Average customer rating:
- Recovering MFA Survivor
- to be read BEFORE entering Art School
- Ignores the field of "art education"
- QUESTION - Visual Arts "different" as an academic pursuit?!
- all art students and profs should have to read this
|
Why Art Cannot Be Taught: A HANDBOOK FOR ART STUDENTS
James Elkins
Manufacturer: University of Illinois Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Reference
| Subjects
| Books
| Almanacs & Yearbooks
| Atlases & Maps
| Books on CD
| Books on Cassette
| Business Skills
| Careers
| Catalogs & Directories
| Consumer Guides
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Education
| Encyclopedias
| Etiquette
| Foreign Languages
| Fun Facts
| Genealogy
| General
| Job Hunting
| Large Print
| Law
| Publishing & Books
| Quotations
| Spanish-Language Reference
| Study Guides
| Test Prep Central
| Words & Language
| Writing
History & Criticism
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
| Criticism
| General
| Regional
| Themes
| Women in Art
General
| Reference
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Study & Teaching
| Reference
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Look Inside Reference Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
All Titles
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Arts & Photography
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Reference
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
What Painting Is
-
The Object Stares Back: On the Nature of Seeing
-
Advice to Young Artists in a Postmodern Era
-
Art Subjects: Making Artists in the American University
-
What Happened to Art Criticism? (Prickly Paradigm)
ASIN: 0252069501 |
Customer Reviews:
Recovering MFA Survivor.......2007-08-23
As a recovering survivor of an MFA program I can wholly relate to Elkins' criticisms about the failure of critiques to shape art and artists. It is poignant that Elkins is unable to offer up a solution.
to be read BEFORE entering Art School.......2006-08-31
this book is not for current art students, or graduates (it's simply too late for you to read this)
considering the expensive and time consuming path of art training at the University level ? then i recommend reading (or even just skimming) "Why Art Cannot Be Taught : A HANDBOOK FOR ART STUDENTS" not only because it gives a clear overview of the evolution of the methods of passing craftsmanship in the fine arts through (European) history, but because you'll see that picking a few art classes is probably going to serve you far better than undertaking a full course of study (and the stories of "classroom psychodrama", and students having to explain and defend their work was easily worth the price of the book, IMHO)
Ignores the field of "art education".......2006-05-20
As a critique of how studio art has traditionally been taught at the university level, Elkins is dead on (pun intended). His portrayal of B.F.A./M.F.A. programs is vividly familiar to anyone who has gone that route. The book is also hilarious and a great read. But since we (studio folk) are the chief audience, we already know all of this, right?
The critique of Elkins' book is not that he misrepresents anything, but that he misses things: namely the field that addresses teaching art, known as "art education." He does not pretend to consider it, but that doesn't excuse the neglect. If that sounds funny to you, meaning you assume Art Education is a joke-field, I urge you to delve into the research published in its premier journal, "Studies in Art Education," and, then, compare this research to that which has recently emerged from Art History and Art--that is, if "Art" (studio professors) produces any research at all. Well, it does here and there, and Art History produces some interesting research, as does Art Education, whose primary agenda is to address issues of critical theory, postmodernism, and visual/material culture. In fact, I understand that the Art department at Elkins' institution is in the process of making this pedagogical shift as well as some other leading Art schools here and abroad, like Yale.
The point I'm making is that Elkin's portrait--that postmodern art is at odds with the outdated mode that exists in art schools--is partly untrue. Cutting-edge Art programs, and certainly Art Education, are exploring interesting post-disciplinary projects that resonate nicely with the sublime mantra of the postmodernist discourse that informs them. In a general sense, the schools that Elkins describes are those whose tenured faculty have rested on their boring Modernist laurels, which died quicker than their 4th-tier universities could pass them through the nominal tenure process, a tragedy that I think is slowly but surely evaporating.
Understanding that Elkins is probably aware of all of this and expecting academic readers to draw this out of the book, it's not so bad. But for those who do not know the inner workings of academic art programs, the book could do a better job of explaining where the pedagogical answer lies. I like to think that for some reason, Elkins had those answers and kept them reserved for another book, rather than that he, like the oldie-moldy prof's he ribs, is a living anachronism.
QUESTION - Visual Arts "different" as an academic pursuit?!.......2003-07-16
The answer: I think so. The author changed my way of thinking about the subject of what is plausible in arts education in our time. The apprearance of total artistic freedom from judgement as formulated by postmodernists, yet the intrinsic nature of how the academy/school affects an artist, is seriously examined by Elkins.
This book is amongst the first to pragmatically question some of our common misunderstandings about the methodology involved in teaching the visual arts. The reason for this maybe due in part to modernist and postmodernist intellectualizing of art (e.g.-the endless pages of ink spilled in history books about content free Minimalist paintings and Conceptual Art). Elkins really does an marvelous job at collecting the evidence that studio art teaching and learning is fundamentally different in goals from more conventional subjects such as the sciences, languages and even music...yet, artists should have a somewhat rounded education.
To the authors credit, the book avoids the idealistic view of the arts, dispenses with the RomanticEra cliches of " the gifted talent" or "starving artist" or "outsider art" and deals with THE pragmatic reality of art instruction. Elkins' surveys are about the historical roots of art instruction: the Medieval workshops, the Renaissance guilds,the Baroque academies, and the 20th c. Bauhaus School are compared and contrasted with one another.
THIS comparison of instruction models is EXCELLENT!
The assumed historical 'reality' of the types of artists each system was capable of producing serves as a spring board for discussions on how philosophical discourse influences the instruction model. The book addresses the question of "what body of knowledge is central to the education of an artist?" Is it life drawing, technical and mechanical skills or is it a selected reading and immersion in the liberal arts(i.e.- should an artist have a classical education w/ emphasis on Greek literature -or- postmodernist and shifting in emphasis related to an artist's native culture?_)
Elkin's book fully illustrates the very real world dilemna that students interested in the visual arts face when choosing between "art schools" and small "Liberal arts colleges." "Art schools" tend to only be interested in art, with a myriad of opportunities to be exposed to the art world, with little if any exposure to core general education courses. Paradoxically, the art schools are also places where one is likely to find the latest art theory in deployment despite an 'art school'student populace that MAY NOT have the educational background to engage in meaningful discussion with instructors. The situation is the exact inverse with students at "liberal arts colleges" (and the university in general) where the student is academically armed, yet, is enrolled in significantly less demanding studio courses. "Liberal Arts colleges" and art departments of universities,while providing excellant general education for an art student -most barely engage in the issues of making Studio Art much beyond the dilettante level. Elkins makes a very fine point of emphasis on what is either impractical or too obscure to teach about art in the general curriculum of both classroom enviroments-i.e.-such things as art that uses obscure techniques, extremely radical and/or conservative methods. He deals with that rarely mentioned art class phenomenon- "the critque"- where the student presents thier work to the class to be analyized. Elkins illuminates 'The critque' of art schools (and studio art departments) in a manner that should deal with every sort of postive and negative experience that could be siphoned from such an ordeal.
Essentially the heart of "Why Art Cannot be Taught" is to illuminate what works and what makes 'sense' to teach in the pedantic school environment about art. Elkin's thesis ("that art cannot be taught") is a descriptive interpretation of the reality that art education like 'true art', the 100%creative stuff, is something unique and irrational that can't be easily duplicated at the whim of educators. A must for anyone that has interest in the peculiarities of being a student of the visual arts!
all art students and profs should have to read this.......2001-12-21
The author details art instruction through the ages and discusses the question asked in the title. Art and artists would be so much better thought of by society, and art istself would improve, if the ideas in this book were taken seriously. It is a DEEP book, not for casual reading.
Average customer rating:
|
Design History: A Students' Handbook
Hazel Conway
Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
History
| Subjects
| Books
| Africa
| Americas
| Ancient
| Arctic & Antarctica
| Asia
| Australia & Oceania
| Books on CD
| Books on Cassette
| Europe
| Gay & Lesbian
| Historical Study
| Large Print
| Middle East
| Military
| Military Science
| Russia
| United States
| World
General
| History & Criticism
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Instructional & How-To
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Commercial
| Graphic Design
| Design & Decorative Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Design & Decorative Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
All Titles
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Arts & Photography
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
A History of Modern Design
-
Design Chronicles: Significant Mass-produced Designs of the 20th Century (Schiffer Design Book)
-
The Industrial Design Reader
-
Design History: An Anthology
ASIN: 0415084733 |
Book Description
Hazel Conway introduces the student new to the subject to different areas of design history and shows some of the ways in which it can be studied and some of its delights and difficulties. No background knowledge of design history, art or architecture is assumed.
This title available in eBook format. Click here for more information.
Visit our eBookstore at: www.ebookstore.tandf.co.uk.
