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Customer Reviews (12)

Warhol's Top
I would not buy this item, without having it in your hand first to look at.There is a page in the book, called Mustard on White, which is supposed to be a little sticky.When I first opened the book, there was a piece of paper stuck to the mustard, or "sticky" part.It was very difficult removing the paper and in fact in doing so, ripped some of the page.I was very upset there wasn't a different method used to keep the pages from sticking together.So if you are in a bookstore and have the book in your hand, I would see if that piece of paper will remove rather easy from the page I am referring to.The book is great other than that!

LOVE this book!
My one year old daughter LOVES this book, and, as a lover of pop art, so do I!The big, bold illustrations are great, and the things to touch and feel on each page are perfect (Marilyn's eyelashes, and Lichtenstein's sticky mustard bread are the favorites in my house).The words are pretty lame, but we just make up our own to go along with it.I love that this book has different sensory objects than your usual fake fur and sand paper.Definitely recommend this book!

One little problem popping Warhol's top
This interactive book is fine and fun, with one little glitch. Warhol's soup can has a moveable lid that is one of the better features of all those in the book. The problem is that it is attached by a flimsy tag of cardboard, and if the child rotates the lid too many times (or in a complete 360) the lid breaks off entirely. I re-attached ours using a small grommet kit, but what a pain. So, buy the book ... but be careful not to completely pop Warhol's top!

A great series!
This was the first book I purchased for my nephew in the Touch the Art series.The collection of artwork is wonderful, and the "touch" parts of each page are different and ingenious.The problem I have with this book is that while the rhymes with each work are too silly and pandering for anyone but toddlers, some of the features are too fragile to last long with their little hands.For example, the first page is the Campbell's can on the cover, and the paper lid moves up and down.My nephew (14 months) sat on my lap to look at it, I showed him how it moved, and he effortlessly ripped it off.

A Great Book for Fun and Learning!
This is a fantastic way for children to learn about famous artwork in a fun and stimulating way! Each page has a piece of artwork and a fun way to learn about it. I recommend this series of books for children of all ages! Parents will enjoy reading and children will have fun learning. This series makes a great gift! ... Read more

Product Description
A never-before-seen presentation of art and architecture from the Renaissance era, in elegant, informative, and engaging three-dimensional form. Accompanied by stunning art and ingenious pop engineering, Renaissance Art Pop-Up Book presents the talent and imagination of some of the most influential artists in history. Ranging from the influences of Gothic art on the early Renaissance to the culmination of High Renaissance, this book follows the appearance of new forms in religious and secular painting and the burgeoning use of groundbreaking techniques, such as perspective and narrative in painting; new innovations in architecture; and the unique genius of artists from all over Europe. The book features the most outstanding artists, art, and architecture of the period, including the frescoes of Giotto, Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel, and the works of Caravaggio, Botticelli, Titian, Dürer, and Massacio, to name only a few. Innovative pop-ups include a working camera obscura; da Vinci’s "flying machine"; Piero della Francesca’s View of the Ideal City, with removable perspective lines; Brunelleschi’s majestic Duomo in Florence; and a fold-out timeline of the Renaissance. Showcasing the artistic innovations of the era in interactive format, this book gives the reader a fresh perspective, thereby teaching the principles and history of the Renaissance in a new and unique way. Renaissance Art Pop-Up Book is a superb tour of the greatest achievements of the world’s early masters, and is the perfect educational gift for art lovers of all ages. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

It's an OK book
I was hoping for more. The book is awkward to hold because of the drawer. It's great that they included a little light box, but it didn't need the drawer, it could have been tucked into a slit on a page like some other extras in this book. The pop-ups are mostly good - though several do not line up properly and I had to force them into position so that they wouldn't tear or bend when changing pages.

The miniature art is fantastic. There is A LOT of information in this book as well. I haven't finished reading it all yet! I like that about this book. So often the story is fluff or almost non-existent in a book like this. But there is so much to read, it's almost like a real art lesson! ... Read more

Product Description
From the prehistoric cave paintings to Andy Warhol's soup cans, this lively chronicle surveys the rich history of artistic expression. INSTANT ART HISTORY examines such geniuses as Michelangelo, da Vinci, Rembrandt, Renoir, van Gogh, and the Impressionists as well as Dali, Matisse, Picasso, Kandinsky, and Lichtenstein.
With INSTANT ART HISTORY you'll learn:
* How Mona Lisa's smile changed forever the grim face of portrait sitters.
* The differences between Analytic and Synthetic Cubism.
* How the avant-garde movements of Constructivism, Dadaism, and Surrealism of the 1920s redefined how society viewed art.
* How the action paintings of the Abstract Expressionists allow the viewer to "feel" a painting, not just see it.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Art Book
This book is an essential History of Art book. Whether you are new to History of Art or have studied it for years you MUST have this book in your collection. It is small in size therefor it is easy to take with you on your travels. Plus it is an amusing but factual book. Recently I purchased three copies of this book to give to the three top students in my History of Art lectures. I recommend this book, even if you have never read a History of Atr book before, I promise you you will not be able to put this book down.

