Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with books and art

Can you recommend a good book about the WPA artists program, or a great book that came out of the Federal Writers' Program?

Anonymous — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:29:02 -0800

Can you recommend a good book about the WPA artists program, or a great book that came out of the Federal Writers' Program? Bonus points if you know of a fictional story that uses it as the main theme. Recently my girlfriend and I spent some time going through the 1934: A New Deal for Artists exhibition at the American Art Museum in Washington. We both enjoyed it, and I plan on getting her the Smithsonian-produced art book for Christmas, but I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions on a historical book that looks at the WPA program itself, not necessarily what came out of it. A book discussing the rational, highlighting struggling artists, why it was important to fund the work, implementation of the program, etc.

She doesn't really read non-fiction (unlike me, who only reads non-fiction), so a fictional look at the WPA artists program would be amazing. I figure that probably doesn't exist, so recommend whatever you may have.

Also, if you know of a great book from the Federal Writers' Program, which was the same basic program but for authors, I'd love suggestions from that as well. I'm more inclined to give her a fiction book that came out of that program than a non-fiction book about WPA art.

(anon because it's a Christmas gift and my username is, in hindsight, far too obvious.)

Innovative Book Designs

0bvious — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 04:37:46 -0800

Innovative Books: I am looking to compile a list of the most innovative uses of the book format. Books that break the mould in their layout and design, perhaps books that use online systems to extend their content value or push their form into new places. I am most interested in narrative and theory, but any book that is interesting (artist books etc.) would be really appreciated. I have a few examples, in order of publication, to set the ball rolling:

Compendium for literates : a system of writing by Karl Gerstner - A book about book form in an innovative form. Beautiful and still fresh

Dictionary of the Khazars: a lexicon novel in 100,000 words by Pavic - a 'dictionary novel' "written in two versions, male and female, which are identical save for seventeen crucial lines"

A Humument: A Treated Victorian Novel by Tom Philips - an artist who has used one particular edition of one particular book as a space for his work for many years

The Selected Works of T. S. Spivet by Reif Larson - extended use of footnote, side-note and illustration to give the narrative dimension

I would love any ideas you have!

I want to to make a picture book on my computer. How?

the foreground — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 09:18:50 -0800

What software would you recommend for a book project that needs to utilize a large amount of art from different mediums, including reproducing pictures? I am trying to emulate Paul Arden's 'It's not how good you are; it's how good you want to be", if that helps as a reference point... I have an idea for a book that will rely largely on its visual element. Perhaps not images on every page, but likely every other page or so, with significant portions of text as well. The art itself is not so much the issue, but I would ideally like a single program that can handle reproduced photo images, advanced fonts, and with flexible (and hopefully easy) editing of those images. Most importantly I need it to be able to print/display in manuscript format that I would be able to send to an editor as part of a book proposal. My background is exclusively in writing, not the art side, so I am looking for something intuitive yet professional looking enough to impress. I assume some sort of layout program that newspaper editors use might be suitable but don't know the pros and cons of each as it would pertain to a project of this sort. Paul Arden's artsy motivational books would be exactly the sort of look I am after. Thanks!

Total Crud Face Universe and Galaxy

Juliet Banana — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 13:13:39 -0800

I am obsessed with artist&writer Lynda Barry, and don't believe she has any peer or equal in the world of comics. Prove me wrong; who else would I love? I like how the art is appealing but from a totally different planet than the enviable mechanical precision of, say, Chris Ware.

Her work represents how my youth actually was; instead of a bland suburban innocence that doesn't really exist, she depicts the bloody skinned knees and lack of parental supervision and messy school assignments and gnawing anxiety and fear and destructive crushes and cruel teachers and wild neighborhood dogs and bittersweet memories of childhood.

Reading her work is having the feeling "I had no idea anyone else felt like that!" over and over. She manages to be nostalgic without kitschiness or saccarine sugar overload.

The closest I've found is Rebecca Kraatz's House of Sugar. I know I'm totally slacking by not having read any Ariel Schrag. Your suggestions don't have to be female, or even comic book artists, if you feel the feeling fits.

