The Artist - UK (2021-02)

http://www.painters-online.co.uk artistFebruary 2021 65

ART BOOKS Reviewed by Henry Malt

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Painting &

Drawing

I’ve always been

a bit dubious

about everything-

and-all-media

books. They look

good on the

shelf and the

copious amount

of information

they promise

certainly looks

enticing, but the contents probably only

really appeal to the non-artist buyer or the

general reader who fancies ‘having a go’ at

painting. Nevertheless, they appear regularly

and seem to have a market.

So, not one for you, the refined The Artist

reader then? Well, consider this. It’s a bind-

up of five of GMC’s rather excellent media

guides that go into considerably more

detail than such things often do. If you want

an overview, or to explore beyond your

current comfort zone, £20 really isn’t a lot

to pay for the amount of detail and quality

of instruction and reproduction you’ll find

here. Or, if you’re looking for a top-class

introduction for a friend, make a bee-line

for this.

GMC Publications £19.99, 320 pages (P/B)

ISBN 9781784945862

Botanical Art Techniques

• a comprehensive guide
  The American Society of Botanical
  Artists
  There is much to like in this beautiful
  guide that covers all the media
  appropriate to botanical illustration


• over 400 pages of it in fact. While
  the umbrella authorship provides
  gravitas, the instruction and
  exercises are anything but heavy.
  To be sure, there are plenty of words – this is a lot more than a
  series of simple demonstrations. Nevertheless, the stages and their
  captions are easy to follow, making this a thoroughly accessible
  masterclass.
  Subjects include the full botanical gamut – flowers, leaves, fruit
  and vegetables – and all the suitable media from watercolour to
  pencil, oils, tempera and printmaking, as well as a wide range of
  techniques. The chapter arrangement makes it easy to isolate the
  parts you want, because this isn’t something to work on over only
  a few days and will repay extensive study. The book describes itself
  as ‘comprehensive’. To that, I’d be inclined to add ‘definitive’.
  Timber Press £30, 416 pages (H/B)
  ISBN 9781604697902

200 Words to

Help You Talk

about Art

Ben Street

This book will

make you think.

You might gather

that from the title,

but intention and

outcome are very

different things. On

first acquaintance,

it looks like a dictionary. Two hundred

art-related words with definitions. So

much, so familiar. Except that it isn’t.

Just 200 words? Dr Johnson would not

be impressed. And anyway, what have

things like Freeport, Decolonisation

or Marxist Theory got to do with art,

especially in such a refined list? And to

top it off, for goodness sake, it’s not even

in alphabetical order!

And there you have it. A list of words,

not all of which you’d associate with art,

that you have to read rather than dip

into. The ‘definitions’ are mini essays that

expand on their subjects. We weren’t

going to review this at all, but it’s got

under my skin, made me think, and that’s

a fine quality in a book.

Laurence King £9.99, 128 pages (H/B)

ISBN 9781786276933

How To Draw All The Things For

Kids

Alli Koch

There are few

words in this

really rather

excellent guide,

and none

of them are

instructional.

That’s fine,

though, as

children

just want to get on with drawing and

not have long teacher-y explanations. At the

ages this is aimed at, it’s supposed to be fun

and an introduction to the world of art that’s

entranced you all your life.

The range of subjects is impressive and aimed

at the young mind. There are animals, objects,

figures, boats and all the things that fascinate

an emerging imagination. Each one is dealt

with in a single spread and starts from basic

shapes – lines, rectangles, circles – that come

together in a wonderfully organic way. Best of

all, there’s no sleight of hand in the final stage

that renders true reproduction impossible. If

you have a child in your life, give them the gift

of drawing with this delightful and genuinely

inspiring book.

Blue Star Press £12.99, 80 pages (P/B)

ISBN 9781950968220

Portraits for NHS

Heroes

Initiated by Tom Croft

‘I’m at work, please pray for me.’ These

are the words of Stan Nyakuhwa,

who works in an operating theatre,

quoted in his foreword by Adebanji

Alade and they sum up the ethos

of this striking book and tell you

eloquently why it exists.

Conceived by Tom Croft, it’s

simply images and brief accounts

of NHS workers – doctors, nurses,

paramedics, administrators. Many

are as you’d see them as a patient, faces half-covered, and it’s the

eyes that strike you. In fact, that’s a constant throughout the book.

If you’re wondering why we’re featuring this, look no further. The

sheer variety of artists, approaches and styles here will tell you

probably more about portraiture than any up-front how-to manual.

In another foreword, Michael Rosen reminds us that this is a book

born out of love, both for an institution and the people who are its

foundation. It’s compelling and subtly addictive.

Bloomsbury Caravel £25, 224 pages (H/B)

ISBN 9781448218004