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- About Looking
- Interesting Perspective
- You gotta read this !
- Please read this book.
- How little we appreciate visually
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About Looking
John Berger
Manufacturer: Vintage
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Binding: Paperback
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Ways of Seeing: Based on the BBC Television Series
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Selected Essays of John Berger
ASIN: 0679736557
Release Date: 1992-01-08 |
Book Description
As a novelist, art critic, and cultural historian, John Berger is a writer of dazzling eloquence and arresting insight whose work amounts to a subtle, powerful critique of the canons of our civilization. In About Looking he explores our role as observers to reveal new layers of meaning in what we see. How do the animals we look at in zoos remind us of a relationship between man and beast all but lost in the twentieth century? What is it about looking at war photographs that doubles their already potent violence? How do the nudes of Rodin betray the threats to his authority and potency posed by clay and flesh? And how does solitude inform the art of Giacometti? In asking these and other questions, Berger quietly -- but fundamentally -- alters the vision of anyone who reads his work.
Customer Reviews:
About Looking.......2005-10-17
The book was in great condition and came very prompty. I know nothing about art history, so this book is way over my head.
Interesting Perspective.......2005-04-02
This is a romantic view of art with leftist references. It is about the way we perceive things visually, in various contexts. He uses photographs and painted works primarily but ends the book by describing how we might view a field. Different sociological and psychological factors will temper what we interpret what we are seeing.
Berger writes in a style that I enjoy, descriptive and without concern for the grammatical structure that the nuns taught me in elementary school. That is not to say it is poorly written, Berger does take some license with proper English. Still the florid prose is very entertaining to me.
I agree with the political concerns that the author has but I do have a problem with his presentation. In particular he discusses the uses of visual images for propaganda and how art was manipulated by Nazi Germany. This is true but then he describes how art can be used to promote socially progressive ideology. In my own opinion propaganda is propaganda whether it is from the left or the right of the political spectrum.
A second issue I take with this author is that he takes some pretty fanciful leaps in his determination of what some artistic ploy means. He described a series of sculptures that would be placed next to a wall. One side of the sculptures was flat. He determined that this was not due to their inevitable placement but to some other factor.
My last issue has to do with presentation. Berger makes a lot of assumptions that are personal. They are undoubtedly a result of a lot of thinking, reading and discussing art. I do not necessarily think they are wrong. He does however, assume that he is correct. Several times this occurred when I was unable to see from his perspective at all. I think that suggestions and fanciful leaps can be appropriate in an art criticism reading. I suggest that the points would reach home more readily if they were phrased ala "...perhaps we could suggest..., or ...maybe one way of interpreting the form is..." Berger instead uses polemic type phrasing such as "undoubtedly this is a result of..."
For an interesting perspective, some historical information and thought provoking suggestions this is a very good read.
You gotta read this !.......2004-04-24
This is indispensable reading. No joke.
Please read this book........2002-08-20
Please please read this book. You will not regret it. Every essay is an eye opener and get you to really rethink your world-view.
How little we appreciate visually.......2001-03-16
Most of what our eyes take in is filtered, as we cannot process all that is within the field of our vision. Were there no limits, sleep would be required for the vast majority of each 24-hour period. Our brain provides filters that allow selective acknowledgement or perhaps isolated concentration on those visual cues that we deem important.
Mr. John Berger's book, "About Looking", will radically change your perception of what you see.
Much of the book is dedicated to explaining how various artists' works should be visually understood, what a casual viewer would observe as opposed to someone who is trained in art. I have generally found the long-winded, affected, and pretentious descriptions of art by "Art Experts" to be ridiculous at best and coma inducing more the norm. As Mr. Berger takes you through various artists and how he "sees" their work the language can still seem a bit affected, but as you read, this man uses the words he needs. To suggest he is affecting his explanations would be a petty way to express one's ignorance. Read what he says, and you will see things, as you have not before.
I enjoyed the entire book, however the essays, "Why Look At Animals, and, Uses of Photography", were of greatest interest. They went beyond the explanation of expanding the methods of how the visual can be expanded and included History, Anthropology, and Sociology as well. Many people find zoos artificial, perverse, or even fraudulent. When you read this man's explanation of Animals, our relationships to them over time and how we see them, and they us, regardless of what you now feel you will feel differently.
The same is true in his essay on photography. The science is relatively new, the use and invasion of the camera has become something so common the practice of using a camera is barely noticed. There are the occasional eruptions over privacy, surveillance, and "Big Brother", but those that suggest we are not already a society who have given up much of their privacy, are deluding themselves. Mr. Berger does not just opine on the subject. Court cases, the use of the camera in all its incarnations is explored more deeply than a casual look would suggest there is material to talk about.
