Julian Schnabel
 | Average Customer Rating: Recommend Julian Schnabel (b. 1951) is regarded throughout the world as one of the most important artists of our time. Yet, remarkably, there has never been-until now-a book that addresses the extraordinary range of his entire creative output. This lavishly produced volume presents many artworks that have never before been exhibited, published, or even seen, filling a major gap in the history of contemporary art. More than 300 of Schnabel's works-paintings,… Product details and pricing info |
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11 Reviews for Julian Schnabel
- A good introduction to Schnabel's work
- If you can find it, get a copy of "CVJ: Nicknames of Maitre D's and Other Excerpts from Life" instead. That book has many of the same works featured, along with much more of the artist's text, -which is funny, insightful, self-deprecating and honest.
This book will give the reader an idea of Schnabel's oeuvre, but does little to put it into context. There are dozens of his portrait paintings, most utilizing his signature plate style, which show an arresting sensitivity for his subjects along with a noted concern for formal aspects of painting. For those who dismiss Schnabel, I would say look again, and this time try to see. For those who worship him as the greatest living American painter, I would say this is grossly overstated and they need to get out and see more painting.
Art speaks of its time, and in this way Schnabel's work performs vivisection on America in the 1980's. Much of where we are now; politically, economically, socially and so forth, began in that decade.
As a painter, I love Schnabel's surfaces, even when I don't love (or even like) the paintings themselves. To be sure, his work is not for the uninitiated. It takes a developed palette to process much of it, and quite frankly most people who look at art have no idea what they are looking at to begin with. Just as opera may be difficult at first, so too abstract painting in general frightens and enrages many who seek comfort and reassurance from art, and who want it to come to them instead of approaching it themselves. Disagree if you will with his aesthetic, even his ability, but do not discount the man's intelligence.
Specifically to those critics who equate the intensity/complexity of one's effort with the quality of a work, all I can say is this is a false measure of art. One has but to bring up a discussion of French Mannerism to underscore the point that more time spent on a painting does not necessarily make it better.
Formal issues aside, as with most art if people will open themselves to the work without preconception about what Art "is" I think they will find something in at least some of Schnabel's work. This massive volume is a good way to get to know his work. - 2009-03-19, 1 of 1 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- The essense of art
- This is a fantastic book that provides a comprehensive review of Schnabel's work. It is also a great display in the livingroom
- 2008-11-19, 1 of 1 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Don't buy this book (Sorry, Schnabel book people)
- So, I'm a professional art handler, artist, and closet art historian who has come into contact with my fair share of Schnabels. All I can say is his work can tend to be filed in the "total crap" column. Most of his stuff obviously took a hilariously small amount of effort on his part, considering he probably hasn't stretched his own canvases in twenty years. And squeezing some canvas pliers and grunting once every 6 months doesn't count.
I don't own this book, but I have perused its contents at one of Schnabel's galleries. Pretty much, if your work doesn't look better when put in the context of the "fancy-pants coffee table art book", then you're pretty much lost as an artist. And that's where I place Schnabel. His checkerboard and neon pink and green streaked 80's boat sailed long ago.
But, alas, he doesn't have to sulk in his studio while watching reruns of "Head of the Class". Instead, he's surrounded himself with an army of knowledgeless, subservient gallery owners who, in a desperate attempt to proclaim Julian Schnabel the Messiah of modern sensibilities, would go as far as to have him curate a show of even crappier work done by his brother-in-law. (No, seriously. Look it up.)
So he gets a hundred g's a painting, and we get to lower our standards. - 2007-10-02, 2 of 5 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Must have Modern Art book
- This book is awesome. For fans of artists who work LARGE and loose. If you have noticed the reactions to this book are very polarized, people seem to either love or hate it. I love it and feel the haters just don't get modern art. There are so many colorplates you just keep turning pages impressed with the wide range and amount of work this artist has done.
- 2005-10-15, 5 of 8 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- The archetypal 80s artist: dull, mediocre, pretentious
- While Schnabel's latter day ressurection as a cinéaste (Basquiat, Antes que Anochezca) has proved he has a modicum of intelligence, his 'art' was just so much product for 80s New Yorkers - it has not a whit of imagination, irony, vision, truth, beauty - anhything, in fact, that might cause it to linger in the mind. Whatever their flaws (and they are legion) Koons and Serrano are Titans compared to this dross
- 2005-07-25, 10 of 16 people found this review helpful, Rated:
