What *ART* books are you reading?

[Shawn Rahman]

Caravaggio?? Yes!!

not a recent read, but in keeping with the painters-and-photographers thread, if you want to understand the power of light, you MUST study Caravaggio. Especially his later works. I'm chugging my way through the recent bio of Ruth Bernhard ( I keep getting sidelined by other stuff, like re-reading the Chronicles of Narnia).

Nothing like reviving a two year old thread!

I've been on an art kick lately, and COMPLETELY agree with your sentiments on Caravaggio. I'd like to add Vermeer to the discussion if we want to see how the past masters dealt with light.

I am beginning to understand more and more that we should study traditional art as much as we study past photographers.

For the record, the three painters who I think I can spend my life learning from and applying to photography: Vermeer, Caravaggio, and Hopper.

Anyone find photo inspiration in the past master painters?

 

[Lee Shively]

I love it when old questions come up again and get fresh answers.

Past master painters? Sure. The term "Rembrandt lighting" has that basis.

I always have at least one or ten photography-based books in various stages of being read. Right now it's Looking At Atget and Brassai: No Ordinary Eyes. I also recently ordered Ilse Bing: Photography Through The Looking Glass, Alfred Stieglitz: An American Seer, Photography and Society by Gisele Freund and In Our Time: The World As Seen By Magnum Photographers. That should keep me busy for about a week or so.

 

[Christopher Walrath]

I have been reading primarily photography books. Just ordered three older books by Galen Rowell from eBay sellers. Mostly I stay with Rowell, Adams (A and R), Edward Weston, Kevin Fleming. I occasionally view impressionist works just to get a mental stock of forms and functions. But I relate to the photography books very well, always have.

 

[removed account4]

2 little 5 book series by phaidon press editors
masters of photography and experimental photographers

and i never get tired of looking at nadar's complete work ...

 

[Jim Chinn]

I found a great coffee table sized book titled "American Expressionism: Art and Social Change 1920-1950". Edited by and with text by Bram Dijkstra. A wonderful resource to better understand American painting beyond the New York scene and better known regionalists of the time.

 

[Valerie]

I recently finished Weston's Daybooks-- got really immersed in his writing and starting shooting still lifes!

As I begin teaching Photography on Monday, I am reading the required textbooks--Criticizing Photographs by Terry Barrett and Photography by Barbara London & John Upton.

ALso reading Josef Sudekoet of Prague

 

[Alden]

Just a reminder to everyone who doesn't want to shell out, there's the inter library loans, free, any book you want, order it from your computer, and pick it up at your local library.

I just finished Photography Reborn, a scant and unconvincing champion of the digital takeover. At The Edge of Light by David Travis, a curator of photography, very whimsical offbeat photography insights. As for painting I pour my eyes over DeKooning and Chaim Soutine, but have to force myself to read the convolution of ArtForum and the like.

 

[Schlapp]

I had a dream lastnight about writing an essay on German Expressionism. Does that count?

 

[Bandicoot]

I've been on an art kick lately, and COMPLETELY agree with your sentiments on Caravaggio. I'd like to add Vermeer to the discussion if we want to see how the past masters dealt with light.

On light: also Joseph Wright of Derby, and Caspar David Freidrich - two very different painters but both obsessed with light and using it to direct the eye within the composition.

I find Charles Scheeler another interesting painter (who was also a photographer) to look at when I am thinking about photography.


Peter

 

[jp80874]

I am enjoying the merits of looking at this old thread and rereading texts from my own shelves. Having just finished a survey course using Naomi Rosenblum’s, “A World History of Photography”, I am finding so much more in a second reading of John Szarkowski 's work, specifically: "Looking at Photographs, 100 Pictures MOMA 1973" and "Photography Until Now", 1989.

Thank you all for adding to my “To Read” list.

John Powers

 

[SuzanneR]

Great to see an old thread... I've just finished reading Robert Adam's essays Why People Photograph, and Beauty in Photography. Both are excellent... his writing is clear, and even though Beauty in Photography was published in the early 80's it still resonates today. Well worth it...