This is not a book by a shallow charlatan picking off a couple of quick tricks that make you say hmmmmmmm. He does show that even when the filtered information arrives we see very little of what reaches us; we rarely gain the benefit of all the information. He demonstrates how a bit of inquisitiveness can make what seems ordinary spectacularly special.
Book Description
Since its original publication, Erwin Panofsky's Meaning in the Visual Arts has been standard reading for students of art history. It is both an introduction to the study of art and, for those with more specialized interests, a profound discussion of art and life in the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Panofsky's historical technique reveals an abundance of detail, detail he skillfully relates to the life and work of individual painters and their times.
The papers in this volume represent a cross-section of Panofsky's major work. Included are selections from his well-known Studies in Iconology and The Life and Art of Albrecht Dürer, plus an introduction and an epilogue—"The History of Art as a Humanistic Discipline" and "Three Decades of Art History in the United States: Impressions of a Transplanted European"—as well as pieces written especially for this collection. All display Panofsky's vast erudition and deep commitment to a humanistic conception of art and art history.
Customer Reviews:
Essays by a great scholar in the field .......2005-01-09
Panofsky was one of the great founding fathers of Art History. His studies in Iconology opened up a whole new way of reading meaning into works of Art. In this work he combines masterful scholarship with great theoretical innovativeness to provide his own reading of the world of Art. Though his systematic approach can at times feel abstract he nonetheless continually gives the sense that the understanding of works of Art is an intellectual adventure of the highest order and of the most profound meanings.
A masterpiece in Art History.......2000-03-30
This book is a collection of different papers written by Panofsky during the years of his exile in America. Their content is often technical and hard to read, but some of them (like the one about the meaning of Poussin's and Guercino's "Et in Arcadia Ego" and the last one about the History of Art in America) are brilliant and sometimes even funny. This is one of the first book I've read about "iconology" and (together with the book about Duhrer's Melancholy) has made me falling in love with Art History. I think that this book is one of the best results of the interaction between different cultures (here, European and American).
Book Description
Using a wide number of case studies Eilean Hooper-Greenhill uses a multi-disciplinary approach to analyzing museums. Drawing on material culture studies and art history she studies the collections and how they were collected; using cultural studies and sociology she examines the social and cultural role of museums today and in the past; applying deduction theory she addresses the production of knowledge though exhibitions; and finally touching on psychology she explores the experience of museum visitors.
Book Description
Available for the first time in English, An Introduction to Iconography explains the ways that artists use references and allusions to create meaning. The book presents the historical, theoretical, and practical aspects of iconography and ICONCLASS, the comprehensive iconographical indexing system developed by Henri van de Waal. It gives particular emphasis to the history of iconography, personification, allegory, and symbols, and the literary sources that inform iconographic readings, and includes annotated bibliographies of books and journal articles from around the world that are associated with iconographic research.
The author of numerous articles and a four-volume reference work on Italian prints, Roelof van Straten is currently working on an iconographic index covering the prints of Goltzius and his school.
Book Description
When he stands before Giorgione's La Tempesta, John Berger sees not only the painting but our whole notion of time, sweeping us away from a lost Eden. A photograph of a gravely joyful crowd gathered on a Prague street in November 1989 provokes reflection on the meaning of democracy and the reunion of a people with long-banished hopes and dreams.
With the luminous essays in Keeping a Rendezvous, we are given to see the world as Berger sees it -- to explore themes suggested by the work of Jackson Pollock or J. M. W. Turner, to contemplate the wonder of Paris. Rendezvous are manifold: between critic and art, artist and subject, subject and the unknown. But most significant are the rendezvous between author and reader, as we discover our perceptions informed by John Berger's eloquence and courageous moral imagination.
Product Description
Extensive art criticism and aesthetic theory, well written and well documented.
Book Description
In Image and Spirit, Karen Stone provides a theological and aesthetic background for understanding art as an embodiment of the transcendent. Geared to the general reader, the book helps the reader develop the ability to look at artwork of all styles and from all periods, and interpret and appreciate them from a spiritual perspective. Image and Spirit also explores the communal aspect of art—it can be a prophetic voice that challenges, mobilizes, and sensitizes us, and it can be a pastoral tool that enriches the spiritual and aesthetic journey of a community of faith.
