Product Description

Product Description
A radical new generation of American abstract painters has emerged in the twenty-first century.Whereas their predecessors advanced abstraction in the shadow of the Cold War, this new generation arose at the cusp of the transition to the digital era and is marked by the traumatic events surrounding 9/11 and its ongoing social and political aftermath.In these shifting times the artist’s alter ego might well be the DJ—brushstrokes are replaced by "riffs" while "old school" palettes are discarded for "Teletubby purple" or "bubble gum pink". This is the age of "the remix" where raw material is downloaded and "Photoshopped". Contemporary artists have irony at their disposal and switch to tie-dye aesthetics or psychedelia as fast as they can quote Malevich.This next wave is thrilling. Painted loops, reminiscent of Jackson Pollock, are revealed to be motorcycle skid marks—bringing new meaning to Abstract Expressionism. Even though traditions are "deconstructed" and paintings can echo "grunge", historical continuity remains.As Max Henry writes in his introduction, "The American Dream does not exist any more. It is itself an abstraction."Abstract America is being published in conjunction with the opening of one of today’s most important institutions collecting and exhibiting contemporary art—the new Saatchi Gallery in London. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Saatchi misses the mark
There is so much great abstract art out there right now on the New York scene. Its a shame that this book mostly covers the mundane.

What made Saatchi a very interesting collector was his swooping in and cornering the market on a group of young Brittish Artists 20 years ago. They were trendy and in my mind brilliant as a whole.

What makes this abstract collection just the opposite of that Brittish movement Saatchi championed was that it feels 100% like the art he was told to like by experts. Instead of being cutting edge, it feels calculated and conservative.

There is some good art here. But over all it feels like the art in a large museum that you hurry by in order to get to where you wanted to go.

Lastly, the reproductions are awesome.

The Recent World Of American Abstract Art
'Abstract America' is a professional look at the recent world of American abstract art from the viewpoint of the gallery. There are few books on the market which pay homage to 21st Century abstract artist, making this book a worthy addition to any art library. A nice variety of work is represented in the single volume, and the color reproductions are of high quality. Highly recommended.

a wide selection of mostly excellent current abstraction
The best part of this book (other than the fact that it has a lot more pictures than text - my favorite blend!) is that you are introduced to abstract painters that you had no idea existed. At least I didn't. The range of work is good, and each artist is given enough images to give you a very good idea of their work. Excellent reproductions and good information about each artist. Recommended for any abstract painter who wishes to keep informed about trends in the art work. ... Read more

Product Description
With roots in early Cubism and Futurism and reaching maturity in Op art and Minimalism, "Abstract Art" encompasses all forms of non-figurative expression. This book explores the diverse ways artists from the early 20th century, beginning with Kandinsky, through the 1960s used abstraction to express artistic ideas, such as the paint splatters of Jackson Pollock, the geometric shapes of Piet Mondrian, the non-objective squares of Malevich, and the complex compositions of Wassily Kandinsky.Each book in Tachen's "Basic Genre series" features: a detailed introduction with approximately 35 photographs, plus a timeline of the most important events (political, cultural, scientific, etc.) that took place during the time period; and, a selection of the most important works of the epoch; each is presented on a 2-page spread with a full-page image and, on the facing page, a description/interpretation of the work and brief biography of the artist as well as additional information such as a reference work, portrait of the artist, and/or citations. ... Read more

Product Description
Robert Motherwell (1915-1991), one of the leading American Abstract Expressionist painters, was also a theorist and exponent of the movement. His writing articulated the intent of the New York school --Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Adolph Gottlieb, Franz Kline, Arshile Gorky, and others--during a period when their work was often reviled for its departure from traditional representation. As founder of the Documents of Modern Art series (later renamed the Documents of Twentieth-Century Art), Motherwell gave modern artists a voice at a time when very few people understood their theories or work. This authoritative new edition of the artist's writings about art includes public lectures, essays, and interviews. Impeccably edited, with an informative introductory essay and rigorous annotation, it is illustrated with black-and-white images that elucidate Motherwell's writings. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

