Chronicle is proud to publish the exciting paintings of widely acclaimed German artist Michael Sowa. A miniature pig splashing in a bowl of soup; a duck leading a wheelbarrow down a country lane; a woman gently stroking her daughter's face with a rabbit: take a trip into Sowa's brilliant and darkly comic imagination, where a menagerie of creatures adopt strange personae and pop up in the most unexpected places. In the same realm as Chris Van Allsburg and Maurice Sendak, Sowa's paintings take on the other-worldly look of a whacked-out fairy tale—each work full of irony, a wry Brothers Grimm for grown-ups. These witty and satirical images—a cross between Magritte and The Far Side—are sure to attract a well-deserved and passionate following in the States.
| ||||||||||||
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
Rarely have I been so at a loss to describe a book. Let me start by saying it is wondrous. That this book of 50 paintings by the German painter Michael Sowa has an otherworldly quality that is prosaic yet profound, hilarious yet numinous, and incongruous yet congruent with deep and mysterious truths. That I will never think of ducks, Christmas, rabbits, or German shepherds in the same way since seeing this book. That I return to it over and over again, and feel compelled to show it to friends and family. And that they -- children and adults alike -- love it too.
Review
Sowa's illustrations incorporate all the qualities of a fine-art painting. They're profound, beautifully crafted, and full of the same pathos that makes Edward Hopper's work so beguiling... Nick Bantock
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Authors
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Modern Mythology both strange and lasting,
By A Customer
This review is from: Sowa's Ark: An Enchanted Bestiary (Hardcover)
Sowa has slowly taken over my heart. Everytime I saw a postcard with one of his images on it I snapped it up but never sent it. Now, in this book I can relish him with each page. His images are both beautiful and funny but most of all they touch something deep inside via the animals he uses and the dark foreboding architecture of nature and man. The back of a cat bristles with emotion and we aren't talking cutesy-pie kitties. These animals of Sowa's have souls and yearnings. They are trapped and share the dark planet with us and reflect it, perhaps, more honestly than the humans. Whether joy via diving pigs or sheer runs for life via a Christmas goose sprinting away, Sowa has touched something new and tipped his hat to the masters too. He is divine. Discover him and then buy a copy for every friend you know. Great!
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wildly amusing imagery,
By BB (West Greenwich, RI United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Sowa's Ark: An Enchanted Bestiary (Hardcover)
Michael Sowa's book was introduced to me as a must to read after someone saw my own work, and I would say the same to you if you are thinking of buying this book. If you like funny, amuzing and often surreal imagery then you'll love Sowas work. Some of the pictures are quite profound and make you think beyond what you see. They have a dream like quality in many cases. Some pleasant and others ... well... it's hard to describe...... best discover for yourself...
14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Pure pleasure...,
This review is from: Sowa's Ark: An Enchanted Bestiary (Hardcover)
Like some kind of low brow Mark Tansey, Sowa creates images that truly stop you in your cerebral tracks with their weight and mystery. And he does this while being damn funny. The tragic and sometimes amusing conflicts between the human world and the natural world have never been so well shown. A coffee table art book I actually pick up and look at, it's far more relevant than it seems at first glance. Buy it now and give it to someone you would like to see with a smile on their face.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Inside This Book
(learn more)
New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