Book Description
This volume gives a complete introduction to the techniques and procedures of Sanskrit commentaries, including detailed information on the overall structure of running commentaries, the standard formulas of analysis of complex grammatical forms, and the most important elements of commentarial style. Since the majority of expository texts in Sanskrit are composed in the form of commentaries on earlier texts, this Manual will be of great use to many Sanskrit translators. Furthermore, because many philosophical and scientific texts are written in the style of formal debate using the same basic principles, the features covered in the manual are useful for reading all expository texts, whether they are commentaries or not.
Customer Reviews:
Outstanding Text for Students of Sanskrit!.......2007-06-28
I had the good fortune to study Sanskrit for several years at an Ivy League University. Unfortunately, I was never able to take a class that involved a great deal of use of the commentaries that seem to accompany all major Sanskrit texts. I would just use them, when I could, to find word divisions, undo sandhi, etc.
Several years ago, I began to try to teach myself the commentatorial style. A former professor told me that the only works he knew of in Western languages on this style were a chapter in Teach Yourself Sanskrit Complete Course (Teach Yourself Language Complete Courses) and a German work, Nominale Ausdrucksformen im wissenschaftlichen Sanskrit - written in - at least to me - an impenetrable style of German, though I am told it is an essential text.
Then I ordered "Scholastic Sanskrit". I can not overemphasize how valuable it has become to me in the few short weeks I have owned it. It serves both as a reference text, and a teaching tool. It explains with example after example all the formulaic expressions that occurr in Sanskrit commentaries, such as ityarthah, -adi, etena...iti, and on and on and on!
The style is completely lucid and seems geared towards those, like myself, who are trying to learn this style without the benefit of a teacher. I have read only about the first 50 pages or so, but, with this text in hand, I am now able to see nuances and meaning in commentaries, where before I had just found frustrating confusion.
The authors recommend using the text in conjuction with the Anubandhas of Panini (Publications of the Centre of Advanced Study in Sanskrit), which I have also found quite helpful.
I am using "Scholastic Sanskrit" along with Panditaraja Jagannatha's Gangalahari: With the commentary by Sri Sadasiva & English translation. This text provides a Sanskrit commentary on the poem with a literal - and thoughtful - English translation. I cannot reccommend either of the books too highly for those trying to learn how to read Sanskrit commentaries without a guru. (I can also thoroughly reccommend the Ramopakhyana - The Story of Rama in the Mahabharata: A Sanskrit Independent-Study Reader )
My only negative comment on the book is that the indexes in the back sometimes provide references that are off by 2-4 pages. A minor point.
Many thanks to the authors for providing such a work!
Book Description
This completely revised and updated edition introduces the reader to the practices, challenges, questions and writings encountered in the study of art history. Marcia Pointon describes and analyzes various methods and approaches to the discipline--explaining the history of their differences and their effects on the practice of art history. Stressing the multi-faceted nature of the field, she discusses the relationship of art history to film, literature, design history and anthropology. She also covers training and vocational aspects of art history, and provides a wealth of information on different career opportunities. This edition covers recent debates in art history and contemporary changes in the discipline, as well as 20 new illustrations.
Customer Reviews:
practical and concise.......2007-06-13
practical and concise- it's the ideal introduction to studying art history (particularly studying and preparing papers for university art history classes). I took an upper-level art history class my freshman year of college, and this book really made it possible for me to thrive in that class, despite my absolute lack of advanced art/advanced university studies.
Book Description
For nearly twenty-five years A Research Guide for Undergraduate Students has helped students avoid the pitfalls of conducting library research for term papers and theses. Updated and revised, the sixth edition shows undergraduates how to use their research time efficiently and how to locate and evaluate material available from electronic databases and the Internet.
Nancy L. Baker and Nancy Huling bring their experience as librarians to a concise tour of the typical college library and provide easy-to-understand summaries of the print and electronic research tools available to students. Along the way, they describe nearly fifty reference works and research aids, including:
Literature Resource Center
Expanded Academic ASAP
Literature Online (LION)
Library of Congress Subject Headings
MLA International Bibliography
Oxford English Dictionary
ProQuest Research Library
The Research Guide provides dozens of samples from these reference materials. It discusses how to navigate a library's electronic catalog; how to search for articles and books; how to use primary sources; and how to locate biographical information, quotations, and miscellaneous facts. A new chapter deals with bibliographic citation managers, such as EndNote.
