Leonardo

Design and Aesthetics in Wood by Eric A. Anderson; George F. EarleReview by: Mike NevelsonLeonardo, Vol. 10, No. 1 (Winter, 1977), pp. 80-81Published by: The MIT PressStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1573667 .

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80

Nothingness speaks of the nihilistic flight from life of post- war Existentialism in general, with its passion for Nirvana (he admits his attitude is Eastern), its loathing of life and its utter hopelessness that is best summed up in Sartre's maxim: 'It amounts to the same thing whether one drinks alone or is the leader of nations.'

This attitude is extended to Warhol's philosophy of art, with its desire to fill up the empty space of which his existence is made. Calling himself a 'space artist', he professes a love of space, but this can be interpreted to be a frantic desire to fill a vacuum. This is why he still practices art, though he does not believe in 'Art' at all; he says that anything can be called art though the best art is 'having land and not ruining it'. He admits that he is betraying his philosophy by making 'junk' to fill up space and this can be seen as part of his cynical defeatism.

It is important to have Warhol's ideas documented here in order to place Pop art in its proper perspective. For example, one learns that Warhol produces pieces without any pre- conceived ideas, that his approach is closer to Abstract Expressionism ('I can't understand why I was never an abstract expressionist') than has been realised. Finding a new continuity in post-World War II art in the U.S.A. is just one of the ways this book can be helpful to art critics and historians. Besides, it is compulsive reading, often hilarious though to leave it there, as many reviewers have, is to miss its most important message.

Animals with Human Faces: A Guide to Animal Symbolism. Beryl Rowland. Allen & Unwin, Hemel Hempstead, England, 1974. 192 pp., illus. ?4.65. Reviewed by P. Cannon-Brookes*

In this elegantly produced and absorbing study Beryl Rowland, teacher of English at York University, Toronto, traces the history of 47 animals as symbols in art, literature and folklore. Her stated objective is to move away from the more familiar type of scholarly treatment of the fabulous beasts that so intrigued the compilers of the medieval bestiaries and, instead, to turn once more to the primary sources in order to explore the processes by which certain ideas became associated with specific animals. This is indeed an ambitious programme for a little over 200 pages. Her literary bias is not entirely surprising, but inevitably the analysis of the iconography of the animals loses a great deal when the reader has to rely upon written descriptions alone. Those illustrations included are almost entirely taken from a narrow range of medieval manuscripts and are more in the nature of decoration, after the model of such manuscripts, than a positive adjunct to the text. Nevertheless, entries, such as those dedicated to the Ape, the Ass and the Boar, are packed with recondite information and interpretations both new and old.

Rowland succeeds in providing a quite extraordinary amount of information in a clear and concise style, though her modesty encourages her to leave Latin references to obscene rites and French street argot untranslated, and thus, the curious will have to labour with their dictionaries unassisted. Perhaps a pity since so much of animal symbolism is sexual in its connotations. The symbolism of the Unicorn is particularly complex in this respect. I was unable to check more than a few references, but to quote the date 1576 after a statement by Marsilio Ficino (publication date of the Basle edition of the Opera) is very misleading when he died in 1499.

Etching. Leonard Edmondson. Van Nostrand Reinhold, London and New York, 1973. 136 pp., illus. ?4.95, $14.95. Reviewed by Peter Lipman-Wulf**

80

Nothingness speaks of the nihilistic flight from life of post- war Existentialism in general, with its passion for Nirvana (he admits his attitude is Eastern), its loathing of life and its utter hopelessness that is best summed up in Sartre's maxim: 'It amounts to the same thing whether one drinks alone or is the leader of nations.'

This attitude is extended to Warhol's philosophy of art, with its desire to fill up the empty space of which his existence is made. Calling himself a 'space artist', he professes a love of space, but this can be interpreted to be a frantic desire to fill a vacuum. This is why he still practices art, though he does not believe in 'Art' at all; he says that anything can be called art though the best art is 'having land and not ruining it'. He admits that he is betraying his philosophy by making 'junk' to fill up space and this can be seen as part of his cynical defeatism.

It is important to have Warhol's ideas documented here in order to place Pop art in its proper perspective. For example, one learns that Warhol produces pieces without any pre- conceived ideas, that his approach is closer to Abstract Expressionism ('I can't understand why I was never an abstract expressionist') than has been realised. Finding a new continuity in post-World War II art in the U.S.A. is just one of the ways this book can be helpful to art critics and historians. Besides, it is compulsive reading, often hilarious though to leave it there, as many reviewers have, is to miss its most important message.

Animals with Human Faces: A Guide to Animal Symbolism. Beryl Rowland. Allen & Unwin, Hemel Hempstead, England, 1974. 192 pp., illus. ?4.65. Reviewed by P. Cannon-Brookes*

In this elegantly produced and absorbing study Beryl Rowland, teacher of English at York University, Toronto, traces the history of 47 animals as symbols in art, literature and folklore. Her stated objective is to move away from the more familiar type of scholarly treatment of the fabulous beasts that so intrigued the compilers of the medieval bestiaries and, instead, to turn once more to the primary sources in order to explore the processes by which certain ideas became associated with specific animals. This is indeed an ambitious programme for a little over 200 pages. Her literary bias is not entirely surprising, but inevitably the analysis of the iconography of the animals loses a great deal when the reader has to rely upon written descriptions alone. Those illustrations included are almost entirely taken from a narrow range of medieval manuscripts and are more in the nature of decoration, after the model of such manuscripts, than a positive adjunct to the text. Nevertheless, entries, such as those dedicated to the Ape, the Ass and the Boar, are packed with recondite information and interpretations both new and old.

Rowland succeeds in providing a quite extraordinary amount of information in a clear and concise style, though her modesty encourages her to leave Latin references to obscene rites and French street argot untranslated, and thus, the curious will have to labour with their dictionaries unassisted. Perhaps a pity since so much of animal symbolism is sexual in its connotations. The symbolism of the Unicorn is particularly complex in this respect. I was unable to check more than a few references, but to quote the date 1576 after a statement by Marsilio Ficino (publication date of the Basle edition of the Opera) is very misleading when he died in 1499.

