Listmania!
"My favorite art books and DVD's"
By an Amazon.com customer
Toulouse-Lautrec and MontmartreToulouse-Lautrec and Montmartre
Buy new: $17.99 / Used from: $9.99
If you don't know what this artist looked like, you will be amazed. Short, near midget, he was and still is, huge in the art world.
Concerning the Spiritual in ArtConcerning the Spiritual in Art by Wassily Kandinsky
Buy new: $5.95 / Used from: $0.48
This book a must for any artist or person interested in color. By reading this, we learn the theory and meaning of every color and how they effect each other. To Kandinsky color was like music, and while reading we understand why. A great book to have in your pocket or while travelling, and certainally one to read several times more.
Pierre Bonnard: Observing NaturePierre Bonnard: Observing Nature by Pierre Bonnard
Buy used from: $109.96
If you like color and figures with emotion, you will love this book. Bonnard to me, is one of the most undervalued painters of my generation.
Vincent Van Gogh: The Drawings (Metropolitan Museum of Art Series)Vincent Van Gogh: The Drawings (Metropolitan Museum of Art Series) by Colta Ives
Buy new: $40.95 / Used from: $41.37
We all know what a great painter Van Gogh was. But here we see that his drawings, with their swearling lines and bold vision, captured the same brilliance.
Matisse the Master: A Life of Henri Matisse: The Conquest of Colour: 1909-1954Matisse the Master: A Life of Henri Matisse: The Conquest of Colour: 1909-1954 by Hilary Spurling
Buy new: $29.20 / Used from: $5.42
This book make us understand why, and how, Matisse earned his leading role in modern art. Be aware however, that this is a thick biography, even though it has some wonderful pictures in it as well.
The Life and Art of Ernst Ludwig KirchnerThe Life and Art of Ernst Ludwig Kirchner
Buy new: $26.99 / Used from: $14.99
Here we follow Kirchner from the early days in Berlin, to his later years in the Swiss Alps. One of the best art documentaries I've seen.
Rodin: His Art and His InspirationRodin: His Art and His Inspiration by Catherine Lampert
Buy new: $57.37 / Used from: $59.99
An artist so skilled, the only thought that comes to mind is, "Oh my."
FridaFrida
Buy new: $9.99 / Used from: $3.99
This movie not only show a lot of wonderful artwork, but also provide insight to Frida's challenging and complex life; everything from her tragic bus accident to her complicated relationship to her husband, the painter Diego Rivera.
The Ultimate PicassoThe Ultimate Picasso by Brigitte Leal
Buy used from: $30.49
Every so often I hear someone say: "Picasso, my kids could have done that!" Well, reading this book and seeing these stunning pictures would make them say otherwise.
Hopper (Portfolio (Taschen))Hopper (Portfolio (Taschen))
Buy new: $11.69 / Used from: $11.00
Monet in NormandyMonet in Normandy by Richard Brettell
Buy new: $32.02 / Used from: $13.99
This book is wonderful. I feel a constant light breeze. Monet truly was the master of the skies, focusing his entire life's work on the light.
Pissarro and Pontoise: The Painter in a LandscapePissarro and Pontoise: The Painter in a Landscape by Dr. Richard R. Brettell
Buy used from: $20.35
Pissaro painted along side of Cezanne, and was one of the strongest members of the impressionist movement.
Paul Cezanne, 1839-1906: Pioneer of Modernism (Taschen Basic Art)Paul Cezanne, 1839-1906: Pioneer of Modernism (Taschen Basic Art) by Ulrike Becks-Malorny
Buy used from: $4.49
The Taschen books in this series (covering just about every famous artist known to man), are excellent. They are affordable, informative, and have plenty of pictures. I owe 20 or so, and always bring them when I travel.
PollockPollock
Buy new: $10.99 / Used from: $4.85
Pollock is often envisioned as a mad man dancing over a canvas on the floor. True at times, but here we also get to know the man Pollock, played by Ed Harris.
Van Gogh: The Complete Paintings (Taschen specials)Van Gogh: The Complete Paintings (Taschen specials) by Ingo F Walther
Buy used from: $8.82
A great book to a great price!