The perfect book to read before going to an art museum!
I love this book because you can quickly learn about all the major periods of art - from the Renaissance's oil paintings to today's modern sculpture works. I recommend reading this before you go to an art museum, so you can brush up on who is famous for what. There are a few black and white photos of famous artwork, but mostly the book explains the type of art produced during each period, and the top 5 or so artists and what their most famous works are.

An excellent resource for the novice!
my second six weeks of my first year teaching, my principal told me for the remainder of the year I will be teaching humanities.This book saved my life!It gave me the foundational knowledge to teach my middle schoolers about Art.I just wish there were the same for music, drama and dance!The book is a very pleasurable read.A must have for any reference shelf.

Great for beginners!
I have used this book for several years now.I have a degree in Art History and Art Education.I think this book is a great start for beginners or for those who just want to know a little more about art.I found the book very helpful for most of my high school students.As a matter of fact, two years ago I started using this book as a text book for the art History portion of our program.We use the book as a basis of study from which we delve into the historical events of the time.We then use these as a spring board.My students create projects to experience the different art of these eras.The book is written simply so that they can understand and throws in some humor here and there to keep it interesting.My only wish is that it came in a hard cover edition, as i have to keep replacing my copy I teach from!

Robinson surely loved writing this ...
though the overall result is predictably sparse given what the title promises - so much history in so little space. It is written for a good cause - students in the sciences who really don't care that much about the subject yet are obligated to learn about it (virtually at gun point) in a big hurry and under pressure. (That's not to suggest that all science-oriented college students are numb to the humanities, but for those who are, this is a great book.)

It's the exam crammer's dream, written with humor and expertise much in the spirit of the British Bluffer's Guides. The book is especially useful for those who have long resisted art and art history because of their associations with snooty sorts and the pretentiousness of 'high culture.'

The three stars are for the general layout of the book and not so much about the writing itself. The illustrations are black and white, the paper cheap and pulpy, and some of the pages of my copy were cut unevenly at the printer's. These factors conspire to lessen the overall value of something that was deliberately conceived as a shortcut to college credit. ... Read more

Product Description
Mass culture, popular taste, and kitsch-previously considered outside the limits of fine art-were the inspiration for and provocative themes of Pop Art, a movement that enjoyed great prominence in the late 1950s and 1960s. Rejecting the idea that art and life should be separated, artists in both the United States and Britain-among them Roy Lichtenstein, James Rosenquist, Andy Warhol, Peter Blake, and Richard Hamilton-used mass-produced objects and photographic images to make a blatant connection between art and the postwar world of consumerism.

This study follows the development of Pop, from its roots in the irreverence of Dada and Surrealism, to its rise in popularity as an art form that celebrated the glamour and hedonism of the newly commercialized Western world, while acknowledging its superficiality and transience. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

fairly a good buy...
Even though illustrations in this book are not impressive in terms of quality...this book is short and concise... ideal for those who hate reading long texts. ... Read more

Product Description

Product Description
An ingenious series of three-dimensional spreads with fold-outs and narrative booklets,IN THE BEGINNING shows how the timeless narratives of the Book of Genesis have inspired artists for thousands of years and continue to do so today.
This spectacular gift book features Fischer's original artwork on intricate pop-ups created in collaboration with paper engineer Bruce Foster, which represent the classic stories from the first chapter of the Bible. With spreads that range from a medieval-inspired Garden of Eden to an stunningly tall tower of Babel to a magnificent diorama depicting Jacob's dream of a stairway to Heaven, IN THE BEGINNING is destined to become a treasured keepsake and perennial favorite on every family's shelf. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Very impressive visuals
I purchased this book for use in my pre-teen Sunday School class--I know pop-ups are impressive to kids and these are quite amazing in and of themselves.I would not leave this book alone with the kids, though, the fragility issue is a concern and it would be easy to ruin the book if used unsupervised.Also, I am not inclined to refer to any of related booklets on each page containing additional Western art and commentaries on the events.In order to cut down on the Western art (and the nudity concern one reader mentioned) and forgoe the commentaries, I have used adhesive and simply glued those little art/comments booklets together so they don't open.Having done so, one can enjoy the pop-ups without great concern.I think it's a great visual aid to well known Old Testament accounts and I will use it with just a little alteration to fit the needs of my class.

Too much nudity!
This a terrible book! About 30 pictures with naked people and fragile pop ups this book not for kids. The art is okay but that's about it. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone!

A children's book for me
I purchased this book sight unseen as a gift for my five-year-old, knowing that she loves pop-up books and thinking that this is a good introduction to reading scripture.
Well- it seems almost insulting to refer to this as a "pop-up." It is, in itself, an incredible work of art and feat of engineering that surprises and awes with every turn of the page. I'd like to keep it out and open as a sculpture.
It is, however, not so much a collection of well-known stories of the book of Genesis as it is an art history lesson. A beautiful thing for children to see, a difficult thing for them to comprehend at bedtime.
Regardless, I bought three more copies. One for myself, of course.

Words cannot describe the beauty of this book
Chuck Fischer bought a 1960's copy of The Golden Children's Bible.That book and a trip to Rome inspired him (along with Bruce Foster and Curtis Flowers) to create another gorgeous pop-up book.

In The Beginning: The Art of Genesis is a stunning pop-up book for adults.You really cannot appreciate the beauty of this book without seeing it in person. This book tells several stories from the book of Genesis - the Garden of Eden, Noah's Ark, the Tower of Babel, Jacob's Ladder and Joseph in Egypt.The text gives a nice overview of each story and the beautiful artwork and breathtaking pop-ups bring the stories to life.One page even includes stained glass!

I was able to sit down and read the text in one short sitting, but the text is just a small part of the book.I find myself picking it up to look through it over and over again, and I pick a different page as my favorite each time that I do. In The Beginning is fantastic and I think it would make a great holiday gift.You do not need to believe in the Bible to enjoy this book.

In the Beginning
Older children and adults will marvel at this incredible pop-up art book for the mature reader.Chuck Fischer's latest volume uses magnificent works by world famous artists on display in myriad museums and churches to intelligently retell and analyze the dramatic stories that open the Bible.The vision is that of the artist inspired by the Book of Genesis, rather than the clergyman, as the sub-title honestly announces.Fischer chooses sensational bible tales: Creation, Adam and Eve, Noah, Tower of Babel, Jacob's Ladder and Joseph.After summarizing these familiar plots, author Curtis Flowers discusses the ideas behind these indelible stories and their powerful, wrathful, covenanting God.Flowers briefly parses creation, expulsion, divine promises, angels, dreams, brotherly rivalry, betrayal and relationships that bind us. The sound, interesting text is ecumenical rather than Jewish and includes Christian terms in its analysis. The art, on canvas, on glass, in sculpture, draws readers to the book.Large two-page spreads pop up incredibly sturdy, intricate, high designs that symbolize the narrative under discussion; tiny books inside tiny books in the lower corners contain the text. The engineering and the artistic vision are wondrous show stoppers. Incorporating canvases from Bosch, Brueghel, Cranach, Domenichino, Michelangelo, Raphael, Rubens, Tiepolo and many others, Fischer delivers a glorious book, certain to stimulate discussion, to encourage guessing the artist and to offer a joyous return to youth in manipulating the pages. Ellen Cole ... Read more

Product Description
First comprehensive survey of the Pop Surrealism/Lowbrow art movement. With its origins in 1960's hot rod culture andunderground comics, Pop Surrealism has evolved into a vilified, vital, and exciting art movement. Includes: * informative essays by artluminaries Robert Williams, Carlo McCormick, and Larry Reid * a forward by Kirsten Anderson * images from twenty-three of the movment'stop artists including: Anthony Ausgang, Glenn Barr, Tim Biskup, Kalynn Campbell, The Clayton Brothers, Joe Coleman, Camille Rose Garcia,Alex Gross, Charles Krafft, Liz McGrath, Scott Musgrove, Niagara, The Pizz, Lisa Petrucci, Mark Ryden, Isabel Samaras, Todd Schorr, Shag,Robert Williams, and Eric White. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Ron booK review
ThanK You so mucH the booK is brand new and came in the mail so fast ........I have No reaL complainTs....

Great history of Modern Pop Surrealism.
The book covers many artists.Gives a great overview of the pop surrealism movement.

An Okay Introduction
An okay introduction to the genre, with some of the originators but too many of the copycats. Artists like Anthony Ausgang and The Pizz have been trying for years to be well known lowbrow artists, which they have achieved, but with zero originality or technique. The scene is plagued with imitators and most gallerists or anthologists don't seem to sift them out. The Juxtapoz and Hi-Fructose collections are probably better.