Etching. Leonard Edmondson. Van Nostrand Reinhold, London and New York, 1973. 136 pp., illus. ?4.95, $14.95. Reviewed by Peter Lipman-Wulf**

80

Nothingness speaks of the nihilistic flight from life of post- war Existentialism in general, with its passion for Nirvana (he admits his attitude is Eastern), its loathing of life and its utter hopelessness that is best summed up in Sartre's maxim: 'It amounts to the same thing whether one drinks alone or is the leader of nations.'

This attitude is extended to Warhol's philosophy of art, with its desire to fill up the empty space of which his existence is made. Calling himself a 'space artist', he professes a love of space, but this can be interpreted to be a frantic desire to fill a vacuum. This is why he still practices art, though he does not believe in 'Art' at all; he says that anything can be called art though the best art is 'having land and not ruining it'. He admits that he is betraying his philosophy by making 'junk' to fill up space and this can be seen as part of his cynical defeatism.

It is important to have Warhol's ideas documented here in order to place Pop art in its proper perspective. For example, one learns that Warhol produces pieces without any pre- conceived ideas, that his approach is closer to Abstract Expressionism ('I can't understand why I was never an abstract expressionist') than has been realised. Finding a new continuity in post-World War II art in the U.S.A. is just one of the ways this book can be helpful to art critics and historians. Besides, it is compulsive reading, often hilarious though to leave it there, as many reviewers have, is to miss its most important message.

Animals with Human Faces: A Guide to Animal Symbolism. Beryl Rowland. Allen & Unwin, Hemel Hempstead, England, 1974. 192 pp., illus. ?4.65. Reviewed by P. Cannon-Brookes*

In this elegantly produced and absorbing study Beryl Rowland, teacher of English at York University, Toronto, traces the history of 47 animals as symbols in art, literature and folklore. Her stated objective is to move away from the more familiar type of scholarly treatment of the fabulous beasts that so intrigued the compilers of the medieval bestiaries and, instead, to turn once more to the primary sources in order to explore the processes by which certain ideas became associated with specific animals. This is indeed an ambitious programme for a little over 200 pages. Her literary bias is not entirely surprising, but inevitably the analysis of the iconography of the animals loses a great deal when the reader has to rely upon written descriptions alone. Those illustrations included are almost entirely taken from a narrow range of medieval manuscripts and are more in the nature of decoration, after the model of such manuscripts, than a positive adjunct to the text. Nevertheless, entries, such as those dedicated to the Ape, the Ass and the Boar, are packed with recondite information and interpretations both new and old.

Rowland succeeds in providing a quite extraordinary amount of information in a clear and concise style, though her modesty encourages her to leave Latin references to obscene rites and French street argot untranslated, and thus, the curious will have to labour with their dictionaries unassisted. Perhaps a pity since so much of animal symbolism is sexual in its connotations. The symbolism of the Unicorn is particularly complex in this respect. I was unable to check more than a few references, but to quote the date 1576 after a statement by Marsilio Ficino (publication date of the Basle edition of the Opera) is very misleading when he died in 1499.

Etching. Leonard Edmondson. Van Nostrand Reinhold, London and New York, 1973. 136 pp., illus. ?4.95, $14.95. Reviewed by Peter Lipman-Wulf**

80

Nothingness speaks of the nihilistic flight from life of post- war Existentialism in general, with its passion for Nirvana (he admits his attitude is Eastern), its loathing of life and its utter hopelessness that is best summed up in Sartre's maxim: 'It amounts to the same thing whether one drinks alone or is the leader of nations.'

This attitude is extended to Warhol's philosophy of art, with its desire to fill up the empty space of which his existence is made. Calling himself a 'space artist', he professes a love of space, but this can be interpreted to be a frantic desire to fill a vacuum. This is why he still practices art, though he does not believe in 'Art' at all; he says that anything can be called art though the best art is 'having land and not ruining it'. He admits that he is betraying his philosophy by making 'junk' to fill up space and this can be seen as part of his cynical defeatism.

It is important to have Warhol's ideas documented here in order to place Pop art in its proper perspective. For example, one learns that Warhol produces pieces without any pre- conceived ideas, that his approach is closer to Abstract Expressionism ('I can't understand why I was never an abstract expressionist') than has been realised. Finding a new continuity in post-World War II art in the U.S.A. is just one of the ways this book can be helpful to art critics and historians. Besides, it is compulsive reading, often hilarious though to leave it there, as many reviewers have, is to miss its most important message.

Animals with Human Faces: A Guide to Animal Symbolism. Beryl Rowland. Allen & Unwin, Hemel Hempstead, England, 1974. 192 pp., illus. ?4.65. Reviewed by P. Cannon-Brookes*

In this elegantly produced and absorbing study Beryl Rowland, teacher of English at York University, Toronto, traces the history of 47 animals as symbols in art, literature and folklore. Her stated objective is to move away from the more familiar type of scholarly treatment of the fabulous beasts that so intrigued the compilers of the medieval bestiaries and, instead, to turn once more to the primary sources in order to explore the processes by which certain ideas became associated with specific animals. This is indeed an ambitious programme for a little over 200 pages. Her literary bias is not entirely surprising, but inevitably the analysis of the iconography of the animals loses a great deal when the reader has to rely upon written descriptions alone. Those illustrations included are almost entirely taken from a narrow range of medieval manuscripts and are more in the nature of decoration, after the model of such manuscripts, than a positive adjunct to the text. Nevertheless, entries, such as those dedicated to the Ape, the Ass and the Boar, are packed with recondite information and interpretations both new and old.

