The Art of Not Making: The New Artist / Artisan Relationship

By Michael Petry
Thames & Hudson, $34.95, 208 pages

 The Art of Not Making: The New Artist/Artisan Relationship presents a colorful collection of work representing more than 115 contemporary artists. At first glance, the pieces appear entirely unrelated to one another. Executed in a wide variety of materials including glass, metal, stone, and fabric, each work of art has a distinct look and purpose. Yet, all of these pieces share a major point of commonality; none of them were physically made by the artists credited with their creation.

Part glitzy coffee table book, part art history text, The Art of Not Making: The New Artist/Artisan Relationship explores the unique collaborative relationship between artists and craftsmen. Questions of originality, authorship, credit, and the meaning of the title “artist” are investigated through lush photographs, interviews, and art history segments. Although this book presents a range of perspectives regarding the issue of art as idea vs. art as product, readers who believe art is made with the hand as well as the mind may find this book frustrating.

Reviewed by Elizabeth Goss

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100 Landmarks of the World: A Journey to the Most Fascinating Landmarks Around the Globe

Edited by Parragon Books
Parragon Books, $12.99, 240 pages

In every inhabited region of the globe, there are physical spaces – some designed structures, some natural geographic wonders– that are representative of the city, country or culture in which they can be found. From the totem poles of Stanley Park in Vancouver, British Columbia, to the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia, each of these iconic landmarks draw hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.

This book is an illustrated compilation of 100 of these emblematic locations, including the Taj Mahal, Robben Island and Uluru, to name a few. Each of the carefully selected sites, the majority of which are in Europe, is accompanied by a 2-4 page descriptive overview, some stock color photographs, and either a timeline or ‘fast fact’ file related to the attraction’s construction, discovery or development. This book is great for armchair travelers or anyone creating a bucket list or itinerary of places to see and experience.

Reviewed by Linda Frederiksen

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A History Of Design From The Victorian Era To The Present

By Ann Ferebee and Jeff Byles
Norton & Company, $50.00, 208 pages

Modern design in the 21st century is a global style. As technology has improved, the use of new forms, materials and colors open a new chapter in the story of design. Authors Ann Ferabee and Jeff Byles, in their book A History of Design from the Victorian Era to the Present, take readers on a trip to London, New York, Mexico City, Tokyo and Mumbai. The text begins with London’s Crystal Palace (featured in the 1851 Great Exhibition where millions came to see a showcase of glass and iron) and ends with a survey of late modern photography influenced by the introduction of the Polaroid 5X-70 camera in 1972. This cross-disciplinary overview of design is divided into four sections (Victorian Design, Art Nouveau, Early Modern Design and Late Modern Design) that each cover architecture, interior design, industrial design, graphic design and photography. The $50 price tag is steep considering the fact that for the same amount you could get a huge coffee table book on your favorite artist, designer, or architect. But if you are looking for more of a textbook-like approach to design history, it is worth the money.

Reviewed by Kathryn Franklin

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Magnificent Baths: Private Indulgences from Barogue to Minimalist

By Massimo Listri
Rizzoli,$50.00, 272 pages

I don’t care what anybody says, there’s nothing better than soaking in a hot, bubble bath with a good book and a glass of wine! Magnificent Baths: Private Indulgences from Baroque to Minimalist gives bath lovers lots to ponder and dream about. From decadent, molded-marble, spacious bathrooms the size of small airports to bamboo tubs in the great outdoors this book covers them all and almost everything in between. Although, not one photo depicts a “regular” bathroom in any way but there are many that cover the fabulous lifestyle, the oddly-shaped home, the simplistic tastes and of course, the more-money-than-God lifestyle as well. ||This coffee table book will be a great conversation starter or shut your guests up as they fantasize about taking a bath in their favorite dream tub. Large glossy photos and a panoramic lens add to the ambiance of enjoying this book page by glorious page. Beautiful just doesn’t describe this book. What an enjoyable photo book to escape into and get ideas from even in the smallest sense. Ironically, this bathtub book is too darn big to read in the bathtub!

Reviewed by M. Chris Johnson

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The Most Beautiful Villages of Provence

By Michael Jacobs, Photographs by Hugh Palmer
Thames & Hudson, $26.95, 208 pages

The small towns of France, like many throughout Western Europe, are eminently photogenic. Narrow cobblestone streets and alleys, hidden stone fountains and stairs, terracotta roofs, intimate ironwork balconies and shaded public squares, medieval cottages and chapels, Roman ruins – all add up to a visually pleasing landscape that has delighted residents and visitors alike for centuries. In this volume of the Thames & Hudson’s “most beautiful villages” series, rural communities in the Vaucluse, Bouches-du-Rhone, Var, Alpes-Maritimes and Alpes-de-Haute-Provence regions of southern France are highlighted. The book, originally published in 1994, presents about 300 small to medium-sized color photographs taken by British photographer Hugh Palmer with a brief introduction and accompanying text that provides some historical and cultural context to the illustrations. Although there is an attempt to capture the unique beauty of these Provençal locations, at the end of the day there is a sameness that marks the photographs and text – the architecture, fields and orchards of Venasque, for example, do not appear to be significantly different from those in Lurs. Unfortunately, the villages, while all lovely, are not particularly memorable.

