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Words Straight From The Author's Heart

Washington, D.C. as a place of spiritual pilgrimage...

Good Overview + Art Lesson

Visiting the past

celebrating American artThe Introduction is written by William Kloss, and has a history of the museum, with its many building revisions, now housed in the heart of downtown Washington, D.C.
Divided into 9 "themes", it starts with "Early America", with the work of John Singleton Copley (1738-1815). There is a quote from the artist, his portrait of Mrs. George Watson, and an explanation of the piece by contributor Richard Murray of the National Museum. Most of the artists/works displayed follow this format throughout the book. This first chapter also includes work by John James Audubon, Thomas Moran, and some of the remarkable artists who depicted American Indian culture, like George Catlin.
Chapter 2 is "Tradition", which includes two of my favorite artists, Albert Pinkham Ryder, with his magical, visionary paintings, and the mastery of Winslow Homer.
Chapter 3: "20th Century Life", starts with Maurice Prendegast, has a section of Southwestern art, "Urban Views", and "The New Deal". 5 pieces by William H. Johnson, brilliantly depicting African-American imagery, are the centerpiece of this chapter, which also includes the work of several photographers.
Chapter 4, "People", spans many centuries, with portraits ranging from Charles Wilson Peale's "Mrs. James Smith and Grandson", to Chicano artist Jesse TreviƱo's "Mis Hermanos".
Chapter 5: "Spirit and Religion", is a short chapter that includes a stunning Andrew Wyeth piece, "Dodge's Ridge", that I have not seen published elsewhere.
Chapter 6 is "Folk Art", whimsical, brilliant work by "untrained artists". The museum started to incorporate these pieces into their inventory in 1986, adding a marvelous dimension to their collection.
Chapter 7: "Modern Art", starts with the sumptuous Max Webber "Summer", and ends with the sculpture of Bryan Hunt.
Chapter 8: "Craft Objects", includes an array of glass, wood, fiber, and mixed media, some of them useful, like George Nakashima's beautiful walnut and hickory "Conoid Bench".
Chapter 9: "Contemporary Voices", starting with the cover piece, Luis Jimenez's vibrant sculpture "Vaquero", has a wide variety of styles and media, reflecting the art of the last three decades.
Though there are some notable omissions (Jackson Pollock, Milton Avery, and Mark Rothko come to mind), this is an excellent overview of some of America's greatest artists, with good color reproduction, and thick glossy pages, and truly does "delight the reader's eye".


Comprehensive ref. for geology, flora, fauna, nat. resources

A long over due guide to the area!

A classic

A trip to the Salons of ParisAn invaluable resource for anyone interested in the Impressionist period in modern art. The book begins with essays entitled: ' The Impressionists and Edouard Manet'; 'The New Painting:Concerning the Group of Artists Exhibiting at the Durand-Ruel Galleries'; 'The Intransigent Artist or How The Impressionists Got Their Name'; 'The End of Impressionism';
The works are arranged around the catalogues of each of the Impressionist exhibitions in Paris (1974, 1876, 1877, 1879, 1880, 1881, 1882, 1886). Each section includes readable essays on the particular exhibition, and reproductions of and notes on the paintings represented in the San Francisco/ Washington exhibition , as well as reproductions of the catalogs of the original Impressionist exhibitions.
The quality of reproductions is very high, given the limitations of still enabling the book to remain affordable to the generalist reader.
There is a wealth of detail in this comprehensive work. The book would be a valuable addiditon to any secondary school, college or public library collection.
Highly recommended.


Fishing with Dick in the Northwest