Customer Reviews

Mermaids and Magic Shows: The Paintings of David Delamare

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book is an excellent fantasy art book. The paintings are very well laid out and clean. The mermaids are as beautiful as Royo's works, but they stand on their own. The details in the paintings are very subtle. The pictures have a very dream-like quality to them like fog and mist. The far off places travelled to and the characters encountered will expand the reader's imagination and make the reader want to know more. You should not pass this book by. It is worth adding to your fantasy art collection.

The mermaids depicted in this book are beautifully rendered and creative in their surroundings. This is an enjoyable book to view as it takes your mind into another world where mermaids reign. Wonderful art work that captures the best parts of your imagination. The only disappointment I had with this book is that there are fewer images of mermaids than I expected. Much of the book covers different artwork that is interesting and well done, but not quite what I expected.

When I first heard about this book, David Delamare was already a favorite of mine because of his unbelievably beautiful fairy art, and I was absolutely delighted to discover that he'd devoted some of his art to mermaids as well. This book fulfills all my expectations of what mermaid art should be, displaying the mysterious creatures in gorgeously magical settings. The mermaids here are stunningly beautiful and often incredibly sensual (depending on the mood of the painting.) Even the sirens are painted beautifuly, though Delamare makes no attempt to disguise their dangerous nature and gives them a much more sinister look than his regular mermaids. Even though I ordered this book for the mermaids alone, I was also delighted with the "Magic Shows", which the second half of this book is dedicated to. The "magic show" paintings are also incredible; from animals performing tricks to people walking on air, these are no ordinary magic shows, my friends! I highly recommend this book. If you're a fan of mermaids, Delamare, or fantasy itself, do not miss this collection!

I am extreemly picky about anything to do with mermaids. I love them. I have yet to find a wonderful book about mermaids--especailly one with great art. Unicorns have Unicorns I Have Known--the definative book on Unicorns, but mermaids have yet to have a standard set. I was truly looking forward to this book. I had heard so much about it and was very excited when it came back into print. I ordered it sight-unseen. There are some very lovely pictures in this book, and Delemare's immagination is wonderful. However, I was very dissapointed in the majority of the mermaids in Mermaids and Magic Shows. Their faces and bodies had much to be deisred--not the beautiful sirens of legends. Still, if you don't expect perfection or a book that will truly make you believe in mermaids, this book does have good aspects and redeeming qualities.

I was astounded to read any view that rated this book less than 5 out of 5. Not knowing this famous artist's work is no excuse for being disappointed when ordering the book sight unseen. All one needs to do is google his name and you will see oodles of googles and they are all exquisite. The book (as the title indicates) is not all mermaids - hence the word AND in the title. I can only tell you that I found this book to be absolutely gorgeous, and anyone picking it up on my coffee table to browse through it instantly wants one. The parts of the mermaids are incredible - faces and all other parts. I love the humanity he imparts to fantasy creatures, the mystical settings, the quality of the book, not to mention the sheer genius of the artist's talent. For these reasons and more I highly recommend this book. I would give it more than 5 stars if I could.

I LOVE DAVID DELAMARES ART AND PAINTINGS LIKE THE FAIRIES. THIS BOOK HOWEVER IS NOT A THING LIKE HIS FAMOUS PAINTINGS OF FAIRIES. THE ART IS VERY DIFFERENT, MORE LIKE POSTER ART.