Average customer rating:
- A first-rate primer for the aspiring filmmaker
- An Excellent Overview
- good intro for the novice filmmaker
- Stick to "Film Art" by Bordwell/Thomspon
- Best introduction to filmmaking I've found
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Art of Technique, The: An Aesthetic Approach to Film and Video Production
John S. Douglass , and
Glenn P. Harnden
Manufacturer: Allyn & Bacon
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ASIN: 0205142486 |
Book Description
This book provides readers with a teaching tool not currently available. It fills a gap in the literature by going beyond simple discussions of hardware usage, basic technical knowledge, and descriptions of technique to in-depth discussions of how this knowledge can be applied in a coherent approach to production.
Customer Reviews:
A first-rate primer for the aspiring filmmaker.......2002-01-21
"The Art of Technique: An Aesthetic Approach to Film and Video Production," is more of a primer than it is a critique of cinema. Yes, there is a big difference between this volume by John S. Douglass and Gleen P. Harnden and "Film Art: An Introduction" by David Bordwell and Kristin Thompson. The latter utilizes literally hundreds of frames from both classic and relatively unknown films to demonstrate cinematic techniques. "The Art of Technique" does the same thing with student models. Whether this has to do with the cost of using copyrighted images and/or transforming them into individual frames for use in a book, this is a major difference between the two textbooks. When Douglass and Harnden discuss something, like Ingmar Bergman's use of Extreme Close-ups (ECU) in "Scenes from a Marriage," they can only talk about the extraordinary intimacy it gave the production, without offering visual evidence to support their claim. However, the authors do use their "homemade" examples to good use at time; for example, when exploring the concept of framing they provide examples of "bad" shots (filled with distracting clutter) before showing better choices for the cinematographer.
"The Art of Technique" is divided into two main sections. After an introductory chapter on "Interpretation and Treatment," there are six chapters focusing on the various ways a film can tell a story, essentially pre-production considerations. There is a nice little section detailing the basic types of stories Hollywood tells over and over again ("Jack the Giant Killer," "Fish Out of Water," etc.). Clearly the emphasis here is more on production than criticism, which makes the orientation of this textbook more towards the filmmaker than the movie audience. This first section ends with a look at Mise en Scene and questions of design. In terms of concepts covered, separate from the issue of how those concepts are presented in the textbook, the authors provided a comprehensive, well-organized presentation.
The second half of the book covers "Techniques for Interpretation," which starts with a consideration of the trinity of how the camera, editing and lighting can be used for interpretation. Again, everything is here; I could not find a concept or technique that was an obviously glaring omission. The book concludes with a pair of chapters on Symbols and Significance, which get into the impact film can have on an audience. You might expect to find a glossary at the back of the book, but instead we have a pair of appendixes on Electricity and Measuring Light, which only serves to reaffirm that this book is geared towards the novice filmmaker. If you are looking for a textbook that because you are a budding film critic, then this is not going to be your first choice. I can even make the argument that by not saturating their textbook with frames from dozens of films, Douglass and Harden do their readers a favor, because instead of borrowing shots and techniques from the acknowledged masters of the art form, they are being asked to reinvent the wheel. Do not knock this, because that is basically how we think Orson Welles made "Citizen Kane."
An Excellent Overview.......2002-01-15
This book explores many aspects of filmmaking in a logical, easy-to-follow manner. A great find, albeit a bit pricy. I used it as my text for teaching a video class as it offers some aesthetic considerations for why techniques may or may not be used in a given situation. This approach helps to minimize the technique-euphoria beginners tend to have with techniques which are new to them (ala George Lucas in the new Star Wars...)
good intro for the novice filmmaker.......2000-04-21
this book works very well as an introduction to the creative use of techniques for filmmaking. it is quite clear and concise and is not bogged down by too much technical details or dicussions on film theory. a good starting point.
Stick to "Film Art" by Bordwell/Thomspon.......2000-04-17
I was shocked when I looked over this book. I had always relied on "Film Art" which is the standanrd intro to film but I wanted to branch out. I found this book to be a superficial approach to cinema, no probbing analysis or challenge to interpretaion of technique or narrative. Save your money and stick to the classics. No one seems to use this book in higher education film studies- ask your professor to suggest a book.
