At ‘WesPress’, we are celebrating Artist Appreciation Month! Here is a sampling of relevant books to celebrate visual artists and highlight their work.
2022 Visual Art Collection
Rare Light: J. Alden Weir in Windham, Connecticut, 1882–1919 / Edited by Annie E. Dawson
“Rare Light adds granular context and interpretation for one of America’s leading impressionist artists. Within a growing body of distinguished literature on American art, the volume sparkles with rich historical detail and fresh archival research. As editor and lead author, Anne Dawson makes a meaningful contribution to our knowledge of American impressionism through the lens of a finely focused study.”
—Patricia McDonnell, Director, Wichita Art Museum
In the Grand Tradition: The Enduring Art of Elbert Weinberg / Nancy Finlay
“Every leaf, flower, snowflake, butterfly in Magnified is impeccably coated and coded with existential time, “In The Grand Tradition, apart from being an important historical record of Weinberg’s work, gives us a glimpse into the life and psyche of this brilliant artist. Thoroughly recommended for all artists, art students, educators, historians, and lovers of fine art, generally.”
—Rob Harle, Leonardo Reviews
Ten Hunts / Jill Sigman
“Every leaf, flower, snowflake, butterfly in Magnified is impeccably coated and coded with existential time, “I admire how these huts are a way for Jill to bring her generous theater, her concerns about art and people, their placement and predicaments, to the world in a way that is like nature—anonymous, unimposing, and forceful.”
—Ralph Lemon
Sol LeWitt: A Life of Ideas / Lary Bloom
“Lary Bloom has scrupulously chronicled not only Sol’s artistic development, but also his personal life and his ever-changing social milieu. The results are an insightful and intimate portrait of the artist, the man and his times.”
—Saul Ostrow, Founder of Critical Practices Inc.
Drawing the Surface of Dance: A Biography in Charts / Annie-B Parson
“What a joy it is to read this enchanting book of boundless imagination. Annie-B Parson, one of the great choreographers of our time, presents the curious reader with an intimate glimpse into a breathtaking, enigmatic world where a braid of hair, and even a stick are animated to reveal secrets about relationships, love, and the meaning of the universe. This book is much more than enthralling charts from past dance performances, but rather a gateway to the Marvelous- a realm where everything, every object, every intention, and every movement is imbued with radical, beautiful potential. I can’t wait for everyone to discover this ravishing work!”
—Lisa Yun Lee, Executive Director, National Public Housing Museum
The Mountains in Art History / Edited by Peter Mark, Peter Helman and Penny Snyder
The Mountains in Art History is the first English-language work to focus on mountains as subject matter and source of aesthetic and spiritual inspiration for painters. This collection of original essays is written entirely by Wesleyan University students of art history. The essays examine how artistic representation of mountains has varied through the lens of specific depictions in English and American literature, and consider how images of mountains functioned in conjunction with religion, the sublime, and Romanticism. These essays by student authors adeptly ruminate on works by individuals such as William Wordsworth, John Frederick Kensett, Alexander van Humboldt, Emil Nolde, and Arnold Fanck. Includes an introduction by professor Peter Mark and a helpful appendix of the course syllabus and narrative description.
Modern Gestures: Abraham Walkowitz Draws Isadora Duncan Dancing / Ann Cooper Albright
“Walkowitz’s undulating line compounds the rhythm through improvisational images that slip like nymphs across the page unfettered. (H)e drew thousands of images of her ritualistically throughout his life, as though his hand was an extension of her body, his gesture her movement through time. The synergy that Albright creates between Stein’s literary cadence and the musical sensation of Walkowitz’s visual forms conveys the motion of the dance in a manner immediate and sensate.”
—Giovanna L. Constantini, Leonardo Review
The Dancer Within: Intimate Conversations with Great Dancers / Rose Eichenbaum; edited by Aron Hirt-Manheimer
“Getting into the psyche of an actor is not an easy task. Rose Eichenbaum succeeds admirably with an open mind and probing questions and the result…is a delightful book consisting of interviews with 35 talented personalities that will keep your interest from cover to cover.”
—Tim Boxer, 15 Minutes