Next on my list... a biography of Dorothea Lange that was reviewed by Adams in Why People Photograph., and the Daybooks, and Ted Orland's Scenes of Wonder and Curiosity, which I think are letters he wrote to Sally Mann while she was working on Immediate Family.

 

[Rob Vinnedge]

One of the most riveting art books I've read recently was: "de Kooning - an American Master" by Mark Stevens and Annalyn Swan. Clearly not about photography, but surely about one of the most single-minded, dedicated artists of the 20th century. The book is an inspiration to any artist, not just to painters, and a fascinating history of the American modern art movement.

 

[Christopher Walrath]

Went to B&N on Saturday. Browsed a couple of watercolour mags. Nothing jumped right out at me in the way of photographic ideas but I did enjoy perusing something other than prints of prints of prints.

 

[Colin Corneau]

"The North End" by John Paskievich (University of Manitoba Press)

"Vancouver Photographs" by Fred Herzog

"China Obscura" ...I lent this book and can't recall the photographer's name. I really love that book, though - well worth finding.

 

[Doubrovsky]

My interest in old wooden large format cameras was inspired by Josef Sudek. Once in Prague I bought an English language book on him by Anna Farova. Often come back to it. Been to Prague again three months ago - used it as a guide. Sudek is hardly known in America, although Boston Art Museum has a good collection of his works. This master is highly relevant for this forum.

Then "Pierre & Gilles" bought at their retrospective in Paris. I'm afraid most members of the forum will not recognise their work as photography or art at all, but theese guys shoot film.

In "Art" books - Nightwatching - A View of Rembrandt's The Night Watch by Peter Greenaway. Says nothing about Rembrandt's technique, but, like Greenaway's movie Draughtsman's Contract, provokes thoughts about artist's place in this life.

Thanks for asking. Nobody ever asked me what I'm reading after I immigrated to Canada.

 

[Christopher Walrath]

Just received a copy of 'Georgia O'Keefe' by Elizabeth Montgomery (tinker-tinker-tink?) from my Uncle in Jackson Hole. I'm gonna love looking through this one.

 

[airgunr]

I'm nearing the end of the "Daybooks of Edward Weston" Interesting to see the evolution of his thinking and approach to his photography. I admire his willingness to share his thoughts so openly. They don't always put him in a good light so it certainly took courage to put down the thoughts and emotions he did knowing they would most probably be shared at some point.

 

[Maris]

"Intaglio" by Robert Adam and Carol Robertson; Thames&Hudson 2007.

Years ago, before photography, I did etching and engraving and thought I knew about printmaking; how to think it, how to do it, and why do it. When I started making photographs (gelatin-silvers mainly) the entire ethos of photography, technical, intellectual, and aesthetic, felt very different to printmaking. It was always with a mixture of outrage and bewilderment that I heard photographs being called prints even though I knew they couldn't possibly be.

But, and it is a big recent but, I came to suspect I did not understand printmaking deeply enough to grasp its connection to photograph making. That is what studying "Intaglio" is supposed to correct.

 

[Removed Account]

I need to re-read Julia Cameron's (not Julia MARGARET Cameron ) Letters to a Young Artist. I seem to be finding every excuse to avoid practicing photography. Mostly it's been, "I'm starting wet-plate." Well, so what? It will be at least a month before I have all the equipment and chemicals in order, and in the mean time I have some 4x5 negs that need developing, a box of MGFB Warmtone that needs printing, a packet of Kodak Sepia II that's just begging to do some toning, and a new lens that needs mounting and using! It's odd how hard I'll work to avoid one of, if not my most, favourite activities.

- Justin

 

[david b]

"Driving by Memory" by William L Fox

 

[Russ Young]

COMPOSITION by Arthur Wesley Dow (as read by Georgia O'Keefe, Alvin Langdon Coburn, Clarence White, even young Eddy Weston)

THE NEW PAINTING: Impressionism 1874-1886 from the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

HIROSHIGE'S SCENES OF MOUNT FUJI

Russ

 

[markbb]

What is an *Art* book and how does it differ from other books?

 

[c6h6o3]

Curious what art books folks are reading right now.

Before Photography; Painting and the Invention of Photography by Peter Galassi. Copyright 1981, The Museum of Modern Art