Muddled Thinking...
This is the kind of book that helps perpetuate the sense of confusion. It is also a misleading title since it really has absolutely nothing to do with surrealism. Nothing at all. If one wants to know what surrealism is, then one should read The Manifestoes of Surrealism - at least start there. Then you will see how trite and misleading this book is. Read anything by Andre Breton.

Buy It Now!!
Many of what I consider to be the most interesting and thought-provoking artists of our time are compiled here. The technical styles vary widely, but there is a universal sense of creative innovation and the outright bizarre that runs throughout the book. A great 'coffee-table' book for anyone into this genre of art. ... Read more

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Product Description
Pop Art: A Critical History chronicles one of the most controversial art movements of the century. The anthology draws from a great range of sources, from the leading art magazines and art historical journals to newspapers and news magazines such as the New York Times, Life, and Newsweek. What emerges from this rich cross-section of critical and journalistic commentary is a fascinating view of the tumultuous rise of Pop art and its establishment as a major force in contemporary art. A broad selection of articles traces the emergence of the movement itself in England and America, as seen through the eyes of the working critics of the day. The focus then narrows to present in-depth writings on the four major Pop artists: Roy Lichtenstein, Claes Oldenburg, James Rosenquist, and Andy Warhol, along with an examination of many other artists involved in the movement. From reviews of the very first shows of many of these artists to interviews with them, to news stories about their collectors and their lifestyles, Pop Art: A Critical History represents the most complete and coherent record of Pop art yet published. The book concludes with an invaluable chronology of the major '60s exhibitions by Pop artists. Among the contributors are Lawrence Alloway, John Coplans, Donald Judd, Max Kozloff, Gerald Nordland, Peter Plagens, Barbara Rose, Robert Rosenblum, John Russell, Gene Swenson, and Sidney Tillim. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

The best anthology of its kind
To put it briefly, I concur with the review from the Library Journal which the editor of the book quotes below. This is the best anthology of critical writing on Pop, and it largely supersedes previous ones such as Carol Mahsun's Pop Art: The Critical Dialogue. My only quibble is with the assertion in the editorial introduction that the work of Jim Dine and Tom Wesselmann is somehow "less incisive" (read "less impressive") than that of the "four-headed goliath named Lichtenstein-Oldenburg-Rosenquist-Warhol". It isn't, and neither is it less Pop than that of the goliath.

"Not-to-be-missed anthology.... Highly recommended."
As the editor of this anthology, I wanted to pass on another review that the book has just received. My own quibble with the review from Kirkus is that I don't really understand why they would think that a 400-plus-page anthology of historical articles would be "a cozy read." The purpose of the book is to give a broad and deep view of what critics, journalists and art historians thought about Pop as it developed. It's not meant to be a page turner. It's meant to be a reference work full of useful and interesting pieces, some academic, some not. Here, in its entirety, is what "Library Journal" said:"This not-to-be-missed anthology collects stimulating articles, interviews, and other texts defining 'the phenomenon of Pop.' Madoff contributes a fine introductory overview, then presents 94 critical articles, both negative and positive, on this brash, vulgar, and successful style. Most are culled from contemporary American art magazines and newspapers--sometimes offering monthly entries--during the height of the Pop era of the 1960s. Students and specialists alike will find overlooked or forgotten material here and will especially note that many early discussions still ring true today. The book is divided into five sections: the precursors; reviews of work done from 1962 to 1970; the major artists (Lichtenstein, Oldenburg, Rosenquist, and Warhol); 11 artists on the periphery; and, finally, a few articles from the 1970s to 1990s. Discussions of single artists are most interesting, and Andy Warhol remains a standout. There is heavy reading but also journalistic stylings that will appeal to anyone interested in American culture of the Sixties. Highly recommended.--Mary Hamel-Schwulst, Towson State Univ., Md (LJ 10/1/97)" ... Read more

Product Description
Post Pop Art brings together critical essays about American British, and Continental Pop Art written by some of the leading theorists of our time. From Guy Debord's proto-Pop Situationist manifesto of 1950 to a late reflection by Roland Barthes, and two arguments about Pop by the influential philosopher Jean Baudrillard, Post Pop Art provides a timely retrospective look at the complex origins and contemporary manifestations of Pop Art.Post Pop Art also looks at the classic period of Pop Art from a 1980s perspective and discusses its relevance to Punk and New Wave music, artistic appropriation, and the post Pop movements of today. "That critics can still find in Pop a model for political debate is only one of the multitude of paradoxes that abound in this seemingly most impassive and celebratory of art movements," writes Paul Taylor.Also included in the book are essays by Dan Graham on Punk, the full text of a famous essay by Dick Hebdige, "In Poor Taste," and two essays by Americans David Dietcher and Mary Anne Staniszewski written after Andy Warhol's death.Paul Taylor, an art critic in New York is the founding editor and publisher of Art & Text magazine. He has curated several exhibitions on Pop Art and is editor of Impresario: Malcolm McLaren and the British New Wave. Post­Pop Art is a Flash Art Book. ... Read more

