Customer Reviews

The Drawings of Heinrich Kley (Dover Fine Art, History of Art)

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Heinrich Kley, an expressionist know for his work with pen and ink sketches, mostly of the black and white variety, is someone undeservedly without oceans of renown despite the fact that many of his works appear around us daily. He did have his proverbial "day in the sun," gaining notoriety for his satirical approach to world at large, but that seems to have ebbed off since his death in the 1940s and many have forgotten who this is. Well, this book is a wonderful showpiece of his works, containing two of his sketchbooks that many people have seen plenty of times but might not recognize by name, helping to revitalize the memory. Many of these works still have a lot of social merit today, taking shots at bureaucracy, militarism, and other satirical facets that we still find ourselves plagued with.

I found myself attracted to this artist because of his strangely dark overtures showpieced in this volume, with snails consuming people and giants stomping villages full of what they deem their inferiors, plus its takes on industrialism and religion. Presented with an introduction that explains the life of the artist, this editions, actually two books brought together for one showing, has a total of 200 illustrations spanning 125 + pages and makes it an excellent deal. Still, if your easily offended perhaps theme presentation will most deservedly offend you and you might want to pass on it. If you like dark humor that has deep seeded, often missed, meanings, however, you'll love Kley.
Highly Recommended.

The fact that Heinrich Kley isn't better known demonstrates the flaw in the idea that "history will sort out the great work." Kley is quite simply one of the best and most imaginative draftsmen in the Western tradition, and he is never mentioned in the standard histories of art. (I discovered him in Harvey Kurtzman's HELP! magazine in the early Sixties.) This constitutes a coup (one of many) for Dover Publications, who specialize in the dissemination of classics (famous and forgotten) in well-made, affordable editions. Anyone who cares at all about drawing should pick up this book.

What an eye opener, what a fantastic, comical and totally genuine talent was Kley. Puts our contemporary "mark Maker" graduates of university art programs to shame. This guy did it all out of his head out of connsumate knowledge of anatomy and character. His skill with the plastic form in space is delightful to behold.

Kley used his artistic ability to bring to life his unique form of satiric wit and whimsey. Pages magically come alive with his pen and ink social commentaries. The two sketch books published in this volume will bring a smile to your face and an admiration for his work.

I received my copy in very good condition, Excellent drawings - very instructive for any serious student of figure drawing.

Third time I have owned this book. Passed the other two off to folks who needed to have it to enhance their drawing skills and caustic wit. Just copying the drawings teaches one a lot about ink draughtsmanship. I took a fifty dollar art award from a show, bought a nice pen, re-bought this fine book and am drawing everywhere!

daughter loved this book when she saw it online--she attends the Museum of Fine arts School -Boston--and has enjoyed it since she got it.

A pesar de haberme encontrado con el libro hace unos años, aun hoy en dia sigo recordando los trazos con los que me encontre y lo que representaban. Copie algunos de los dibujos alli representados y luego hice algunos mios siguiendo el mismo tipo de trazo o similar y creo que esos dibujos tienen una gran fuerza.Es una manera diferente y atrevida de representar el cuerpo humano vivo y muerto. Son de los pocos dibujos a tinta que me han gustado, y me parecen muy buenos. ENHORABUENA.