Egon Schiele: Drawings and WatercolorsEgon Schiele: Drawings and Watercolors by Jane Kallir
Buy new: $23.07 / Used from: $18.25
An artist with nerve and stunning accuracy.
Edvard Munch: Behind the ScreamEdvard Munch: Behind the Scream by Sue Prideaux
Buy new: $22.23 / Used from: $9.80
This is a very well written and interesting book about Munch, with many interesting facts and behind the scenes info.
The Art of Romare BeardenThe Art of Romare Bearden
Buy used from: $59.95
Like Music? Like color? Like to hear of a man who started painting late and made it big? Though short, this is a wonderful story and a good documentary.
Marc Chagall (Artists of the 20th Century)Marc Chagall (Artists of the 20th Century)
Buy new: $17.99 / Used from: $10.63
This DVD can be slow at times. But perhaps that's good, as it's not moving from frame to frame in a hectic pace, allowing the viewer time to observe.
Dorothea Lange: The Heart and Mind of a PhotographerDorothea Lange: The Heart and Mind of a Photographer
Buy used from: $47.00
Ansel Adams caught nature in black and white. Dorothea Lange caught people in the same astounding way. I can sit for long periods of time and just stare at her photogrpahs; many of them shoot during the great depression, and I always find a piece of myself.
Ansel Adams - A Documentary FilmAnsel Adams - A Documentary Film
Buy used from: $16.25
Seeing this PBS documentary, we understand how much work that goes into a good photograph. Adams pictures of American landscapes are timeless and without compare.
Gustav Klimt: 1862-1918 (Basic Art)Gustav Klimt: 1862-1918 (Basic Art) by Gilles Neret
Buy new: $9.99 / Used from: $1.35
Frida Kahlo (Taschen 25 Years Special Editon)Frida Kahlo (Taschen 25 Years Special Editon) by Andres Kettenmann
Buy new: $10.19 / Used from: $14.98
Marc Chagall, 1887-1985: Painting as Poetry (Basic Art)Marc Chagall, 1887-1985: Painting as Poetry (Basic Art) by Ingo F Walther
Buy new: $9.99 / Used from: $0.43
Odd Nerdrum: Paintings, Sketches, and DrawingsOdd Nerdrum: Paintings, Sketches, and Drawings by Richard Vine
Buy used from: $74.99
Inspired by the old masters, particullarly Rembrandt, Norwegian Nerdrum has brought classical painting back into the spotlight. Yet Nerderum provokes. I don't recall Rembrandt making a self-portrait with an erection?
Girl With a Pearl EarringGirl With a Pearl Earring
Buy new: $9.49 / Used from: $2.60
A must see for every art lover. This fantastic film is the story about Vermeers painting (not factual), "Girl with a pearl Earing." The light in this film is wonderful, and each frame reminds us about Vermeer and Rembrandt. We also learn how artists in that day got their commisions, and how they made their own paints etc.
ModiglianiModigliani
Buy new: $24.49 / Used from: $2.95
This is a very surreal depiction of the artist, who comes across as nearly dillusional at times; more so than I had imagined. But the glimses of his work, and the encounters with Picasso and Renoir are worth the money just that. A film I might have to see over and over to fully understand.
Carl Larsson (Portfolio (Taschen))Carl Larsson (Portfolio (Taschen))
Buy used from: $30.50
The myth that all artists are depressed and die alone, should be crushed by the Swedish artist Carl Larsson; whose positive paintings of his family and children has made him a Scandinavian icon.
Edvard MunchEdvard Munch
Buy new: $22.49 / Used from: $27.18
A 1974 movie version of Munch. A decent film which is very informative of his life. But with the latest "Munch hype", a more modern version would be welcomed.
As Good As It GetsAs Good As It Gets
Buy new: $8.49 / Used from: $1.80
Not a movie about art. But the film contains enough art footage to inspire. The scene were Greg Kinnear draw Helen Hunt's back is stunning.
Joan Miro: 30 PostcardsJoan Miro: 30 Postcards by Joan Miro
Buy used from: $0.99
These 30 postcards are great. Sometimes as good as a book. Miro is a must for anyone into color and abstraction.