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Product Description
This entertaining book introducing young readers to the world of Pop Art is the latest addition to a series whose "compelling layouts allow the art to excite young imaginations." (ARTnews)

Large, colorful, and bold, Pop Art is particularly appealing to younger viewers. This engaging introduction to the Pop Art movement--from its inception in the 1960s through the 1980s--takes readers on a colorful journey in which Coca Cola bottles, tubes of toothpaste, soup cans, shower curtains, movie stars, comic books, and cartoon characters are the stuff of creativity and inspiration. The book considers work by artists such as Jasper Johns, Roy Lichtenstein, Claes Oldenburg, Robert Rauschenberg, James Rosenquist, Edward Ruscha, and Andy Warhol. An inviting text and dynamic format reveals to young readers how art reflects the world around them and how they can create their own art through observations they make in their daily lives. ... Read more

Product Description
"Lowbrow" it may be called, but high-profile best describes the cultural impact of this contemporary art movement. Found everywhere from wine labels and high-end bar accessories to major motion pictures (Teacher's Pet, the upcoming Pink Panther), the visibility of this dynamic work has rapidly increased in the last few years to worldwide recognition and acclaim. Weirdo Deluxe is the first significant manifesto of the genre—a riotous blend of pop culture, street culture, pop art, and surrealism—and includes profiles of and interviews with 23 leading artists and hundreds of outrageous examples of their work. Special features include an expansive timeline, and peeks at the artists' collections and influences. Weirdo Deluxe is at once a primer and lowbrow art sourcebook as well as a visual homage to pop culture. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

A lighthearted yet authoritative romp through the world of lowbrow art
Matt Dukes Jordan's Weirdo Deluxe provides a highly engaging introduction to the world of lowbrow art. It represents an amazingly wide range of artists and styles, with fascinating notes on each of the artists' life and work. The book opens with whimsically illustrated timelines that connect the evolution of lowbrow art to larger trends in pop culture. There is something surprising, amusing, and/or captivating on virtually every page.The quality of the writing, the design, and the overall effect is first-rate.

An eyecandy for underground art lovers
This book is an amazing reference resource as well a great source of inspiration for all who seek to know more about underground art.

There's a quick background history on underground art and every author tries to explain and talk about their art.

All the images are worth looking and reading this book is always a pleasure.

Amazing jaunt through many twisted minds
If you read Juztapoz and High Fructose, worship Mark Ryden and Coop, love art but are disappointed with contemporary conceptual and process work, THEN BUY THIS BOOK!!!! The out and out bible of pop surrealism and low brow.Savy mixes of graffitti street culture with fine art.I have to say that the discovery of pop surrealism, which I first saw in this book, revolutionized my own art work and has radically changed my ideas about the trajectory of art.Needless to say I like it.

From "Lowbrow Art" to "From Lowbrow to Nobrow"
Together with Peter Swirski's 'From Lowbrow to Nobrow' this is one of my favourite books on popular art, aka lowbrow, pop, junk, genre, and so on.
Jordan's focus is very much on the visual aspec ts of lowbrow art, an orientation which is only enhanced by the graphic design of the covers and the book itself. I was quite familiar with many of the artists represented in his book, so I was a little less than completely enthused.
One of the chief drawbacks of this very engaging book is the palpable lack of a more historical/analytical framework in which to situate lowbrow art. Another thing I would have loved to see is, especially since Swirski usefully traces it, a detailed treatment of nobrow culture and nobrow art which appears to have been around longer than most critics and commentators would have us believe. All in all, I give Matt Jordan a well deserved four stars, reserving the top score for the book which is really a companion rather than competition to his, From Lowbrow to Nobrow.

