Photography Books on Display

Display of photography books for the Special Collections at Kimbrough Library.

The Library is happy to announce that we are displaying photography books from the Special Collections.  What’s on display, you ask?  This stuff:

1.    Ansel Adams at 100
photographs by Ansel Adams; text by John Szarkowski

2.    Avedon–Photographs,1947-1977
photographs by Richard Avedon

3.    Sigmar Polke Photographs, 1969-1974
photos by Sigmar Polke; text by Tim Nye, ed. and Mariette Althaus

4.    Still
photographs by Sarah Moon; text by Ilona Suschitzky

5.    Open Space in the Inner City: Ecology and the Urban Environment
photographs by Arthur Tress; introductory statement by Arthur Tress

You say you don’t know what the Special Collections are?  No problem, we’re happy to explain!

The Library keeps things that are especially rare or delicate in our Special Collections storage.  Types of materials include artist’s books, individual newspapers from historic dates, antique books, catalogue raisonnés, and individual issues of unusual journals. We encourage all interested patrons to request a viewing of these items at the Circulation Desk.

We hope you’ll stop by to look at these great books!

Home Art Libraries

James Gurney just wrote about rearranging his personal art library:

. . . I had the monographs segregated in separate sections, the way they do in bookstores and libraries. There was one section for illustrators and another for 19th Century European artists and another old masters and another for children’s book artists.

But I had a feeling that all of my artist heroes would have enjoyed each other’s company if they were sitting together in the same pub. So why not put the books together under one alphabetical listing? They’re also much easier to find this way.

Many students find that they graduate from RCAD with many more books than they arrived with 4 years earlier.  While the Ringling College Library organizes its books by the Library of Congress call number system, there are many ways to arrange books.  How do you like to arrange your books?  By date?  By color?  By size?

Novus Ordo Seclorum by Dawn Endico

Custode’s Faculty Favorite: The Art Spirit

Fiore Custode lives by the words “Art is not just something you do, it is something that you live.”

The Art Spirit by Robert Henri

With this in mind, he recommends American artist Robert Henri’s The Art Spirit book to students because it has “practical tips for studio practice” that “are good forever.”

The faculty favorite series highlights faculty-recommended books, magazines, annuals, databases, DVDs, and more in the Ringling College Library.

New Book: Wolfgang Mattheuer

Wolfgang Mattheuer: Abend, Hugel, Walder, Liebe. Der andere Mattheuer
ND 588 .M28 A4 2007

Don’t be intimidated by the title—an English translation of the text is printed right next to the German on each page.

You’ll be much more fascinated by the paintings. Dreamscapes of astonishing beauty bursting with metaphor, they represent the life’s work of one of the finest post-WWII German artists. “Everything arises from the landscape,” wrote Heinz Schonemann, “his political visions, his accusations, his turmoil, his wake-up calls.”

But you don’t need to read about them. Mattheuer’s surrealist landscapes of nature or suburbia, and his atmospheric color are so expressive, you’ll get a strong impression of his thoughts just with the pictures.
—Brett Wharton, 10/08

New Book: Annotated Christmas Carol

New Book Review

The Annotated Christmas Carol: A Christmas Carol in Prose
PR 4572 .C68 A55 2004

While you may not find time to read the entire text, this volume gives you a complete collection of John Leech’s illustrations published in the first edition of the story as well as comments from Charles Dickens, his friends, and past and contemporary reviewers that offer a complete context of the many aspects of the story’s creation and reception. Just about any question you might have about A Christmas Carol should be answered somewhere in this book’s abundance of annotations.
If you’re interested in 19th century book illustration, it can be a quick read just to check out the Leech illustrations. The book places ink sketches, pencil and wash drawings, and his other preliminary work along with many drawings of the story by other artists.
You probably have heard the story many times, but Dickens’ own text is still quite compelling, despite feeling a bit long-winded by modern standards. (Dickens spends the first two paragraphs emphasizing that Marley is, in his own famous words, “dead as a door-nail”).

—Brett Wharton, 11/2008

New Book: American Chronicles: The Art of Norman Rockwell

American Chronicles: The Art of Norman Rockwell

ND 237 .R68 A4  2007

“I was showing the America I knew and observed to others who might not have noticed.”

– Norman Rockwell

Norman Rockwell was the man who came to represent the middle class of America, who documented the minute details of everyday life in such a way as to show the beauty and humor behind everything we take for granted.  His work was known to Americans in every state, hung in houses across the country, and reprinted time and time again.  If there is an American icon, Norman Rockwell is high on the list.

American Chronicles: The Art of Norman Rockwell is an excellent tribute to this figure who became a legend in every American household.   Linda Pero gives a superb synopsis of various events of Rockwell’s life, including details and musing on some of his more exceptional and famous pieces.  These include insights into the significance of his work during the time it came out, how it affected the public, and ideas as to the origins and thoughts behind the various pieces.  If you’ve ever wondered about the man behind the art, about this icon of the American way of life, this is the book for you!

-Brianne Meyer, 10/08