From Library Journal
This series is geared to the needs of the armchair art lover eager to broaden his or her knowledge of the art world without having to wade through lengthy and sometimes pretentious tomes. Past titles have focused on artists as disparate as Hieronymous Bosch, John James Audubon, Norman Rockwell, Andy Warhol, and Cindy Sherman, and all have followed a fairly similar formula. Look here for art history "lite," with no indexing and no attempt to appear scholarly but lots of good illustrations. There are stylistic differences among the individual writers, some of whom have better qualifications than others. For example, Chollet's previous writing experiences have been limited to screenplays (Seven Years in Tibet), and the Cassatt book can be maddening because of the author's preoccupation with feminist issues. Sidebars, called "Sound Bytes," include pertinent quotes by or about each artist profiled including a pitch from actor Brad Pitt speaking as an authority on Louis Comfort Tiffany. Given the books' small size (an easily stolen 6" square) and the likelihood that most libraries would already have material on these artists, none should be considered a necessary purchase. Margarete Gross, Chicago P.L. Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Book Description
The Essentials Series. During Thomas Eakins's lifetime, it was his controversial teaching methods and not his splendid paintings that drew the most attention. Today this extraordinary painter, gifted sculptor, and innovative photographer is hailed as a master of realism in the tradition of Velázquez. This lively portrait comes just in time for a retrospective exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

From the Publisher
Exhibition Schedule: Philadelphia Museum of Art Sept. 2001-Jan. 2002, Musée d' Orsay, Paris Feb.-May 2002, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, June-Sept. 2002

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Thomas Eakins was a gifted sculptor, photographer, and painter who produced more than 500 works of art in his 40-year career. Yet it was his controversial teaching methods and not his splendid paintings that attracted the public's attention. Eakins's unique contributions were not fully appreciated until 54 years after his death when, in 1970, one of his canvases set a record at auction for the highest price ever paid for an American painting. Did you know that: Nudity and sexual scandal got Eakins in a lot of trouble? From 1870 until 1878, when Eakins painted some of his greatest masterpieces, he earned a total of $140 from the sale of his paintings? Eakins often put portraits of himself in his pictures?

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal