Andy Warhol Portraits

Book Description

First Book to Feature over 300 of Warhol's Famous Faces"I think everybody is my friend." -Andy Warhol To the general public, Andy Warhol is known as a painter of legendaryicons, from Marilyn and Jackie O to his own ever-changing self-portrait. Less known are the portraits he made of socialites, art dealers,collectors, politicians, fashion designers and a variety of contemporarycult figures, mostly commissioned work that helped finance Warhol's manyother artistic activities.Never before has there been a book thatprovides a comprehensive overview of all of Warhol's famous faces. ANDY WARHOL PORTRAITS by Tony Shafrazi, is the first book to provide acomplete overview of Warhol's many celebrity portraits, from the famous tothe infamous.It features over 300 glamorous portraits including manyworks largely unknown even by avid fans.ANDY WARHOL PORTRAITS grew out of an exhibition that was organized by theTony Shafrazi Gallery, New York in 2005.Shafrazi paid homage to a seminaldisplay of Warhol's portraits that took place at the Whitney Museum ofAmerican Art in 1979-80.The Whitney exhibition presented for the firsttime a large array of the commissioned portraits that the artist began inthe early 1970s as a way to offset the cost of multiplying activities atthe Factory.Shafrazi's exhibition included many portraits from theoriginal Whitney exhibition as well as others.ANDY WARHOL PORTRAITS takesShafrazi's exhibition even further, nearly doubling the number of worksshown.On the 20th anniversary of Warhol's death in 1987, there has never been abetter time to reflect on Warhol's life and influence on pop culture today. According to a recent interview with Charlotte Abbot from PublishersWeekly, "It's a good moment for Andy Warhol.Culturally, he is still ontop."Art historians and critics have long neglected this body of Warhol's work,preferring to discuss and study the more iconic Marilyns or Campbell SoupCans of the 1960's.ANDY WARHOL PORTRAITS includes, in addition to famousportraits of Marlon Brando, Liz Taylor and Dennis Hopper, lesser-knownimages of actors Bill Murray and Meryl Streep, fellow artists Donald Juddand Cy Twombly and royal family members such as Princess Diana and PrincessCaroline.It also features a number of musicians, including Prince andDolly Parton, and fashion icons including Diane von Furstenberg and GiorgioArmani. The book begins with an introduction by Tony Shafrazi, and features essaysby established art historians/critics Carter Ratcliff and Robert Rosenblum,who lend insight into one of the least fully known but neverthelessprolific aspects of Warhol's endlessly fascinating career.The book makesthe perfect gift for any pop culture fan.

Customer Reviews:

Face-to-Face Comparisons Reveal Warhol's Perspectives.......2007-05-08

When most people think of Andy Warhol, images of Campbell's soup cans and a vividly colored Chairman Mao come to mind. For those who know Warhol better, memories also include Marilyn Monroe, Jackie Kennedy, most wanted posters, and self-portraits of the artist.

What few appreciate is that portraiture was the bread-and-butter that Warhol used to finance his experimental work at the Factory. Before this book, you could not see the full range of this work. Unframed and grouped with similar and complementary works in the same time period, these 300 portraits show a considerable range of style and expression that will be a new perspective for all but collectors of Warhol portraits. I found the work to be so impressive that it totally changed my sense of who Warhol was as an artist.

In this book, the portraits do the talking. The brief essays merely describe the processes that Warhol used and that he tried to make people look good . . . and larger than life. But you knew that already, didn't you?

The range of the ways he captured the spirit of his subjects is what's most impressive in this volume. Repetition of the same image in one work with different treatments could help us see many different expressions of the person (see Natalie 1962). In other places, many images of the same person in one work express mood, movement, and a story (see Sixteen Jackies 1964). In other cases, multiple images of the same subject give us deep insight into personality (see Ethel Scull 1963). In other cases, the multiple images show the reality as well as the personality (see Merce Cunningham 1963 and Triple Rauschenberg 1963).

Exploring different use of colors and backgrounds, Warhol could totally change our emotions as viewers (Silver Liz 1963 gives us a sense of coolness and elegance while Liz 1963 shows a woman of great emotion and passion).

In Warhol's process, subjects were photographed around 100 times using a Polaroid camera. The subject then picked the images (or image) that she or he liked best. The images were turned into silk screens. Then, Warhol added the background and color to capture what the mere shape could not. The degree of focus also creates more or less power and immediacy (compare Donald Judd 1967 and Robert Rauschenberg 1967).

The portraits also create dialogues, such as when married couples had their portraits done around the same time. In the book, these images are often on facing pages. You'll be arrested to see Nelson Rockefeller 1967 and Happy Rockefeller 1968 looking off into the same spot in space . . . but not each other. The color overlap is minimal, emphasizing their differences.

These images are even more arresting when the pair are portrayed looking away from one another as with Gianni Agnelli 1972 and Marella Agnelli 1972.
In places, painterly backgrounds add remarkable depth and power to the images as with the Agnellis.

In places, the painterly treatment is sufficient to remind one of the work of Degas such as Lee Radziwell, 1972.

Portrait creators have always arranged sitters carefully to emphasize a certain point. Warhol does this in a very minimal way, often adding more than part of a hand touching the face or a bit of clothing. Because of its slight use, the impact is much stronger.

How do the subjects fare? Those with strong personalities do best. Those with complex personalities are rendered beautifully, but aren't as accessible. Subjects who want to look physically attractive often appear merely decorative, like a background model at a party.

Warhol's talent can best be seen by comparing the various ways he renders eyes. Male and female subjects alike receive slashes of color that sometimes resemble eye shadow and other times seem like tiny masks.

There isn't much that's soulful about these works. They are more about promotion than about moral uplift. It's all the more surprising when that soulfulness appears as in Farah Dibah Pahlavai (Empress of Iran) 1977.

Seeing Judy Garland 1979 and Liza Minelli 1979 made me wish that Warhol had done more mother-daughter combinations. These two stunners crawl right inside you.

Part of Warhol's art comes in knowing something about the person. Where the subject is unknown, you'll find yourself a little more baffled about what the message is. Think of each of the celebrity portraits then as being in part a reflection of the public image and our current perceptions. Warhol uses this celebrity awareness to good purpose in creating very minimal works that express the dominant impression of a person (see Martha Graham 1980).

As his career continued, the works became more daring. I was particularly drawn to the line drawings with bold bands of color such as in Paul Delvaux 1981 and Jean Cocteau 1985.

Some of these portraits will cause you to stop and rethink what you know about the people. I had that reaction to the pairing of Prince Charles 1982 (coolly displayed as a young symbol of the monarchy) with the almost flirtatious Princess Diana 1982 (appearing as a powerful force with an earthy grounding).

The portrait of John Lennon is simply stunning (1985-86).

For a good sense of Warhol's progress, you'll enjoy seeing many of his self-portraits.

Enjoy a good look!

A less familiar Warhol.......2007-04-28

This book enables the reader to discover some rarely seen paintings by Warhol, representing many personalities from the sixties, seventies and eighties, from O.J. Simpson to Pelé, from the Queen of England to the Shah of Iran, artists, art dealers, art collectors, musicians (John Lennon...), actors, fashion designers and friends of the artist's. Even though it was this kind of work that drew the harshest criticism (Robert Hughes, critic for Time Magazine, dubbed Warhol the new Van Dongen, meaning by that that he only painted superficial portraits of the rich and famous of his time), they still show the scope and depth of Warhol's creative power. The book is lavishly illustrated and the text was written by leading Warhol authorities (dealer or critic). A very complete checklist of all the portraits illustrated is given at the end of the book. A valuable addition to the albeit extensive Warhol literature.

An influence that continues down to the present.......2007-04-10

Andy Warhol is one of the best known American artists of the 1960s and renowned for his uncoventional life and art as well as is enduring influence on American pop culture. An influence that continues down to the present time several decades after his death. Famous for his iconic images of Marilyn Monroe and Campbell Soup Cans, he also made art out of the facial images of political, social, entertainment, sports, and music celebrities of his day. This particular body of his work has been compiled and edited by Tony Shafrazi, who enhances this 320-page coffee table art book with 350 color illustrations and informative essays by art critic Carter Ratcliff and art historian Robert Rosenblum. The men and women whose images were made immortal by Warhol range from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Giorgio Armani, Truman Capote, Jimmy Carter, Joan Collins, Clint Eastwood, Herman Hesse, Alfred Hitcock, Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Lenin, Robert Mapplethorpe, Liza Minnelli, Princess Diana, Yves Saint Laurent, O.J. Simpson, Elizabeth Taylor, Tennessee Williams, Natalie Wood, Mao Zedong, and hundreds of others. An important contribution to academic library 20th Century American Art History reference collections, "Andy Warhol Portraits" is a 'must' for the personal collections of Warhol's legions of admirers.

History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

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Calculations are only as good as your numbers
Pants on fire?
Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed.
Very Interesting
History as Science Fiction

History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Anatoly Fomenko
Manufacturer: Mithec
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 2913621058

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

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An American Icon
As a glamour photographer myself...
ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL
Hurrell's Hollywood Portraits
EXCELLENT BOOK! Vieira's mastery of the written word brings that era to life.

Hurrell's Hollywood Portraits
Mark A. Vieira
Manufacturer: Harry N. Abrams
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0810934345

Amazon.com

They had faces then, in the golden age of Hollywood when a publicity photo could make or break a star. The visual power of George Hurrell's portraits, with their Rembrandtesque lighting and dramatic poses, shaped the careers of such stars as Joan Crawford, Jean Harlow, and Jane Russell, and did as much or more to establish them as their film performances. Mark Vieira, who adopted Hurrell's techniques and uses them to this day, explains how the master portraitist lit and retouched his photographs--a portrait of Crawford before and after retouching reveals what an artist the one-time painter really was--and analyzes their impact.

Customer Reviews:

An American Icon.......2007-08-25

George Hurrell is universally acknowledged THE Hollywood portrait photographer, the man who recreated during the talkies much of the mystery of the silent stars through his breathtaking photographs. At a time when the finest still photography was becoming more incisive and natural, Hurrell managed to balance this new naturalism and directness in highly manipulated ways, producing in his best work iconic images of the great stars of MGM. After the second World War his work became largely passe, appearing too contrived and built up for an age demanding grit and spontaneity and an off-hand naturalness.

This work seeks to both show and tell the story of Hurrell's highwater era as not only the major photographer of the stars, and MGM in particular, but also his development as artist. Breathtaking photographs fill the volume - Harlow on a polar bear skin rug, her gown glowing a burnished white against the softer fur while all around her Hurrell captures an infinite play of lighting, the entire amazing and unrepeatable, a dream world evoked out of the irridescent sheen of an infinity of microscopic silvery gifts left by the platinum negative; Norma Shearer transformed from attractive but doughty into a timeless vamp, surpassing her silent film predecessors with an electric sexuality never before captured on still film; Joan Crawford, Hurrell's great muse at the top of his game, seen in powerful forceful images, unrelenting in their hold on an Apollonian authority.

Hurrell's flamboyant personality, his novel and sometimes off-putting behavior during shootings, seems now unfortunately taken as role template by many lesser fashion photographers. In his day and at his height during the late twenties through the beginnings of World War II Hurrell dominates a demanding and highly accomplished professional field.
Whether you live in a sumptious penthouse overlooking Central Park, need a single book for the coffee table in the living room of that restored Neutra you just purchased, or just enjoy reasonably priced fashion books, Hurrell's Hollywood Portraits fits the bill. At a significantly reduced price its a lovely reminder of one of the nicer advantages of democratic publishing: not every fine art book is a prohibitively expensive limited edition printed by a small press.

As a glamour photographer myself..........2007-04-13

As a glamour photographer myself, this is a book I own and use for inspiration. I love the way Hurrell not only captures the inner-beauty of the subjects, but his photojournalistic approach. I often graze through this book as I've read it many times over--the grazing gets me going when it comes to my own glamour photography. I recommend anyone interested in this book, buy it now! If you'd like to see how it's affected my career, also check out the following books, Garage Glamour: Digital Nude and Beauty Photography Made Simple, Rolando Gomez's Glamour Photography: Professional Techniques and Images and even a book where I have a chapter, Professional Portrait Lighting: Techniques and Images from Master Photographers (Photo Pro Workshop series) This book should not only be on a collector's list, but for any student of photography--we're always learning no matter what level your photography. ---Rolando Gomez, contributing writer, Studio Photography magazine

ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL.......2006-08-19

This book -- how beautiful. I have photography books by several of the great portrait photographers of the 20th Century, and this one is the best. There are a wealth of photographs, and the story of Hurrell's life is also interesting. If you ever thought about seriously learning about photography and taking some good pictures, this book will take any hesitation out of your mind. Gorgeous!!

Hurrell's Hollywood Portraits.......2006-07-25

This book is everything I expected. The pictures are great and the text very informative. I am enjoying it very much and it is a valued addition to my film library.

EXCELLENT BOOK! Vieira's mastery of the written word brings that era to life........2005-12-03

I thoroughly enjoyed browsing through and then reading this beautiful tribute to the legendary work of George Hurrell. As compelling as Hurrell's photos are it is the author's indepth knowledge and understanding of Hollywood and Hurrell that set this book apart.

Mark Vieira's own photographic artistry is based on Hurrell's techniques, providing current-day enthusiasts with authentic glamour photography of their own.

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (Penguin Classics)

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Have a good measure of patience ready to exchange for keen insight and impeccable writing
Highly moving coming of age story
Education Book
Being James Joyce
Charting your own course in life

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (Penguin Classics)
James Joyce , and Seamus Deane
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0142437344
Release Date: 2003-03-25

Book Description

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man portrays Stephen Dedalus's Dublin childhood and youth, providing an oblique self-portrait of the young James Joyce. At its center are questions of origin and source, authority and authorship, and the relationship of an artist to his family, culture, and race. Exuberantly inventive, this coming-of-age story is a tour de force of style and technique.

Download Description

Published in 1916 to immediate acclaim, James Joyce's semi-autobiographical tale of his alterego, Stephen Dedalus, is a coming-of-age story like no other. A bold, innovative experiment with both language and structure, the work has exerted a lasting influence on the contemporary novel.

Customer Reviews:

Have a good measure of patience ready to exchange for keen insight and impeccable writing.......2007-06-18

Actually, I listened to an audio version of this book - it was the only way I was able to finish it. Even so, it still took me quite a while to get through it. The writing is very dense, and self-absorbed. The book offers many rewarding insights into stream of consciousness thought processes, and typical youthful struggles with issues like religion, good and evil, aesthetics, books and learning, family relations, nationalism and politics, sex and love, asserting one's independence, and getting along with teachers and peers. The detailed accounts of Roman Catholic dogma were a bit tedious, yet I ran into references to them in other works soon after finishing those sections. Having been brought up Protestant, I was spared a lot of the gory details created by the human imagination regarding what hell must be like.

A rather profound insight that came in handy one day while teaching was that people who work hard to live pious lives often end up with a short temper, impatient with the visible weaknesses of others. That also was confirmed in a separate context soon after I listened to that part.

I had to give this work five stars - it is acknowledged great literature - but I wasn't so sure I liked the narrator that much the further I got into it. I guess anybody can be hard to like when they make an effort to be brutally honest about their thoughts and feelings. The narrator's ambivalence about things like his teachers and his interactions with them were sometimes disorienting, but that was certainly his purpose - to show that there are many possible views of the same interaction, and you have to make your own calls. The question posed to the narrator toward the end, about whether he had actually ever loved anyone in his life so far, put the entire work in a perspective worth pondering.

I think for the razor-sharp insights and the utterly lucid writing, this work is eminently worth reading. But you may have to push yourself to make it to the end - I did, anyway.

Highly moving coming of age story.......2007-05-25

This is the semi-autobiographical coming of age story of Stephen Dedalus. I read it about 10 years ago when I was an undergraduate and found it fairly hard to get through, so I thought I'd give it another go. On my second reading I found I was able to relate far more closely with the protagonist and appreciate the quality of Joyce's prose. The story, which is told mainly in the third person, recounts several stages of Stephen's youth. The beginning of the book is written in almost childlike prose as it depicts Stephen's experiences as a schoolchild at a Catholic boarding school. I was able to relate to Joyce's depiction of a very precocious yet sensitive young boy, full of childlike curiosity and terrified of the harsh discipline meted out by the priests. The latter part of this chapter also contains an interesting discussion between Stephen's father and his colleagues about Parnell and Irish politics. Not being an expert on Irish history, I couldn't follow this debate as intelligently as many readers will be able to, yet through it Joyce depicted the sharp political cleavages dividing Ireland at the time.

The next two chapters follow Stephen at a Catholic high school. He has become increasingly alienated from society and emotionally withdrawn. He also begins visiting prostitutes, which leaves him feeling disgusted with his sinful nature. Perhaps the most amazing part of the book is in chapter three, which details Stephen's religious conversion and subsequent renunciation of his faith. This chapter contains a sermon on the torments of hell which terrorizes Stephen and leads to his initial spiritual immersion. This sermon carries on for about 15 pages and is given in the most lurid, evocative prose that one can imagine. The sermon is explicitly designed to terrorize young minds and lead them to renounce their sinful ways. It really resonated with me, as I myself grew up in a conservative church where I was reminded every Sunday of the unimaginable horrors that awaited me if I did not turn my back on the sinful world. While Stephen, shaken with guilt and terror after this sermon, initially tries to immerse himself in the rites of the church, he continues to be assailed by doubts and skepticism, which ultimately lead him to renounce his faith. Joyce vividly describes the joy and freedom that Stephen feels upon freeing himself from the reins of religious doctrine and proclaiming his independence from all such confining systems of thought.

The last part of the book shows Stephen as a university student. There were parts of this chapter that were hard for me to relate to. First, there is about a ten page section in which Stephen elaborates to a friend his theory of aesthetics. Art scholars and philosophers might find this fascinating, but it was somewhat hard for me to follow. There is also a very peripheral romantic interest that is never fully fleshed out. Joyce's ultimate aim here, though, was to depict Stephen as a highly independent young man. Stephen refuses to lend his support to the various faddish social and political movements of the day, whether it be Marxism or Irish nationalism. In the end, Stephen makes the decision to leave Ireland, finding that his artistic aspirations will never be fulfilled if he stays.

Overall, this book clearly deserves its reputation as one of the best works of literature in the English language. Although several aspects of the story are hard to relate to for those who are either not Irish or experts on Irish history, there are also a number of universal themes that resonate more widely. First, this story can be read as a sort of free-thinker's manifesto. While it is admittedly hard at times to fully relate to Stephen (he is depicted as elitist and anti-social), many will be able to relate to his feelings of alienation and his independence of thought. Finally, one cannot properly review this work without noting Joyce's prose. Joyce reminds me of Nabokov in the sense that, although he is often longwinded, one can forgive him his longwindedness because it is simply a pleasure to read his beautiful prose. This is one of those books that contains passages that I will go back and read over and over again.

Education Book.......2007-05-13

Required reading for daughter. Book took too long to arrive. MysticBleu

Being James Joyce.......2007-02-07

Several years ago a movie came out called "Being John Malkovich." I didn't see the movie, but the title was always intriguing to me. Essentially, this book is as close as one could come to "being" James Joyce as a young man.

As other reviewers have noted, the book starts slowly. I did not find the storyline to be particularly compelling, but the revolutionary "stream of consciousness" style introduced by Joyce to the literary world in this book was quite compelling. While I could not call this book a "page turner," make no mistake: it is well worth the effort to persevere to the end. There is a reason why some books are considered "literature." This is one of them.

My Viking Press edition contained no notes or explanations...just the simple, unadorned manuscript without someone's notes telling me what I should extract from the book, what I should think, why it was great literature, etc. Nothing to "coach" me in a particular direction. Now that I have finished reading it, I would enjoy exposing myself to notes and essays on this work, to compare my own impressions with those of others.

The plot of the book is simple enough: a semi-autobiographical coming-of-age story featuring Stephen Daedelus, Joyce's alter ego - hence, the title of the book. We follow Daedelus through his formative years, first as the young son of a wealthy family sent off to boarding school, then as the adolescent whose family has fallen from political grace and is now struggling to make ends meet as young Stephen changes to another school that while different, is still as much about religious instruction (Catholicism) as about secular topics. Then, we find him in his mid-teens undergoing a stage in which he abandons himself to lust and then swings the pendulum to the other extreme by attempting something approaching mortal perfection in his religious devotion and briefly even considers entering the priesthood. At the close of the book we find Daedelus in college demonstrating his clearly formidable intellect as he ponders and debates subjects with his professors and peers such as the meaning of beauty and the responsibility of the artist. Ultimately, Daedelus gives us his conclusion on how he intends to live his life that is at once both profound and cliché: to express himself through his art (his writing) as freely and wholly as he can, even if it means being spurned by society and making mistakes. In today's vernacular, it would probably come out as something like, "I gotta be me." But of course Joyce leads us to this conclusion not as some airhead MTV-generation pronouncement, but as the result of his coming-of-age experiences and his deep philosophical ponderings about the meaning of life, the role of religion, and his purpose on this earth.

The stream-of-consciousness style pioneered by Joyce in this book is remarkable, both in its originality to the literary world, and in its ability to give us the events of the story not just through the eyes of Daedelus, but almost through his subconscious. If you have ever wondered what it would be like to read someone's thoughts, right down to the sometimes erratic ways in which one thought leads to another or the impressions that occur somewhat randomly, this is what Joyce delivers. In these pages, he delivers not what it would be like to observe James Joyce, but what it would be like to actually be James Joyce.

The language throughout is beautiful, many times a form of prose poetry. Often described as a novella rather than a novel, the rather sparse page count is rather deceptive: this is a dense book and will take as long for most people to read as a book three times its length. One thing in my edition of the book that was unconventional was Joyce's refusal to use quotation marks to distinguish dialog. He set off dialog with elongated dashes at the beginning of dialog sentences instead. Occasionally, I had to read passages several times to understand who was speaking because Joyce depars entirely from the convention we are all used to.

All in all, this is an excellent starting place for those new to Joyce such as myself, both because it gives insight into the author, and because it introduces the character Daedelus who apparently figures prominently in other books by Joyce such as "Ulysses."

Charting your own course in life.......2007-02-06

The narrative point of view of this book was very innovative for its day. Its not a traditional driving narrative where the author weaves together elements of a plot that leads the characters to a telling conclusion. The point of view is interior to the main character, but in the third person not the first, and the language changes as the character changes.

The narrative follows the growing up and coming to age of Stephen Dedalus from his earliest memories. It shifts from exterior events to interior reflections and fades in a disconnected way into dream events. Some of the exterior events are quite striking and memorable, such as Stephen getting whipped for something he did not do, the bird-girl on the shore, and a long priestly harangue about going to hell. Many signs along the way acquire a mythic or symbolic significance. There are frequent references to birds and flying, which signify Stephen's growing intention to leave Ireland.

The heart of the book is the story about a struggle against authority. The ability to rebel against dire warnings of everlasting punishment from disobeying a religious order requires considerable strength of mind from a lone individual. It requires inner resources, a constant source of solace that gives one an unwavering resolve. Stephen experiences the travails of youth, the giving into lust and subsequent shame, and then turning to the Church. He realizes that by becoming a priest all his material cares would be taken care of and the Church would allay his security anxieties. But his artistic temperament is awakened, most notably in the epiphany of seeing the girl on the shore; and he knows that he cannot endure the kind of sick drudgery that he would feel in the labors of renunciation of his self. Instead of having others chart his course, he awakens to the freedom of charting his own course.

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pretty
I loved it!
Yawn.
Mann Captures Childhood's Natural Beauty
A Vision of Innocence

Immediate Family

Manufacturer: Aperture
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0893815233
Release Date: 2005-06-15

Book Description

"These are photographs of my children....Many of these pictures are intimate, some are fictions and some are fantastic, but most are of ordinary things every mother has seen. I take pictures when they are bloodied or sick or naked or angry. They dress up, they pout and posture, they paint their bodies, they dive like otters in the dark river."--Sally Mann, from the Introduction

Taken against the Arcadian backdrop of her woodland home in Virginia, Sally Mann's extraordinary, intimate photographs of her children-- Emmett, Jessie, and Virginia-- reveal truths that embody the individuality of her immediate family and ultimately take on a universal quality. Mann states that her work is "about everybody's memories, as well as their fears," a theme echoed by Reynolds Price in his eloquent, poignantly reflective essay accompanying the photographs in Immediate Family.

With sublime dignity, acute wit, and feral grace, Mann's pictures explore the eternal struggle for autonomy-- the holding on, and the breaking away. This is the stuff of which Greek dramas are made: impatience, terror, self-discovery, self-doubt, pain, vulnerability, role-playing, and a sense of immortality, all of which converge in Sally Mann's astonishing photographs.

A traveling exhibition of Immediate Family, organized by Aperture, opened at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia in the Fall of 1992.

Customer Reviews:

pretty.......2007-06-27

it's just gorgeous to look through. you get to see through the mother's eyes, to see what every mother sees: her children being children; being hurt and sad and happy and playful.

I loved it!.......2007-06-12

I love photography and having this kind of books exposes me to other peoples work and I love it!

Yawn........2007-01-15

I did not feel one way or the other about it. Quite boring overall, to be honest. Cannot even remember how I got a hold of it (I certainly did not buy it myself). Sold it off after a few months of trying to find something about it interesting...

Mann Captures Childhood's Natural Beauty.......2006-09-26

It's hard to see why there has been such a legal fuss over the photos contained herein, especially the luminous photos of older daughter Jessie, who was interviewed in the 1993 documentary "Blood Ties", which showed other photos not in the book [alas]. I only hope Mann has a chance to have published other photos of her children from this period, as well as some feom the 4 or 5 years immediately after [from about 1990 to 1995]. In the documentary, daughter Jessie was completely relaxed about all of the fuss, and seemed relaxed about being photographed without any clothes on in several photos. She wore nothing in several unpublished photos I've seen from the same period, like photos entitled "Venus After School", and "The Good Daughter". In an Aperture magazine retrospective on her from the early 2000's, she was very succinct in stating that she saw nothing wrong in any of this, and even more previously unpublished photos were published for the first time, proving that Jessie could be the subject of her own book. Here's hoping! This book is not to be missed! Don't let the controversy scare you away, before it's out of print for good!

A Vision of Innocence.......2006-07-24

Looking through the photographs in this volume, I feel so glad that Sally Mann's children had the freedom to just be themselves. You can see it in the pictures--nothing is "staged" or "put on," though you *will* see the kids playing at being grown up. Mostly, though, these are pictures of her children dressed and undressed, sprawled in the mud or playing games together or taking a nap. There are a few adult friends, but mostly these are photographs of the children.

They are wonderful. You realize how precious this fleeting phase of life is, and given this opportunity, you can see that children possess their own kind of beauty. I think it's called 'innocence,' and it is one mode of freedom. It's a kind of freedom that seems endangered in this world, so a photographic record of this sort acts as a kind of testimony that childhood can indeed be carefree, natural, and happy.

Karsh: A Sixty-Year Retrospective (Karsh)

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An insightful and sensetive look at famous 20th cent. people
Exceptional photographic studies of familiar faces.

Karsh: A Sixty-Year Retrospective (Karsh)
Yousuf Karsh
Manufacturer: Little Brown and Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0821223348

Amazon.com

This revised and updated portfolio includes nearly 200 images by the master portrait photographer. The best known faces of our time have been memorably "Karshed"--a glowering Churchill (his trademark cigar having been just snatched out of his mouth), a beaming Khruschev peeking out from a massive fur coat, a serene Helen Keller reading a book of Braille with quiet delight, a pensive Tennessee Williams at his typewriter, an impish Margaret O'Brien yanking at her pigtails. Karsh's portraits of fellow artists--especially sculptors and architects--are among his most sensitive and intuitive.

Customer Reviews:

An insightful and sensetive look at famous 20th cent. people.......1999-06-15

A wonderful retrospective view of Karsh's most famous photographs.Most portraits are in black and white and capture rare insights of the most influential people in the arts, politics, academics and entertainment. All photographs are brilliantly reproduced, most in full page format. The comments by Karsh reveal personal insights adding a dimension of accessibility to the most revered in our century. There are also numerous excellently reproduced color portraits, which along with the black and white portraits, are reproduced in a wonderful satin finish. There are many portraits from the 40's and 50's including his most famous portrait of Winston Churchill and powerful portraits such as the back of Pablo Casals playing the cello in an austerely but masterfully lit setting.

This book is a genuinely beautiful work of art. It will bring joy to the young and old at heart and will prove to be one of those treasures which one is proud to cherish for generations.

Exceptional photographic studies of familiar faces........1999-03-25

This is a must have book for the portrait photographer. Or for anyone who just enjoys famous faces.Years of wonderful portrait studies of people we all know and admire. These portraits make us feel as if we are really getting to know these people up close. Such emotions are rare to be captured as still images. A SUCCESS in portraiture!!!

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A Great Wyeth Book
He must have been in love
Andrew Wyeth One of America's Finest Painters

Andrew Wyeth: The Helga Pictures
John Wilmerding
Manufacturer: Harry N Abrams
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0810917882

Customer Reviews:

A Great Wyeth Book.......2005-10-20

Yes, this IS one of the great Andrew Wyeth books. Everyone interested in this great American artist will love it. This was my first Wyeth book. It was on my shelf for a long time, and I knew I liked his work. After my retirement in 2001, I began painting with watercolors and looked around for some work I liked for inspiration and found only Winslow Homer and Andrew Wyeth. Later, I was fortunate to see the Helga show in Omaha and found out how amazing Wyeth really is. I spent hours looking at these paintings trying to figure out how he was able to balance areas of color that looked almost poured on next to areas of almost photographic detail. I have read that that's what they call drybrush technique. Well, maybe so, but I call it sheer genius. As with all Wyeth reproductions in books, this one is good, but after you have seen the actual paintings, they are but pale shadows. Nevertheless, I love this book. It is the next best thing to being near a museum where you can see the originals. Wyeth is indeed an inspiration.

He must have been in love.......2005-06-19

I don't mean that Helga was his lover. Still, the artist has an intense experience of his model, and Helga was his model for 15 years.

This is an outstanding book in lots of ways. The subject matter is beyond belief, and the reproductions are good. The visual content is organized well: major pieces are chronological, and sketches and studies are gouped with the pieces they support. I find it very helpful to see the sketches, and see all the variations that Wyeth tried before committing to a more dmanding piece. Those groups of drawings are drawing lessons themselves, in how to explore a visual idea. The text is a bit thin, and says nearly nothing about Helga herself - not a flaw in the book, so much as a step short of what it could have been.

Most of all, the pictures are simply lovely. Helga was a very handsome woman, in her 50s in the lastest of these pictures. Not 'pretty' maybe, but very beautiful - at least, she is presented as very beautiful, and very real. Some of the nudes studies show her arms crossed, oddly compressing her natural curves. That just makes the pictures more genuine for me, showing her as she is, not made up to some anatomical ideal.