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The Search for Aesthetic Meaning in the Visual Arts: The Need for the Aesthetic Tradition in Contemporary Art Theory and Education
David Kenneth Holt
Manufacturer: Bergin & Garvey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0897897730 |
Book Description
Many contemporary artists produce work that reflects nothing more than a perceived social reality. It is the author's belief that Postmodern art theory and education have trivialized the place of aesthetics in the visual arts, despite the fact that humans search for meaning in life and experiencing the visual arts is one of the ways they seek such meaning. Humans, according to the author's position, understand the world about them in ways that do not easily conform to logical cognition alone. They may also use intuition or pre-thought in developing their understanding of the world and themselves. Intuitive thought in particular is inseparable to both artistic creation and appreciation, as well as the concept of aesthetic experience. It is a willingness to allow for the complexity of cognition that has been lost in Postmodern theory and education. One must re-examine how humans have characteristically thought of art--that is the aesthetic tradition--and use that understanding not only to broaden contemporary art theory and education but most importantly to aid individuals who seek aesthetic meaning in the visual arts.
Book Description
"The power to influence our concept of style lies in the hands of designers in television. Most people today can recognize 'a look' that a character projects. Steed and Emma Peel [of The Avengers] were the first to convey 'a look,' and their designers should be saluted. At the heart of this book lies the story of how the look came about."
—Madeline Ann Kozlowski, Professor of Drama, University of California, Irvine, and Emmy Award-winning costume designer for
Pryor's Place
From the alien worlds of
Star Trek to the realistic operating room of
ER, the design of sets and costumes contributes not only to the look and mood of television shows, but even more importantly to the creation of memorable characters. Yet, until now, this crucial aspect of television creativity has received little critical attention, despite the ongoing interest in production design within the closely allied discipline of film studies.
In this book, Piers Britton and Simon Barker offer a first analytical study of scenic and costume design for television drama series. They focus on three enduringly popular series of the 1960s—
The Avengers, The Prisoner, and
Doctor Who—and discuss such topics as the sartorial image of Steed in
The Avengers, the juxtaposition of picturesque and fascistic architecture in The Prisoner, and the evolution of the high-tech interior of
Doctor Who's TARDIS. Interviews with the series' original designers and reproductions of their original drawings complement the authors' analysis, which sheds new light on a variety of issues, from the discourse of fashion to that of the heritage industry, notions of "Pop" and retro, and the cultural preoccupation with realism and virtual reality.
Customer Reviews:
Looking Good.......2003-12-25
So this is what happens to people who watched a lot of TV when they were young, then went on to become professional students (humanities professors, in other words). They deconstruct their favorite TV shows.
In Reading Between Designs, authors Britton and Barker examine the set designs and costumes in The Avengers, The Prisoner, and Doctor Who. They discuss the changing look of the Avengers over the course of the show, especially the costumes of Steed. In the first few seasons, when the show was only seen in Great Britain, Steed was expensively attired, but within the norms of his class. Later on, he became not only a caricature of upper class snobbery, but a fop as well. Apparently, this played better in North America.
The Prisoner provides a wealth of possibilities for analysis with its contrived sets, carnival-like costumes, and the fact that no one really knows what it was all about. Never having watched Doctor Who, I skipped that section, but fans will surely enjoy the discussions of the designs of sets, gadgets, costumes, and characters.
The authors have a very clear and readable style, without the jargon and psycho-babble one might expect in an academic text of this kind. They even acknowledge the annoying habit many of their colleagues have of talking about "reading" television or film. With plenty of black-and-white photos to back up their theories and observations, this is quite an enjoyable book.
Customer Reviews:
could have been more useful if..........2006-11-05
I've used this several times over the years, but frequently I am frustrated that there are very few of the most needed poses, such as clothed people standing, walking and sitting. I mean the real basic stuff, without too much gestural attitude. The nudes section of the book is well done, but in the clothed figures section, there's too much space wasted on gimmicky poses like "Gangster with Violin Case" and "French Maid Dusting". Also, some of the dark-clothed figures have so little detail showing, they might as well be black silhouettes. I think they should have concentrated more on making this a useful tool for illustrators and artists and less on making it "entertaining". Sometimes I want to throw it out in disgust, but you never know, I might need a photo of a "Vicar Asleep In a Rocking Chair".
Extremely excellent, multi-angled- comprehensive photo reference.......2006-06-11
Wouldn't it be great if we had a single, one-stop reference for figures with & without clothes, with props & in action- including multiple angles of each pose on every single page? Well, we *do* have this comprehensive reference(!)- it's just difficult to keep it in print...
The Illustrator's Figure Reference Manual is a phenomenally comprehensive piece of work- and a truly *GREAT* resource for every working artist. Even if the exact pose you need isn't in this book, you're bound to find *something* of extreme value here. It begins fantastically enough with an entire nude figure section- a single female & male model, each shot from *many* different angles. It's 54 pages- 27 for each model- out of the book's approximately 250 pages total. What makes this section so valuable is that each page has just one pose, but again- many angles/photos are given. This gives us an accurate way to understand how the figure changes when rotated, except that it's the camera that rotates, not the model. High, middle and low angles are shown, with the figure standing, kneeling, sitting, and laying down. This multi-angled approach is used throughout the remainder of the book. All photos are in color, but they're so muted & slightly faded, they could easily be mistaken for being in black & white. Single figures *and* clothed couples are represented in a wide variety of situations. Common everyday props are often used, including chairs, tables, sports items, and various hand-held objects. Hard-hitting action poses are *avoided*, as well as extreme camera distortion and perspective. This is meant to be an 'everyday-common-average' and 'likely-to-see-on-a-regular-basis' photo reference. It's the best *one-stop book* I've ever seen on this subject to date!