Rowland succeeds in providing a quite extraordinary amount of information in a clear and concise style, though her modesty encourages her to leave Latin references to obscene rites and French street argot untranslated, and thus, the curious will have to labour with their dictionaries unassisted. Perhaps a pity since so much of animal symbolism is sexual in its connotations. The symbolism of the Unicorn is particularly complex in this respect. I was unable to check more than a few references, but to quote the date 1576 after a statement by Marsilio Ficino (publication date of the Basle edition of the Opera) is very misleading when he died in 1499.

Etching. Leonard Edmondson. Van Nostrand Reinhold, London and New York, 1973. 136 pp., illus. ?4.95, $14.95. Reviewed by Peter Lipman-Wulf**

This is a well-composed introduction and survey of the techniques of intaglio prints, ranging from traditional black

*Dept. of Art, City Museums and Art Gallery, Birmingham B3 3HD, England. **Whitney Rd., Sag Harbor, NY 11963, U.S.A.

This is a well-composed introduction and survey of the techniques of intaglio prints, ranging from traditional black

*Dept. of Art, City Museums and Art Gallery, Birmingham B3 3HD, England. **Whitney Rd., Sag Harbor, NY 11963, U.S.A.

This is a well-composed introduction and survey of the techniques of intaglio prints, ranging from traditional black

*Dept. of Art, City Museums and Art Gallery, Birmingham B3 3HD, England. **Whitney Rd., Sag Harbor, NY 11963, U.S.A.

This is a well-composed introduction and survey of the techniques of intaglio prints, ranging from traditional black

*Dept. of Art, City Museums and Art Gallery, Birmingham B3 3HD, England. **Whitney Rd., Sag Harbor, NY 11963, U.S.A.

Books

and white prints of the Renaissance to today's expanded print forms. Milton Goldstein, the noted innovative print- maker, praises Ihe book as 'a fine reference for students and artists to support their artistic goals in printmaking'.

The three main chapters are Traditional Techniques in Etching, Modern Techniques in Etching and Experimental Techniques in Etching. An outstanding feature of the book is a section with 16 excellent color reproductions of prints with comments by the artists who made them.

I question the usefulness of some of the tedious manual techniques that lead to results that one can obtain perhaps with photographic processes. Furthermore, when a work of art, such as an etching by Ponce de Leon, is made only in two copies, the technique, it seems to me, resembles a mono- print.

The combination of different techniques, for example lithography and woodcuts with etching, demonstrates the tend to break down traditional boundaries between media. But the final printing method still mainly makes use of the roller press, either driven by hand or by electrical power. There are exceptions, as described in the chapter entitled New Materials and Processes. Edmondson explores un- conventional printing methods that use lawn rollers or automobile truck wheels to obtain effects not attainable with a roller press. The book contains an excellent glossary of special terms and a comprehensive bibliography.

Edmondson's discussion of the quest of artists for self- expression and for styles of presentation shows that he is considerably open-minded, an attitude that can be ac- quired only after a long experience as a teacher. I highly recommend the book both to novices and to artists who work with various techniques of printmaking.

Design and Aesthetics in Wood. Eric A. Anderson and George F. Earle, eds. State Univ. of New York Press, Albany, N.Y., 1972. 223 pp., illus. Reviewed by Mike Nevelson?

I decided that the book was good before I opened it. ESP? Hunch? Experience? The papers were presented at a sym- posium sponsored by the State University College of Forestry, Syracuse University School of Art and the New State Science and Technology Foundation in November 1967. Most of the papers are of a technical character and are directed to engineers, designers and architects. Some of the many illustrations have little relationship to texts, but, on the whole, this is a highly worthwhile book for those with an interest in the many uses of wood.

Reyner Banham, like the first Englishman to arrive in North America, is awed by the abundance of available wood there. His paper entitled Is There a Substitute for Wood Grain Plastic? is a discussion of the doctrine of the 'truth to materials' and a defense of the use of wood products such as plywood and flakeboard. He describes the effect of wood use on the language, government, law and architecture of the U.S.A.

Carl Koch discusses the more efficient use of existing wood supplies in view of possible shortages. Now that wood is thought of as superior to alternate materials from the point of view of environmental pollution, it is essential to use wood more efficiently or to limit population growth, preferably both. His view of art is rather limited, for he states: 'Behind the carpenter is a potentially more effective art than the painter's for his art includes the possibility of introducing beauty and personality into useful objects as well as express- ing "pure" art. Art is nothing but the process of doing anything well.'

Paul Weiss deals with definitions of art, craft, beauty and creativity and left me wondering if his essay was to be regarded as a work of art rather than a rational discussion of

Books

and white prints of the Renaissance to today's expanded print forms. Milton Goldstein, the noted innovative print- maker, praises Ihe book as 'a fine reference for students and artists to support their artistic goals in printmaking'.

The three main chapters are Traditional Techniques in Etching, Modern Techniques in Etching and Experimental Techniques in Etching. An outstanding feature of the book is a section with 16 excellent color reproductions of prints with comments by the artists who made them.

I question the usefulness of some of the tedious manual techniques that lead to results that one can obtain perhaps with photographic processes. Furthermore, when a work of art, such as an etching by Ponce de Leon, is made only in two copies, the technique, it seems to me, resembles a mono- print.

The combination of different techniques, for example lithography and woodcuts with etching, demonstrates the tend to break down traditional boundaries between media. But the final printing method still mainly makes use of the roller press, either driven by hand or by electrical power. There are exceptions, as described in the chapter entitled New Materials and Processes. Edmondson explores un- conventional printing methods that use lawn rollers or automobile truck wheels to obtain effects not attainable with a roller press. The book contains an excellent glossary of special terms and a comprehensive bibliography.

Edmondson's discussion of the quest of artists for self- expression and for styles of presentation shows that he is considerably open-minded, an attitude that can be ac- quired only after a long experience as a teacher. I highly recommend the book both to novices and to artists who work with various techniques of printmaking.