Not your pretentious hipster dad's pop art
This book is a fine introduction to the work of a younger generation of painters who eschew the cold, minimalist aesthetic that afflicts contemporary art like herpes on Paris Hilton's nether regions.These bold dudes and dames draw instead from the pop culture all around them--and the pop culture of long-lost bygone eras, like the '80s.If you're at all familiar with psychedelia, punk, hot rods, comic books (and underground "comix"), "classic" TV, tiki culture, advertising art & design, fast food, celebrity magazines, steers, beers, queers, freaks, geeks and of course serial killers, then you should find the art in this book accessible as a beer bottle bong in a Phish fan's dorm room.What sets them apart from the pop artists of yesteryear is the young bucks approach the culture as the warm embryonic bath from which they were weaned, lost their virginity and will drown in.Whereas even Warhol had to keep at least one foot in the "high" culture (his bread & butter, after all), artists like Gary Panter and Robert Williams would be just as happy plastering their wares on T-shirts and album covers (and don't bring up Warhol's dalliance with the Velvet Underground; most art snobs still dismiss that amazing band as so much juvenile effluvia).While a great deal of snark and irony can be found here, there's also a genuine appreciation of subjects they were supposed to grow out of.

While everyone will have their own personal faves, and it should be noted that there are a wide range of styles represented here, for me the standouts include the goth-tastic Camille Rose Garcia and Mark Ryden, the gonzo surrealism of Scott Musgrove and Skot Olsen and the cubist comix art of the great Gary Panter.Many will be familiar the highly influential Robert Williams, whose work suggests a coke-addled Salvador Dali on a high speed road trip through the trashiest regions of American culture with a bunch of Hell's Angels as tour guides.Don't hate him just 'cause Guns n' Roses used one of his pieces for an album cover--hate him 'cause he disses pretty much every artist that came in his wake.Still, I have to admit his stuff is pretty rockin'.

Now for the downside.While the reproductions here are generally clear and well-presented, artists who use a lot of detail, like the disturbing, obsessive Joe Coleman, are hemmed in and almost incomprehensible.Even more disappoiting is the cover desigh and title; sure, most of these artists have an appreciation of kitsch, but their work isn't kitschy.It's one thing to wear marginalization as a badge of honor, it's quite another when one of your supporters (Matt Dukes Jordan, the author) marginalizes you, if only by accident.One could also fault the lack of graffiti art here; if "lowbrow" is not really a movement, then why not?All in all, though, "Weirdo Deluxe" is more fun (and informative) then shaving the hair from Ed Asner's back. ... Read more

Product Description
Soup cans! Dollar bills! Movie stars! Paint by numbers! Is it art? Yes! Andy Warhol’s art.

Following award-winning artist biographies Degas and the Dance, Toulouse-Lautrec, and Cezanne, an exciting new book from Abrams Books for Young Readers looks at Andy Warhol. A leader of the American art movement known as Pop, short for “popular culture,” Warhol changed the way we think of art. Assisted by photographs taken of Warhol throughout his life, and examples of his early drawings and best-known works, Susan Goldman Rubin traces his rise from poverty to wealth, and from obscurity to fame.

After attending art school in Pittsburgh, Warhol started a career as a commercial artist in New York, and quickly won acclaim for his creative advertisements. When he turned to “real” painting, he used his background in commercial illustration and blurred the line between high and low art.

Some critics have said that Warhol’s pictures of Campbell’s soup cans and Coca-Cola bottles represent American life. But Warhol said, “I just paint those objects in my paintings because those are the things I know best. I think of myself as an American artist.” Warhol’s unique images will appeal to young readers, and inspire them to see the world around them in new ways. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Bright color photos of his art accompany clear explanations of his style and approach.
Andy Warhol took ordinary objects from daily life and transformed them into big paintings and art, becoming known as a leader of the American Pop art movement. ANDY WARHOL: POP ARTIST surveys his career as a commercial artist and his perspective on painting, and is a perfect pick for kids in grades 4-6 who are receiving introductions to modern artists. Bright color photos of his art accompany clear explanations of his style and approach.

Get a shot at Andy Warhol
The construction of your average everyday children's book biography is a complex proposition.You have to examine your biographical subject and determine their kid-friendly appeal.If, for example, you are doing a biography of an obscure Pope of limited charm, you may wish to reconsider the task at hand.If, on the other hand, your subject is the infinitely amusing, not to say fascinating, Andy Warhol then you may have better luck.Next, this may shock you, but not all children are the same age.What age group are you writing for?It sounds backwards, but it's sometimes more difficult to write for younger rather than older children.Author Susan Goldman Rubin, however, has taken the challenge and has fashioned a book that someone under the age of 11 might find of interest.Finally, your pictures.With very few exceptions, young kids are not going to pay your book a whole lot of mind unless you find some cool and colorful photos/art with which to spot your book.In this sense, Ms. Rubin has not been entirely fulfilling.And so, "Andy Warhol: Pop Art Painter" is a great read and will certainly have young `uns grabbing for it, but it could have been a bit more forthcoming with the pretty pretty pictures of his work.Just my two cents.