My copy is copyrighted 1987 by Quarto, ISBN 1555210333, and is published by Chartwell, a division of Book Sales Inc. It's been reprinted: 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996, etc. It contains over 5,500 photos: from over 200 individual poses- seen from 24 different angles. It's definitely worth getting- if you can find a decent price! My highest recommendation!
Rare source for CLOTHED poses.......2003-07-28
I'm doing cartoons, which always involve people wearing clothes. Working from nude poses is helpful, but I still have to work out the clothes. This book is the only one I have found so far with photographs of clothed poses (anime drawing books are a good source for drawings of clothed poses). Especially helpful is the "rotation" of the models so that numerous angles are shown, from each of 3 different eye levels.
Also, nude poses seem to explore all the different positions a body can get into, which are not typical of the way people stand, sit, move, etc., in life - what I'm trying to draw. The photos of clothed models in this book do reflect "real life" poses.
The main reason I did not give 5 stars is that even though this book is very good, and I recommend it highly, I wish it had more poses, particularly ones which illustrate additional common poses.
Great reference.......2003-06-27
This is such a good idea, one wonders what took so long to get it done. The manual is a hefty hardcover, designed to last. Very comprehensive in giving you 5,000 poses of people doing ordinary things from excercising, to primping before a mirror, to dancing alone or with a partner, to laying around on the floor. The models are photographed from eight different points of view. They are not unnaturally posed, however. More like a stop-motion camera caught them "in a moment of time".
The section on Nudes alone is worth the price of the book. If you've ever had problems finding a model to pose nude, or if you just want to sketch at three in the morning, this is the book for you. The photos are not as close-up as they might be, but they are really good at capturing the movement(or non-movement)of the subject.
I can see alot of potential for this manual beyond sketching, drawing and painting.Animation, anyone?
If you're an artist you will really like this book.
want to buy the book.......2000-03-12
Am looking for this book to purchase it.Please notify me when its available.Thank You
Average customer rating:
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Concise Illustrator's Reference Manual: Figures
Peg Osterman
Manufacturer: Book Sales
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Figure Drawing
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ASIN: 078580515X |
Average customer rating:
- The Only One of Its Kind - for Illustrators
|
The Illustrator's Figure Reference Manual
Manufacturer: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0747500088 |
Customer Reviews:
The Only One of Its Kind - for Illustrators.......2001-05-07
This book contains more than 5000 black-and-white photos of men and men in a wide range of poses. Each pose is photographed from 24 angles and enables the illustrator to find the desired one.
I cannot find a book that covers a more extensive range of poses than this. A truly useful reference for illustrators.
Average customer rating:
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Illustrator's Figure Reference Manual
Manufacturer: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0747506841 |
Average customer rating:
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Illustrator's Figure Reference Manual (Illustrator's Reference Manual)
Manufacturer: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
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ASIN: 0747513058 |
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Illustrator's Figure Reference Manual
Manufacturer: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 074750461X |
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The Illustrator's Figure Reference Manual
Manufacturer: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0747532664 |
Average customer rating:
- An invaluable resource - well worth searching for!
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Illustrator's Figure Reference Manual
Manufacturer: Book Sales
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 9997125665 |
Customer Reviews:
An invaluable resource - well worth searching for!.......1999-09-08
As a graphic artist and illustrator, I have yet to find a more practical and immediately useful reference than this wonderful book. Not only does it provide a fantastic resource of poses and positions for both male and female anatomy, but they provide a complete 360 degree profile of each pose ( as well as above and below ) to take the guess work out of perspective work with figures. I cannot recommend this reference highly enough!
Average customer rating:
|
The Illustrator's Figure Reference Manual
Manufacturer: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0747508283 |
Books:
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- Ancient Mexican Designs CD-ROM and Book (Dover Pictorial Archives)
- April Shadows (Shadows)
- Artist's Photo Reference: Boats & Nautical Scenes
- Atlas of Human Anatomy for the Artist (Galaxy Books)
- Baby Proof
- Being Geniuses Together, 1920-1930
- Born in Ice: The Born In Trilogy #2 (Born in Trilogy)
- Bound and Determined (Berkley Sensation)
- Brilliance of the Moon: Tales of the Otori, Book Three (Tales of the Otori, Book 3)
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