Design and Aesthetics in Wood. Eric A. Anderson and George F. Earle, eds. State Univ. of New York Press, Albany, N.Y., 1972. 223 pp., illus. Reviewed by Mike Nevelson?

I decided that the book was good before I opened it. ESP? Hunch? Experience? The papers were presented at a sym- posium sponsored by the State University College of Forestry, Syracuse University School of Art and the New State Science and Technology Foundation in November 1967. Most of the papers are of a technical character and are directed to engineers, designers and architects. Some of the many illustrations have little relationship to texts, but, on the whole, this is a highly worthwhile book for those with an interest in the many uses of wood.

Reyner Banham, like the first Englishman to arrive in North America, is awed by the abundance of available wood there. His paper entitled Is There a Substitute for Wood Grain Plastic? is a discussion of the doctrine of the 'truth to materials' and a defense of the use of wood products such as plywood and flakeboard. He describes the effect of wood use on the language, government, law and architecture of the U.S.A.

Carl Koch discusses the more efficient use of existing wood supplies in view of possible shortages. Now that wood is thought of as superior to alternate materials from the point of view of environmental pollution, it is essential to use wood more efficiently or to limit population growth, preferably both. His view of art is rather limited, for he states: 'Behind the carpenter is a potentially more effective art than the painter's for his art includes the possibility of introducing beauty and personality into useful objects as well as express- ing "pure" art. Art is nothing but the process of doing anything well.'

Paul Weiss deals with definitions of art, craft, beauty and creativity and left me wondering if his essay was to be regarded as a work of art rather than a rational discussion of

Books

and white prints of the Renaissance to today's expanded print forms. Milton Goldstein, the noted innovative print- maker, praises Ihe book as 'a fine reference for students and artists to support their artistic goals in printmaking'.

The three main chapters are Traditional Techniques in Etching, Modern Techniques in Etching and Experimental Techniques in Etching. An outstanding feature of the book is a section with 16 excellent color reproductions of prints with comments by the artists who made them.

I question the usefulness of some of the tedious manual techniques that lead to results that one can obtain perhaps with photographic processes. Furthermore, when a work of art, such as an etching by Ponce de Leon, is made only in two copies, the technique, it seems to me, resembles a mono- print.

The combination of different techniques, for example lithography and woodcuts with etching, demonstrates the tend to break down traditional boundaries between media. But the final printing method still mainly makes use of the roller press, either driven by hand or by electrical power. There are exceptions, as described in the chapter entitled New Materials and Processes. Edmondson explores un- conventional printing methods that use lawn rollers or automobile truck wheels to obtain effects not attainable with a roller press. The book contains an excellent glossary of special terms and a comprehensive bibliography.

Edmondson's discussion of the quest of artists for self- expression and for styles of presentation shows that he is considerably open-minded, an attitude that can be ac- quired only after a long experience as a teacher. I highly recommend the book both to novices and to artists who work with various techniques of printmaking.

Design and Aesthetics in Wood. Eric A. Anderson and George F. Earle, eds. State Univ. of New York Press, Albany, N.Y., 1972. 223 pp., illus. Reviewed by Mike Nevelson?

I decided that the book was good before I opened it. ESP? Hunch? Experience? The papers were presented at a sym- posium sponsored by the State University College of Forestry, Syracuse University School of Art and the New State Science and Technology Foundation in November 1967. Most of the papers are of a technical character and are directed to engineers, designers and architects. Some of the many illustrations have little relationship to texts, but, on the whole, this is a highly worthwhile book for those with an interest in the many uses of wood.

Reyner Banham, like the first Englishman to arrive in North America, is awed by the abundance of available wood there. His paper entitled Is There a Substitute for Wood Grain Plastic? is a discussion of the doctrine of the 'truth to materials' and a defense of the use of wood products such as plywood and flakeboard. He describes the effect of wood use on the language, government, law and architecture of the U.S.A.

Carl Koch discusses the more efficient use of existing wood supplies in view of possible shortages. Now that wood is thought of as superior to alternate materials from the point of view of environmental pollution, it is essential to use wood more efficiently or to limit population growth, preferably both. His view of art is rather limited, for he states: 'Behind the carpenter is a potentially more effective art than the painter's for his art includes the possibility of introducing beauty and personality into useful objects as well as express- ing "pure" art. Art is nothing but the process of doing anything well.'

Paul Weiss deals with definitions of art, craft, beauty and creativity and left me wondering if his essay was to be regarded as a work of art rather than a rational discussion of

Books

and white prints of the Renaissance to today's expanded print forms. Milton Goldstein, the noted innovative print- maker, praises Ihe book as 'a fine reference for students and artists to support their artistic goals in printmaking'.

The three main chapters are Traditional Techniques in Etching, Modern Techniques in Etching and Experimental Techniques in Etching. An outstanding feature of the book is a section with 16 excellent color reproductions of prints with comments by the artists who made them.

I question the usefulness of some of the tedious manual techniques that lead to results that one can obtain perhaps with photographic processes. Furthermore, when a work of art, such as an etching by Ponce de Leon, is made only in two copies, the technique, it seems to me, resembles a mono- print.

The combination of different techniques, for example lithography and woodcuts with etching, demonstrates the tend to break down traditional boundaries between media. But the final printing method still mainly makes use of the roller press, either driven by hand or by electrical power. There are exceptions, as described in the chapter entitled New Materials and Processes. Edmondson explores un- conventional printing methods that use lawn rollers or automobile truck wheels to obtain effects not attainable with a roller press. The book contains an excellent glossary of special terms and a comprehensive bibliography.

Edmondson's discussion of the quest of artists for self- expression and for styles of presentation shows that he is considerably open-minded, an attitude that can be ac- quired only after a long experience as a teacher. I highly recommend the book both to novices and to artists who work with various techniques of printmaking.

Design and Aesthetics in Wood. Eric A. Anderson and George F. Earle, eds. State Univ. of New York Press, Albany, N.Y., 1972. 223 pp., illus. Reviewed by Mike Nevelson?

