Customer Reviews

Dark Impressions : The Art of Philip Hitchcock

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This was my first exposure to Philip Hitchcock's sculptures, and I was impressed. They are so lifelike you feel you are looking at real male models or photographs of live models. What a talented, brilliant sculptor.

This book is a work of art in itself. Anyone interested in the human form, especially male models will find this book fascinating. The color reproductions are excellent. Ellis Productions did a wonderful job in designing this book. Dark Impressions is very erotic, sometimes disturbing, shown with sculptures (models) that are in restraints, hardware, with skulls, ropes and horns; casted in resin, steel and copper.

This is a wonderful introduction to Philip Hitchcock's very original and awe-inspiring talent as a sculpturer. I loved this book and hope to obtain someday one of these sculpture's for myself. There is even a section about the processing of casting from "Life." A fascinating process shown with photos. If you are an art lover, or if you just appreciate the beauty of the human body, you will love this book. I certainly did.

Having had the opportunity of seeing Mr. Hitchcocks unique art first hand, in both private collections and throughout various galleries here in Southern California, I was delighted to come acrross his handsome edition, Dark Impressions. Both beautiful and disturbing, Dark Impressions spans the past decade of work by the artist. Combining the fragmented, sometimes tortured, erotic figure, with a myriad of various mammal skulls, tattoos, restraints, hardware, and faux finishes, Mr. Hitchcock creates a contemporary mythology reminiscent to that of the Italian visionary, Tanino Liberatore, author of the US censored, masterfully drawn serial, Ranxerox. The two page spread of his twelve painted torsos, the cast resin and neon variations, give colorful accent to this flightful immerision into the complex mind of this riveting artist. For the aspiring artist and the curious, Mr. Hitchcock leaves us with a detailed, step by step, fully illustrated, inspiring, "how to," of his technique.

I am so pleased with 'Dark Impressions, The Art of Philip Hitchcock', that I wanted to say how glad I am that Ellis Publications and Mr. Hitchcock put together such an extensive compilation of his work, and that a favorite site, Amazon.com, is part of the distribution.

This full-color, beautifully designed book will please not only anyone interested in the human form, but also sculptors, artists, art edition bibliophiles and collectors. The color reproductions are excellent -- MY Hitchcock is the first page I turned to. It looks true to the original that hangs on my wall.

As an artist who also collects artists' books, I am inspired by Mr. Hitchcock's career that also includes mixed media sculpture (which lights up!), his viewpoint on what he does, and that he shares the body casting process in a special section in the back.

The works shown in 'Dark Impressions' run the range from disturbing to bright and alive. This is one book I keep on the coffee table.

Best regards,

Greg Vineyard

I have followed Philip Hitchcock's career for many years and welcome "Dark Impressions" as a brilliant -- and beautifully produced -- retrospective of his artistic achievements to date, as well as a prospectus for future accomplishments. His sculptures combine the elegant simplicity of Classical statues as they have survived from ancient Greece: shattered and fragmentary, but naked and stunning. The Medieval is invoked to produce a sense of threat, inhibition and visceral anxiety -- very much in the sense that Quentin Tarantino popularized as "getting medieval" in the film PULP FICTION. These historical elements are then fused in a sophistical and sexy form of the Postmodern, which invites entry into the deepest resources of erotic fear and fantasy. Already working at top form, Hitchcock has a career worth watching!