...from ArtsyFartsy News, October 2009
I am often asked how I paint everyday. How do I start and keep my enthusiasm up. My usual answer is, "Just show up." It sounds like a smart-alecky answer, but actually it couldn't more more true. Woody Allen said "90% of life is just showing up." There are some days I feel uninspired, all painted-out, and just flat out tired. I drag myself to the studio and start by just looking around. I'll have my coffee, read a book, write in my sketchbook - something to perk my interest up a bit. Invariably it happens and I get excited about a new project or a new technique I've been wanting to try. Sometimes all it takes is seeing a painting that I haven't finished yet. So I begin my daily warmup paintings, all fired up!
My inspiration comes from surprising sources. Henry Miller, the author, is the one that immediately comes to mind. Did you know he doodled in watercolor everyday before taking his meals while living in Big Sur? His library is on the Big Sur coast. Perusing his notes, I read that he painted for fifteen minutes everyday before dinner. He was lonely and it was a quiet place to be, so he painted and wrote daily.
An out of print book of his doodles is a rare and welcomed find - "Paint as you Like and Die Happy." Henry Miller not only fills the pages with his whimsical style of calligraphy and drawings... he also writes about his time painting these little gems everyday.

Robert Motherwell also painted everyday. Most importantly he painted on a ream (500 sheets) of white paper daily as a warmup exercise using large Sumi inked brushes. Think about that! 500 sheets, quickly painted with black marks and lines - everyday. He coined the phrase "Automatism." In fact, he felt that painting everyday became so natural (like tying your shoe) that while painting, you are thinking about what you are doing. It becomes automatic! This can only come to you when you paint many, many paintings - everyday. Even the great golfer, Arnold Palmer said, "It's a funny thing, the more I practice the luckier I get."
Paint, at least fifteen minutes everyday!

[...]

Comprehensive
This is an extensive (some might argue "exhaustive") array of Motherwell's writings, including fully composed articles down to 2 paragraph notes. Motherwell was a significant thinker among the painting forces of that era, and we learn much from his contemplative and reflective musings on Art. Artists looking for perspective on the act of painting as well as thinking about painting are well served by this book. ... Read more

Product Description
Meticulously rendered black-and-white versions of 29 great abstract art masterpieces of the 20th century. Frank Stella’s Lac Laronge III, Ad Reinhardt’s Number 30, Helen Frankenthaler’s Indian Summer,many more. Color to match originals, or let your imagination run free to create brand new variants of these classic pieces. 29 b/w illus.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

cool... but not the best I've seen
I was looking forward to using this with my art students, and it is a really interesting way to introduce them to art pieces. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because I've seen other books provide a brief intro before each piece that talks about the artist... not this one.

Abstracts
I thought this book of abstract arts are full of lines and shapes similar to the cover but I was wrong. I forgot that different artist has different views of their abstract art. There are some pieces of abstract inside that contains only very simple shapes like circles or triangles, but it's a masterpiece already! I wonder why? but it's great to have this book... :-)

A Plethora Of Modern Art
This amazing book by Muncie Hendler is great in many ways. The primary use is obviously exposing children to some of the greatest abstract art in the history of the world in a fun and interactive way. It succeeds brilliantly in that goal, but it is actually a good way for adults (especially young adults or people new to modern art) to learn about and appreciate abstract art as well.

The book is nicely printed, and features nice (but relatively small) color images of the original works of art as well as the actual pages to be colored in black and white.

This is a great way to expose people to the joys of abstract art. I think it is a brilliant little book, and is the best of the series by Muncie Hendler.