Explanatory text could have been more explanatory, but that's OK. The large majority of the book is just the pictures themselves, and I don't mind being alone with them.

//wiredweird

Andrew Wyeth One of America's Finest Painters.......2005-05-31

For well over 25 years I have examined and reviewed countless paintings of the Wyeth family (N.C. Wyeth, Andrew Wyeth, & Jamie Wyeth) who are all phenomenal painters. But the quality of the Compositions, the details of the clothing, nature and the human figure are an amazing spectacle when you review this book of Andrew's work. What an amazing technician he is.

Whether you're an art collector, painter or art critic you will admit that this book contains some of the most intriguing and interesting art.

Andrew Wyeth is a master at creating depth in each picture. The justaposition of figure to landscape or figure to interior items seems to be a heighted sense of "knowing" in Andrew's work. This book helped me to conclude that Andrew Wyeth is a genius who is in full command of his materials. If you think Steven Spielberg is a great film producer than it won't be hard for you to conclude that Andrew Wyeth is also a great painter.

The details in the picture "Farm Road" are excellent. Helga's hair is detailed as if painted with a laser while the leather strap from the bag she is carrying appears worn like real leather. The muted colors of green, brown and reddish tones in the coat and the rich transparency of light emanating from her cheek are amazingly done with subtlety and richness you will appreciate.

My degree in Accounting allows me to be able to count the hundreds of amazing things that are going on in each work while my degree in Art allows me to appreciate the quality of the brush work and the transparency range in each painting.

Facial Expressions: A Visual Reference for Artists

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Facial Expressions
ABSOLUTE NECESSITY!
Excellent reference for drawing comics
Ummm a little disappointing great book
good drawing book

Facial Expressions: A Visual Reference for Artists
Mark Simon
Manufacturer: Watson-Guptill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0823016714

Book Description

All artists are tired of persuading their nearest and dearest to look sad…look glad…look mad…madder…no, even madder…okay, hold it. For those artists (and their long-suffering friends), here is the best book ever. Facial Expressions includes more than 2,500 photographs of 50 faces—men and women of a variety of ages, shapes, sizes, and ethnicities—each demonstrating a wide range of emotions and shown from multiple angles. Who can use this book? Oh, only every artist on the planet, including art students, illustrators, fine artists, animators, storyboarders, and comic book artists. But wait, there's more! Additional photos focus on people wearing hats and couples kissing, while illustrations show skull anatomy and facial musculature. Still not enough? How about a one-of-a-kind series of photos of lips pronouncing the phonemes used in human speech? Animators will swoon—and artists will show a range of facial expressions from happy to happiest to ecstatic.

Customer Reviews:

Facial Expressions.......2007-09-29

This is a wonderful resource for artists. It offers a variety of models with a wide range of expressions. I Highly reccommend it.

ABSOLUTE NECESSITY!.......2007-09-19

I just recently started creating a webcomic and I never could have done it without this book. The expressions range from highly exaggerated to more subtle and, I promise you, will work for almost any expression you want to create. Also, many expressions are shot at multiple angles, making it much easier for me to create the exact image I am thinking of. Perfect.

Excellent reference for drawing comics.......2007-08-23

I'd used this book often when drawing my manga. However do note that the facial expressions are mostly very exaggerated. When drawing my characters talking or just a gentle smile, I could not find reference from there.I'd to use a mirror. I hope there's a volume two with two people interacting with each other and different camera angles.

Ummm a little disappointing great book.......2007-07-16

I think it's the only book right now which has addressed reference material for facial expressions. It's really useful, but professionals may get disappointed with the quality of some pictures and blurriness. It's not that all pictures are bad quality, but when you have such an amazing reference you ought to expect a lot and that's where this book is disappointing. But for sure this book will be useful for all beginners and probably higher level artists. For this price don't hesitate to buy if you really want a reference for facial expressions. Some people may not like the quality of the paper, but I think you should also consider the price.

good drawing book.......2007-07-05

i thought the book was something different from what i ordered. but i guess its good for artists

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The Power of Color Portraits
pocket book
Beautiful
Wonderful Portraits!
breathtaking

Portraits
Steve McCurry
Manufacturer: Phaidon Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Digital Cameras | Used Photo & Camera | Specialty Stores | Camera & Photo Features | Electronics
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ASIN: 071483839X

Customer Reviews:

The Power of Color Portraits.......2007-07-18

Excellent example of portrait technique - lighting, backgroud - as well as value and power of color photgraphy. So often B&W is held up as standard of serious color portrait photography, yet we see in color. The fact that these hundreds of photos came from one photgrapher speaks volumes about his rapport with his subjects - although he doesn't actually offer any details - which is a slight weakness of the book. Steve McCurry does not offer any insight into how he gets such open, unblinking moments with those he photgraphs. But never mind, you can learn a lot about photgraphy by just seeing this small compact book - with what appears to be very good binding. His very famous cover shot reminds that any photographer has only a handful of great, memorable photos that are gifted to us by time and place. A really good photo book!

pocket book.......2007-06-08

difficult to be honnest when you're a Steve McCurry fan !
the quality of selected images is great
this book is now in my hand bag !

Beautiful.......2007-05-13

Some portraits are so beautiful you could watch for hours. I would recommend
as well Portraits by Steve McCurry edited by Phaidon. Three times more pictures but unfortunately four times smaller size.