I know bonus questions are frowned upon, but how many Ask theads about Lynda Barry can I possibly start? I want to know how many more Lynda Barry books I need to buy before I have a reasonably complete collection of all the Marlys-Maybonne-Freddy-Arna-Arnold stories. I currently own Down the Street, It's So Magic, The Freddy Stories, and The Best of Marlys (which collects a lot of the strips, but not all). I still need My Perfect Life, Come Over Come Over, and The Fun House, I know. Do any of her other books contain Marlys-Maybonne-Freddy-Arna-Arnold stories?

Best art and coffee table books?

tusharj — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 12:06:39 -0800

What are your favorite coffee table books and art books? Examples for me are the art editions of Taschen like GOAT, The Godfather family Album, the MILK project(Humanity), all books by David LaChappelle. Other examples are Sophie Calle's Did you see me, the entire Annotated Series.

What I am looking for are special books which make really good gifts(even though they may be expensive). These are books which you can spend hours looking at, not necessarily reading. I am also looking for great publishers of such books.

Unique childrens books would be great. There was an Italian futurism pioneer who made some amazing childrens books, but I am unable to recall his name.

I would appreciate if people would just stick to giving book recommendations and the reason for recommending. Thanks

Contemporary Art History and Theory

tusharj — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 11:44:37 -0800

Help me learn as much as I can about the history and theory of contemporary art. I would at this point, love to take up a full time course for two years on the above, but for several reasons I cannot do so. I can however, spend 3-4 hours daily to read and study. I also spend almost three months of the year travelling to various biennales, museums and collections around the world to up my knowledge. But while I am fairly up to date with what is going on today, I need to get myself a proper history so i know the context of what I am seeing. So if someone could provide me with a systematic syllabus of what I need to read, it would be appreciated. An actual syllabus from a top notch program would be the best. A great book I read on the subject was "Shock of the New" by Robert Hughes.

publishing

ChloeMills — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 11:24:18 -0800

How do I go about publishing an art book? I have a really great idea for an art book. I have several artists and pieces that I am interested in including. I like the idea of self publishing (like from sites like lulu) - but I am not sure if the print quality is perfect. I also would prefer to print on recycled paper. Does anyone know if there are any self publishing sites that let you print on eco friendly materials?

I am afraid to approach publishers because I am scared they might steal my ideas? Can they do that? I've had my artwork ripped off a lot in the past.

I've never published a book before and I am afraid artists won't take me seriously, especially if I self publish.

Any suggestions?

Vintage Illustrations

madmamasmith — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 00:16:42 -0800

I am trying to find vintage/retro images from old childrens' books and other sources for my wedding invitations and save the date cards. Specifically I am interested in bunnies, deer or anything wilderness related and children with butterfly nets. I have googled endlessly to no avail. I keep getting these horrid clip art images ..i have seen flickr sets but nothing that suits my needs ..i will try to attach an example....please help!

http://beautifulpaper.typepad.com/oh_so_beautiful_paper/invitations/page/5/

http://paperedtogether.com/portfolio/images/s,%20tag.jpg

Comic Books -- What New with Batman etc

snap_dragon — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 13:43:53 -0800

Is there any site that will give me updates in comic book storylines for a long stretch of time (last 6 months +) since I barely can afford to buy one nowadays?

Is there a name for this style of art?

johnofjack — Thu, 15 May 2008 18:16:29 -0800

Is there a name for Satoshi Kitamura's art style in Creepy Crawly Song Book? Recently I found the Creepy Crawly Song Book at the library and really like the artwork (cover, page inside) : simple, deliberately crude with distorted angles, thick lines, and bold colors.

It reminds me a bit of Eric Carle's work (especially The Very Hungry Caterpillar), except Carle is less interested in strong black lines and much more interested in blending colors.

Is there a formal name for this style of artwork? I find people online calling it folksy, naive, bold, etc. but I'd like to know if there's actually a recognized movement it would be put into (with, naturally, similar artists to look into).

Using My Right Brain

netbros — Tue, 13 May 2008 18:49:35 -0800

How can I improve my art awareness (i.e paintings, sculpture, crafts, etc.)? I missed out on art and art history during my uninspired college years many moons ago. I'd like to do something now to improve that situation. What should I look for online; what books can I read to get a feel for the masters, as well as contemporary artists? Then, once I understand a bit about what I'm looking for, where should I go (museums, galleries) to enjoy the work? I live in the U.S., so I'd probably want to start there, but I plan to travel internationally when I retire. I would like to make art a part of my discoveries. As always, thanks very much in advance for your suggestions and ideas.