Best introduction to filmmaking I've found.......2000-02-16
I teach filmmaking, and needed a book that covers all the basics in a few meaty and meaningful pages. This is it. Most books on filmmaking technique either wax philosophical on the author's pet theories or get lost in gee-wiz-you-can-do-this-neat-trick-with-the-camera mania. There's little of either here; instead, you'll find a focused, highly readable series of lessons on what really matters most--how to communicate a meaningful message on film or video. Unlike some VERY annoying books that give examples of lighting and other techniques via badly drawn line-art, this book shows every technique with actual stills from video shoots so you can see how lighting, framing, lens use, etc. actually change the appearance and impact of a scene.
There are also numerous references to excellent classic and modern films with quite specific suggestions for examining the techniques that make those films work so well. Perhaps most important of all, the authors never lose sight of the fact that filmmaking is about interpreting and creating a reality that evokes a meaningful and powerful experience for the audience.
So if you want a book listing all the oh-so-tacky transitions and effects that your new NLE will do, or a thousand-page treatise on the history of film, THIS AIN'T IT. But if you want a book that will help you quickly learn to put cameras, lighting, and editing in the service of your creativity--buy this one first.
Book Description
Professor of Music at Colgate University and a widely respected musicologist, Godwin traces the history of the idea, held since ancient times, that the whole cosmos, with its circling planets and stars, is in some way a musical or harmonious entity. The author shows how this concept has continued to inspire philosophers, astronomers, and mystics from antiquity to the present day.
Customer Reviews:
A Conscious Cosmos ~ Re-Discovering The Adam Kadmon.......2006-05-19
Jocelyn Godwin's 'The Harmony of the Spheres: The Pythagorean Tradition in Music' was published in '92 by Inner Traditions Publ. This 512 page text along with his 'Music, Mysticism and Magic' in '86 and 'Harmonies of Heaven and Earth' in '87 comprise a trilogy of monumental importance.
Building from the foundation of these two previous works Joscelyn Godwin presents a treatise encapsulating all the arcane and mundane wisdom of the ages to come to a conclusion that we knew all along in our heart of hearts. There is no separation, no "I and Thou" in the universe. All is one and music is the hidden key to unlocking this ancient truth. The cosmos is a musical, harmonious entity (Adam Kadmon)!
His scholarship is beyond repute, his research exhaustive and his conclusions, well you decide.
Source Readings in Music.......2002-12-11
Yes, this is a highly specialized, scholarly, and esoteric collection but it contains the translated writings of philosophers of music not easily available. Not even the huge "Strunk's Source Readings (1998)" has the information which Godwin has collected and translated: Nicomachus, Pliny, Ptolemy, Kepler, Fludd; Arab writers Al-Safa, Al-Katib; the kabalist Ibn Latif. If you are a fan of Godwin's research as I am, these source readings will fill in the gaps in the history of music which is not taught. It is, however, a reference book first and foremost.
Amazon.com
What ever happened to beauty? Since the late 1960s she seems to have been in exile. Postmodern artists traded her in for flirtations with truth, strength, and purity of form. It was then that women started stripping off their heavy makeup and Barbie doll clothing in an effort to gain equal footing with men. And men, anxious too to break some of society's molds, shed their business suits and leisurewear--then the paragons of male beauty. But as art critic Dave Hickey unwittingly predicted during the '80s, that quality--which Plato believed to be eternal and absolute--is the "issue of the '90s."
After three decades of playing wallflower because she was thought by many artists to be frivolous, easy, tired, and even shallow, beauty is dancing again. Uncontrollable Beauty is filled with exciting essays by artists, critics, curators, and philosophers whose definitions of this elusive quality are often at odds with the Platonic ideal. When beauty besets critic Peter Schjeldahl, his mind is "hyperalert," his body eases, and he is often aware of his "shoulders coming down as unconscious muscular tension lets go." Renowned sculptor Louise Bourgeois also experiences beauty as opposed to encountering it: "Beauty is a series of experiences. It is not a noun ... beauty in and of itself does not exist." Artist and coeditor Bill Beckley blames beauty's banishment on Wittgenstein--who, in a 1938 lecture at Cambridge, said that beauty is most often meant as an interjection "similar to Wow! or rubbing one's stomach"--and his undue influence on conceptual artists of the '60s and '70s. Each essay collected here is rigorous in its definition of this elusive yet powerful force in art and aesthetics. Taken together, the writings are an invigorating read for artists and viewers alike.
Book Description
In 1998, a prestigious group of artists, critics, and literati offered in a single collection their incisive reflections on the question of beauty—past, present, and future. This esteemed collection of essays, entitled Uncontrollable Beauty, provoked debates about beauty in art and culture, arousing widespread curiosity and stimulating passionate discussion that helped to usher in a new era of appreciation for beauty in art. In response to the enduring popularity and acclaim for this anthology, Allworth Press has just published a paperback edition of Uncontrollable Beauty, edited by Bill Beckley and David Shapiro.
Customer Reviews:
An excellent book.......2005-07-25
The role of beauty in contemporary art has become a hot topic and this compilation of writings and interviews presents a group of well written and well considered perspectives. I've just finished it and am re-reading many of the essays, as I consider them cogent and inspirational.
A refreshing antidote to the dilemna of today.......2001-05-02
UNCONTROLLABLE BEAUTY: Toward a New Aesthetic is easily some of the most beautiful writing I've ever encountered. Editor Beckley ( who also writes well) has selected poets, critics, painters, sculptors, philosophers to write about where we place Beauty on the scale of art importance in the past thirty years. The very fact that this issue is being addressed bodes well for those of us who have been concerned about recent past trends in art of all forms. Being ugly, controversial, in your face, violent, frivolous, mocking, sadistic has been the criteria for what gets press and thus what the public is spoon-fed as what is "in". So many of us tire of these stale and selfish agendas which don't seem to have a life much past the opening of the show that features them. But why did we get that way? Is there a possibility that we have become so overinformed as to how to see that that most sacred aspect of creativity - beauty - has become a dinosaur? Accordingly to lyrically beautiful essays the answer is a decided "No!". Almost every way of describing beauty, feeling beauty, thinking beauty, seeking beauty is given in this eloquent book. This is not always easy reading.....but there is beauty in making the effort, too. Bravo and welcome back to the age of hope!
Book Description
In this eagerly awaited follow-up to his international bestsellers Anam Cara and Eternal Echoes, John O'Donohue turns his attention to the subject of beauty -- the divine beauty that calls theimagination and awakens all that is noble in the human heart.
In these uncertain times of global conflict and crisis, we are riven with anxiety; our trust in the future has lost its innocence, from one second to the next. In such an unsheltered world, it may sound naive to suggest that this might be the moment to invoke and awaken beauty, yet this is exactly the claim that this book seeks to explore.
Beauty is a gentle but urgent call to awaken. O'Donohue opens our eyes, hearts, and minds to the wonder of our own relationship with beauty. Rather than "covering" this theme, he uncovers it, exposing the infinity and mystery of its breadth. His words return us to the dignity of silence, the profundity of stillness, the power of thought and perception, and the eternal grace and generosity of beauty's presence. In this masterful and revelatory work, O'Donohue encourages our greater intimacy with beauty and celebrates it for what it really is: a homecoming of the human spirit.
As he focuses on the classical, medieval, and Celtic traditions, on art, music, literature, nature, and language, O'Donohue reveals how beauty's invisible embrace invites us toward new heights of passion and creativity.
Beauty is an exquisite treasury of Forms of the Beautiful. Its surface employs narrative, image, anecdote, and myth, while into the silence of its subtext are sown seeds of reflection that gradually blossom in the heart.
Customer Reviews:
Awake to the Beauty that surrounds you!.......2007-07-08
This CD fills the very essence of my soul! As a Franciscan religious I appreciate the beauty and splendor of all of God's creation! John O'Donahue has captured the essence of the Franciscan Spirit! St. Francis called everything by the intimate name of "brother" and "sister"! As St. Francis says, "Put on new glasses" "adjust your focus" and you will see beauty all around you." With St. Francis we can all say "My God and My All"! Thank you and God bless you, Sister Rose Therese Di Gregorio OSF.
Truly an inspiration.......2007-03-11
I adored this book from page one to the last. It is such an inspiration to me and I
felt like a found in this book my "bible" and guide to life as I have created it.
A good look at the aesthetic dimension to God.......2006-10-25
Beauty: The invisible embrace is essentially a poetic and theological reflection on the beauty of the world, the universe, of life, and of God, using ideas from Christian tradition, theology, mysticism, and poetry.
The ideas in here are deeply Neo-Platonic and will be easily recognised by anyone who has read Plotinus (in a way this book unfolds the ideas in his work 'On Beauty) however they are also deeply tinged with O'Donahue's Celtic appreciation for the beauty of nature. It is perhaps not surprising Ireland has produced many great thinkers and poets who refreshingly don't see the world as a horrible place infected by sin, but rather a beautiful reflection of God's glory. The greatest Celtic philosopher, Eriugena, called the universe 'God's theophany.'