He was born Ondrej Warhola in 1928 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Slovakian parents.Never the most athletic of children (at age eight he came down with rheumatic fever), Andy loved comics, paper dolls, and coloring books.Once well, he started going to art classes and it was clear he had found his calling.Readers watch as Andy goes to school, moves to New York, and starts drawing shoes for Glamour magazine.Real pop art was soon to follow as Andy challenged what made something important and worthy of consideration.Can a comic be art if you blow up a frame?What about something as simple as a soup can?What is the worth of celebrity?By showing Andy's life and the choices he made, Rubin is able to show us a man, his unique style, and why that man and style were important to the world.

Rubin takes certain steps to make the book kid-friendly right from the start.The almost picture book size of this ten by ten inch title makes it clear from the get-go that kids who pick this puppy up won't have to contest with any 500+ page tomes.The text then pops out at the viewer on top of colored squares that change their hue with the turn of every page.The author also knows that kids like to read about famous people AS kids, so we get a nice glimpse of Andy's younger years.Mind you, there are only 48 pages in this book and 15 of those are just a Time Line, Glossary, Source Notes, References and Resources, Illustration Credits, and an Author's Note.Now one of my favorite books about Andy Warhol was, "Uncle Andy's", by James Warhola.In that book, Andy Warhol's actual nephew recounted how he used to visit his favorite uncle once a year and discover through him what "art" was.Rubin doesn't mention this detail, but does show and tell about Andy's love of kids.As the book says at one point, " `Children were drawn to Andy like a comic character with his wig askew, glasses and ... jeans,' remembered Bob Colacello who worked for him for twelve years. `Andy loved to talk to kids.He found it interesting.'"And with this book, kids can find Andy interesting right back again.

Here is what I loved.I loved that at the end of the book there was a small section entitled, "Some Museums Where You Will Find Work By Andy Warhol."Why doesn't every single biography of an artist DO this?It is infinitely more useful than some of the other stuff they cram into the back of children's books.Just the same, there is the occasional peculiarity.The Time Line is a bit of an extravagance here.More space filler than anything else, each date included is huge and the nine pages of Time Line after Time Line seem excessive.I would have loved to have seen a lot more of Andy's work in the book too.Just exchange 8 of those Time Line pages for a couple portions dedicated solely to displaying some cool Warhol work and I'm there.Otherwise, it rankles with the rest of the book.

The other day I covered three tables in my library's Story Hour Room with books published in the year 2006.At 4 o'clock that day I led in my homeschooler bookgroup, a small collection of kids between the ages of nine and twelve.I told them that we'd be doing something a little different that week.Instead of everyone reading the same book, the kids would have a chance to grab whichsoever book most tickled their fancy.They'd take it, read it over break, and return it to me the next week.Some kids snatched up Susan Cooper's, "Victory".Others took great pleasure in reading Janet Taylor Lisle's, "Black Duck".And sure as shooting, one of my more reluctant readers found a great deal to love in "Andy Warhol: Pop Art Painter".It's a lovable book.There are things that I would have changed about it, but that doesn't make it any less of a wonder.If you're going to have one children's biography of Andy Warhol, let it be this one.Definitely a keeper. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent book
It was a while since I bought this book, and it was a fascinating read. Explores in depth the music of the eighties, Howard and Simon are indeed very talented writers.

Reccomended 5/5 ... Read more

Product Description
From the late 1950s to the late 1960s the word 'Pop' described any example of art, film, photography and architectural design that engaged with the new realities of mass production and the mass media. In addition to key artworks by Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Ed Ruscha, Richard Hamilton and many others, this book includes works of photography and avant-garde film, as well as what the critic Reyner Banham defined as pop architecture, ranging from Alison and Peter Smithson's House of the Future to Archigram's Walking City and Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown's Learning from Las Vegas.