Examples of Mise en Abyme (in form)

0bvious — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 06:57:37 -0800

Recursion filter: I recently came across the phrase 'Mise en Abyme' and have become fascinated by recursion in literature, language and film. What writings have used these themes in their form to address the questions they posed? The idea of presenting the form of a text/film/critique so that it exemplifies the question posed fascinates me (so for instance, if I asked 'what is recursion?' and my essay contained a footnote which refered back to the text which then refered back to the footnote, then in some simple sense I have a form of recursion in my essay).

What writers, film-makers etc. have integrated aspects of Mise en Abyme into their work in this exemplary manner? (I am more interested in non-fiction pieces, but realise that a lot of fiction out there which has used this technique are formally very unique.)

I have a copy of Gödel, Escher, Bach sitting on my bookshelf, staring at me. I am also well versed in the works of Foucault, Barthes and Derrida.

Thanks for reading

Physical cut-ups: Making Frankenstein vinyl records and books

0bvious — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 03:29:01 -0800

I want to physically cut-up vinyl records and books into pieces, which I will then glue back together in various, alternate combinations. What are the best methods of doing this? Artist Christian Marclay did a similar thing with records (anyone know any sources of info on this?), so that when he glued them back together the frankenstein records could still be played. This would mean that the cutting technique did not destroy any of the vinyl's structure, it also meant that each record had to be cut very precisely, otherwise the fragments from several different records could not be glued back together.

I also wish to do a similar thing with old books, so that you get a kind of frankenstein, mish-mash of different book combinations. It would eventually be like doing a Burroughesque cut-up on physical forms.

Any ideas on technique would be greatly appreciated. How would I go about doing this? Have you seen similar things done by other artists?

Thanks

How Things 'Become': The Infinity of Definition

0bvious — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 09:18:41 -0800

I am looking for writings on the infinity of definition. I am interested in the exponentially divergent curve that is definition.

We create writings and art to better define the world, yet true definition is infinite.

We mediate the universe by erecting borders of definition, i.e. all striped, four-legged, hooved mammals are probably zebras. We categorise the universe into hierarchies, but the more we examine the more pronounced and expansive these hierarchies become.

Language is our greatest defining tool. Yet, the metaphors we evolve to expand the potential of language can themselves only be made to refer back to the language which created them. An infinite loop emerges in most definition.

As new technology emerges we use it to 'add' meaning to artifacts which are already partly defined. By looking at the world with ever more refined microscopes we bring reality into greater clarity. This metaphor can be expanded to refer to texts, art, archaeology, culture etc.

Who has written on the problem of definition? What critical theory has been written on the emergence of infinity?

This question adds on to past questions I have asked at MeFi including (in reverse order):

- Art and artifacts experienced through technology
- The mimetic and narrative capacities of artefacts
- Examples of 'The Infinite' in Myth and Their Effect on Conditions of Truth

Here's hoping you have some ideas...

Book mystery involving surrealist art and attempted murderers of Andy Warhol

ibeji — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 11:21:02 -0800

I remember everything about this book except the title and author---cover, quotes, illustrations, approximate size & shape. You love a challenge, and you love being right. All ideas welcome. I found it on a relative's shelf when I was in high school: she had bought it for a women's studies course at the University of Michigan in the mid to late eighties.

Cover: a drawing of a (white) woman, light brown hair, face seen either in profile or turned to show only the edge of her brow and cheek, arms down and slightly back, huge butterfly wings in hues of blue and purple sprouting from her shoulders and filling 1/2 to 3/4 of the drawing, framed in the same black that colored the spine and back cover of the book. White title above the drawing and on spine, white descriptive information on back.

Size: square or close to it, probably 9x9 or 9x7, shorter side being the vertical.

Quotes: all quotes were set in the upper corners of pages (left in lefthand pages, right in righthand pages) with the main text of the book coming below, leaving a small rectangle of white space on each page that contained a quote.