I decided that the book was good before I opened it. ESP? Hunch? Experience? The papers were presented at a sym- posium sponsored by the State University College of Forestry, Syracuse University School of Art and the New State Science and Technology Foundation in November 1967. Most of the papers are of a technical character and are directed to engineers, designers and architects. Some of the many illustrations have little relationship to texts, but, on the whole, this is a highly worthwhile book for those with an interest in the many uses of wood.

Reyner Banham, like the first Englishman to arrive in North America, is awed by the abundance of available wood there. His paper entitled Is There a Substitute for Wood Grain Plastic? is a discussion of the doctrine of the 'truth to materials' and a defense of the use of wood products such as plywood and flakeboard. He describes the effect of wood use on the language, government, law and architecture of the U.S.A.

Carl Koch discusses the more efficient use of existing wood supplies in view of possible shortages. Now that wood is thought of as superior to alternate materials from the point of view of environmental pollution, it is essential to use wood more efficiently or to limit population growth, preferably both. His view of art is rather limited, for he states: 'Behind the carpenter is a potentially more effective art than the painter's for his art includes the possibility of introducing beauty and personality into useful objects as well as express- ing "pure" art. Art is nothing but the process of doing anything well.'

Paul Weiss deals with definitions of art, craft, beauty and creativity and left me wondering if his essay was to be regarded as a work of art rather than a rational discussion of the meaning of these terms. Architects Victor Lundy and A. Quincy Jones attack well-intended but antiquated building codes in the U.S.A. and remind the reader that wood can be made rot and fire resistant. They consider it a superior

?3 Milltown Rd., New Fairfield, CT 06810, U.S.A.

the meaning of these terms. Architects Victor Lundy and A. Quincy Jones attack well-intended but antiquated building codes in the U.S.A. and remind the reader that wood can be made rot and fire resistant. They consider it a superior

?3 Milltown Rd., New Fairfield, CT 06810, U.S.A.

the meaning of these terms. Architects Victor Lundy and A. Quincy Jones attack well-intended but antiquated building codes in the U.S.A. and remind the reader that wood can be made rot and fire resistant. They consider it a superior

?3 Milltown Rd., New Fairfield, CT 06810, U.S.A.

the meaning of these terms. Architects Victor Lundy and A. Quincy Jones attack well-intended but antiquated building codes in the U.S.A. and remind the reader that wood can be made rot and fire resistant. They consider it a superior

?3 Milltown Rd., New Fairfield, CT 06810, U.S.A.

This content downloaded from 195.34.79.228 on Tue, 17 Jun 2014 16:58:03 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

Books Books Books

material for many building applications, especially for imaginative architects.

The landscape architect Karl Linn has a paper entitled Toward an Ecological Aesthetic and the Use of Wood in Design, which is partly about houses that allow their occupants to rearrange interior layouts to suit their personal needs. He makes a case for humans feeling better psycholo- gically and physically when they live in the presence of woods and water. It has something to do with 'negative ionization', he says.

R. Buckminster Fuller, the comprehensivist, non-specialist, complains about education in the U.S.A. that produces specialist scholars and the communications gap between specialists and businessmen, who use the gap for profit. He has little to say about Design and Aesthetics in Wood, but I found his text a 'mind-blowing' aperitif.

Crafts of the North American Indians. Richard C. Schneider. Van Nostrand Reinhold, London and New York, 1975. 325 pp., illus. ?4.95. Reviewed by Carol Stout*

The title to the contrary, the reader should be warned that, except for a chapter on the pottery of Southwestern U.S.A., the crafts presented here are largely restricted to the wood- land culture area. The contents include 'Tools' (Indian crooked knife, Eskimo-style bowdrill, stone ax, flint knapp- ing, Schnitzelbank or shaving horse, and Eskimo-style bone sewing kit), 'Skin and Leather Work' (rawhide, Indian-tanned buckskin, tanning of small furs, mittens, moccasins (woodland and Navajo styles), single- and double- headed drums), 'Beadwork' (bead sizes and types, equipment, weaving and stitching techniques), 'Bark' (containers, porcupine quill embroidery on birchbark, building a birch- bark canoe), 'Basketry' (Woodland splint baskets, pack baskets, handles, wickerwork baskets, coiled baskets), 'Pottery' and 'Cornhusk Dolls'.

A few comments, most of them minor: (1) Under 'Small Fur Tanning' (p. 91), Schneider might have emphasized more strongly the extreme importance of having the water cold and of adding the sulphuric acid to the water/salt pickle, rather than vice versa, to avoid dangerous splatering. (2) Rubbing fragile skins (pp. 92-93) between the hands is safer than working them over a stake. (3) The reader concerned with totally authentic Navajo moccasins is referred to Kluckhohn, Hill and Kluckhohn, Navajo Material Culture (Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press, Harvard University, 1971) pp. 282-290. (4) Frederic H. Douglas, not Richard G. Conn, wrote 'Indian Musical . . . Instruments' (p. 136). (5) The reference to Orchard (p. 178) (missing from References, p. 192) is W. C. Orchard, Beads and Beadwork of the American Indians, Contributions from the Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation 11, 3 (1929) (now reprinted). (6) Contrary to Schneider's assertion (pp. 295-296) the Paiutes did produce pottery. (7) Some Southwestern pottery was footed (p. 297). (8) Most Pueblo pottery was flat enough to rest on the floor without support (p. 297). Navajo pottery was characterized by pointed bottoms. (9) Pueblo wares were not restricted primarily to open bowls and bulging jars (p. 297). Instead, shapes included nearly flat plates, open bowls, mugs, narrow-necked jars, 'seed' pots of small orifice and effigy vessels.

The book should prove highly useful to both craftsmen and teachers. Schneider, himself a teacher, knows his tech- niques and not only offers complete instructions on each topic, but also illustrates them with 332 detailed figures. A selected bibliography follows most of the topic sections.