Indeed this book treats our world and our life as a theophany of divine beauty, to be celebrated at every moment despite its pain, vulnerability, and tragedy.
An excellent guide to uncovering true beauty in the world.......2004-06-02
My review of this book can be summed up with a single word: Wow! When I grabbed a copy of /Beauty/, I was expecting a preachy book about some glorified ideal of beauty that us mere mortals cannot attain. I'm happy to report I was proven quite wrong in that expectation.
/Beauty/ is a hard book to classify - it's not a philosophy book, it's not a religion book, it just... is. It's like hopping on a tourist bus and cruising down the road of the beautiful, with John O'Donohue pointing out the sights along the way. "To your left, you will see the beauty of light dancing across the sky at twilight. And to your right, the misty beams of sun's fading glory illuminating every crevice and boulder on the mountainside..." You're not outright told what beauty is, per se. You are simply guided through the process of understanding beauty as not merely a characteristic, but as a force. O'Donohue illuminates what beauty *does* and where you might find it.
This is a magical, wonderful book. It is written in a relaxed and almost lyrical style - as a book on the beautiful should be. True beauty cannot be described by the mere words of men, but John O'Donohue does an admirable job of opening us up to "the eternal grace and generosity of beauty's presence." That, in a nutshell, is what this book is all about.
Just perfect.......2004-03-29
Once again, O'Donahue delivers a treatise on the beauty of life, the beauty of living fully and the beauty of belief. This book is really a marvelous experience. The author challenges the reader to choose being awake, aware and available. I loved it.
Book Description
In Materializing New Media, Anna Munster offers an alternative aesthetic genealogy for digital culture. Eschewing the prevailing Cartesian aesthetic that aligns the digital with the disembodied, the formless, and the placeless, Munster seeks to "materialize" digital culture by demonstrating that its aesthetics have reconfigured bodily experience and reconceived materiality.
Her topics range from artistic experiments in body-computer interfaces to the impact that corporeal interaction and geopolitical circumstances have on producing new media art and culture. She argues that new media, materiality, perception, and artistic practices now mutually constitute "information aesthetics." Information aesthetics is concerned with new modes of sensory engagement in which distributed spaces and temporal variation play crucial roles. In analyzing the experiments that new media art performs with the materiality of space and time, Munster demonstrates how new media has likewise changed our bodies and those of others in global information culture.
Materializing New Media calls for a re-examination of the roles of both body and affect in their relation to the virtual and to abstract codes of information. It offers a nonlinear approach to aesthetics and art history based on a concept of "folding" that can discern certain kinds of proximities and continuations across distances in time (in particular between the Baroque and the digital). Finally, it analyzes digital culture through a logic of the differential rather than of the binary. This allows the author to overcome a habit of futurism, which until now has plagued analyses of new media art and culture. Technology is now not seen as surpassing the human body but continually reconfiguring it and constitutive of it.
Customer Reviews:
Dazzling.......2007-04-06
This book is a virtuoso performance in its feminist exploration of the concerns of new media and the concept of embodiment.
Book Description
"A provocative interpretation of the political and cultural history of the early cold war years. . . . By insisting that art, even art of the avant-garde, is part of the general culture, not autonomous or above it, he forces us to think differently not only about art and art history but about society itself."—New York Times Book Review
Customer Reviews:
Social and political context of Abstract Expressionism.......2007-08-06
Guilbaut offers an compelling account of the European-American situation during and immediately following WWII, when the center of Western culture was transferred from Paris to New York. It was not an easy shift; although Paris was in ruins, Europeans and the French especially did not want to see their centuries-long monopoly put in the hands of such a young and, in their view, naïve country. A major theme throughout this text is the shifting alliances of the left in regard to Marxism and socialism. While most liberals espoused Communism in the 30s, by the early 40s it had come to be seen as another form of fascism, and for artists this meant censorship. American artists were challenged to prove themselves unique from the Parisian avant-garde while at the same time not promoting a national style, which was seen as provincial (due to regionalism in the previous decade) and dangerous (since nationalism had just produced a world war). To make things even more interesting, Guilbaut also describes how contemporary audiences and the US government went from hating the new abstract art to valuing it, or at least creating a new American art market for it (the former) and using it as a form of propaganda during the Cold War (the latter, by touting it in Europe as a symbol of American freedom and individuality, in contrast to state-dictated art). Aside from having a bizarre ending, and overusing the word shibboleth, I love this book! It provides a much more solid and interesting foundation than other books on Ab Ex, such as those by Dore Ashton and Irving Sandler.
