Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Art, artists in gift-size galleries
A beautiful book is no substitute for seeing art in person, but the following volumes make great complements for shows we might have seen and provide insight and an experience of great art.
Face to Face, Artists’ Self-Portraits From the Collection of Jackye and Curtis Finch, Jr. ( Arkansas Arts Center, $24.95)
This large softcover book catalogs the “Face to Face” show at the Arts Center; the cover image by Ian Ingram is a powerful, larger-than-life portrait that sets the tone for the rest of the book. While looking at 118 portraits can be a little overwhelming at first, it is great fun picking out the gems, and there are plenty of them.
Like the exhibition, there are some exquisite pairings: Jim Nutt’s bespectacled self-portrait is a delicate line drawing that provides a nice contrast to Arkansas artist Kendall Stallings’ highly polished graphite work. Acrylic paintings by Robert Vickrey and John Deering have uncanny similarities without being the same and are both delightful. The bearded Alfredo Castaneda’s self-portrait, Too Much Philosophy, is delightfully odd. Parts of Castaneda’s head are breaking off and floating away, and it is right at home next to John Byrne’s
somber but equally bearded self-portrait.
Nationally known artists featured include Milton Avery, Stanton MacDonald-Wright, Alex Katz, Paul Cadmus, George Tooker and the Soyer brothers, Raphael and Moses. Arkansas names abound: Kevin Kresse, George Dombek, Warren Criswell and A.J. Smith, to name a few. This beautifully photographed and designed publication documents a show curated by University of Arkansas at Little Rock Gallery Director and Curator Brad Cushman.
— KIRK MONTGOMERY
The Sunflowers Are Mine: The Story of Van Gogh’s Masterpiece by Martin Bailey (Frances Lincoln, $40) tells the story of the artist’s life and his rise to fame after his death through his seven iconic sunflower paintings.
Among the book’s great stories: the controversy surrounding the display of Fifteen
Sunflowers in Brussels. Belgian painter Henry de Groux called Vincent van Gogh a charlatan; artist and friend Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec challenged de Groux to a duel and artist Paul Signac was ready to step in should Toulouse-Lautrec be injured or killed. Especially stunning is seeing a quality reproduction of Six Sunflowers, which was destroyed in Japan during World War II.
Bailey’s scholarship makes fascinating reading as he uncovers new information about the artist as he examines the history of the paintings and traces their fates. This is a regal treasure for those who love van Gogh’s art.
— ELLIS WIDNER
Mark Rothko: The Decisive
Decade: 1940-1950 by David Anfam, Harry Cooper, Ruth Fine, Christopher Rothko; edited by Bradford R. Collins (Rizzoli, $50). This book functions as a catalog for the Rothko exhibition at the Arkansas Arts Center that examines the variety of artistic styles Rothko cycled through before settling on the approach that would make him famous.
It can be a struggle to appreciate Rothko’s work from this period, so the various essays here are welcome, especially one by noted Rothko scholar Anfam. Color reproductions are plentiful, and there are large details of a number of images that highlight interesting elements in the paintings that might otherwise be overlooked. This is a very nice look at a portion of Rothko’s oeuvre that has been long overlooked.
— KIRK MONTGOMERY Modern Nature: Georgia O’Keeffe and Lake George by Erin B. Coe, Gwendolyn Owens and Bruce Robertson (Thames and Hudson, $40). Before the bones, rocks, the red hills and dry, desolate landscape of New Mexico informed and transformed O’Keeffe’s art, she spent more than a decade (1918-1934) at the summer home of husband Alfred Stieglitz’s family. There she painted the vivid flowers, lush landscapes, trees and leaves of Lake George, N.Y. This is the catalog of an exhibition organized by The Hyde Collection in Glens Falls, N.Y., and currently hanging at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe, N.M. This is a welcome addition to O’Keeffe’s legacy, expanding our view of her growth and highlighting an extraordinary period of her professional life.
— ELLIS WIDNER
Go: A Kidd’s Guide to
Graphic Design by Chip Kidd (Workman, $17.95). Kidd is an acclaimed book designer known for cutting edge covers that feature brilliant typography and highly unorthodox imagery. This is a guide to graphic design for kids, but it is so cleverly designed and entertaining that anyone can appreciate it. Kidd fills the book with examples of his work, and that alone makes it worthwhile. Whether you’re a youngster interested in learning design or a curious adult looking for a refresher course, this book is chock-full of helpful advice and ideas.
— KIRK MONTGOMERY
Magritte: The Mystery of
the Ordinary, 1926-1938 by Stephanie D’Alessandro, Michel Draguet and Anne Umland (The Museum of Modern Art, $65). This catalog of the work of the Belgian surrealist Rene Magritte documents an exhibition of the painter’s work at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The show and book are focused on his “breakthrough” period as a surrealist, and this publication is a thick, exhaustive survey of a fertile period in the artist’s career.
Early on, before he reached a certain level of facility as a painter, Magritte’s work was always disturbing and often grotesque. As he evolved into a more polished painter, he produced images that were less nightmarish but still powerful and dreamlike. There are plenty of examples of both in
Mystery of the Ordinary.