Grandma Moses [Paperback]

Jane Kallir (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1997

In this new volume, 25 of Grandma Moses' finest works are reproduced in poster-size color plates. A number of close-up details, as well as photographs of the artist and her family and vivid quotations in her own words, enhance the images. 51 illustrations, 36 in full color.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This series is geared to the needs of the armchair art lover eager to broaden his or her knowledge of the art world without having to wade through lengthy and sometimes pretentious tomes. Past titles have focused on artists as disparate as Hieronymous Bosch, John James Audubon, Norman Rockwell, Andy Warhol, and Cindy Sherman, and all have followed a fairly similar formula. Look here for art history "lite," with no indexing and no attempt to appear scholarly but lots of good illustrations. There are stylistic differences among the individual writers, some of whom have better qualifications than others. For example, Chollet's previous writing experiences have been limited to screenplays (Seven Years in Tibet), and the Cassatt book can be maddening because of the author's preoccupation with feminist issues. Sidebars, called "Sound Bytes," include pertinent quotes by or about each artist profiled including a pitch from actor Brad Pitt speaking as an authority on Louis Comfort Tiffany. Given the books' small size (an easily stolen 6" square) and the likelihood that most libraries would already have material on these artists, none should be considered a necessary purchase. Margarete Gross, Chicago P.L.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Publisher

Exhibition Schedule: Orlando Museum of Art Sept.-Nov. 2001, Brooklyn Museum of Art Dec. 2001-Feb. 2002, Columbus Museum of Art May-Aug. 2002 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 56 pages
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams (September 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810926970
• ISBN-13: 978-0810926974
• Product Dimensions: 14.6 x 10.6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,709,758 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE REAL GRANDMA MOSES, April 10, 2000

By 

Eydie Petty (Liberal, Kansas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Grandma Moses (Paperback)

This is a wonderful and beautifully illustrated book filled with Grandma Moses' life and her art work. I ordered it as a classroom aid for a presentation on her life, and I was amazed at how much was compiled in this selection. The biography is very thorough and her colorful landscapes are quite breathtaking. The captions along side her masterpieces give the reader an insight into this great folk artist, as well as critiques the art mediums she used to perfect them. This is a wonderful addition to any art teacher's library, as well as the classroom teacher, who is looking for an artist to help him or her teach the Disciplined Based Art with their students. I also recommend this book if you are having a hard day at the office, and you just want to slip into another more peaceful era. The nostalgia you will feel just looking at this woman's pictures is beyond words. It is also a very challenging book to help you reach for your dreams, no matter what your age is. If she could touch peoples' lives in her 80's, there is hope for everyone!

4.0 out of 5 stars Good for what it is, May 25, 2010

By 

Mr. Dustin Weil - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Essential: Grandma Moses (Essential (Harry N. Abrams)) (Hardcover)

This is a nice introduction to the life and work of Grandma Moses, something pleasant and approachable that presents essential information for readers with a casual interest. It features reproductions of many excellent paintings and some of their details. I do recommend it.

But be aware: the book's page dimensions are only about 6 by 6 inches--not big for an art book. Although the print quality of the pictures is high, the size prohibits careful study.

3 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice work by a little ungodly grandma, November 6, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Grandma Moses (Paperback)

This book is a beautiful rendering of the seemingly simplistic and enchanting paintings by Grandma Moses. But something seems amiss when one finds that this artist lacked something on the spiritual side; for Kallir mentions something Moses once said: '"Someone has asked me to paint Biblical pictures," she once noted, "and I say no, I'll not paint something that we know nothing about; might just as well paint something that will happen a thousand years hence."' (Kallir 52).

Moses' enchanting pictures of everyday life, which become infused with something more than mundanity through such pleasant renderings, somehow seem starker with the knowledge that the artist lacked a faith in seeing something beyond such life scenes by only concentrating on what she considered "the factual and true."

Nonetheless, this is one of the best collections of her work, and it is embellished by many quotations by the artist. Moses' late start in the art world is also a testament that it is never too late to attempt lasting convocations of value. It is a pity that the elderly Moses did not believe that such things would last beyond her impending death.