50 Amerikanische Kuenstler, d

by Debra Mancoff

Accessible and informative, this book is a gorgeous introduction to great American artists. While the history of American art is as varied as the fifty states the country is comprised of, it tells a story of a uniquely American bold, innovative, and uncompromising. Starting with the portraits of John Singleton Copley and the landscape masterpieces of Frederic Church, this exciting look at the most important American artists moves through the era of Cassatt, Whistler, and Sargent to the groundbreaking works of O Keeffe, Cornell, and Calder. This book also celebrates the artists who placed America at the forefront of modern Pollock, de Kooning, Rauschenberg, Warhol, Oldenburg, and Johns. The works of Sherman, Serra, and Close prove that America continues to produce challenging and influential artists. With its colorfully illustrated spreads and contextual approach, this is a superb guide for anyone interested in learning about American art.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction

Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Sharon Barrow Wilfong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mancoff chooses fifty American artists starting from pre-Revolutionary times to the 21st century. Each artist gets at least one page containing a biography, a timeline and glossy color photos of a select few of the artists' work.

Most of the artists I knew, but this book introduced me to quite a few that I did not but were definitely worth knowing.

Great book!

[Joshua Halsband · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent choices of paintings and comprehensive biographies. Great for art enthusiasts. However, the typesetting is small and level of complexity is high. Thus, it’s not appropriate for weak readers.

[Amy in the Desert · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent overview of American artists. Fun to learn about some names that were new to me.

[Grady · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Indispensible Addition to Art Libraries

This review is from: 50 American Artists You Should Know (Paperback)
Debra N. Mancoff, a professor at the Art Institute of Chicago and a Scholar in Residence at the Newberry Library in Chicago, has created a very well prepared introduction to American art, one so fine that it should be in the libraries of schools and homes alike. Rarely has an overview about a subject on art been so completely considered as this inexpensive guide to the history of art unique to America been so readable and so full of facts and dates AND has supplied ample illustrations to allow the reader to have a solid footing on the many artists important to our history.

Mancoff begins her book in the year 1691 with a self portrait by Thomas Smith and progresses to the present with the art of Kara Walker. While she is unable in the scope of this book to cover all American artists she does select artists from different time frames that speak not only to the sociopolitical periods of development in the USA but also follows the international art periods as demonstrated by American artists. Included in this book are such divers talents as George Caitlin, George Inness, Whistler, Homer, Eakins, Cassatt, Sargent, O'Keefe, Thomas Hart Benton, Alexander Calder, Cornell, de Kooning, Paul Cadmus, Louise Bourgeois, Diebenkoen, Warhol, Close, Basquiat, Matthew Barney, Claes Oldenburg, Rauschenberg - fifty artists in all. Each artist is presented with a short comment about his/her place in the art scheme, followed by a fine brief biography, a time line of the important events of the life and career, and accompanied by a photograph of the artist and at least one example of the work produced by that artist.

While there are many joys to be hared in this book, one of particular note is the ample space devoted to painter Henry Ossawa Tanner (1859 - 1937), the first African American painter to achieve international acclaim: his paintings are extraordinarily beautiful and not widely known to most readers. But that is part of the joy of Debra N. Mancoff's writing: she understands her subject and projects an excitement about each of the artists for whom she pauses to share with her reader. This is a very fine book, one that everyone interested in art and especially American art should own.

Grady Harp

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent range in artists, mediums, and time periods in American art. I really liked the descriptions for each artist: informative yet succinct. I do wish that there was more description about the artists' work, as well as some more examples from each artist. But overall this was a great book! A very good intro for those wanting a quick overview of some of the most influential American artists.

[Dorothy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice overview of American artists. There were artists whom I was unaware of as well as some artists whom I thought should have been included.