If the author deserves plaudits, however the publisher does not. There is neither an index, a detailed table of contents, nor a list of illustrations. Typographical errors and errors in bibliographic references occur with some frequency. Perhaps most annoying for the reader are the many grammatical lapses and stylistic defects. No editor today is expected to convert an author's halting prose into a literary gem, but

material for many building applications, especially for imaginative architects.

The landscape architect Karl Linn has a paper entitled Toward an Ecological Aesthetic and the Use of Wood in Design, which is partly about houses that allow their occupants to rearrange interior layouts to suit their personal needs. He makes a case for humans feeling better psycholo- gically and physically when they live in the presence of woods and water. It has something to do with 'negative ionization', he says.

R. Buckminster Fuller, the comprehensivist, non-specialist, complains about education in the U.S.A. that produces specialist scholars and the communications gap between specialists and businessmen, who use the gap for profit. He has little to say about Design and Aesthetics in Wood, but I found his text a 'mind-blowing' aperitif.

Crafts of the North American Indians. Richard C. Schneider. Van Nostrand Reinhold, London and New York, 1975. 325 pp., illus. ?4.95. Reviewed by Carol Stout*

The title to the contrary, the reader should be warned that, except for a chapter on the pottery of Southwestern U.S.A., the crafts presented here are largely restricted to the wood- land culture area. The contents include 'Tools' (Indian crooked knife, Eskimo-style bowdrill, stone ax, flint knapp- ing, Schnitzelbank or shaving horse, and Eskimo-style bone sewing kit), 'Skin and Leather Work' (rawhide, Indian-tanned buckskin, tanning of small furs, mittens, moccasins (woodland and Navajo styles), single- and double- headed drums), 'Beadwork' (bead sizes and types, equipment, weaving and stitching techniques), 'Bark' (containers, porcupine quill embroidery on birchbark, building a birch- bark canoe), 'Basketry' (Woodland splint baskets, pack baskets, handles, wickerwork baskets, coiled baskets), 'Pottery' and 'Cornhusk Dolls'.

A few comments, most of them minor: (1) Under 'Small Fur Tanning' (p. 91), Schneider might have emphasized more strongly the extreme importance of having the water cold and of adding the sulphuric acid to the water/salt pickle, rather than vice versa, to avoid dangerous splatering. (2) Rubbing fragile skins (pp. 92-93) between the hands is safer than working them over a stake. (3) The reader concerned with totally authentic Navajo moccasins is referred to Kluckhohn, Hill and Kluckhohn, Navajo Material Culture (Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press, Harvard University, 1971) pp. 282-290. (4) Frederic H. Douglas, not Richard G. Conn, wrote 'Indian Musical . . . Instruments' (p. 136). (5) The reference to Orchard (p. 178) (missing from References, p. 192) is W. C. Orchard, Beads and Beadwork of the American Indians, Contributions from the Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation 11, 3 (1929) (now reprinted). (6) Contrary to Schneider's assertion (pp. 295-296) the Paiutes did produce pottery. (7) Some Southwestern pottery was footed (p. 297). (8) Most Pueblo pottery was flat enough to rest on the floor without support (p. 297). Navajo pottery was characterized by pointed bottoms. (9) Pueblo wares were not restricted primarily to open bowls and bulging jars (p. 297). Instead, shapes included nearly flat plates, open bowls, mugs, narrow-necked jars, 'seed' pots of small orifice and effigy vessels.

The book should prove highly useful to both craftsmen and teachers. Schneider, himself a teacher, knows his tech- niques and not only offers complete instructions on each topic, but also illustrates them with 332 detailed figures. A selected bibliography follows most of the topic sections.

If the author deserves plaudits, however the publisher does not. There is neither an index, a detailed table of contents, nor a list of illustrations. Typographical errors and errors in bibliographic references occur with some frequency. Perhaps most annoying for the reader are the many grammatical lapses and stylistic defects. No editor today is expected to convert an author's halting prose into a literary gem, but

material for many building applications, especially for imaginative architects.

The landscape architect Karl Linn has a paper entitled Toward an Ecological Aesthetic and the Use of Wood in Design, which is partly about houses that allow their occupants to rearrange interior layouts to suit their personal needs. He makes a case for humans feeling better psycholo- gically and physically when they live in the presence of woods and water. It has something to do with 'negative ionization', he says.

R. Buckminster Fuller, the comprehensivist, non-specialist, complains about education in the U.S.A. that produces specialist scholars and the communications gap between specialists and businessmen, who use the gap for profit. He has little to say about Design and Aesthetics in Wood, but I found his text a 'mind-blowing' aperitif.

Crafts of the North American Indians. Richard C. Schneider. Van Nostrand Reinhold, London and New York, 1975. 325 pp., illus. ?4.95. Reviewed by Carol Stout*

The title to the contrary, the reader should be warned that, except for a chapter on the pottery of Southwestern U.S.A., the crafts presented here are largely restricted to the wood- land culture area. The contents include 'Tools' (Indian crooked knife, Eskimo-style bowdrill, stone ax, flint knapp- ing, Schnitzelbank or shaving horse, and Eskimo-style bone sewing kit), 'Skin and Leather Work' (rawhide, Indian-tanned buckskin, tanning of small furs, mittens, moccasins (woodland and Navajo styles), single- and double- headed drums), 'Beadwork' (bead sizes and types, equipment, weaving and stitching techniques), 'Bark' (containers, porcupine quill embroidery on birchbark, building a birch- bark canoe), 'Basketry' (Woodland splint baskets, pack baskets, handles, wickerwork baskets, coiled baskets), 'Pottery' and 'Cornhusk Dolls'.