Valerie Solanas' S.C.U.M. Manifesto was quoted at least twice, possibly three times, and I'm almost positive they misspelled her name as Valerie Solanis. One of the quotes was from her infamous "Men are walking abortions, aborted at the gene stage" routine. I don't believe the rest of the book necessarily gave full support to the argument, but it did present her in a positive light or at least seemed to admire her enthusiasm.

Illustrations: the book included at least two each from artists Remedios Varo and Leonor Fini. I can specifically remember Fini's The Ends of the Earth being used. I'm 90% sure Varo's To Be Reborn was used. All inside illustrations were grayscale.

That's all I've got. Anyone?

watercolor instruction book for kids?

dlugoczaj — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 09:34:55 -0800

Can anyone recommend a watercolor painting instruction book for children? My seven-year-old stepdaughter asked for a set of watercolor paints for Xmas, and her dad wants to get her a painting instruction book as well. She's very patient and has some talent in art. She also enjoys step-by-step drawing books and likes to draw from photographs. We want a book that she can use by herself (which she would also prefer, as she's private about her own work processes). She reads above her grade level, so reading complexity is probably not a big issue, as long as it's in the high-elementary-school range.

Google and Amazon are not being too helpful. The one book that I thought might be worthwhile (Lothar Kampman's The Children's Book of Painting) is long out of print and the used copies aren't in great shape). Input from art teachers or artistic parents would be greatly appreciated.

Looking for an old "pass it on" style scrapbook project

wackybrit — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 09:44:56 -0800

6 - 9 years ago there was an project where x empty books were sent out to x different people, who then filled one page, and passed the book on to someone else. What was this project? There was a project between 6 and 9 years ago that, I believe, was called something like "1000 Books", "100 Books", "50 Books".. The person who started it bought a number of plain Moleskine-esque books, then sent them out to random people with the instructions that they had to do a page, forward the book to someone else, then the final person had to send the books back. I recall the project site itself was very well designed for the time and even had reports back from people who had somehow got hold of the books.. you could track each book by its number, etc. I seem to recall the site looking very Kottke-esque.

The project was so popular that I recall people were dying to get their hands on a book but there was too much interest. I'm now interested to know what happened to the finished books (if they ever were finished and returned) and/or the person who started the project.

(Alternatively, if you know of any similar projects, feel free to mention!)

The Future of War?

Ryvar — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 03:48:36 -0800

Help me find a series of illustrated children's hardcover books from the 70s/80s about the upcoming technologies of "The Future" When I was 7 or 8 ('87-'88) I remember my grade school library had a whole series of illustrated hardcover books - big and thin (30-60 pages, say) covering the future of various topics. Future of flight, future of space travel, future of robotics, etc. The future of war was a particular standout as it had a very vivid illustration of two robotic hovertanks in combat - I believe it was on the front cover as well. That's the specific one I'm looking for but I'm after the whole series if possible.

Things I'm less sure about, some of these may be red herrings: I seem to recall all the books generally had a white cover (fairly sure of this) with a blue seriffed font for the title (not as sure about this), and all the titles ran along a basic theme that was literally like "The Future of War" "The Future of Robotics", etc. etc.

The art was particularly well-rendered, and generally didn't fall into the category of cheesy 50s-60s space art. Anybody have any ideas?

Please help me identify this cover artist

maldrin — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 22:43:03 -0800

Could someone please help me identify the artist for this cover of the 1967 reprint of William Sloane's The Edge of Running Water? I've seen this cover only in the book Horror of the 20th Century and there it lists the following details about the book and cover:

The Edge of Running Water
1939 (1967 reprint)
artist unknown

I can't tell if it's a photograph or a painting, and every edition of the book that I've been able to locate online or in person so far has one of two other covers - never this one.

Any tips would be much appreciated. I've tried all manner of google-fu and am willing to try more but I'm out of ideas at this point.

thanks!

POD or self-publishing services for small hardcover books.

dobbs — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 13:41:09 -0800

I have a self-publishing conundrum: I really like the size of Moleskine notebooks (3.5 x 5.5). I want to put out a book in these dimensions. Lulu and other POD publishers that I've found won't go that small (especially in hardcover). So, my question's a two parter: a. Do you know any way I can get this done (ie, alternatives to Lulu who will do that size)? b. If I can't find such a company, I'm interested in hand-writing some Moleskines and customizing the covers to make them look more "commercial"--ie, create a dust jacket or sticker or some other alternative. Solutions/suggestions for something that'll look unique and kickass?

