Customer Reviews

Frederic Remington: The Color of Night

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This book is divided in parts.
In the first part you will find the biography of Remington and all his artwork
In the second, there are all the "The color of the night" paintings in big size with the description of each one.
As a bonus, there is a brief study of the technique that used Remington to paint these great paintings.
Great book about a great artist.

This book is replete with Remington's night scenes. For the working artist/illustrator, this is the Bible of scenes depicting night and other low-light situations. As always, Remington's compositions are things of wonder.

I knew very little about Remington's works before buying this book. I had of course, seen many of the famous paintings, but I hadn't really looked seriously at this man's work. Frankly, the cover of this book caught my eye and then the themes of its compositions are what inspired me to buy. I was not disappointed. What a great introduction to the works of this very fine artist. Of all the books I have seen on Remington's paintings, this one is still by far, my favorite.

The printing of the paintings are very well done. They are so well reproduced that at times I felt that if I touched the print I would feel the brushstrokes. Each painting is also printed on one page alone which eliminates the annoying "lost in the gutter" effect of a two page spread. The prints themselves range in size from 8X6 to 6X9 (portrait) and generously cover as much of the page as possible. There are also diary notes from Remington's hand as well as commentary which gives context. There is also a section in the back that breaks down several of Remington's paintings as well as his palette and technique as put forth by those conservation experts who have restored some of his work.

I am very much drawn to the dramatic and entertaining qualities of paintings and works that are set during the night as well. There's so much inherent drama in the light and in the mystique of that time, that I very much enjoy when artists explore those hours in their own works. Maybe everyone is like this, but I enjoy the stillness and gentleness that seems to overcome the world after dark. Seeing that same love of night in this artist and his works has been very rewarding.

All in all, a really great buy and a very fine book. I think you'll like it.