Answers to several questions.......2007-05-28
I am an Argentine art critic and curator. I knew of this book but had not read it. I ordered it because I found the title ingenious. I thought it would be entertaining as well as good. It goes further. It is an in-depth study of the social and political circumnstances that accompanied the intellectual and creative processes of American artists previous, during and after the Second World War. It is an articulate explanation of why artists who were thouroughly conscious of social shortcomings chose to create their own ivory towers through styles that bore, for the most part, no recognizable physical references. This road into a spiritual realm beyond recognizable styles, influenced, but not derivative of European Modern art, was a way out of political engagement in a world they could no longer abide. And, the interesting part is that they were promoted by the political powers that were, not through an appreciation for their creative qualities, but to show that the US was the new cultural center of the world: strong, energetic and competitive.
Another most important point for me. I had always wondered why so many of the Abstract Expressionists had committed suicide. Why this deeply neurotic vent? The answer, I think, is in this book. Their deep dissillusion with socialist ideals after Stalin, the failure of the US to create a truly democratic society in which idealistic notions of equality and freedom were respected, were fatal to their belief in a better world.
Average customer rating:
- Authentic Feng Shui
- Sumptuous .. for the home, condo owners..builders
- A great start
- Great book, but not for feng shui beginners
- I Need another copy!
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Feng Shui Revealed: An Aesthetic, Practical Approach to the Ancient Art of Space Alignment
Ron Chin
Manufacturer: Clarkson Potter
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Feng-Shui
ASIN: 0609602942
Release Date: 1998-05-12 |
Amazon.com
Too many books on feng shui, the ancient Chinese art of space arrangement, come off like so much New Age handwaving. R.D. Chin, an accomplished architect and feng shui master, presents feng shui in a new light, pointing out the common sense behind the folklore in his introductory section on ch'i (the flowing energy of every room) and the ba-gua, the octagonal guide to the traditional elements of space. The main meat of the book is in the middle section, which presents 14 of Chin's high-end feng shui consultations, from a SoHo loft to a round Frank Lloyd Wright house in the woods. The treatments of the various "problems," such as poor room placement, sharp corners, and the constricting feeling of overhead beams, are well explained in terms more architectural than geomantic, and are applicable to any home, no matter how modest. The book's final section is a set of "cookbook" feng shui problems and cures, such as mirrors to counter the negative energy of a blank wall, flowers to counter unfriendly feelings in the office, and birdbaths to welcome wildlife and give a sense of tranquility. The serene photography gives this the delicious feel of a luxurious coffee-table book.
Customer Reviews:
Authentic Feng Shui.......2007-06-24
RD Chin is a Chinese-American Architect, living in a small apartment in NYC. He truly knows how to cull the best energy from a space. His calm, generous, caring spirit brings good energy to all of his projects. As a student and friend of Mr. Chin, I have had the good fortune to study feng shui in Thailand and China under his mentorship, as well as observe his consultations in very high end settings, as well as very humble spaces. His teachings are always pure and from the heart. I would recommend this book as a starting place to begin to learn about how energy moves through time and space. It's the real deal!
Sumptuous .. for the home, condo owners..builders.......2005-07-27
This is one of those visually lovely books. Well made, photos are perfect, colors and home are sumptuous. This is a Black Hat Feng Shui derived book as mentioned in the introduction which gives you a "family" or homey type feel as pictures of collegues and the authors ancestral lineage picture is also presented.
The book is basically about case scenarios with spaces that present typical and specific issues that you can find almost anywhere. The author is chinese as well as both and architect and interior designer. So, the rich look of things is not so surprising nor the chinese lore and cultural applications which have been incorporated with Black Hat along with a lot of other things which are to themself like chinese culture are whole subjects. The author as he is involved with other cultures in this book..mostly Europe/American...neverthless has many example of cross cultural additions to the Feng Shui applications such as things from other parts of the world that can be incorporated into the picutue as well.
You can get a lot of tips on how you can furnish your home the interior design perspective. Today thrift shops are all the rave and with a few dollars and creative/common sense you can do the same as the big bucks do if you like. Add in the Feng Shui principles and now you have a reason and purpose behind why, how, where, and what you choose to decorate. Most of the focus is on addressing problems with the space and the Ba-kua area needs.
