Stories of Art is James Elkinss intimate history of art. Concise and original; this engaging book is an antidote to the behemoth art history textbooks from which we were all taught. As he demonstrates so persuasively; there can never be one story of art. Cultures have their own stories - about themselves; about other cultures - and to hear them all is one way to hear the multiple stories that art tells. But each of us also has our own story of art; a kind of private art history made up of the pieces we have seen; and loved or hated; the effects they had on us; and the connections that might be drawn among them.Elkins opens up the questions that traditional art history usually avoids. What about all the art not produced in Western Europe or in the Europeanized Americas? Is it possible to include Asian art and Indian art in lsquo;the story?rsquo; What happens when one does? To help us find answers; he uses both Western and non-Western artworks; tables of contents from art histories written in cultures outside the centre of Western European tradition; and strangely wonderful diagrams of how artworks might connect through a single individual. True multiculturalism may be an impossibility; but art lovers can each create a lsquo;story of artrsquo; that is right for themselves.
#2673185 in eBooks 2013-10-18 2013-10-18File Name: B00G24T5OU
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. If you want a good foundational review that builds on the basics. This is your book.By J. BrooksA fantastic read if you want to bone up on grading and drainage. Very helpful to clear up some of those puzzling grading challenges and it provides a good encyclopedia of standard solutions for common problems. I included it as part of my study reading for Section 4 of the LARE and I think it really has helped me to be less intimidated by grading design. Its mostly practical; but there are some great tips for "design" grading as well. You have to crawl before you can walk; though.... There are so few landscape grading books out there for designers; so this is a welcome addition. It is is a bit primer-y in parts; but that review; for me; was in a design context that I felt was appropriate.5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Accessible; but not as oriented toward aesthetics as I hopedBy Once in a whileMake no mistake; this book reads like a textbook; but it is accessible if you have a knack for technical things and an interest in landscape architecture and site grading.Where it falls a bit short is where it claims to be strongest--the aesthetic side of site design. I expected a lot more in way of explanation as to why; for example; a structure situated between a couple of slopes; framed by them; with a winding driveway approach; is more appealing to the eye than a tabletop-flat lot and straight driveway. Or why a winding path invites a hiker to explore to see whats around the next bend; while a straight one is uninteresting or even discouraging.This book simply acknowledges that such things as winding paths and sloped grounds are more appealing; but doesnt delve into the why; and doesnt discuss what works and what doesnt in terms of attractiveness; eye appeal; drawing the eye to points of interest; creating "inviting" looks; and such. Or how a site can frame and show a building to its best advantage by concealing and softening hard corners or leading the eye into the grounds and onto the structures more appealing features. Given the description of the book; thats what I had expected and hoped for.I would have liked to see many A/B comparison examples: Heres a structure on a flat site. Heres the same structure with professionally designed site contouring. Heres why B looks better than A. Heres how to make this happen.Instead; the book is strong on information on how to accomplish such things; (along with information on proper drainage and accessibility); but offers less in way of explanation or discussion as to why you would want to do that. Or even how to make aesthetically pleasing results happen (advice on where to put what to achieve that kind of result). In short; its more how-to technical and less design and art-oriented than I hoped.That said; it is a useful book with information on how to read and prepare topographical site plans; and professionally design them. And if you are in the field of grading contracting or landscape architecture; its probably a worthy addition to your bookshelf.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Text = Five Stars. Photos/Examples = One Star ...By Dr. EAs is often the case with Wiley textbooks; the content is fantastic and the photographs are muddled/difficult from which to learn. Professor Sharky has clearly done an excellent job of providing a concise; information; logically structured text.While most grading texts are focused on engineering; Professor Sharky has provided a book that was intended for visual learners. In theory; this is a tremendously welcome addition to the catalog of comparable books. And; ideally; it would allow professors some variety when selecting texts for their classes. However; through no fault of the author; the gray-scale photographs are so poorly reproduced that it is extremely difficult to parse out their exact meaning (there are a few that are virtually impossible to discern. That is not hyperbole). Had the publisher been willing to invest just a bit more funds into color publishing or into hiring a specialist in black and white photography (to take truly dynamic photos); this problem would be easily solved. Just like that. Seriously.What this text has in its favor is a phenomenal; experienced professor who writes with virtually no pretense. He genuinely wants to teaches readers (and help professors teach readers) and his in-class tone is pretty clear: he loves his work. In fact; this text is as uncomplicated and jargon-free as possible ... Professor Sharky welcomes all students with his accessible writing and abundantly clear explanations.Had the publisher/editor printed this text with sharp; clear; even full-color images; this text would be indispensable (and; clearly; five-stars). As it stands; students must work all-too-hard to decode the muddy examples. That is such a pity.