Great for adults, too
There are 30 different abstract art masterpieces represented here, so it is definitely worth the price.All pieces are shown in color on the front and back covers, and each individual page has the name of the artist (years of their birth-death), title of the work, date created and type of medium used.So, it's educational and fun.I recommend it for all ages. ... Read more

Product Description
Abstract Resistance considers the metaphor of resistance as a political and compositional force defining the art of the past half-century. Starting with Michel Foucault's assertion that "where there is power, there is resistance," it explores art made since World War II that has been shaped by traumatic historical events in complex ways. Rather than creating an explicit art of social protest, artists have responded to violence and upheaval with art that rejects the comfort of moral certainty. Such art withholds information and evades identification. Exhibition curator Yasmil Raymond provides an overview of the exhibition's themes and artworks; art historian Simon Baier traces the origins and development of nonobjective art through the writings of critics such as Charles Baudelaire and Meyer Schapiro; and philosopher Marcus Steinweg draws on the ideas of Theodor Adorno and others to provide a theoretical framework for artistic resistance. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Great coffee table book on Non-Objective Art Movement
Liked this book quite a bit for the quality of the images and the breadth of the artists covered. The biographies are very clear and interested. My interest in this book stems from my purchase of a picture from one of the artists in the book (http://www.dinesfamily.org/DinesArt.htm).

Good purchase for anyone interested in this narrow spectrum of modern art

Lost and Found
Before the Second World War, while the "Ash Can" school was stealing the cultural limelight, a group of European immigrants brought the abstract European tradition to America. Their work is still exciting andfresh, as this skillfully assembled collection makes clear.Unless youhave studied the period extensively, you're likely to recognize only ahandful of names, Calder and Stuart among them. What a wonderful surprisethis book is. How could we have overlooked these gloriously gifted artists?

Lost and Found
Before the Second World War, while the "Ash Can" school was stealing the cultural limelight, a group of European immigrants brought the abstract European tradition to America. Their work is still exciting andfresh, as this skillfully assembled collection makes clear.Unless youhave studied the period extensively, you're likely to recognize only ahandful of names, Calder and Stuart among them. What a wonderful surprisethis book is. How could we have overlooked these gloriously gifted artists? ... Read more

Product Description
Abstract Expressionist artists are best known for their paintings and sculptures, many of them large-scale works. This volume deals exclusively with smaller, more intimate works on paper, providing insights about the routes that led to the Abstract Expressionists' important accomplishments.Amazon.com Review
Most abstract expressionists are best known for theirlarge-scale paintings and sculptures. This book presents a moreintimate view of the work of such artists as de Kooning, Rothko,Pollock, and Motherwell by exploring their smaller works onpaper. These less well-known pieces help explain their more famouscounterparts. The details and nuance of the works are visible in thewell-executed reproductions. The Metropolitan Museum's assistantcurator of 20th-century art has written an interesting and informativeessay about the importance of drawing in an artists' oeuvre that is anexcellent accompaniment to the book's visual elements. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A worthwhile assembly of relatively unknown works
In 1940's New York, a handful of artists from varied backgrounds began producing work equal to the finest of the European avant garde.Although these artists worked in a wide variety of individual styles, all of them were connected by a similar belief in the ability of art to communicate fundamental truths about human psychology and experience.Drawing on mythological and psychological sources, and inspired by the presence of many members of the exiled European avant garde in New York, this small group of men and women created the first wholly American modernist style, Abstract Expressionism.From the mid-1940's until the ascendancy of Pop Art in the early 1960's, Abstract Expressionism was the most important movement in the Western art world, and one which remains influential even today.While the paintings of the Abstract Expressionists are the movement's best-known works, drawing was a fundamental means of communication for these artists.This book documents a small but exquisite exhibition of drawings held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.You will find exemplary works from the "big names" (Pollock, Motherwell, Rothko, Willem de Kooning) reproduced here, along with important drawings by less well-known artists like Theodoros Stamos, Anne Ryan, and Mark Tobey.The diverse selection of works provides a broader overview of Abstract Expressionism than is usually seen in the art world, which has tended over the past few decades to discuss the movement through monographic exhibitions focussing on its most famous practitioners.This handsome volume restores coherency to the Abstract Expressionist story.It seems that art like this - both formally and conceptually serious - has vanished from the contemporary American scene, which has chosen to either follow the Warhol/Duchamp route of easy, jokey satire, or the equally easy road of explicit and didactic politics.This books documents a world where artists were still capable of taking painting in directions which explored the labyrinth of themind and extended perception into new realms.An inspiring work of art history. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

top notch book
This book was part of a set produced to show case the best examples of watercolor art. I believe the others presented florals and landscapes. I wanted to buy a copy for my nephew as a wedding gift and was very surprised to see the prices, but rather pleased as I own several copies as well as some of the original artwork represented in the book.