A few comments, most of them minor: (1) Under 'Small Fur Tanning' (p. 91), Schneider might have emphasized more strongly the extreme importance of having the water cold and of adding the sulphuric acid to the water/salt pickle, rather than vice versa, to avoid dangerous splatering. (2) Rubbing fragile skins (pp. 92-93) between the hands is safer than working them over a stake. (3) The reader concerned with totally authentic Navajo moccasins is referred to Kluckhohn, Hill and Kluckhohn, Navajo Material Culture (Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press, Harvard University, 1971) pp. 282-290. (4) Frederic H. Douglas, not Richard G. Conn, wrote 'Indian Musical . . . Instruments' (p. 136). (5) The reference to Orchard (p. 178) (missing from References, p. 192) is W. C. Orchard, Beads and Beadwork of the American Indians, Contributions from the Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation 11, 3 (1929) (now reprinted). (6) Contrary to Schneider's assertion (pp. 295-296) the Paiutes did produce pottery. (7) Some Southwestern pottery was footed (p. 297). (8) Most Pueblo pottery was flat enough to rest on the floor without support (p. 297). Navajo pottery was characterized by pointed bottoms. (9) Pueblo wares were not restricted primarily to open bowls and bulging jars (p. 297). Instead, shapes included nearly flat plates, open bowls, mugs, narrow-necked jars, 'seed' pots of small orifice and effigy vessels.

The book should prove highly useful to both craftsmen and teachers. Schneider, himself a teacher, knows his tech- niques and not only offers complete instructions on each topic, but also illustrates them with 332 detailed figures. A selected bibliography follows most of the topic sections.

If the author deserves plaudits, however the publisher does not. There is neither an index, a detailed table of contents, nor a list of illustrations. Typographical errors and errors in bibliographic references occur with some frequency. Perhaps most annoying for the reader are the many grammatical lapses and stylistic defects. No editor today is expected to convert an author's halting prose into a literary gem, but

*Maxwell Museum of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, U.S.A. *Maxwell Museum of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, U.S.A. *Maxwell Museum of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, U.S.A.

such unfortunate phraseology as '. . . purchase too many beads than are needed .. .' (p. 180) should have been re- medied.

Canadian Native Art: Arts and Crafts of Canadian Indians and Eskimos. Nancy-Lou Patterson. Collier-Macmillan, London and Toronto, 1974. 180 pp., illus. ?3.75, $12.50. A Concise History of Canadian Painting. Dennis Reid. Oxford Univ. Press. London and Toronto, 1973. 319 pp., illus. Paper ?3.75. Reviewed by Judith Coxe**

Canadians worry obsessively about their national identity. As their country passes through the crisis of its cultural adolescence, Candians yearn to see the Canadian experience as an absolute. Consequently, these books answer a re- cognized need; they are both comprehensive national sur- veys, made available at moderate cost to encourage their use in Canadian schools and universities.

Like another fragile dream of national unity, The Cana- dian Pacific Railway, both books flow with the direction of European settlement from east to west; they carry a freight of raw facts, frequently eloquent in themselves; in a rapid sequence of text and illustration, they provide an excellent introduction to the historical and geographic context of their subjects. Reid's book offers a bonus in the form of glimpses of domestic detail that provide unexpected insight into the human cost of being a painter in Canada. The solecisms in Patterson's text suggest careless editing; both books sacrifice the quality of reproductions to quantity. Both books aspire to being intelligent syntheses of the work of others but offer few new perspectives to those for whom this ground is familiar.

Patterson surveys Indian and Eskimo crafts, clothing, tools, religious artifacts and architecture from pre-history to the present. The visual impression of the book conveys the spirit of the text very well. She realizes that an eye condition- ed to Western art will inevitably tend to interpret Canadian native art in ways that its makers may not have intended; she is also aware of the importance of context. The plates include isolated cut-outs of amulets, basketry, clothing and solemn costumed figures cropped from old photographs, along with more casual images of a vanishing way of life in its context of rock and forest or barren tundra.

The almost 200 illustrations in Reid's book are more routinely related to his text. They do, however, bear out the author's thesis that painting, of all the arts, best expresses the Canadian experience for the European immigrant. The 300 years of Canadian painting represented reveal an over- whelming preoccupation with the new landscape.

For Dennis Reid, the unity of Canadian painting emerges in the dialectic between internationalism and nationalism that he sees as being set up between successive generations of Canadian painters. The international standard against which Canadians take their measure has changed frequently over a period of 300 years; the ambivalence of Canadian artists toward these shifting standards has remained characteristic. The nationalistic ethos, on the other hand, has stayed remarkably constant despite the vicissitudes of fashion. Firmly rooted in attitude rather than style, it is part of the Northern Romantic tradition. For transplanted Europeans, their fear of the unknown environment, their sense of its power and their awareness of isolation has flavoured con- ventional religious, landscape and genre subjects with a pervasive Romantic taste.

In 1913 two Canadian painters travelled to the U.S.A. to see an exhibition of contemporary Scandinavian art. Shortly thereafter, Canada's most aggressively nationalistic painting movement, The Group of Seven, took shape. The Scandinavian ability to paint 'true souvenirs of that mystic north around which we all revolve' was a powerful catalyst. Internationalism, it would seem, blooms best in Canada when it proves adaptable to the climate.

All of which leads to the present hot-house environment

such unfortunate phraseology as '. . . purchase too many beads than are needed .. .' (p. 180) should have been re- medied.

Canadian Native Art: Arts and Crafts of Canadian Indians and Eskimos. Nancy-Lou Patterson. Collier-Macmillan, London and Toronto, 1974. 180 pp., illus. ?3.75, $12.50. A Concise History of Canadian Painting. Dennis Reid. Oxford Univ. Press. London and Toronto, 1973. 319 pp., illus. Paper ?3.75. Reviewed by Judith Coxe**

Canadians worry obsessively about their national identity. As their country passes through the crisis of its cultural adolescence, Candians yearn to see the Canadian experience as an absolute. Consequently, these books answer a re- cognized need; they are both comprehensive national sur- veys, made available at moderate cost to encourage their use in Canadian schools and universities.