Overall, this is not a first or beginners book and its not pretending to be a primer. It also has floorplans..some are juvenille and hardly understandable while others that are much better quality. At times it seems to go on and on in the descriptions of the in interior design details of places. This might interest some , bore, or agitate readers who might find it irrelevant. Its a good book once you've spent more vaulable time getting some introduction and comfort with Feng Shui. Its ideal for people with lavish spaces with outdoor or split level situations. This book is a good adjunct, a good leisure reading Feng Shui book. This book is also good experience for those who are afraid to explore and be creative with what they can do.
A great start.......2002-10-25
I found this book a great help. This is the first book I have read on this and found it to be very helpful with plenty of illustrations to help me understand. Plus I thought the section on consultations a great help to understand how to actually use Feng Shui not just follow rules but adapt them to the enviroment they are in. I found it so good I read it in a day and then started reorganizing my house the next. My husband actually noticed the diffrence and not just that the funiture was in diffrent places. It has greatly encourage me to continue to study and use Feng Shui in my life. Thank you.
Great book, but not for feng shui beginners.......2002-03-27
This is a beautifully written and photographed book, but it is not a primer for feng shui novices. I have studied feng shui for many years and got some good information from this, but it really doesn't address the basics that someone just learning would need (for that, try "Move Your Stuff, Change Your Life" by Karen Rauch Carter - superb book!).
The homes in "Feng Shui Revealed" are gorgeous and beautifully decorated, not exactly "How to improve your suburban tract house". For anyone who loves architecture, design, and has a good foundation in the fundamentals of feng shui, this book is a delight.
I Need another copy!.......1999-04-14
This is a wonderful book! What I liked best were the tell-tale pictures, and also the simple way the author explains feng shui principles and solutions to problem areas. There's something for everyone in this book. Now I need another copy (I gave mind to my girlfriend when she moved) and wouldn't you know it, they're out of print... I can't believe it! Let's keep out fingers crossed for re-prints of this fine book. Thank you R.D. Chin!
Amazon.com
In this collection of essays by the world's most renowned creative-types--Ingmar Bergman, Maurice Sendak, Frank Zappa, and Maya Angelou--we learn time and again that the act of creation is a willingness to encounter the unknown. If we never risk losing control and wallow in the murky depths of our beings, how will we ever meet our potential? Laurence Olivier talks about going naked. Federico Fellini romances the virtue of passion. Mary Shelley speaks frankly about the genesis of Frankenstein. This is chicken soup for the soul of any creator.
Customer Reviews:
Very inspiring and descriptive.......2007-07-08
As a composer, I bought this specifically to figure out how to hunt down creativity and not wait for it to hit me. This book delves into the sources of creativity from many famous and successful people, and it's from the people themselves. It's a pretty easy read, and the subjects speak from such a personal origin that it seems intuitive. I'd highly recommend it if you're a writer, a musician, a film maker, an artist, anyone in the creative field.
A true treasury.......2007-07-05
This book is a fascinating read - the selection of writings is fabously diverse and offers a myriad of views on creativity. It is easy to read and can be picked up and put down at any time with its short chapters. It is indeed a true treasure
Serendipity.......2003-08-20
I picked up this book idly and became interested in it. The selections are good. The creative mind is both full and empty. Serendipity means coming on an unexpected treasure. Cathy Johnson explains that her father had an unshakable need to wander.
Richard Feynman reports that teaching is an interruption, but that the questions of the students are often a source of new research. When Feynman felt burnt out at Cornell someone threw a plate in the cafeteria. He saw it wobble so he started to figure out the motion of a rotating plate. It was effortless. It was easy. It was like uncorking a bottle. His mind started to flow.
Kary Mullis, molecular biologist, notes that important inventions almost always cross disciplines. Mullis discovered the PCR, Polymerase chain reaction. It is widely used by molecular biologists. What is necessary for creative activity may be quite destructive of other kinds of activity. Yeats thought that rhythm prolongs contemplation. Annie Dillard sees herself as an explorer and also a stalker.
Italo Calvino relates that in devising a story the first thing that comes to mind is an image. In the acutal writing of the story, the words, the verbal aspect start to become more important. Imagination is a repertory of what is potential. The imagination is a kind of electronic machine. Michel Foucault suggests that utopias afford consolation although they have no real locality. Those who have creative power find the strength of mind to reject what is not true.
