In 1927; the leading art schools of the United States were invited to participate in a contest sponsored by the Art Students League of New York. A well-known artist and teacher; George B. Bridgman; directed the jury that selected the best figure drawings. Afterward; Bridgman assembled this splendid gallery of the best images from the competition.Intermediate-level students will benefit from the study of these complete and detailed drawings. Sketches in charcoal; pencil; wash; pen and ink; and crayon include a tremendous variety of styles; poses; and techniques. In addition to its value as a handbook; this collection also offers an authentic reflection of the eras excellent draftsmanship.
#1570081 in eBooks 2012-03-08 2012-02-09File Name: B00A7IOEXY
Review
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful. Another Reaktion Books Success!By Amanda ChesworthThe book begins with a quote by Origen: "No one can know the origin of evil who has not grasped the truth about the so-called Devil and his angels; and who he was before he became a Devil and how he became a Devil..."This understanding is exactly what the author sets out to provide and he does so with great mastery and interest.Luther Link knows his subject matter incredibly well. The whole point of the "Picturing History" series by Reaktion Books is to study the artwork of a given subject and use this as a primary source in understanding that subjects history. In many ways; I have found this to be a far more accurate and useful way of learning the history of the subject and Reaktion Books are leaders in the field.I found the histories of the devil to be fascinating - at times; he was the archenemy; at other times he seemed essential to the concept of God or even as His handmaiden. In other examples he was a mere slave of God and it was not him that did the soul-snatching but he simply suffered eternal damnation along with all of the humans who were sent to Hell by God. The pagan influence was surprising - Lucifer once being a good character but like many pagan ideas; was turned bad by Christianity. This is a mere drop in the bucket to the information provided in _The Devil_.The art is rich and liberally sprinkled throughout the book. The source of the images is given and we become privy to information doubtfully unearthed before - where the horns; pitchfork; and tail originate. The naked versus the hairy devil - the deformations. Most strikingly; perhaps; is the morphing from angel to demon. The "angelic" and "demonical" behaviors are explored and found to be quite diverse in history - angels often being quite demonic themselves. One piece I found especially powerful was the reproduction of Signorellis "The Damned." I immediately went surfing to find myself a print!There is a period of time where very few artpieces are found depicting the devil. The author speculates why this may be but he doesnt entertain the first thought that came to my mind - perhaps it was seen as blasphemous; or inviting evil; to do so. Of course this is just another speculation and one no where near as grounded as those of the author. But considering the great amount of superstition to be found in history; I expect there was at least an inkling of that - much like people were once forbidden to create artistic renditions of God - for other reasons.With so many books now coming out on the history of the devil or the hierarchy of hell; largely for sensationalist reasons; this book really must be read to show how far superior it is to others. The scholarship is of highest quality which is likely why Reaktion Books caters more to academics than to laypeople. I find this unfortunate though. As a layperson; I highly enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone who finds this subject interesting. Reaktion Books would be wise to follow Taschen and Phaidons lead in bringing their books to a wider audience.The first chapter doesnt pull the reader in as it should but its definitely worth sticking it out because in later chapters it becomes a page turner. Not intimidating in any way.Especially for those trying to make sense of the many stories told about the devil; this book provides our best possibility and it leaves the reader satisfied with an understanding that can be drawn on for years to come.