Like another fragile dream of national unity, The Cana- dian Pacific Railway, both books flow with the direction of European settlement from east to west; they carry a freight of raw facts, frequently eloquent in themselves; in a rapid sequence of text and illustration, they provide an excellent introduction to the historical and geographic context of their subjects. Reid's book offers a bonus in the form of glimpses of domestic detail that provide unexpected insight into the human cost of being a painter in Canada. The solecisms in Patterson's text suggest careless editing; both books sacrifice the quality of reproductions to quantity. Both books aspire to being intelligent syntheses of the work of others but offer few new perspectives to those for whom this ground is familiar.

Patterson surveys Indian and Eskimo crafts, clothing, tools, religious artifacts and architecture from pre-history to the present. The visual impression of the book conveys the spirit of the text very well. She realizes that an eye condition- ed to Western art will inevitably tend to interpret Canadian native art in ways that its makers may not have intended; she is also aware of the importance of context. The plates include isolated cut-outs of amulets, basketry, clothing and solemn costumed figures cropped from old photographs, along with more casual images of a vanishing way of life in its context of rock and forest or barren tundra.

The almost 200 illustrations in Reid's book are more routinely related to his text. They do, however, bear out the author's thesis that painting, of all the arts, best expresses the Canadian experience for the European immigrant. The 300 years of Canadian painting represented reveal an over- whelming preoccupation with the new landscape.

For Dennis Reid, the unity of Canadian painting emerges in the dialectic between internationalism and nationalism that he sees as being set up between successive generations of Canadian painters. The international standard against which Canadians take their measure has changed frequently over a period of 300 years; the ambivalence of Canadian artists toward these shifting standards has remained characteristic. The nationalistic ethos, on the other hand, has stayed remarkably constant despite the vicissitudes of fashion. Firmly rooted in attitude rather than style, it is part of the Northern Romantic tradition. For transplanted Europeans, their fear of the unknown environment, their sense of its power and their awareness of isolation has flavoured con- ventional religious, landscape and genre subjects with a pervasive Romantic taste.

In 1913 two Canadian painters travelled to the U.S.A. to see an exhibition of contemporary Scandinavian art. Shortly thereafter, Canada's most aggressively nationalistic painting movement, The Group of Seven, took shape. The Scandinavian ability to paint 'true souvenirs of that mystic north around which we all revolve' was a powerful catalyst. Internationalism, it would seem, blooms best in Canada when it proves adaptable to the climate.

All of which leads to the present hot-house environment

such unfortunate phraseology as '. . . purchase too many beads than are needed .. .' (p. 180) should have been re- medied.

Canadian Native Art: Arts and Crafts of Canadian Indians and Eskimos. Nancy-Lou Patterson. Collier-Macmillan, London and Toronto, 1974. 180 pp., illus. ?3.75, $12.50. A Concise History of Canadian Painting. Dennis Reid. Oxford Univ. Press. London and Toronto, 1973. 319 pp., illus. Paper ?3.75. Reviewed by Judith Coxe**

Canadians worry obsessively about their national identity. As their country passes through the crisis of its cultural adolescence, Candians yearn to see the Canadian experience as an absolute. Consequently, these books answer a re- cognized need; they are both comprehensive national sur- veys, made available at moderate cost to encourage their use in Canadian schools and universities.

Like another fragile dream of national unity, The Cana- dian Pacific Railway, both books flow with the direction of European settlement from east to west; they carry a freight of raw facts, frequently eloquent in themselves; in a rapid sequence of text and illustration, they provide an excellent introduction to the historical and geographic context of their subjects. Reid's book offers a bonus in the form of glimpses of domestic detail that provide unexpected insight into the human cost of being a painter in Canada. The solecisms in Patterson's text suggest careless editing; both books sacrifice the quality of reproductions to quantity. Both books aspire to being intelligent syntheses of the work of others but offer few new perspectives to those for whom this ground is familiar.

Patterson surveys Indian and Eskimo crafts, clothing, tools, religious artifacts and architecture from pre-history to the present. The visual impression of the book conveys the spirit of the text very well. She realizes that an eye condition- ed to Western art will inevitably tend to interpret Canadian native art in ways that its makers may not have intended; she is also aware of the importance of context. The plates include isolated cut-outs of amulets, basketry, clothing and solemn costumed figures cropped from old photographs, along with more casual images of a vanishing way of life in its context of rock and forest or barren tundra.

The almost 200 illustrations in Reid's book are more routinely related to his text. They do, however, bear out the author's thesis that painting, of all the arts, best expresses the Canadian experience for the European immigrant. The 300 years of Canadian painting represented reveal an over- whelming preoccupation with the new landscape.

For Dennis Reid, the unity of Canadian painting emerges in the dialectic between internationalism and nationalism that he sees as being set up between successive generations of Canadian painters. The international standard against which Canadians take their measure has changed frequently over a period of 300 years; the ambivalence of Canadian artists toward these shifting standards has remained characteristic. The nationalistic ethos, on the other hand, has stayed remarkably constant despite the vicissitudes of fashion. Firmly rooted in attitude rather than style, it is part of the Northern Romantic tradition. For transplanted Europeans, their fear of the unknown environment, their sense of its power and their awareness of isolation has flavoured con- ventional religious, landscape and genre subjects with a pervasive Romantic taste.

In 1913 two Canadian painters travelled to the U.S.A. to see an exhibition of contemporary Scandinavian art. Shortly thereafter, Canada's most aggressively nationalistic painting movement, The Group of Seven, took shape. The Scandinavian ability to paint 'true souvenirs of that mystic north around which we all revolve' was a powerful catalyst. Internationalism, it would seem, blooms best in Canada when it proves adaptable to the climate.

All of which leads to the present hot-house environment for the arts caused by the accelerating pace of government

**21 Westmount Rd., Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

for the arts caused by the accelerating pace of government

**21 Westmount Rd., Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

for the arts caused by the accelerating pace of government

**21 Westmount Rd., Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

F F F

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