Who is this artist?

jonson — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 22:01:10 -0800

Does anyone have any idea of the identity of the artist that created the works shown here?

Disappearing libarry books!

soviet sleepover — Sun, 01 Oct 2006 23:06:40 -0800

Dear artists/collagers/librarians, I have a two-part question, and the first part is a doozy: I'm looking for a specific book of copyright-free clip art/etchings & I don't know the title. The second part: recommend your favorite books of copyright-free etchings! Specifically, I'm looking for a particular book of copyright-free clip art/etchings. It's a very thick book (~300+ pages) with thousands of images, devoting whole pages to beetles, for instance, as well as to fish & undersea creatures, printmaking equipment, early machines, architecture, the human body from bone structure to fully clothed, etc.

Almost all the images are monotone: black & white etchings from the 18th & 19th centuries (I think). Towards the latter part of the book whole scenes show up, rather than a page full of 50 winged insects.

The book itself (not jacket) is off-white (or tan, or khaki?), about 1.5x wider than it is tall, probably something like 8"x12", & not an oversized book. In my old library it was a reference book in the clip art & copyright-free images section (I'd call them, but last time I was back, it was missing from the shelves!).

Part 2: If there are any similar books of illustration-style etchings that you really like (& that are public domain), tell me about 'em! I'm looking for old-style etchings (like this), not the silhouettes or more recent-looking drawings that the Dover clip art collection mostly features. (I'm mostly looking for bizarre plants & animals, as well as medical illustrations.)

Surviving a Total Perspective Vortex

0bvious — Sun, 09 Jul 2006 08:39:35 -0800

I'm on the hunt for sites and/or blogs about big ideas... Who wants to join me? I am interested in the nature of the human, the self, consciousness, space-time and infinity, the future, cultural evolution, the emergence and destruction of civilisation, physics, biology, technology, science fiction, this self perceiving universe, the narrative, the protagonist, belief, faith and the Gods, mathematics, language, truth, semiotics, theory of mind, theory of relativity, philosophy, transhumanism, the base of humour, of love, of art, of literature, chemistry, the stars and how they shine, justice, anger, naivety, pop-culture, culture shock, poetry, evolution, devolution, darwinism vs subjectivity, how to and how not to, how it is, how it could have been, perspectives of 'the idea', how the perspective shifts, surviving a total perspective vortex....

I want to find people who find these things interesting too, I want them to come over and chat liberally with me, with my like-minded associates, with other web-portal psychonauts.

Apart from Metafilter where do you get your intellectual, mind exploding fix? Where should I begin my search for new minds to meld with?

The Protagonist: An Overview

0bvious — Thu, 08 Jun 2006 22:16:33 -0800

The Protagonist: What can you tell me? I am fascinated by the concept of 'The Protagonist'. Whether this be in fiction, mythology or used as a metaphor for how one perceives oneself (your 'life' being the narrative within which you exist) I desire a few new angles on this ancient human construct.

- Do you know of any theories / research / writings on the protagonist?
- What books / movies / myths etc. have you come across from which a protagonist is COMPLETELY absent?
- Or any such fiction/mythology with an interesting spin on the traditional protagonist?

Basically anything which comes to mind would be fascinating, thanks a lot...

How to identify this Alfred Hitchcock artist?

mijuta — Sun, 23 Apr 2006 09:30:24 -0800

My friend has about eight original paintings that were used as the cover art for some Alfred Hitchcock mystery books published by Dell in the 1970s. I've tried an Internet search but can't locate the name of the artist. Can anyone help me out? (More inside . . . ) The books' titles are on the back of the paintings, but the artist didn't sign or date them (with the exception of one dated piece: "Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Slay Ride," 1971). The other titles listed on the back of the paintings are: "Scream along with Me," "More Stories My Mother Never Told Me," "Sixteen Skeletons in My Closet," Anti-Social Register," "Alfred Hitchcock's Bleeding Hearts," "Once upon a Dreadfull Time," and "I Want My Mummy."

I feel like an idiot for not being able to find the name of the artist. Thanks for any help you can offer!