The Art Shelf

Abstract Expressionists: The Women
Ellen G. Landau, author
Joan M. Marter, author
Merrell Publishers
8755 Lookout Mountain Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90046
www.merrellpublishers.com
9781858947037, $65.00, HC, 256pp

https://www.amazon.com/Abstract-Expressionists-Ellen-G-Landau/dp/1858947030

Synopsis: With the publication of "Abstract Expressionists: The Women", co-= authors Ellen G. Landau and Joan M. Marter presents showcases the vital rol=
e of women in the development of Abstract Expressionism by looking at more = than 50 paintings, collages, and sculptures all accompanied by carefully se= lected quotes from the artists themselves.

The dominant movement of the New York and San Francisco art scenes of the m= id-20th century, Abstract Expressionism is celebrated as the first developm= ent in American art to gain international status. The movement is synonymou=
s with the work of Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, and Willem de Kooning, but=
also belonging to this generation who changed the course of modern art wer=
e numerous female artists; only in recent years have their contributions re= ceived the recognition they deserve.

The remarkable women featuring in "Abstract Expressionists: The Women" incl= ude Perle Fine, Helen Frankenthaler, Sonia Gechtoff, Lee Krasner, and Joan = Mitchell -- all of whom studied at the same art schools as the men, exhibit=
ed at the same galleries, and were part of the same social scene. But their=
work was not shown and reviewed as widely or considered as valuable as tha=
t of the men.

A beautiful book, "Abstract Expressionists: The Women" also presents the wo= rks of the Levett Collection, an unparalleled private collection of paintin= gs, drawings, and sculpture by women Abstract Expressionists. Of special no=
te are the richly illustrated essays by the scholars Ellen G. Landau and Jo=
an M. Marter, leading authorities on the subject, consider, respectively, t=
he vital role of women in the development of Abstract Expressionism and the=
work of women sculptors of the movement.

Full of exuberant, explosive color and densely layered expression, the main=
part of "Abstract Expressionists: The Women" is devoted to more than 50 pa= intings, collages, and sculptures, all accompanied by pertinent quotes from=
the women about their artistic practice and concerns.

An illustrated timeline and 35 artist biographies provide further insight, = making this volume an essential addition to the study of Abstract Expressio= nist women, innovators in their own right, whose time in the art-historical=
spotlight has finally come.

Critique: An outstanding compendium of captioned art works and informative = commentaries, "Abstract Expressionists: The Women" is a coffee-table style = (10 x 1 x 11.25 inches, 4.01 pounds) volume that is a unique and unreserved=
ly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, college, and = university library Art History collections and supplemental curriculum stud= ies lists.

Editorial Note #1: Ellen Landau (https://researchguides.case.edu/faculty-au= thors/EllenLandau) is Andrew W. Mellon Professor Emerita at Case Western Re= serve University. An independent art historian and curator, she writes wide=
ly on Abstract Expressionism, with a frequent focus on women painters.

Editorial Note #2: Joan M. Marter ( is Distinguished Professor Emerita at R= utgers University. She writes frequently on women artists, organizes exhibi= tions, and is Editor of Woman's Art Journal. (https://arthistory.rutgers.ed= u/people/faculty-emeriti/faculty-emeritus/67-joan-marter)

Art Dog: Clever Canines of the Art World
Smith Street Books
c/o Rizzoli
300 Park Avenue South, 3rd floor, New York, NY 10010
www.rizzoliusa.com
9781922754264, $16.95, HC, 96pp

https://www.amazon.com/Art-Dog-Clever-Canines-World/dp/1922754269

Synopsis: Dogs have been man's best friend for as long as we've been sketch= ing on canvas. In the background, behind the table, or right at the forefro= nt, dogs of the past peer out from paintings and sketches, frescoes and pri= nts across art history.

Put together by the editorial team at Smith Street Books, "Art Dog" is a co= llection of these painted canines, featuring works by a diversity of artist=
s drawn from across the ages and continents. A compendium of Japanese print=
s and German oils, American sketches and Italian murals, and more, the feat= ured artworks spans eras and styles, but as different as these dogs are, on=
e thing shines through -- the love and respect we have always had for them.

Critique: A beautiful book that is ideal for browsing, the captioned artwor=
k showcases in "Art Dog: Clever Canines of the Art World" is a 'must" for a= nyone who has ever had a canine companion of their own -- or wanted one. A = guaranteed and enduringly popular addition to personal, community, and acad= emic library Animals in Art History collections, this brilliantly produced = compendium of canine artworks is an unreservedly recommend acquisition.

