As I See: The Fantastic World of Boris Artzybasheff (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"I bought this book when it was new. It thrilled me then, it thrills me now. This was one of the greatest artist-caricaturists of the 20th century, and having this book back means I don’t have to worry about what gifts I’ll be giving this year." -- Harlan Ellison, award-winning author

“Boris Artzybasheff was an important spark that kept the flame of Surrealism burning long after it had reached it's peak during the 1930's and early 1940's. His anthropomorphic creations were prime influences on Kustom Kulture pioneers Ed "Big Daddy" Roth and Kenneth "Von Dutch" Howard. His strong presence continues to be felt today among artists like myself and many other key exponents of the Lowbrow and Pop Surrealism art community.”—Todd Schorr, painter/author of Dreamland (http://www.toddschorr.com/ )

“Boris Artzybasheff remains an unparalleled image maker. He combined a searing intelligence with incredible skill and deeply surreal wit. This book, his first and only monograph, is a personal exploration of his visual terrain, attacking no smaller a target than the modern condition. One of the truly essentials 20th century books and a benchmark for illustration.--Dan Nadel, PictureBox, author of Art out of Time

“I was lucky enough to discover Artzybasheff’s work some years ago through a friend, a fellow illustrator, who tracked down an original edition of this book (As I See).”—Michael Dringenberg, illustrator, Sandman

“Artzybasheff’s unambiguous forms involve a great sense of visual play, transmitting their meaning with inventive, sometimes frightening, clarity.”—Michael Dringenberg, illustrator, Sandman

“Artzybasheff’s unsettling and poignant visual satire is as fresh today as it was in the 1940’s.”—Award-winning illustrator John Jude Palencar

“Take the “Twilight Zone” throw in a dash of the "NY Times", blend well and you’ll have the usettling world that Artzybasheff has created.” —Award-winning illustrator John Jude Palencar

“Artzybasheff’s career is as surreal as his art - unsettling images and gear gnashing satire that still stands up in today’s cynical world.” —Award-winning illustrator John Jude Palencar

“I can't recommend this book enough. Just the hilarious Neurotica would be a sufficient content, but with images as diverse as those from The Circus of Dr. Lao and others reminiscent of Wally Wood, Hirschfeld, Dali, Disney and Wolverton, the full range of Artzybasheff's work becomes apparent.”—Jim Vadeboncoeur, Jr., Images magazine (http://www.bpib.com/imagesmagfolder/imagesmag/index.html )

Product Description

A striking collection of extraordinary images from one of the twentieth century’s most acclaimed and unique American artists.

This fantastical collection teems with ironic imagery which documents our culture’s vanity, aggression, dreams, and neuroses with biting wit and wisdom. Boris Artzybasheff’s striking graphic style, which includes everything from grotesque experiments in anthropomorphism, to the depiction of vivid and extreme ranges of human psychology and emotion, is displayed to full effect in this seminal collection of his work.

A stunning collection from an artist with a strong sense of design and humour!

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Titan Books (October 21, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1845767675
• ISBN-13: 978-1845767679
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #425,935 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Artzybasheff fans, rejoice!, November 16, 2008

By	Shmuel "21st Century Schizoid Jew" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

Boris Artzybasheff was best known for his magazine work -- both cover illustrations and, especially, advertising art. Single original pages of his ads from Time and Life, dating from the 1940's through the early 1960's, regularly sell on eBay for $10 to $15. To the best of my knowledge, though, the only book ever published that consisted entirely of Artzybasheff art was his "As I See."

For a long time, this volume has been nearly impossible to find, and when found, tended to demand an astronomical price. It has now finally been reissued in a remarkably inexpensive edition.

To describe Artzybasheff's style as "surreal" is to oversimplify. I suggest you do a Google image search to see examples of his work. Then jump on this new edition of "As I See" before it goes out of print.

3.0 out of 5 stars poorly printed/produced, February 18, 2009

By	apollinaire (western states) - See all my reviews

This is a fairly inexpensive hardcover and I really enjoy this artist's work.
Some of the images are reproduced well enough but the full page illustrations are plagued with moire patterns. It's tempting to point a finger at the printer, but the production team may also be to blame for this.

5.0 out of 5 stars Wild, wild art, December 12, 2008

By	Paul Hoffman (Santa Cruz, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

The "fantastic" in the title covers both the amazing fantasy in the art as well as the quality of the drawings. I have already gone slowly through the book twice.