll showed 65% preferred landscapes with a blue sky then 65% of the painting surface had a blue sky.

Interviews as well as commentary on the nature of art and what this might mean also fill the book. There is even a chapter by one of my favorite modern-day philosophers - Arthur C. Danto (I have several of his books). He asks the question "Can It Be The 'Most Wanted Painting' Even if Nobody Wants It?"

The results in this book lead to many questions. Not the least of these is 'what is art?' and 'what does this say about human nature?'. One article from the Jan/Feb 2002 issue of American Spectator illustrates this problem very well. It seems a few months ago a very famous photographer was holding a one-man exhibit at a London gallery. He is quite famous for the nauseating and offensive subject matter of his work. That night he gathered together the cigarrette butts, empty paper cups, and other assorted trash from the opening-night party and "artfully" arranged it in a pile in a corner and took a picture of it. The pile was promptly announced by a London art-critic to be worth at least 5K (in pounds). Unfortunately, someone forgot to tell the janitor that night that the pile was art, not trash. So you can guess the ending of this story.

I recount this to make a point. That is, this book will shed some light on why so many people have trouble - even the U.S. Supreme Court - on saying exactly what Art is. Get this book. It is fun and fascinating look into not only the tastes in art around the world but also a window into the science of polls and polling.

Wonderful.......2000-11-27

This is one of the coolest art books I've seen, Komar and Melamid are geniuses! The whole idea art designed to please isn't that new but the idea using polls and statistics is. By using a random survey from several countries ( THe USA France China Kenya Russia Ukraine ect) they create each countries most and least wanted painting and take you through a wonderful romp discussing what art and expression and stuff are really all about. I gave this sucker out as X-mas presents! I can't reccommend it highly enough. Buy everything by Komar and Melamid...even their souls.... they did a thing in Moscow where they auctioned off their souls.

If you ever get a chance to see their 'Nostalgia' series of paintings, it's a hoot. Sort of satires of Soviet/Stalinist paintings, very good. THey also did a series of NYC as ruins in the jungle....

The Art of Statistical Culture.......2000-07-11

It's hard to express how fantastic this book really is in a review. Komar and Melamid's paintings, which threatened, for a time, to turn the art world on its ear, are supreme farces on what statistics can tell us. Obviously the principle is consiously flawed. The artist's interpretation of the statistical data is largely abstracted, but the paintings themselves are superb and outragiously funny takes on national culture. The question of the book is "What do people want in their art?" It isn't likely that you'll find a more interesting, fascinating, and entertaining answer than "Painting by Numbers."

Book Description

Learn quickly and efficiently with this superb easy-to-navigate compilation of all the menus, tools and features offered in the latest version of Adobe Photoshop, CS2. Philip Andrews shares with you his extensive knowledge and experience of Photoshop in this excellent resource.

Structured in a clear and simple column format for you to dip into, or work through feature by feature, Adobe Photoshop CS2 A-Z covers each area concisely and includes directions to related topics. Solve problems as you work avoiding the frustrations and struggles that can accompany time-sensitive projects.

All Photoshop users will find this a valuable reference guide.

* Lists all the key tools and features of Photoshop CS2 - can also be used with any version of the software
* Save time with the colorful, easy-to-use A to Z format
* Each entry lists shortcut keys, specifies which version of Photoshop is applicable, includes screengrabs and clear step-by-step instructions

Customer Reviews:

CS2 A-Z.......2006-11-04

Easy to look for the subject you want, but the book was too succint and the character were so small that I had to use a magnifier lens. Where is the other author Peter Bargh who wrote the previous edition? I puchased both editions.

A Little of Everything.......2006-09-04

But not enough to explain any one process through. OSX users, be advised, most of the dialog boxes are Windows which you need a magnifying glass to see.

Handy Help.......2006-08-23

I'm new to CS2 and was having trouble weeding through all the possable ways of developing my photos. This book is a wouderful help with undrstanding some of the complicated tasks involved, the projects are simple to read and simpler to do, even if you are using your own photos instead of the ones that are included with the book on a CD. Having completing the projects in the book I reference it reguarly for my own projects.