Wonderful Portraits!.......2007-01-25

I first bought this book for myself and then bought several as gifts. It consists of page after page of the most wonderful photographs of faces - young and old - from all over the world. It is a beautiful way to be reminded that our world is a small place and that we, its inhabitants, are more alike than different in the emotions we share and how we experience the world at the most basic level. It is a very moving book of pictures - no words. Steve McCurry has a very special gift which he has shared with us.

breathtaking.......2007-01-10

Steve McCurry's portraits are breathtaking. And each one is filled with an epic, some are lovely, some are tragic and some are funny......

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RITTS
the right stuff
The Best of A Pioneer.
Beautiful coffee table book & conversation piece
A Mixed Bag of Photographs

Herb Ritts: Work
Herb Ritts , Trevor Fairbrother , Malcolm Rogers , Richard Martin , and Steve Meise
Manufacturer: Bulfinch
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Collections, Catalogues & Exhibitions | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0821222961

Book Description

Herb Ritts is one of the most notorious and successful photographers working today. The Los Angeles-based imagemaker has created portfolios for Vogue, Vanity Fair, and other magazines, done movie ads and music videos, and worked with fashion-world clients such as Calvin Klein and Giorgio Armani. This sumptuous catalogue, published to accompany an exhibition at the Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain in Paris, includes an interview with Herb Ritts. One hundred photographs, some previously unpublished, exemplify the rigorous, disconcerting work of one of the most remarkable photographers of the contemporary art, fashion, and entertainment worlds. Herb Ritts's subjects include Antonio Banderas, Sandra Bernhard, Louise Bourgeois,Charles Bukowski, William S. Burroughs, Francesco Clemente, Joseph Fiennes, Dizzy Gillespie, Mel Gibson, Keith Haring, Stephen Hawking, Michael Jordan, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, B. B. King, Roy Lichtenstein, Ewan MacGregor, Nelson Mandela, Edward Norton, Robert Rauschenberg, Christopher Reeve, and Tina Turner. 94 duotone photographs.

Customer Reviews:

RITTS.......2007-01-20

This is a beautiful book on the iconic Ritts. I was lucky enough to be photographed by him and he was not only a huge talent, but he was a no air's, no b.s., really cool guy. This book really is the benchmark on books of his work, it is very comprehensive and gives you a real feel of what made Ritts a great photographer. I've looked through this book a million times and ive never tired of admiring his talent and his great eye for what makes an image pop. I lament the fact he died so young and that we are robbed of his talent and his humanity as a human being; he is missed.

the right stuff.......2006-12-31

I love Herb Ritts. Also Richard Avedon is on the top of my list. I bought both for my birthday and have no regrets. This is top notich photography and both are beautifully produced.

The Best of A Pioneer........2005-08-15

This is one of the most beautiful coffe table books I have ever seen. It is a compliation of the work of a genius, and seethes with human tension. What a wonderful book.

Beautiful coffee table book & conversation piece.......2004-03-03

I received this book as a gift. I can't tell you how many times at a party or get-together at our home someone has picked this up, and then it has become the topic of conversation. The book gets passed around the entire night because everyone wants to look at it, and once someone starts flipping through the pages they simply can't put it down because they want to look at every image. Several of the photos are of celebrities, but they are somewhat disguised. Example: Cindy Crawford made up as a man. It is fun to do a "double take" as you try to guess who some of the subjects are. As always, Herb Ritts' images are masterpieces. This was a wonderful gift.

A Mixed Bag of Photographs.......2004-01-09

This catalogue of the retrospective of Ritts' work in the mid 90's at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston by its very nature has a lot of photographs that are included in previous volumes: many of the nudes, the African photos, the series called Duo and "celebrity portraits." Unlike many celebrity photographers, Ritts was able to create photographs that rarely if ever are duplicates of either his or other artists' work. You get a good sense of that from looking at all of the small copies of all the photos published at the end of this volume. That is no small accomplishment. Many of the nudes and/or erotic photographs have been around for so long and reproduced so often that they have almost become cliches. For example, the series of "Fred With Tires." These show up in calendars, refrigerator magnets, posters ad nauseam. The nine photographs of Bill T. Jones, one of which graces the cover of this hefty volume, should be called "Eunuch, I-IX." The poor man has been castrated by the stroke of an airbrush. I assume we are politically rather than anatomically correct here. This show was clearly no repetition of the Mapplethorpe Exhibit in Cincinnati!

Celebrity photographs are often just that. They are interesting only if you know the model. A fine portrait photographer can shoot someone we do not know and make that person interesting to us. Many though certainly not all of Ritts' photos rise to that level. For that reason, he will always be revered as an artist. I would put the photos of Whoopi Goldberg, William Burroughs and Mike Ovitz in that category, to name three. Even if we did not know who these people are, Ritts makes us want to know them. Proof of this, at least for me, is that I was mesmerized by the photo of Ovitz and didn't have the slightest idea initially of who he was. These photographs are intriguing and draw the viewer in. Finally, for my money, the three incomparable shots of Eunice Kennedy Shriver are simply the best portraits in the book. The first time I leafed through this volume, these fantastic shots jumped out at me.

I treasure my signed copy of another of Ritts' books. I'm sorry that he will never take another photograph.

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