Vermeer
Pieter Roelofs, author
Gregor J. M. Weber, editor
Thames & Hudson, Inc.
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110-0017
www.thamesandhudsonusa.com
9780500026724, $65.00, HC, 320pp

https://www.amazon.com/Vermeer-Gregor-J-M-Weber/dp/0500026726

Synopsis: The artwork of Johannes Vermeer (October 1632 - 15 December 1675)=
is intensely quiet and his enigmatic paintings invite the viewer into a pr= ivate world, often prompting more questions than answers. Who is being port= rayed? Are his subjects real or imagined? And how did he create such an unr= ivaled sense of intimacy?

Bringing together diverse strands of the Dutch master's professional and pr= ivate worlds, "Vermeer" by Pieter Roelofs (Head of Paintings and Sculpture,=
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam) is the first major authoritative study of Vermeer'=
s life and work for many years and showcases all thirty-seven of Vermeer's = paintings.

Deftly edited by Gregor J. M. Weber (Head of the Department of Fine Arts, R= ijksmuseum, Amsterdam), "Vermeer" has been beautifully designed by Irma Boo=
m, the "Queen of Books," and printed on an uncoated paper. With a wide sele= ction of contextual illustrations, commentaries and up-to-date research by = distinguished international Vermeer scholars, this new edition from Thames =
& Hudson is the definitive volume on one of the most admired of all the sev= enteenth-century Dutch masters.

Critique: A coffee-table style (8.7 x 1.5 x 10.6 inches, 3.09 pounds) volum=
e, "Vermeer" features an informative Introduction by Taco Dibbits and inclu= des contributions by Bart Cornelis (National Gallery, London), Bente Frisse=
n (Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam), Sabine Friederike Schuett (Staedel Museum, Fran= kfurt am Main), Christian Tico Seifert (National Galleries of Scotland, Edi= nburgh) Ariane van Suchtelen (Mauritshuis, The Hague), Marjorie E. Wieseman=
(National Gallery of Art, Washington). With 200 beautifully laid out color=
illustrations gracing an impressively informative commentary, this simply = outstanding edition of "Vemeer"must be considered a core addition to person= al, professional, community, college, and university library 18th Century E= uropean Art History collections in general, and supplemental curriculum Ver= meer studies lists.

Art of the Lips
Vlada Haggerty
Smith Street Books
c/o Rizzoli
300 Park Avenue South, 3rd floor, New York, NY 10010
www.rizzoliusa.com
9781922754189, $29.95, HC, 256pp

https://www.amazon.com/Art-Lips-Shimmering-liquified-bejeweled/dp/192275418=
8

Synopsis: From opulent to optical illusion, Haggerty's art is a blend of ma= keup and magic that transforms her lips into canvases. Makeup artist royalt=
y, her work is washed across the Internet, lips dripping and bedazzled, tra= nsformed by talent and a vision that's helped shape the beauty industry.

Featuring over 200 photographs of Haggerty's work, "Art of the Lips" is a s= umptuous tome to flip through one page at a time and marvel at the minute p= ainted details on her lips in each photo. Gloss, lipstick, sequins, and jew= els transform Haggerty's skin in hundreds of different images, with looks i= nspired by nature, jewelry, pop culture, and more.

Much more than just lipstick, Haggerty's art is a showcase of makeup's powe=
r and an artist's innovation.

Critique: Not since the opening scene of The Rocky Horror Picture Show" hav=
e a pair of lips been 'can't take your eyes off of it' focus of an artist's=
work. With the use of lipstick as her medium, "Art of the Lips: Shimmering=
, Liquified, Bejeweled and Adorned" by makeup artist and innovator Vlada Ha= ggerty is a unique and ground-breaking art medium to be paged through one f= ull page, full color, image at a time. Highly recommended for personal, pro= fessional, community, and academic library art and fashion photography, his= tory, and design collections, with human lips ranging from the curious to t=
he grotesque, these are images that will imprint upon the mind of the obser= ver for a long time to come.

Editorial Note: Vlada Haggerty (https://www.vladamua.com) is a Ukrainian co= smetic artist based in Los Angeles. She works as a makeup artist, beauty an=
d cosmetic photographer, and lip artist. Her makeup and photography have be=
en featured in publications internationally, including Harper's Bazaar Ukra= ine, Harper's Bazaar Kazakhstan, Vogue Mexico, Vogue India, Cosmopolitan, R= efinery29, Make-Up Artist Magazine, and many, many more. She has worked wit=
h Smashbox Cosmetics as their Lip Editor in Chief and her worked has inspir=
ed makeup artists everywhere.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

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(dot) com

Anyone wanting to submit books for review consideration can send them to:

James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575-1129

To submit reviews of any fiction or non-fiction books, email them to Frugal= muse (at) aol (dot) com (Be sure to include the book title, author, publish= er, publisher address, publisher website/phone number, 13-digit ISBN number=
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James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review

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