AnyBook4Less.com	Find the Best Price on the Web Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Home  |  Store List  |  FAQ  |  Contact Us  |
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money Keyword AuthorISBN

Title: Mike and Doug Starn by Andy Grundberg ISBN: 0-917562-55-0 Publisher: Contemporary Arts Center Pub. Date: January, 1990 Format: Paperback List Price(USD): $27.95

Your Country USA Canada United Kingdom Australia Austria Belgium France Germany Italy Netherlands Switzerland Currency AutoUSD CAD GBP EUR AUD CHF Delivery Only cheapest delivery All delivery options Include Used Books Are you a club member of: Barnes and Noble Books A Million Chapters.Indigo.ca

Average Customer Rating: 4.67 (3 reviews)

Rating: 5
Summary: Obliquely "Chinese"...
Comment: I first bought this book over ten years ago when it first came out and the book has given me much food for thought as well as appreciation.
The Chinese have a lot of tall tales about their greatest painters. One of them goes like this: The emperor had heard of the painter/poet "Wong"'s infernal genius and wanted to see it for himself. "Wong" also happened to be world-class boozer. When he was summoned, he was drunk. He tumbled into the palace where the paper, ink, and brush was laid out for him. He lost his balance and kicked the pot of ink, spilling the content all over the paper. OOPS! No problem. The guy just up and started to paint with the spillage and produced, on the spot, something that was good enough to blow away the emperor.
The point of the story, ladies and germs, is this: The Starn Brothers have something of that kind of sensibility and ability. The only difference is, they deliberately kick the inkpot. That is, they accept the finite material condition of their medium and just run with it. Sure the negs are going to fade, wrinkle, even get scratched if you're not super careful handling them. They just said, F- it.
Commonly used expressions, such as, "challenging the convention" or "pushing the envelope", etc., are always unbearably trite, and in this case egregiously so. These guys are not out to do that, I don;t think. They use a lot of images taken from Master paintings, including Rembrandt's portraits and Philippe de Champagne's monumental .

The Starn Brothers' work have that mesmerizing quality -- much of that power comes from their own talent to put together the "right" images in new ways. But a part of that power also comes from the classical images themselves. (Apropos to this comment, they also use Picasso's work, but it's not as moving.)

Their work has moved into different realms recently but the core is still there, only more solar. Their work restores faith that there is still so much BEAUTY out there for art to discover, that art in our time does NOT have to be some tiresome social or personal one-liners about how crappy/ironic/unjust/stupid the world is. The discerning eye (prajna), technique (rationality), true love (as opposed to neurosis) for their work: they are all there but without the oppressive mastery and finality. The kinda artists I'd like to have a chat with -- at MY house, even.

Rating: 5
Summary: This book is so good, you'll platz.
Comment: I love this book. It is well edited and written. The body of work in here is amazing. These guys are tough. This is not easy work to get your head around. It is beautiful and wet. These guys take image to the next level. Everytime I flip through this book, I want to go take pictures. Just buy it.

Rating: 4
Summary: Double Whammy
Comment: After seeing Mike and Doug Starn's work in a gallery, I knew I had to have a book of their work. I searched high and low and was finally led to Andy Grundberg's book, a must have for any "Starn Twins" fan. The book opens with an informative yet brief biographical sketch of the brothers, from their childhood days to their years at the "Museum School" where they developed the style they are recognized for today. After a quick peek into the twins' personal history, Grundberg gives us what we really want...their art! With over 100 illustrations (including fold out pages) the book gives the reader more than enough eye candy. The photo-reproductions are crisp and clear and offer a look at work that spans approximately 10 years of the Starn's career. From their portraits and still lifes to their experimental works, Grundberg's book has it all. I would recommend this book to anyone who knows and loves the work of Mike and Doug Starn; it's a classic!

Similar Books:

Title: Attracted to Light by Doug Starn, Mike Starn, A Blind Spot Book ISBN: 1576871894 Publisher: powerHouse Books Pub. Date: April, 2004 List Price(USD): $85.00