Product Description

The Sparrow hardcover art book series continues with this mini-showcase of celebrated painter Rick Berry's stylistic offerings. Berry, credited with producing the first digitally painted book cover in the world (William Gibson's Neuromancer) has provided acclaimed images for feature film and deluxe Stephen King book editions, and takes his place alongside Ashley Wood, Phil Hale, Kent Williams, and the other artists whose books comprise The Sparrow series.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #579688 in Books
• Published on: 2008-02-29
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 48 pages

Customer Reviews

Modern Masterpiece
Sparrow: Rick Berry (Art Books)

For more years than I care to remember, I've been a fan of illustrative art--especially that to be found in the old pulp magazines, primarily (at the start) the science fiction and fantasy pulps. (I'm responsible, largely, for "Pulp Culture, the Art of Fiction magazines" and "Science Fiction of the 20th Century: An Illustrated History.")

What's always struck me is that once an illustrative artist develops his own unique style, he seldom varies from it. Virgil Finlay, Hannes Bok, Frank R. Paul, J. Allen St. John, Hubert Rogers, Kelly Freas and Michael Whelan can be recognized at a glance. In a larger sense, so can N. C. Wyeth for his paintings for children's books, J. C. Leyendecker in his covers for Collier's and the Saturday Evening Post and his ads for the "Arrow Collar Man," Maxfield Parrish for his advertising art and huge murals immortalizing fantasy fables.

But all of the above--and I respect and love them all--once they perfected their style, never changed. There is only one artist I know of whose artistic ability has changed and grown as he matured. Richard Berry is self-taught, painted covers for science fiction and fantasy paperbacks, invented computer artistry practically single-handed ("Necromancer" by William Gibson), painted atmospheric illustrations for books by Stephen King, and is now creating an impressionistic, emotional art that is vastly different from anything out there--but is conceptually intriguing and emotionally moving. Every one of his paintings is unique, everyone one is different, every one is surprising in concept and execution. Berry's style is...lack of style.

"Sparrow" is a slim volume containing the best of Berry's recent paintings, all of them of museum quality. From the dynamic motion of the figure in "Frost," from the thoughtful figures in "Forsaken" to the speculative look on the face of the young man in "Quiz" to the lonely motorcycle in "Nailhouse Row," Berry has accomplished what I never thought an "illustrator" would.

Berry has transcended "illustration" into the field of fine art. His work should be sold in upscale galleries and in auctions at Sotheby's. He's one of a kind and I doubt very much that you will ever see another like him.

This slim collection of his paintings is exquisitely printed and an unbelievable bargain for the price.

--Frank M. Robinson

One of the greats
Rick Berry's work is a testament to what can be achieved with a simple image. From "double memory" through a career of stellar illustrative works, and now tackling fine art, he has remained consistent regardless of venue.

Although the book is deceivingly modest it shouldn't be taken lightly based on those physical dimensions. An art book that functions more as a keyhole into his awe inspiring studio. This selection of works thankfully reveals he hasn't lost his love for visceral figurative works, authoritative command in his paint handling or the mystical narrative qualities that slowly sneak to the surface ... he's only taken it to another level. Metaphor mingles with the literal and the miraculous coexists with the mundane. Trappings of genre or commercial pandering have been stripped away ... the images are honest, direct, and potent.

As a concept artist/illustrator the bold and visionary work of Rick Berry lit the path for my own artistic trajectory. Over the years, Berry has provided an indelible mark in my mind of what art should aspire to achieve ... and no matter how morbidly short I fall of that mark, at least I know the mark exists. Whenever in doubt, I thankfully have this book to remind me where I am. It's compact and good for travel ... a perfect compass for when I invariably lose my way.

-B Kitkouski

A Little Gem From The Godfather of Digital Art
Rick Berry, who in 1984 did the very first digital painting ever, for William Gibson's NEUROMANCER, receives credit where it's overdue, in SPARROW:RICK BERRY, the latest in this series of 6" x 6" hardcover art books devoted to cutting edge illustrators. This selection of oil paintings old and new from the ur digerato is a tasty treat, an "art snack," given the textless, unpaginated format, and the literal size of the volume.
What's on view is powerfully good painting. The expressive brushstrokes, rich textures and charged compositions remind us of what a fine artist Berry is, regardless of subject matter or medium. His fearless exploration of the limits of physical representation yields paintings that not only linger in the imagination but influence our perspective on the human body in general. What lingers, as well, is the poignant emotional punch of works such as "Found Child" (2007).
For science fiction and fantasy purists, there's plenty here to savor, including the above-mentioned cover of NEUROMANCER, both the original red chalk drawing and the later digitized oil painting,
a powerful portrait "Belling The Moon" (1992), and augmented human subjects such as a leaping figure whose powerful legs end in kangaroo paws, and a man whose head is his house (created for BLACK HOUSE, by Stephen King and Peter Straub, 2002).
SPARROW: RICK BERRY is a charming small booksurprisingly big on production values, printed on slick, glossy paper, one image to a page. My only complaint is that these powerful images deserve to be seen in larger size. This delicious selection of paintings can keep us going until the next full-sized retrospective of Berry's work comes along.

(Note: a slight variation of the above appeared in my artbooks review column in LOCUS magazine, November 2008.)