by Keith Anderson ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 6, 2012
A contemplative, often beautiful collection.
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A collection of paintings, sketches and poetic reflections about life and architecture.
Anderson’s slender debut contains thoughtful observations, but it’s also pleasing to the eye. Sixty-five brief meditations, each accompanied by the author’s own artwork, examine the nature of architecture, landscapes and humanity. Showing an aversion for “commercially driven” modern architecture, the author asks, “[W]hat are we building and why?” Inspired by the pastoral vistas of his Montana home, much of Anderson’s art reflects quiet, rural themes, but they also address the ravages of technology on spirituality. Some paintings, such as “On Desert Afternoons,” are bold and sun-bright; others are ethereal and almost haunting, such as “On the Veil of Reality,” which depicts the shadowy figure of a cow next to a dark, apparently opulent building. With its whimsical hues of green and blue, “On Imagery I” seems to encourage readers to imagine objects floating in water. The accompanying one-page vignettes are presented with the concrete eye of a poet, and like small stones tossed into a lake, they create lasting ripples of thought. For example, in “On Island Lake, The Beartooths,” Anderson captures the peaceful simplicity of a camping trip: “[t]he stump benches, the roof of pine boughs, the discolored tin ware, the primitive circle of rocks surrounding the fire, the swaying of pinion pine as a half moon appears above the horizon.” Likewise, “On Work Benches and My Father” vividly describes a father’s bruised, cracked thumbnail guiding a chisel’s blade. Other reflections, such as the author’s tribute to his son, are also memorable. (There are a few distracting typographical errors, but they are not overly worrisome.) Anderson ends the book with a somewhat lengthy author’s note that reiterates his wary stance concerning technology and architecture: “I believe we, as a society, will continue to drill deeper into the physical world, placing all our faith in science and technology. And what we will discover at the end of that investigation is a world bereft of meaning.”
A contemplative, often beautiful collection.Pub Date: July 6, 2012
ISBN: 978-1478200802
Page Count: 90
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: May 13, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
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by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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