Mabel Dodge Luhan describes an experience with peyote where she had a momentary glimpse of life given by an expansion of consciousness. Creativity lives and dies within an ecology. Maya Angelou believes that black American art is rooted in music. N. Scott Momaday feels that southwestern landscape, turning up frequently in his writing, is more spiritual. He does not see any validity in separating man from the landscape. The oral tradition of the American Indian is intrinsically poetic. The Indian has the advantage of a very rich spiritual experience.
The creative process involves a tension between opposites. All the factors of creativity can be increased through training. The discipline and routine of creativity do not have to be boring. Stravinsky writes that all creation presupposes a sort of appetite. He believed that we have a duty towards music, namely to invent it. The faculty of creating is never given to us by itself.
Psychology of Creativity.......2000-04-15
This was by far one of the greatest books that I have ever read on psychology. It was funny, touching, sweet, but most of all thought provoking. As an aspiring artist, it helped me to comprehend myself a little better. The book is a compilation of essays, interviews, and writings by different creative individuals. From the flamboyant Maya Angenlou to the brilliant Federico Fellini. Probably the most moving and amusing segment of the book was the segment written by Frank Zappa, who explains creativity in a way that no other could. Sure genius.
Book Description
New Organic Architecture is a manifesto for building in a way that is both aesthetically pleasing and kinder to the environment. It illuminates key themes of organic architects, their sources of inspiration, the roots and concepts behind the style, and the environmental challenges to be met. The organic approach to architecture has an illustrious history, from Celtic design, Art Nouveau, Arts and Crafts, to the work of Antoni Gaudí and Frank Lloyd Wright. Today there is a response to a new age of information and ecology; architects are seeking to change the relationship between buildings and the natural environment. In the first part of his book, David Pearson provides a history and assessment of organic architecture. The second part comprises statements from thirty architects from around the world whose work is based on natural or curvilinear forms rather than the straight-line geometrics of modernism. Each statement is accompanied by full-color illustrations of one or several of the architects' built projects.
Customer Reviews:
Organic Life.......2007-08-26
It is very difficult to find books or articles regading organic architecture. The David's book is very complete and update. The research to find World wide examples is a great source of inspiration and understanding.
the defiant wave.......2007-04-05
Well, 1st of all, this is a beautiful and amazing compendium of range and depth of an international movement flowing over our globe, the organic school of architecture. That, for many; lived only in the hearts and lives of Frank Lloyd Wright and Bruce Goff, the precursors to this movement. David Pearson's coverage is monumental, one of the most diverse and broadly scoped visions capturing many of the finest; not all, but many from around the world. To include everyone would have been a volume so massive, the thought of merely lifting it would have been staggering. People so often forget, that an organic architect still needs a voliatile, creative and compassionate client base in order to bring this ideas into fruition. Sadly, that, more than creative designers are lacking in our conscious world. This is one of the best publications in print displaying the range of perception in organic architecture today, and sits alongside the volume of Alan Hess's Hyperwest, not specifically an organicist besed volume.
A good overview of different organic shaped buildings.......2005-08-02
A good book with nice graphic design and layout. A lot of pictures. Cover a lot organic architects although I miss buildings from e.g. Peter Vetch and other sculptured architecture with architecture. Easy to read but don't give deep insights.
Regards,
Martijn, Bladel Netherlands
Cutting Edge Architecture........2004-04-23
What I liked about this book is that it has introduced me to some new architects that I have not heard about previously in any other of the many books I have read.
What I don't like about this book is that it shows very little of each architects projects and some of the photo's where done using a very poor resolution camera, making for some very grainy pictures.
If your interested in the organic style of architecture then I would recommend adding it to your library. There is some very original stuff inside this book that just might spark some new ideas in your own practice.
New Organic Architecture.......2002-02-13
Some of the 28 architects who have contributed to this stimulating anthology might be surprised by the company they are in, which ranges from the cool rationalism of Tadao Ando to the romantic nationalism of Imre Makovecz. However, the eclecticism of Pearson's choice is justified, for organic architecture has always been the province of defiant individualists, from Wright on. Sensuous curves and fractal geometries, primitive and sophisticated technologies, earth and steel are all embraced by architects united only by their desire to break out of the box. Pearson emphasizes the spiritual dimensions and the affinities between natural and man-made forms, as well as the feminine side of design-though only one woman shows up on his list.
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