Customer Reviews

Living Artists

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I like art but do not usually go out of my way to see an art show. I did not know any living artists but feel like I do through an introduction of each of the living artists presented in the book, their artwork and their fascinating thought process in the making of their pieces.

The artists selected for 3D images did excellent work but the 3D made their work even more vivid. I wish more of them were selected on 3D such as Barlow's collage, Renee McGinnis' gold leaf and oils, Scott Bullock's Contours, Jill Sutton's Balls, Mr. Imagination's Standing Tall. On Sean Culver's box
construction, I did not even see the crow until I saw it in 3D.

In "Living Artists", I like the work of Barlow's collage, Susan Hall's oil paintings on Stonehenge printmaking paper, Bob Emser's sculpture, Antonia Contro's watercolor of knots in one stroke, Paulsrud & Sward's handmade paper, Jill Sutton's glistening balls. I even went on the artists' website to check out more of their artwork.

Ivy Sundell's new book, "Living Artists", together with her earlier volumes "The Chicago Art Scene" and "Art Scene: Chicago 2000", presents a wonderful and comprehensive survey of the visual arts. While the first 2 books are focused on Chicago area artists, the latest is broadened to include artists who have passed through Illinois and now reside in other states/countries, but still exhibit in Illinois. Chicago is very lucky that Sundell took the effort to so thoroughly document the contemporary art world present in this very vibrant city, proudly and elegantly contained in these three volumes.

Although there is some overlap between the three books, most of the artists in each of the three books are different, this despite the fact that each artist has been judged in. This is a testimony to the different tastes of panels of jurors, different for each of the books (submitting artists were selected in that way), but also to the judicious effort with which Sundell presented a broad survey of the visual arts to a wide public, rather than to highlight a few.

Thus, her latest book contains many new names not included before. To name a few, Curtis Bartone (now residing in Georgia), whose beautiful and delicate drawings deal with our interaction and very imperfect participation with Nature. Curtis manages to show something so horrific as our blunt destruction of precious rainforests for selfish purposes into a beautiful image, inspiring hope. Sean Culver's Memory boxes deal with a delicate balance of introspection and, like Curtis' work, a view of Nature that most of us would like to preserve. Sean manages to translate the tragic occurrences of life, his life and that of his family, into a universal message affecting us all while maintaining the integrity of a beautiful crafted piece of art. The same can be said for the whimsical and equally well-crafted altered books of Brian Dettmer. A Webster's Dictionary with only images remaining, giving direct access to "all" of its contents, or is it "all"? Roland Kulla's work deals with preservation of a different kind, industrial archeology, the dramatic old bridges of Chicago, their nuts and bolts, their intricate machineries, presented in complex images that resemble the evolution of Piet Mondriaan's abstractions. Gregory Warmack or Mr. Imagination, a former Chicago fixture who's now residing in Pennsylvania, presents an art form that is very American, blending American Native art with the art of the African American. His powerful and very personal works preserve a powerful sentiment that touches anyone who views them. Then there are Susan Hall's reflective women shrouded in mystery, the complex non-furniture furniture of Ben Butler, the delicate fiber objects of Yvette Kaiser Smith along with the works of about 60 other artists.

To give a different angle on the viewing process Sundell included works of some of the artists in 3 dimensions, among them the above-mentioned Curtis Bartone, Sean Culver as well as Roland Kulla. Flipping back between the 2 and 3 dimensional images, one sees details in the former that might otherwise might have been overlooked, the 3 dimensional viewing process thus giving a heightened viewing experience. Anyone who has an interest in American Art, especially in the Arts of the Midwest and Chicago, will see how well, often inspired by the immediacy of own experiences and the City, the universalism of the works transcends that individuality and regionalism.

I can highly recommend this book "Living Artists", and when you are at it, I would buy the whole set of three.

I think LIVING ARTISTS is a distinct improvement over Ivy Sundell's two other excellent publications. Gone are most of the lengthy artists' explanations that add nothing to the art. The reproductions are excellent, and the format is both sensitive and uncluttered. I have spoken with two dozen of the other artists included in this work, and all have expressed complete satisfaction and even delight in the way their pieces are represented. The central idea that distinguishes this volume, that these are living artists you can interact with, is nicely extended in the 3D section where one can find themselves literally inside a work. I can't imagine a better way to experience the art of our time than Ivy Sundell's LIVING ARTISTS.

The cover of "Living Artists" beckons me to open this book. This is a beautiful art book full of large color images on all the pages. The variety of styles and media of artwork delights and draws one to appreciate the finest of art. It even has 3D viewing of art pieces. I like it so much I am buying a few
more copies for my friends. It is an ideal gift for all ages from east to west.

Living Artists is a departure for Ivy Sundell. Striving desperately to be a book with a diverse collection of artists, it tries to be a children's introduction to art at the same time. Unfortunately, the book does disservice to the artists. Poor typography, bad page layouts and terribly printed reproductions are the three main problems (check out the graphite on paper drawings reproduced in purple!). To a serious reader of art literature, this book comes across as kitsch and gimmicky, with its 3D glasses and strange 3D interpretations of 2D work. Sundell's past two books have been wonderful surveys of Chicago and regional artists--why not continue the trend? It's great to see so many wonderful artists lending their skill and time for the book, but I can imagine a few artists sorely hurt by the book's poor quality.