Art: Books & Ebooks

Packed with the signature can-do attitude that makes beloved artist Danny Gregory a creativity guru to thousands across the globe, this unique guide serves up a hearty helping of inspiration. For aspiring artists who want to draw and paint but just can't seem to find time in the day, Gregory offers 5- to 10-minute exercises for every skill level that fit into any schedule--whether on a plane, in a meeting, or at the breakfast table--along with practical instructionon techniques and materials, plus strategies for making work that's exciting, unintimidating, and fulfilling. Filled with Gregory's encouraging words and motivating illustrations,Art Before Breakfast teaches readers how to develop a creative habit and lead a richer life through making art.

In 1931, Diego Rivera was the subject of The Museum of Modern Arts second monographic exhibition, which set attendance records in its five-week run. The Museum brought Rivera to NewYork six weeks before the opening and provided him a studio space in the building. There he produced five portable murals large blocks of frescoed plaster, slaked lime and wood that feature bold images drawn from Mexican subject matter and address themes of revolution and class inequity. After the opening, to great publicity, Rivera added three more murals, taking on NewYork subjects through monumental images of the urban working class. Published in conjunction with an exhibition that brings together key works from Riveras 1931 show and related material, this vividly illustrated catalogue casts the artist as a highly cosmopolitan figure who moved between Russia, Mexico and the United States and examines the intersection of art-making and radical politics in the 1930s.

Frans Hals is the most authoritative and perceptive study of one of the greatest Dutch painters of the Golden Age. Author Seymour Slive is widely recognized as one of the greatest living authorities on Dutch art. Here, he places Hals' career in the social and historical context of seventeenth‐century Holland, exploring the artist's portraiture alongside works by Hals' predecessors and contemporaries. Engaging, informative, and stunningly produced, the newly reissued Frans Hals is a timeless record of an iconic artist.

In 1440, on the feast of Saints Peter and Paul, Florence unexpectedly defeated Milanese forces near the town of Anghiari in eastern Tuscany. Nicholas A. Eckstein reveals the impact of this celebrated victory on Florentine public life and how it could have triggered the custodians of the Brancacci Chapel, the Carmelite friars, to seek the completion of frescoes by Masolino (c.1383-c.1436) and Masaccio (1401-c.1428). Today, tens of thousands of people visit the Brancacci Chapel annually to gaze at the brilliant frescoes of Saint Peter's life. Universally recognized as a canonical masterpiece of the Florentine Renaissance, these glowing murals span the interior in long panels. The first serious examination to position the frescoes at the heart of Tuscan society and culture, Painted Glories teems with fascinating characters and intrigue. In swiftly paced prose, Eckstein explores the chapel's history, medieval culture, and art patronage, progressively peeling back the story's layers amid the tumultuous politics of the 15th-century Florentine state.

Offering a unique thematic approach to recent art history, Themes of Contemporary Art: Visual Art after 1980, Third Edition, focuses on eight central ideas recurring in art over the past few decades: identity, the body, time, memory, place, language, science, and spirituality. Featuring 160 vivid illustrations (23 in color and 137 in black and white), this wide-ranging introduction presents artworks that exemplify a variety of materials, techniques, theoretical viewpoints, and stylistic approaches, by artists from diverse ethnic, cultural, and geographic backgrounds. Concise, engaging, and accessible, this thought-provoking volume challenges readers to think actively and critically about the ideas expressed in contemporary art.

Make the world your studio! Capture the bustle and beauty of life in your town. Experience life as only an artist can! Join the rapidly growing, international movement of artists united by a passion for drawing on location in the cities, towns and villages where they live and travel. Packed with art and advice from Marc Taro Holmes, artist and co-founder of Urbansketchers.org, this self-directed workshop shows you how to draw inspiration from real life and bring that same excitement into your sketchbook. Inside you'll fi nd everything you need to tackle subjects ranging from still lifes and architecture to people and busy street scenes. 15 step-by-step demonstrations cover techniques for creating expressive drawings using pencil, pen and ink, and watercolor. Expert tips for achieving a balance of accuracy, spontaneity and speed. Practical advice for working in the field, choosing subjects, coping with onlookers, capturing people in motion and more. Daily exercises and creative prompts for everything from improving essential skills to diverse approaches, such as montages, storytelling portraits and one-page graphic novels. Whether you are a habitual doodler or a seasoned artist, The Urban Sketcher will have you out in the world sketching from the very first page. By completing drawings on the spot, in one session, you achieve a fresh impression of not just what you see, but also what it feels like to be there . . . visual life stories as only you can experience them.

Since its introduction in 1932, the Whitney Biennial--the Museum's signature exhibition and a highly anticipated event in the art world--has charted new developments in contemporary art. Inaugurated by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney in 1932, these biennial exhibitions have demonstrated the museum's commitment to supporting the development of 20th- and 21st-century American art. The 2012 Biennial features works by approximately 50 artists working in a variety of media, including painting, sculpture, photography, film, video, dance, and performance. Elisabeth Sussman (co-organizer of the influential, politically provocative 1993 Whitney Biennial) and Jay Sanders provide an insightful joint essay, and a group of art historians and critics contribute entries on common themes and ideas from the represented artists' techniques and influences. In addition, a significant portion of the catalogue is devoted to original contributions from each of the participating artists, in a unique effort to provide a more experiential understanding of the exhibition. Participating artists: Kai Althoff Thom Andersen Charles Atlas Lutz Bacher Forrest Bess (by Robert Gober) Michael Clark Dennis Cooper and Gisele Vienne Cameron Crawford Moyra Davey Liz Deschenes Nathaniel Dorsky Nicole Eisenman Kevin Jerome Everson Vincent Fecteau Andrea Fraser LaToya Ruby Frazier Vincent Gallo K8 Hardy Richard Hawkins Werner Herzog Jerome Hiler Matt Hoyt Dawn Kasper Mike Kelley John Kelsey John Knight Jutta Koether George Kuchar Laida Lertxundi Kate Levant Sam Lewitt Joanna Malinowska Andrew Masullo Nick Mauss Richard Maxwell Sarah Michelson Alicia Hall Moran and Jason Moran Laura Poitras Matt Porterfield Luther Price Lucy Raven The Red Krayola Kelly Reichardt Elaine Reichek Michael Robinson Georgia Sagri Michael E. Smith Tom Thayer Wu Tsang Oscar Tuazon Frederick Wiseman For more information on the 2012 Whitney Biennial, please visit: http: //whitney.org/Exhibitions/2012Biennial