A wonderful ready reference........2006-06-29

Title: Photoshop CS2 A-Z
Author: Philip Andrews
Publisher: Focal Press
ISBN: 0240520025
Pages: 244 pages
Reviewer: Charles Renee
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

This Photoshop advice and teaching book by Phillip Andrews is a great find. It's not a sit by the fire and read book but, rather a wonderful ready reference.

Adobe keeps making great products and adding new features almost to the speed of "hold on I can't keep up.? This book offers some handholds on Photoshop. It is set up in dictionary style in which it describes every feature and action in Photoshop from A to Z with really nice color photos. In many cases it has multiple screenshots of features, filters and actions.

Even though the title describes itself as CS2 it has tips, tricks and shortcuts that apply to older versions of the program as well. It will tell you what versions each feature works with and highlights the CS2 only items. Photoshop CS2 A-Z might be the needed push for someone sitting on the fence about whether the program upgrade is worth it. This book is not a substitute for classroom type text books but a great companion for everyday use. My copy is already getting its share of daily abuse. Easy to use, easy to read, 5 star rating!

easy to use reference bible for photoshop.......2006-06-05

I found this book incredibly easy to use - the explanations are concise and brief, and everything else can be figured out as you work. The alphabetical layout makes it simple and straightforward.

Adobe Photoshop CS2 A - Z: Tools and Features Illustrated Ready Reference

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Adobe Photoshop CS2 A - Z: Tools and Features Illustrated Ready Reference
Philip; Bargh, Peter Andrews
Manufacturer: Focal Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Adobe Photoshop | Digital Photography & Video | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000OPCK5O

Book Description

Humor from "The Door", the world's oldest, largest and pretty much only religious satire magazine. Includes cartoons and articles. Find out about the conspiracy theories surrounding David's slaying of Goliath. What happened to the other four stones? Ten reasons why Jesus never married. What if the Bible had been written by Ken Starr or Ann Landers? The ten commandments according to Kathie Lee Gifford, and much, much more.

Customer Reviews:

Hysterical.......2004-03-13

This should be required reading on any seminary student's bookshelf - great book for anyone who likes a bit of humor interspersed with their bible reading.

Book Description

'Subversive and a little bizarre around the edges....Awonderfully original and confident voice.' -Augusten Burroughs, author ofRunning with Scissors andDry In his unique, funny, and haunting reports from 'Elsewhere,' Hank Stuever records the odd and touching realities of modern life in everyday places. Elsewhere might be revealed in the tract-house adventures of a home-dcor reality show, at a discount funeral home in a strip mall, or in the story of an armed man named Honey Bear in the hunt for his beloved but now missing sleeper sofa which he left in a store unit. Off Rampshows us America through the humorous gaze of Hank Stuever, who finds beauty in the midst of the most unlikely and invisible lives and places.

Customer Reviews:

Stuever is always funny.......2006-08-02

I've been a fan of Hank's since his days at the Austin American-Statesman. Before and after I lived in DC, I've always searched the Washington Post's website to find his work. He is a rare talent, able to suss out the story from even the most bland of subjects (discount funeral homes, vacant parking lots, collectors of kitsch, Catholics, Miss America and, even, Willmington, DE). It's always funny, sometimes moving and consistently amazing.

Off Ramp: not an adventure...more of a headache...........2006-05-30

This book looked like it may be pretty funny to read, but unfortunately it was not. I generally try to be kind in my reviews but I found this book to be so nauseating that I just had to write a negative review. Mr.Stuever may be a talented writer technically, but the content of his articles is pretty pathetic. He spends so much of his time being critical of others, that it leads me to wonder why he feels it is necessary to degrade others to help his own cause. If you enjoy reading articles that are a constant derision and mockery of others, then this is the book for you. If not, there are plenty of other funny reads out there.

Insight into off-rampia.......2004-09-29

Off Ramp - Adventures and Heartache in the American Elsewhere

Washington Post staff writer Hank Stuever (his work appears in the Style section) collects his articles about the almost-mainstream. Stuever enters the stories as a journalist, but he stays because they resonate with him. Whether he's talking about the creator of Wonder Woman, the owner of a skating rink, or the Murrah building bombing, he finds the anecdote that explains the people, not just the situation.

