Customer Reviews

Tapestry: The Paintings of Robert McGinnis

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I had never even heard of Robert McGinnis until I was linked to this page by the editors' names (the Fenners) who I know from their affiliation with science fiction art. The reviews were so favorable that I decided to gamble on this book without any other familiarity with McGinnis. I usually lose on these impulsive gambles. Not this time. Suffice it to say this book is a total prize, it's just filled cover to cover with extreme beauty.

I am particularly impressed with this man's diversity of talent...he does great "pin up" type art of beautiful women, and then he does these embracing outdoor scenes which are almost within the genre of "Marlboro" commercials and then there are other pieces which are evocative of Norman Rockwell and Maxfield Parrish. Each painting is fantastic and to me represents a dinstinct aspect of the best phenomena in Earthly life. However, there is even a little sci-fi art in here, so not all his fantastic visions are necessarily Earth-bound!

I love unexpected treasure!

This is the book I've been waiting years for. For decades Robert McGinnis' wonderful paintings have lured me to pick up a book or plunk down the admission price to a movie. "Tapestry" includes a great selection of art, beautifully designed and printed, which illustrates McGinnis' career. Personal favorites include the knockout cover painting of John Wayne from "The Searchers", his posters for the James Bond films, "Thunderball" and "You Only Live Twice", any of the mystery covers featuring his stunning femme fatales, and of course, the gallery nudes are all amazing and memorable. And I can't forget his landscapes and Western Art, either--the man can do and has done it all. I came away from "Tapestry" satisfied and wanting more. Hopefully a sequel is in the works.

Is there anything Robert McGinnis CAN'T paint? His movie posters are instantly recognizable to millions who've never heard of him, but his landscapes and magazine illustrations -- his western art in particular -- are his real masterpieces. The reproductions are sumptuous and the editors have given us a wide-ranging sampling of the artist's prodigious output. The price is so good it looks like a misprint, but it's not. Kudos to Underwood Books for making material like this available in such a beautiful volume at what is truly a bargain price!

I'm in agreement with everyone else, that 1.) Robert Mcginnis is the best paperback book illustrator ever (perhaps rivaled only by Frank Frazetta); and 2.) This is the best collection of Mcginnis art available in book form. There's only one flaw in the whole thing: it never says what medium the artist uses (I found out it's egg tempera). If you love to gaze at beautiful paintings of every genre subject, or if you are yourself a painter or commercial artist, this belongs on your bookshelf. I've had it for years, and never tire of looking at it. A classic.

McGinnis is a master of his craft, I mainly purchased this book not because I want to paint like him, but when I saw a piece he did for Enter the Dragon I had to commend his visual flair pertaining to movie posters.....the man is a master, and frankly, his Bond women are goddesses. This book conatins some great works of his, add it to your collection like I did.

I can't recommend this book strongly enough. Way back during an age when book illustrators were respected celebrities, Robert McGinnis would have been the toast of the town.

This book is a consumate showcase of an extremely talented artist. Every aspect of his career is covered and it lets the reader see that McGinnis had made a mark in not one, not two, but three different genres.

One: Paperback book art, in which he introduces an atomic age America to his very distinctive brand of woman: amazon tall, lean as a steel pipe and as majestic as a swan.

Two: The genre of movie poster art where he helps elevate James Bond from paperback book secret agent to one of the country's most recognizable pop icons.

And three: A return to his statuesque beauties in arguably the classiest collection of pin-up art the oil canvas has ever known.

As with many great American illustrators, Robert McGinnis settled into his later years by painting brilliant scenes of the wild and tamed West and those works are also given their own section in TAPESTRY.

A must-have for illustrators and art patrons if there ever was one.

Arnie and Cathy Fenner deliver another wonderful book! Their books on FRAZETTA are amazing and so is this one! McGinnis was as important to the Connery Bond as the film directors were! His art is magical! This book holds a special place on my book shelf! THANK YOU for the GREAT job! Rick

This book has filled all my expectations. Before I bought it, I was looking a few paintings of McGinnis, but I was always sure about that this is a great publication. Excellent!