Customer Reviews

On Tender Hooks

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If you are easily offended, this is not the book for you. If it tickles you to see iconic images put into a pornographic (yet artistic) context, this is the perfect book for you.

Isabel Samaras apparently favors using classics like "I Dream of Jeannie," "Batman and Robin," "The Addams Family," "The Munsters," etc. and gives them a fabulous pornographic twist; she puts The Addams and Munsters in bed together; has Batman and Robin making out (and so much more); Lily and Morticia sharing a moment or two. She paints beyond these examples, of course, and every painting is just wonderful. Every once in a while, an original painting is shown to give the viewer a better idea of what inspired a particular painting and many paintings take up two pages because one page is devoted to giving a close up of something in the background.

Her introduction to this book is fabulous! Her writing style is very engaging: she explains what and who inspired her to start painting and why she started off with vintage lunch boxes and TV trays as canvases; she mentions her trips to Italy and how each trip was a completely different experience because of the way it affected her painting. She details why she decided to depict classic monsters in alternate (i.e. happy) scenarios and she gives us a glimpse of her painting process.

Justin Giarla (a gallerist who showed her work) writes about what made her artwork appeal to him. One thing he said was "Yet Isabel's subjects aren't the perverse musings of some twisted mind. Instead, they are actually loving portraits of humanity, with all its failings and crazy drama." He wrote that for people who grew up on these television shows, Isabel's paintings remind them what it is like to be a kid again.

Colin Berry wrote "... Isabel clearly embraced tenderness in her work ... [she] favored scenes of affection, mystery and passion." He juxtaposes her work with other artists' in that genre (which is apparently "Lowbrow") and goes into some detail about how her style and subject matter differs from the others'.

Amazing Art book that even Non Art people will love. You've gotta be of a certain generational age, Say 35-50? The re-run Generation X. All my darkest and giddiest fanatasies about my favorite Tv characters come to like in full flesh color!

Simply gorgeous coffee table photo book, with interesting background info on the artist also. I've been a fan for years and it's wonderful to be able to actually own some of her works now. She's a brilliant artist, very witty and creative ;-)