Stuever understands the nature of strip mall America, and it's where he focuses his attention. Although many of his subjects are ridiculous, he treats them with respect. He's the same age as I am, so he feels nostalgic in the same ways for the same cultural icons. His cadence stays with me for hours after I finish reading.

Who Should Read it:
Anyone who likes the radio program "This American Life". Anyone who wants to better understand that "other America" (i.e. not the big coastal cities). Reading it in two sittings was, for me, a mistake -- the stories tend to be between wistful and sad. I would have been better off reading just one essay at a time.

Wickedly funny and devastatingly insightful look at the pale.......2004-09-09

Welcome to the crazy world of storage unit subculture, Texas weddings and the discount funeral industry -- before Six Feet Under made it cool. Off Ramp is a delightful read; Hank Stuever's insight and dry whit shine through in this book. Comparisons to David Sedaris are inevitable, as both will make you alternatively laugh out loud and wince from stinging observations. Stuever's background as a journalist -- in the best sense of the term -- makes him a keen commentator on the bizarreness of our world, with little glimpses of his personality, bias and foibles mixed in. As a reader of the Washington Post, I have often found myself in the middle of a hilarious piece, only then remembering to look at the byline to find Stuever's name. Read this book for the humor, recommend it for the reflection of yourself you can't share with anyone else.

Master of the Quirk.......2004-07-14

Stuever has a unique voice, at once hilarious and compassionate, with a great eye and ear for the odd, off-beat and comic detail that most people breeze past on their way somewhere else. Whenever I stumble across a new Hank Stuever story, I drop everything else and read the whole thing through. He's just so damn good. Terrifically human stuff that captivates.

Book Description

London is one of the hottest spots in the world for film locations. Its history, architecture and famous landmarks have provided a backdrop for some of the most memorable cinematic moments in film history. Accompanied by locator maps, comprehensive biography boxes and Blue Plaque information, this vibrant and fascinating guide leads you around London's numerous visually and historically evocative locations.

Book Description

This collection addresses questions of gender and sexuality as they relate to music from the middle ages to the early seventeenth century. These essays present a body of scholarship that considers music as part of the history of sexuality, stimulating conversation within musicology as well as bringing music studies into dialogue with feminist, gender and queer theory.

Gender, sexuality, and early music.(Book Review): An article from: Notes

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Gender, sexuality, and early music.(Book Review): An article from: Notes
Richard J. Agee
Manufacturer: Music Library Association, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Online Books | Books & Reading | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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Book Description

This digital document is an article from Notes, published by Music Library Association, Inc. on December 1, 2003. The length of the article is 1574 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: Gender, sexuality, and early music.(Book Review)
Author: Richard J. Agee
Publication: Notes (Refereed)
Date: December 1, 2003
Publisher: Music Library Association, Inc.
Volume: 60 Issue: 2 Page: 431(3)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Average customer rating:

Pretty much what you'd expect

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay Character Record Pack (Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay)
Green Ronin
Manufacturer: Black Industries
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
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Book Description

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (WFRP or WHFRP) is a roleplaying system created by Games Workshop. It is set in the Old World, which bears some resemblance to late medieval / renaissance Europe. The world is threatened by the forces of Chaos. The major power in the Old World is the Empire, in which most of the adventures are located. The Empire itself is a country full of intrigue, conspiracies, and dark plots. The Character sheet pack is has everything an RPG player needs to create his characters and record their journeys. BL Publishing is the publishing wing of the world famous Games Workshop group of companies. As well as its new Black Industries imprint, the division is also home to the Black Library, which has been producing best-selling and award-winning novels, comics and artbooks set in the worlds of Warhammer since 1997. It also includes the Black Flame fiction imprint for non-Warhammer titles, and Warhammer Historical Wargames. Warhammer Fantasy Battle was originally published in 1986 and subsequently licensed to Hogshead Publishing. This is the second edition of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay.