Customer Reviews:
An invaluable guide.......2006-10-04
Now in a newly updated and expanded sixth edition, the 104 page reference, "A Research Guide For Undergraduate Students: English And American Literature", by co-authors and librarians Nancy L. Baker and Nancy Huling offers a succinct and informative descriptional tour of the typical college library along with easy-to-understand summaries of the print and electronic research tools available to students and faculty. The research aids and reference works range from the 'Literary Resource Center', to the 'Expanded Academic ASAP', to 'Literature Online', to 'Library of Congress Subject Headings', to the 'MLA International Bibliography', to the 'Oxford English Dictionary', to the 'ProQuest Research Library', and dozens of others. "A Research Guide For Undergraduate Students" also provides a wealth of examples taken from the showcased reference materials, explains how to navigate a college library's electronic catalog, how to search for articles and books, the use of primary sources, locating biographic information, quotations, and miscellaneous facts. Of special note is a new chapter focused on dealing with bibliographic citation managers such as 'EndNote'. "A Research Guide For Undergraduate Students" is an invaluable guide, especially for new students and returning students wanting to take maximum advantage of what their college library has to offer them in support of their academic endeavors.
Average customer rating:
|
How to Write Essays & Dissertations: A Guide For English Literature Students
Nigel Fabb , and
Alan Durant
Manufacturer: Pearson Longman
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Literary Theory
| History & Criticism
| United States
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
| Classics
| Comic
| Contemporary
| Literary
General
| Education
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Study Skills
| Education
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Academic & Commercial
| Writing
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Writing
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Humanities
| Specific Skills
| Education
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
All Titles
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
ASIN: 0582784557 |
Book Description
Perfect for students of costume design and history, A Handbook of Costume Drawing illustrates and describes the dominant male and female costume silhouettes for major historical periods ranging from Egyptian dynasties through the 1960s. Important details, including head and footwear, hair styles, fashion accessories, shoulders, waist, hem, and neckline are provided to maximize the historical accuracy of each design and to help you fully recreate the look and feel of each period.
Teaches how to draw a well-proportioned human body
Discusses the differences in fit between historical and contemporary clothing
Explains how to develop a stunning portfolio
Customer Reviews:
Really disappointed.......2005-05-07
This book is lame. It's black and white drawings are sloppy and they don't instruct. There is little or no instructions
This book is way over priced. Stay away from it.
50 bucks? You have to be kidding!.......2003-12-17
I bought this book as a gift. I was stupid enough to throw away the return slip before I realized what I bought. This is a flimsy black and white book that does not show much of any detail. There is nothing from China and Japan and maybe one exaple for every 250 years of history. There are even blank pages throughout the book for no reason. I am still going to give the book because I have nothing else to give but I know the person will be thinking that I"m a cheapskate and will never guess in a million years that I actually spent 50 bucks. I feel like I've been robbed. The reviewer that was the reason I bought the book has obviously only seen one or two books in his/her life.
Dissapointed.......2000-06-30
As someone who has "fallen in" to costume design, I was hoping that this would be a great reference that would help me to get my ideas across to my director, but it has done little more than show how to proportion the male and female figures correctly. I was dissapointed in the lack of technical information about drawing fabrics on the human figure. Instead of technique, it gives a very brief overview of what changed in the line of the garments and has a half silhouette on the side of the page to show how the figure changed from period to period. There are several fashion history books availible that have much better overviews and illustrations. Only a few examples on four pages are given for each period.
Books:
- Women Artists and Modernism
- A Concise Economic History of the World: From Paleolithic Times to the Present
- Aboriginal Art of Australia: Exploring Cultural Traditions (Art Around the World)
- Acrylic Revolution: New Tricks & Techniques for Working With the World's Most Versatile Medium
- American Case Furniture in the Mabel Brady Garvan and Other collections at Yale
- ART OF POCAHONTAS, THE
- Ashanti to Zulu: African Traditions (Picture Puffin Books)
- Behind the Wheel Spanish II / 8 Multi-Track CDs /Complete 250 Page Illustrated Text / English Translations / Answer Keys & Tapescrip
- Blizzard of the Blue Moon (A Stepping Stone Book(TM))
- Church of The Holy Sepulchre
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- The Emotional Intelligence Quick Book
- Reading People: How to Understand People and Predict Their Behavior- -Anytime, Anyplace
- Formulation, Characterization, and Stability of Protein Drugs: Case Histories
- My Jim: A Novel
- History: Fiction or Science
- Pots in the Garden: Expert Design and Planting
- Profane Justice: A Comprehensive Guide to Asserting Your Parental Rights. Second Edition
- The Arts of Asia: Materials, Techniques, Styles
- Funny Bones: Comedy Games and Activities for Kids
- The morphology and development of certain pyrenomycetous Fungi
