Malevich (Great Modern Masters)
Category: Books,Arts & Photography,History & Criticism
Malevich (Great Modern Masters) Details
From Library Journal Russian painter Kasimir Malevich (1878-1935) is remembered primarily as the founder of the short-lived Suprematist movement in the 1920s. Yet his style varied quite a lot, tracing a curve from representation, followed by abstraction, and thence a return to the human figure. Similarly, Norwegian Edvard Munch (1863-1944) is so associated with his icon of angst, The Scream (1893), that his later, more painterly landscapes and portraits are often forgotten. Because these artists are best known for a small part of their output, these volumes, which review their entire careers, are particularly valuable. Textual matter is whittled to a minimum. Each volume contains just a pair of two-page essays: a terse biographical sketch followed by a succinct aesthetic commentary. As a result, these thin titles cannot be thought of as a source of anything but visual information, but they serve that purpose superbly. Their signature feature is the inclusion of numerous (60-70) high-quality color plates derived from every period in each artist's life. The 15th and 16th entries, respectively, in Abrams's excellent "Great Modern Masters" series, these books are identical in format to earlier titles focusing on such artists as Bacon, Chagall, Klee, and Matisse. The visual emphasis results in affordable supplements to better sources for biocritical information, like the Biographical Dictionary of Artists (Facts on File, 1995). Though not definitive, these two unique resources are highly recommended for all collections.?Douglas F. Smith, Oakland P.L., Cal.Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. Read more Language Notes Text: English (translation) Original Language: Spanish Read more
Reviews
As in all titles in the Great Modern Masters series published by Abrams: Colors are not vibrant, often with a brownish tint or/and too dark, and their accuracy is just O.K. There are 64 pages of a good size 9.5x12 inches (24x30.5 cm). It begins with an introduction with 5-6 small b&w pictures on 2 pages, which is followed by a biography with 5-6 small b&w pictures on 2 next pages. The rest is dedicated to good size over 60 full color plates divided into chapters dedicated to artist's carrier periods, style directions, or themes, each described by 12-16 lines of text. The series is inferior to the same size paperback series published by Taschen in 1990s, but superior to Taschen's series of smaller sizes published latter. Unfortunately, the Taschen series does not cover Bacon, Botero, Brancusi, Braque, Calder, de Chirico, Johns, Kokoschka, Leger, Man Ray, Malevich, Modigliani, and Rouault this series does.