The dust jacket is vellum with a round cut out showcasing the cover art. It is a small but beautiful book. It is an excellent representation of the best works of contemporary watercolorists.

How MUCH?
I haven't seen this book, just the price. How can it cost as much as a diamond ring? OK, maybe it's a good book, but $1200.00?I'd sure love a good book on watercolor abstracts, but not for even $500. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

DO NOT PAY [too much]FOR THIS BOOK ESPECIALLY THE PAPERBACK COPY!
Although this book is out of print, with a bit of perseverance and web searching I guarantee that you can find this book online for an affordable price.I found two paperback copies, one for $24(which was scooped up before I had an opportunity to purchase it) and one for $30 which I bought. The first pressing, I believe, was done in 1964; in 1980 a paperback pressing was briefly re-issued.Having access to the hardback 1964 pressing I was able to compare it to the 1980 paperback copy.The pro is the 1980 color photos are printed on glossy paper making the paintings gorgeously richer and clear. The con is the 1980 color photos are sandwiched in the middle of the book, thus throwing off the continuity of the 1964 copy.Captions on one page refer to paintings on the next page that are not there.I was surprised that very few of the captions in the 1980 pressing were not rewritten to correspond with the pages of paintings.

Although this book is a bit dated (in the intro Brooks talks about one day man will possibly walk on the moon!), it is wonderful for aspiring abstract artists or for those who simply want to understand what that red paint swipe on a black background means.Leonard Brooks simply and straightforwardly explains the dynamics of abstract art, from its development over the years through present day (1964), touching on examples of surrealism, expressionism and cubism.He explains the use of negative and positive space, thrust and pull of compositions and understanding the abstract "alphabet" when tackling your own canvasses.He also touches on collage, texture, color, mixed media and new techniques when painting, like using pipe cleaners or cardboard cutouts instead of paintbrushes.Brooks not only explains these terms and details in a wonderfully concise and easy to understand text, he also offers up exercises for aspiring artists to create their own works of abstract art and a comprehensive year long study program for instructors or even a serious artist to follow. Peppered throughout the book are gorgeous color and b/w paintings, most of which were done by Brooks himself.Brooks, who recently turned 9o, is a decorated war artist and a well established and respected Canadian painter who, with his artist wife Reva, started his own art school in Mexico.

My paintings improved tenfold once I completed this book.I've had many ideas I wanted to convey on canvas and Leonard Brooks' book has taught me some valuable skills and techniques I needed to make my art more expressive.Although some may say abstract art is dead or kitschy in a 50s retro kind of way, the information contained within this book is priceless for any aspiring or established artist.Buy this book if you're fortunate enough to come across a copy of it, but don't pay [too much] for it! ... Read more

Product Description
Colorful and playful kinetic sculptures, experimental objects designed to be catalysts for community building, manifestos calling for joy and the negation of melancholy: these are the elements that have shaped The Geometry of Hope. The title of this richly illustrated, 340-page volume brings together two threads that epitomize postwar abstract art from Latin America: on the one hand, geometry, precision, clarity and reason; on the other, a utopian sense of hope. The book contains new scholarship by an international cast, with examinations of six key cities--Montevideo, Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Caracas and Paris--as well as insightful essays on individual works of art. It comes to us via the Cisneros Graduate Seminar, a collaborative program of the Blanton Museum in Austin, Texas, and the renowned Fundacion Cisneros, and covers more than four decades of art-making with works by 52 artists, among them Lygia Clark, Gego, Jesus Rafael Soto and Helio Oiticica. ... Read more