Customer Reviews:

Pretty much what you'd expect.......2005-04-04

The Warhammer FRP Character Record Pack contains a 50-sheet pad of double-sided, black and white character sheets (identical to the one from the rulebook). It has a wraparound cover featuring a bunch of interesting little illustrations, for character inspiration, I assume. The packet is 16 pages, containing a title page, a 2-page recap of character creation with all of the relevant tables, six pages of name tables, two more pages of tables relating to birthplace, doom, and heraldry (which, sadly, are not given spaces on the character sheets), a 2-page spell summary, and two pages of combat action (very useful). The final page is the spell sheet for characters, which will need to be photocopied. It would have been nice to include some of these in the actual pad of character sheets, due to the limited utility of the rest of the package. I am giving it three stars rather than two because of the novelty of a pad of character sheets, something I haven't seen for almost a decade or more. It's this old school approach I like about the new Warhammer.

Book Description

Learn the secrets to wealth from "The Weekend Millionaire"

In their runaway bestseller The Weekend Millionaire's Secrets to Investing in Real Estate, Mike Summey and Roger Dawson gave readers a blueprint for making a killing in real estate in their spare time. Now Summey and Dawson take readers inside the minds and hearts of super successful entrepreneurs, showing them how to think and act like winners and realize their dreams of financial freedom.

In the tradition of Napoleon Hill's hit Think and Grow Rich, The Weekend Millionaire Mindset combines compelling biographical details with powerful, practical lessons. Packed with fascinating anecdotes taken from Summey and Dawson's own lives and the lives of other millionaire entrepreneurs, this book will inspire, energize, and motivate while arming readers with practical advice and guidance on how to:

Evaluate and redirect their lives with an eye to becoming rich
Create a lifestyle of success
Set realistic goals and stick to them
Make the right decisions when faced with challenging learning experiences
Spot golden opportunities
Realize dreams through patience, practice, and persistence

With Mike Summey and Roger Dawson's invaluable advice, readers can overcome their obstacles and find a personal path to wealth for a lifetime.

Customer Reviews:

A Republican Right Wing View.......2007-06-18

A book that celebrates George W. Bush and his war in Iraq. An oddly political book that takes a cheap shot at John Kerry. The author claims George Bush is consistent and John Kerry was not on Bush's War in Iraq.

Ah... but the author does not mention that John Kerry went voluntarity to Vietnam to fight for his country and put his life on the line for a war he believed in in at the time. George W. Bush while believing in the war got his daddy to pull strings and get him a position in the the national guard. That's a true sign of the "consistency" of George W. Bush.

This book is a screed for Bush lovers and the radical right.

Don't buy it.

Wake up Call.......2007-04-09

My friend gave me this book and I kept pushing it off and never read it. Finally, I got sick of my situation enough to give it a shot.

It is very motivating and has been a wake up call to me. I have read about 2 books in the past few years. Since reading this book a month ago, I have read 6. I am as hungry as ever so I have been trying to educate myself on wealth, strategy, and real estate as much as I can and it started with this book.

Really enjoyed this book.......2007-02-24

Very encouraging and uplifting book. Helps you believe in yourself and see that even imperfect people ,making big mistakes, can overcome and succeed greatly! David W.

Good read!.......2006-08-13

Although most of the wealth-creating principles are not new, this book is well written and can still serve as a great resource for aspiring millionaires. Mike and Roger's style is very entertaining. I recommend it without hesitation.

The best book ever!.......2006-04-11

"How Ordinary People Can Achieve Extraordinary Success" is just a small clue of the VERY BIG lessons I found in this book. It won't just make you a better investor but can help you be a better person no matter what you do. There is so much inspiration and information crammed in every page of this book. For every investor, this can be the one source to go to as the foundation for your entire business. I know investors who started out using Mike's methods and following the formulas in this book and have become very successful and continue to grow and I could prove it on paper. The results are amazing. I never get tired of talking about it and recommending it to other people.

Weekend Millionaire Mindset: How Ordinary People Can Achieve Extraordinary Success - How to Become Wealthy in Your Spare Time!

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Weekend Millionaire Mindset: How Ordinary People Can Achieve Extraordinary Success - How to Become Wealthy in Your Spare Time!
Mike and Roger Dawson Summey
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OFJG5Q

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