Reviewed by Linda Frederiksen

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The Most Beautiful Villages of Tuscany

By James Bentley, Photographs by Hugh Palmer
Thames & Hudson, $26.95, 216 pages

There are a plethora of beautiful books out there about Tuscany. What makes The Most Beautiful Villages of Tuscany unique is that it goes well beyond the standard Tuscan cities of Florence, Siena, Pisa and Genoa. Instead, this lovely book is divided into three regions: “Around Florence and Lucca”, “Around Arrezzo and Siena” and “The South” and within those regions focuses on the surrounding villages instead of the larger towns themselves. It is a marvelous education for anyone who has yet to travel to Tuscany or for those who have been but have not explored beyond the more touristy locations.

Hugh Palmer’s photography captures medieval fortresses, complex architectural details, ancient frescos, the pastoral beauty of the landscape and the simple beauty of the village residents. James Bentley’s text gives the historical background as well as a bit of flavor for each. So, while this is not a travel guide per se, it is a useful addition to anyone planning travel to the Tuscany region. And if your travels are only from a comfortable chair at home The Most Beautiful Villages of Tuscany is a wonderful way to wile away an afternoon.

Reviewed by Catherine Gilmore,

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Lingerie

By Lillian Bassman
Abrams, 128 pages $29.95

Ghosts of Lingerie Past

This gorgeous coffee table book filled with Lillian Bassman’s photos of women in lingerie is both breathtakingly beautiful and nostalgic. The photos themselves showcase Bassman’s signature style, and in many of the images the composition and the interplay of the shadow and light or of the different shapes on the page are as much the subject matter as the young woman captured in the photograph. The lingerie itself will make readers look back with nostalgia, and in some cases horror, as these women are much more modest than many teenage girls one sees at the mall or the park today. The introductory essay by Eric Himmel is interesting and well written. He adds insight into how Bassman captured the relaxed quality of her subjects. In addition to giving the reader a sense of how much the fashion world was changing in the mid-20th century, this book offers a glimpse into the roots of our contemporary stick-thin supermodel culture.

Reviewed by Katie Richards,

 

 

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The Portrait Photographer’s Guide to Posing

By Bill Hurter
Amherst Media, Inc., 128 pages, $34.95

“A subject who feels uncomfortable will likely look uncomfortable in their photos. After all, these are normal people, not models who make their living posing professionally.”

Guide To Posing by Bill Hurter is a great guide for the amateur photographer. In this book, the elements of a photograph are broken down so that we can better understand why we pose people the way we do. The book takes an element-by-element approach to posing subjects in portraits to elicit the desired feeling, emotion, and look. The book addresses multiple concerns such as elements of the face, lighting, angles, styling, solo and group portraits. This book will appeal to amateurs as well as more experienced photographers, who may need a little guidance on how to best post a subject. The book is easily read and focuses on one element at a time. The book is also full of photograph examples of the concepts described, making it easy to see what the author is referring to in each section. Overall, this book is highly recommended for anyone with an interest in developing their skills taking portrait photography.

Rachel Richards

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Christopher Grey’s Vintage Lighting: The Digital Photographer’s Guide to Portrait Lighting Techniques from 1910 to 1970

By Christopher Grey
Amherst Media, Inc., $34.95, 128 pages

 

Check your local bookstore’s photography shelf. “Plethora” cannot describe the amount and variety of books available on the subject of image capture. Yet they are mostly redundant, rehashing, in slightly different form, the same ideas as the books propped up next to them.

Enter photographer Christopher Grey. In his book, Christopher Grey’s Vintage Lighting, Grey covers an exciting and fresh angle of photography, that of lighting techniques from the 1910s to the 1970s. Grey explains the signature lighting set ups of each decade in detail. He provides tips on props, wardrobe, background, poses and post-processing to further authentic the images. The photographs in the book are beautifully done and do a good job of illustrating Grey’s concepts.

As indicated in the title, the book is about lighting and readers should be familiar with photographic lighting equipment and concepts. This is not a beginner’s manual. That said the writing is conversational and easy to read, though occasionally mature in content and wordage. For portrait photographers, this book delivers highly specialized and novel instruction to provide that edge over competitors. It may also be of interest to historians, movie producers and theatre directors.

Reviewed by Andrea Klein

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Engagement Portraiture: Master Techniques for Digital Photographers

By Tracy Dorr
Amherst Media, Inc, $34.95, 128 pages

Engagement photos have a lot of weight to carry; they will be used to announce to the world a couple has chosen to tie the knot. Thus, engagement photos have the task of showing off a little of a couple’s quirks and style. Engagement Portraiture: Master Techniques for Digital Photographers is a wonderful guide for those photographers new to shooting the ever stressful engagement photo. The graphically stimulating book walks photographers through the professional process step by step. Author and photographer Tracy Dorr covers everything from understanding the client’s perspective and photo style to pricing guides and increasing your value. Though, this is not Dorr’s first photography guide, the experienced photographer has many accolades for her writing and photography, which is evident through the quality of the book.

The photography acts as an inspiration for couples to seek images representing their individual relationship and how photographers can artfully, and tastefully, represent the couple. The images in the book range from standard, posed portraits to funky, crafted candids where couples are stuck in washing machines.

Engagement Portraiture is sure to be an asset for the photography world as well as worried brides-to-be everywhere.

Reviewed by Sophie Sestero

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