Meticulous research by an international team of scholars, complemented by magnificently reproduced illustrations, creates an impressive portrait of the fin-de-siäcle French artist Odilon Redon (18401916). Although Redon was once ranked with artists like Seurat and Gauguin, he has lately received less attention than his peers—a situation that the current retrospective at the Art Institute of Chicago, which this volume explicates, should help redress. Redon is best remembered today for his visionary monochromatic prints and drawings. Among his most frequently exhibited pictures are such fantastic dream images as an eye set within an ascending balloon and a giant smiling spider poised at a jaunty angle. Many public collections also display colorful pastel drawings of flower bouquets from the latter part of his career. It has proven difficult to explain his work according to the grand narratives of art history. Redon was neither an impressionist nor a modernist; even the label of symbolist threatens to assimilate his works to literature and philosophy rather than grant them the independence that their singularity demands. The authors, led by the Art Institute's Druick, recontextualize Redon by carefully unraveling his relationship to the romantic esthetics, spiritualist theologies, and art-market imperatives of his time, while offering a convincing psychoanalytic account of how his art reflects his unhappy childhood, his difficult apprenticeship, and his struggle to emerge from the shadow of his talented elder brother. Dark clouds and landscapes from his early life mark his noirs, they argue, but dissolve to reveal the no less mysterious, but finally joyous, light and color of his last decades. Many heretofore unknown full-color images brought to light by their investigations give a fuller sense of the development of themes in this late period. A superb art book for aficionados of occult ideas, of the graphic arts, or simply of striking images and effusive colors.
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1994
ISBN: 0-8109-3769-7
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1994
Small in scope, but will attract readers interested particularly in dogs, moving, and Manhattan.
Nicely varied pictures support a story that will appeal specifically to dog-lovers, children who have just moved houses (or are just about to), and readers familiar with New York City and Central Park.
Beau, a Dalmatian, moves from "a house with a great big yard and lots of grass and trees" to an apartment on the West Side of Manhattan. Sitting in the new apartment, ignored by the movers and surrounded by boxes, Beau wonders sadly where his favorite objects are and whether he’ll ever make new friends. He looks mournfully out the window and sees a huge park—and there are dogs running around! He immediately runs out the door and onto the city streets all by himself. Traffic and streetlights intimidate him briefly, but he soon latches on to a dog-walker and her dogs. Beau joins them for Frisbee and "leap dog," digging holes, and chasing squirrels and pigeons. His new pals jump into a fountain, but Beau decides he better not track muddy paws into his new apartment. Returning home with a promised play-date for the next day, he takes a refreshing drink from the toilet bowl and curls up on his favorite couch. Margolis winks at readers as Beau's owners (appearing for the first time) lament how boring and lonely Beau's day must have been. Frequent misplaced and missing commas are a distraction, but the illustrations use color well for cheer and atmosphere, and angles and perspective vary and remain interesting.
Small in scope, but will attract readers interested particularly in dogs, moving, and Manhattan. (3-5)Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: 1-4134-6361-4
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
In definite need of editorial direction but makes a case for the author–whatever his name is–getting his own...
Step-by-step instructions on how to build a home in an economical and artistically unique way.
Owning a home doesn’t have to be a trying ordeal, says Madison, who reports that he built his own house with little more than his own muscle power and ingenuity. Though he claims not to be particularly handy, he managed to create a fully functional cabin complete with electricity, running water and Internet access as part of a journey that was both fulfilling and therapeutic. He takes readers through the process, from cutting down trees and laying the foundation for the floor to installing the piping and electricity to detailing plans to build additional modules. Pictures and diagrams complement the text, and the author even discusses his future plans to fully automate the cabin. In addition to the down-and-dirty details, he uses quotes from a number of philosophers–Aristotle, Locke, Rousseau and others–to help explain his motivation: It was as much about testing his own abilities as it was about creating a physical shelter. On one level, this is a practical guide that contains pertinent information for people who actually want to build their own cabin. On another, it’s a fascinating look inside the mind of a man who chose to go against the grain and who writes with such folksy charm and comical practicality that you can’t help but applaud him for bucking the system. Those not interested in building their own homes will be bored senseless by the technical details and some of the long-winded endnotes, but entertaining anecdotes–such as how the author munches on blackberries while simultaneously trimming his beard in his yard to lay down a barrier of human scent that deters snakes–keep the pages turning.
In definite need of editorial direction but makes a case for the author–whatever his name is–getting his own home-improvement show.Pub Date: Jan. 10, 2006
ISBN: 1-4196-1593-9
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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