Product Description
Nominated for a 2010 Will Eisner Comic Industry Award: the first collection devoted to non-representational comics presentsaesthetically rich, graphically bold, surprisingly affecting work frommasters such as Crumb, Panter & Moscoso alongside lesser-knownpioneers.Abstract comics? Don’t all comics tell stories? How can a comic be abstract? Well, as it happens, beginning with the experiments of Saul Steinberg, through some of the more psychedelic creations of R. Crumb and Victor Moscoso, and with increasing frequency in recent years, cartoonists and other artists have played with the possibility of comics whose panels contain little to no representational imagery, and which tell no stories other than those that result from the transformation and interaction of shapes across the layout of a comic page. Reduced to the most basic elements of comics — the panel grid, brushstrokes, and sometimes colors — abstract comics highlight the formal mechanisms that underlie all comics, such as the graphic dynamism that leads the eye (and the mind) from panel to panel or the aesthetically rich interplay between sequentiality and page layout.

Abstract Comics, edited by Andrei Molotiu, an art historian as well as one of the best-known contemporary abstract-comic creators, is the first collection devoted to this budding genre. It gathers the best abstract comics so far created, including early experiments in the form by cartoonists primarily known for other types of comics, such as Gary Panter, Patrick McDonnell, or Lewis Trondheim, and pieces by little-known pioneers such as Benoit Joly, Bill Boichel and Jeff Zenick, as well as by recent creators who have devoted a good part of their output to perfecting the form, such as Ibn al Rabin, Billy Mavreas, Mark Staff Brandl, and many others. It also features first attempts, commissioned specifically for this anthology, by well-known cartoonists such as James Kochalka, J.R. Williams and Warren Craghead. Comprehensive in scope, Abstract Comics gathers work not only from North America, but also from France, Switzerland, Great Britain, Australia, and New Zealand, showing the rise in popularity of the genre to be a true international phenomenon. In the process, the anthology highlights the wide variety of approaches taken to the combination of abstraction and sequential art—approaches resulting in work that is not only graphically bold, but also often proves to be surprisingly humorous or emotionally disturbing.

Complete list of contributors (in order of appearance): R. Crumb, Victor Moscoso, Spyros Horemis, Jeff Zenick, Bill Shut, Patrick McDonnell, Mark Badger, Benoit Joly, Bill Boichel, Gary Panter, Damien Jay, Ibn al Rabin, Lewis Trondheim, Andy Bleck, Mark Staff Brandl, Andrei Molotiu, Anders Pearson, Derik Badman, Grant Thomas, Casey Camp, Henrik Rehr, James Kochalka, John Hankiewicz, Mike Getsiv, J.R. Williams, Blaise Larmee, Warren Craghead III, Janusz Jaworski, Richard Hahn, Geoff Grogan, Panayiotis Terzis, Mark Gonyea, Greg Shaw, Alexey Sokolin, Jason Overby, Bruno Schaub, Draw, Jason T. Miles, Elijah Brubaker, Noah Berlatsky, Tim Gaze, troylloyd, Billy Mavreas.

Nominated for a 2010 Will Eisner Comic Industry Award (Best Anthology). color and b&w illustrations ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Abstract Comics: The Anthology
When I first came across images from "Abstract Comics: The Anthology" online, I was worried that a lot of it would be non-objective paintings cut out and put next to each other as more of a series. When I received my order and flipped through the book, I was happy to see that I was mostly wrong. Some of the images do seem a bit uncharacteristic of comics, but most of them still conform largely to comic style, just with abstracted story telling. Upon first glance all the images might seem random, but taking the time to "read" the comic, they still are able to read as having a narrative of some sort.

I really liked the brief introduction including in the beginning of this book, it helped give a history of the idea of abstract comics and where it came from. It's hard to say how accurate it is, since there aren't any other references to compare it to. There was also a description explaining that since all comics are in one way or another abstract that "abstract" in this sense does not refer to the painting style, but to the form of story telling where characters and settings are simplified down to their basic principles.

If you're looking for more concrete narrative, you might be disappointed in this book. However if you're interested in comics or abstract artwork, I'd still recommend giving this book a chance.

it's another mode of being-in-a-comics-world
The basis for all comics are their sequences and the invisibility of the world in the gutter. This book need a different mode of reading to bring forth their meanings.