Edited by an internationally recognized expert on Pop art and culture, this book surveys Pop across all artforms and gives equal coverage to its American, British and European manifestations. Survey: renowned scholar and critic Hal Foster focuses on the Pop image as it developed over the period: Reyner Banham, The Independent Group and Pop Design; Richard Hamilton and the Tabular Image; Roy Lichtenstein and the Screened Image; Andy Warhol and the Seamy Image; Gerhard Richter and the Photogenic Image; Ed Ruscha and the Cineramic Image; and, Robert Venturi, Denise Scott Brown and the Postmodern Absorption of Pop. Works: each image is accompanied by an extended caption. This section is chronologically sequenced: Revolt into Style (1956-60) surveys the birth of Pop culture and its images, including the American Beat generation artists, photographers and filmmakers; Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg, the French Decollageistes, Richard Hamilton and the 'British Pop' of the Independent Group. Consumer Culture (1960-63) chronicles American Pop's explosion, from Roy Lichtenstein's cartoon-based paintings to Claes Oldenburg's Store and Andy Warhol's Factory. Colonization of the Mind (1963-66) looks at American Pop's reception in Europe, in the work of Gerhard Richter, Sigmar Polke and others. Spectacular Time (1966-67) surveys late Pop developments, from Warhol's Silver Clouds to Malcolm Morley's Photorealism. Helter Skelter (1968) documents Pop's demise and transformation into postmodernism, in projects such as Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown's Learning from Las Vegas. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The rich, in-depth art and cultural survey which sets POP aside from any other.
Mark Francis is a London curator and writer, Hal Foster a Townsend Martin Professor of Art and Archaeology at Princeton: the two combine forces in POP. Pop described art, film, photography and architectural design from the 1950s through the 50s, which used mass media and mass production as inspiration. Other histories have presented Pop art as an isolated form: POP surveys all its various forms around the world, providing a rich key to the art and influences of artists from Warhol to Sigmar Polke. Full-page black and white and color examples appear throughout, but it's the rich, in-depth art and cultural survey which sets POP aside from any other.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch ... Read more

Product Description
How does pop art translate across cultures? What does pop art look like through a postcolonial lens? In the global marketplace of images, artists have long challenged the discourse of officialdom by turning to dissident elements in the languages of vernacular culture. This volume casts new light on the aesthetics and politics of pop by taking a cross-cultural perspective on what happens when everyday objects are taken out of one context and repositioned in the language of art.

Pop Art and Vernacular Cultures examines practices that range from the recycling of consumerist waste in Chicano "rasquachismo" to the painterly pastiche of Hindu "photo-gods," exploring the semiotic transformations that arise when art reveals unexpected antagonisms in the social life of images. Showing how boundaries marking "high" and "low" are further corroded by strategies that question categories of "folk," "nation," and "people" in the global culture of modernity, this book breaks new ground in understanding pop art's ambiguous reaction to (and compliance with) the dynamics of high capitalism. When Mao goes pop, should we see the results as avant-garde, anti-modern, or postmodern? Who "owns" popular culture in South Africa or Brazil? The critical revision proposed by this third volume in the Annotating Art's Histories series dramatically expands the world map of the period from which our definitions of contemporary art are drawn.

Contributors:
Holly Barnet-Sanchez, Gavin Butt, Geeta Kapur, Martina Koppel-Yang, Kobena Mercer, Colin Richards, and Sonia Salzstein ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Lucy R. Lippard Pop Art
Pop Art (World of Art)

This book originally written in 1966 is a classic and is still vitally important for understanding Pop Art. Since it was written so close to its American inception it is full of insights that later would become revised. Economical and well written. It is also a collaborative effort so you get LA Pop, Euro Pop, British Pop etc.I have used this as a text in my art history classes. Even the footnotes are important. This is the place to start researching Pop Art , then go to Marco Livingstone's many texts, Madoff's and Taschen's anthologies.

Perfect start
Personally,i loved this book because it is a great begining for those, like me, that know absolutly nothing about pop art. It has a lot of basic information that helps you understand how it started and the ideology of this movement. It is one of my favorite books

An excellent historical overview
I own the original edition of this book, first published in the early 70s.I picked it up at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis during a visit there many years ago.My casual interest in pop art has led me to collect a number of books on the subject since then, and this one has remained the definitive work for combining a decent collection of photos with intelligent supporting text.(See Tilman Osterwold's _Pop Art_ for another worthy take on the subject, also available on Amazon.)

Lippard shows herself to be an expert art historian, but thankfully doesn't slide into the pretentiousness and hard-to-read scholarly style that plague other books of the genre.

This book was responsible for igniting my interest in pop art long ago, and I can still recommend it as a great addition to the library of anyone who shares an interest in the subject. ... Read more

Product Description
This exploration of the phenomena of Andy Warhol's influence on glitter rock and pop art reconceptualizes and re-evaluates many of the theoretical claims of subculture theory. Reconstructing Pop//Subculture provides an historical account of the tensions that arose in Western culture during the 1960s and 1970s between various factions which were forced to engage in explicit confrontations//dichotomies.

Cagle proposes a theoretical framework that incorporates notions of productivity with reception and re-examines the critical relationships between style, youth culture, incorporation, hegemony and resistance. He focuses on the ways in which fans take up trends presented through the mass media and adopt them through disi ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Everything you never knew you needed to know.
Great book from a great author.Sadly, the author, Dr. Cagle died a couple of weeks ago.He will be missed.:( ... Read more