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A sharp send-up of authoritarian hubris--in which bloated, self-satisfied, bare-bottomed public officials excrete a foul diet literally to be swallowed by the masses--the etching "Doctrinal Nourishment" (1889/95) is one of Belgian artist James Ensor's most politically scathing works. Through a close reading of this print in its political context, curator Theresa Papanikolas traces how Ensor's youthful immersion in Belgian anarchist circles led him to develop violent and grotesque imagery through which he hoped to expose the incompetence of unchecked authority and indict a society in crisis. This well-illustrated volume also puts Ensor's work into art-historical context by juxtaposing examples of French Romanticism, German Expressionism and Dada by a variety of artists, including Honore Daumier, Felicien Rops, George Grosz and Otto Dix. ... Read more

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From Old Wood, A New World of Inspiration
In his seminal 1915 work, "Chats on Japanese Prints", Arthur Davison Ficke lists five periods of development in Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock prints starting from roughly 1500 and ending at approximately 1850, just before the arrival of the Peary expedition in 1850. He then proclaims the end of the tradition of the classical Japanese woodblock print. This volume essentally corrects Mr. Ficke and tells the fascinating story of the Japanese woodblock after it left its homeland. It can very much be described as a sequel to Mr. Ficke's work, but it is better seen as a major advance in art history on its own merits.

In December of 2006, the Chazen Art Museum of the University of Madison-Wisconsin held an exhibition of the Van Vleck print collection. This collection documents the renaissance of woodblock printmaking in the West around the turn of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This volume is the print guide to that showing and most of the works contained are from the Van Vleck collection. There are also important essays on this period by renowned art authorities.

Following the Peary expedition, there was an outpouring of trade and information exchange between Japan and the West. This allowed Western artists and collectors to see and study Japanese artforms and creative techniques for the first time. The result was an explosion of interest in and influence by Japanese art on the West. The resulting cross-currents of influences on the Japanese print from English-speaking, Continental and indigenous sources resulted in an International Style of color print that was a tremendous influence on the art and aesthetics of the twentieth century that continues into the twenty-first.

In common with Japan, traditional woodblock printing in the late nineteenth century was on the wane, ill-suited as it was to modern print technology. It was William Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement he helped found that revived woodblock printing as a means of creative expression. Perhaps the greatest English woodblock printer is Frank Morley Fletcher, whose synthesis of Japanese influence and the traditional English landscape can be best seen in such prints as his "Mt. Shasta, California". Among the other fascinating artist personalities profiled in Nancy Green's essay is that of Mokuchu Urushibahara, who was trained in printmaking in Japan, emigrated to Great Britain and subsequently trained British artists, becoming an important link in the cultural interchange between East and West as well as an accomplished artist in his own right.

In America, the American Arts and Crafts movement was largely led by Arthur Wesley Dow. Here, the traditional woodblock met American innovation in the Provincetown or white line print that revolutionized modern art printing. Andrew Stevens' essay reflects on both the Atlantic and Pacific sides of the American print, introducing us to such topics as the Provincetown artists' colony in Massachusetts and the Printmakers' Society of Los Angeles (later the Print Makers Society of California).

The massive reception of Japanese prints and print-making rebounded back to its country of origin in the form of the soseku hanga (art print) and shin hanga (new print) styles that tried to re-introduce the print. Many of the artists cited are obscure and hopefully more attention will be given to them in future. Kendall H. Brown's essay tells the fascinating story of these movements and their efforts to gain recognition both in their homeland and abroad.

Among the British artists whose works are presented are Frank Morley Fletcher, Ethel Kirkpatrick and William Nicholson. American artists include Arthur Wesley Dow, Bertha Lum and Frances Gearhart. Japanese artists include Yoshida Hiroshi who later immigrated to the USA and Tsuguharu Foujita who later was a prominent part of the Paris art scene in the '20's.

Finally, attention is also paid to Continental, particularly French, artists such as Henri Riviere, Gustave Baumann and Paul Jacoulet.

For those persistent students of art who aren't satisfied with textbook descriptions of 'Japanese influences on modern art', who would rather see, touch and feel the passion, the personalities and the hard work that made these trends possible, then this volume is a worthwhile investment. No doubt, the modern viewer and reader will also be taken aback by how views on inter-cultural relationships expressed today echo those of a century ago. ... Read more

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The bold protest images from posters and publications of the 1930s and the 1960s, two decades of upheaval and radical ferment for American Society, are profiled and contrasted.

Distributed by the University of Wisconsin Press for the Elvehjem Museum of Art ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Legendary Book
I purchased this book when first published some 20 years ago and read it through about 5 times. It was inspirational and the book holds near legendary status amongst the type and design community. As does its author, who is now sadly passed away. If you have any interest in typography, this book is a must read.

A poor text
I'd suggest picking up something else instead. Bringhurst would be a good choice. ... Read more

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Tempests and Romantic Visionaries examines the many ways artists have portrayed both turbulent and calm weather conditions in marine and landscape paintings, drawings, and prints. Emphasis is placed on the artist’s observation and experience of weather and climate, as well as on works which use calm seas, storms, and tempests as symbol and metaphor.

Essays discuss J. M. W. Turner’s storm subjects (Hardy George), tempest and shipwreck subjects in Dutch art and Romantic marine painting (Lawrence Goedde), storms at sea in British marine painting (Geoffrey Quilley), and paintings of shipwrecks and disasters at sea (Daniel Finamore). ... Read more

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S.W. Hayter (1901-1988) was one of the most important printmakers of the 20th century, famed for his innovations in intaglio printmaking and his association with artists from Picasso to Pollock.This volume, published to coincide with a major retrospective of Hayter's prints at the Ashmolean Museum, presents six essays surveying his work and contribution to modern art.It includes extensive biographical and bibliographical notes, a catalog of the forthcoming exhibition, and 40 color and black-&-white plates. ... Read more

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This book provides a comprehensive overview of printmaking in South Africa, replacing the now outdated monograph by F. L. Alexander. It discusses historically artists who made major contributions within each of the printmaking techniques, giving great detail on contemporary South African art. It is also a handbook on artists working in various mediums and gives full explanations of each work chosen for the exhibition at the 1998 South African National Arts Festival, lists 785 known printmakers born after 1900, and illustrates the work of 89 important artists. It is an essential guide to this important aspect of South African art. ... Read more