Any library strong in artistic comics representation will find this packed with fine examples in black and white and color
Abstract Comics: The Anthology is the first collection of comics that combine concepts of visual abstraction in a comic strip form. Here 'stories' from a range of underground comic legends and artists offer a range of insights on how comics and abstract art an meld in the graphic arena. Any library strong in artistic comics representation will find this packed with fine examples in black and white and color.

Big Disappointment!
I draw abstract comics myself, so when I read the glowing reviews of this book I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. What a big disappointment! Though about 20-30% of the comics are what I would consider "real" abstract comics, the rest are merely abstract art that people have cut up and put in sequences without any respect for the comic tradition. What I mean by abstract comic is an abstract image which changes from panel to panel in some way that is fun to figure out, in that sense a narrative way. What's fun about seeing a bunch of squares full of random abstract images? Nothing. I wish the author had taken the time to fill the book with "real" sequential and entertaining abstract comics, not filling it with so much "faux abstract comics." The bottom line is you can page through the book very fast and not be engaged with the bulk of the work. Like I said, a disappointment.

Mostly Not Sequential
I enjoy abstract art, graphic novels, and artists books.I expected this book with "comics" in its title and the word "sequential" in descriptions, to be mostly about some sort of abstract sequential art.Instead, I can find no visual or other kind of sequence in the vast majority of the works illustrated.Indeed, the R. Crumb comic illustrated here does not, for me, have much sequence to it either, but it is so outrageously, intellectually entertaining and hilarious in regard to Crumb's art and attitudes, that I'm delighted to find it here.I think part of the enjoyment in the Crumb is that one expects sequence (development), and instead, one is entertainingly startled by the very upsetting of those traditional expectations.

Most of the illustrated works are no more "sequential" than if one were to take a Jackson Pollack reproduction and stick a grid of boxes over it--great painting, yes--a sequential comic because of the panel grid, no.Neither is putting a panel grid over a group of abstract images (no matter how attractive individually) that have no sense of visual or intellectual order (sequence)in their grouping. Many of the works are attractive, despite having no sequence I can find, and that attractiveness plus the enjoyable, great variety of them, makes this book, on that level, worth having--worth adding to the great variety of comic and graphic novel styles I own. I can imagine, with this book as inspiration, much new and advanced sequential art in the future.

As for the introductory matter, I find it very frustrating.Presumably the "paragraphs" of abstract symbols, followed by the English language words that one might assume, are the translation, are some sort of joke that takes up space.Or is there really a way to "read" the symbol paragraphs?In any event, the space taken up by this joke maybe was a cause for making the English text so tiny in order to conserve space, that it is a strain to read.Making that English text not only tiny but red instead of the more readable black just compounds the annoyance.Maybe the small size and color were a conscious attempt to undercut the whole idea of introduction/interpretation.

Buy the book for its attractive variety of amusing and mostly esthetically enjoyable art, but don't expect much of what I'd call "sequence."

... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Simple, Clear Language Explains Abstract Art to Us Outsiders
Many art lovers have no entry point to abstract modern art.It is badenough to see a canvas filled with rising black lady fingers, or crowdedwith primary color matchsticks which look as if a child had drawn them. Even worse, if a huge, plain white canvas, or a black one, or a purple oneis put in a frame, hung in a museum, and sold for thousands of dollars, wehave no idea why.Frank Whitford finds a simple path through history, andthrough the evolving types of abstract art, to lead us by the hand into thethicket, show us what is going on in there and what it means, and bring ussafely to the other side, educated and ready to go look at some pictures -more importantly, ready to look at the abstract pictures with newappreciation and understanding.

Whitford uses traditional pictures we allappreciate and understand to provide a strong starting point for thejourney into the abstract.

Whitford's writing style is at once clear,erudite, educated, not without humor and irony, and always entertaining. He is never cynical or sarcastic, no matter how much this subject wouldseem to set up easy targets.Abstract art is serious business for those inthe know, and this book gives us lay readers a chance to count ourselves inthat group.

It performs a valuable service. ... Read more