Opinion - Christmas Art Book Gift List Thingy

Following on from the Christmas Film Book Gift List Thingy on our twin site /Garbage-file yesterday, Susan Omand looks back over some of the art books she's reviewed from Titan Books...



I know, I know. Art books seems like a bit of a niche thing that you're not really interested in but just consider it this way... they're really just swanky picture books for grown ups, there's nothing elitist or scary about them. And everyone likes looking at pictures,don't they? You don't have to know who a picture is by, or how it was created in order to just enjoy the art and "know what you like" but having that little bit of extra information can sometimes make a picture that you like come to life even more for you once you find out about the thought processes behind its creation. And that is where the art books from Titan Books come into their own. Not only are they beautiful, high quality coffee-table hardbacks with the crisp colour and detail to the pictures that make them a joy to just look at, the pictures are always interspersed with useful snippets of information, either about the subject matter, the artist's inspiration or even the technical know how needed for their creation. This way, I think they appeal to both working artists and art lovers.



Here then, in proper TOTP reverse order are my five top picks so far (subtle hint there Titan guys) of art books I would recommend:

5) The Art of Jim Burns: Hyperluminal



"With the emphasis firmly on the living, and mostly female, form, I was very much reminded of the work of Chris Achilleos back in the day."



Read the rest of my review HERE

4) The Art of Stephen Hickman: Empyrean



"As with all fantasy art, the book has its fair share of dragons and naked women on show within the pages, all beautifully posed and painted of course, but there is also a lot of stunning art deco influenced architecture and retro-futuristic, steampunk influenced spacesuits within the artwork too."



Read the rest of my review HERE

3) The Art of Fred Gambino: Dark Shepherd



"Sometimes you CAN judge a book by its cover. The artwork inside is even more stunning. Gambino has moved from being an artist and illustrator working in traditional media to one who creates artwork digitally as an illustrator and concept artist for the film industry."



Read the rest of my review HERE

2) The Art of John Alvin



"He’s the man that painted the artwork for that Blade Runner poster. Yes, the picture of Deckard and Rachael, the one that’s used on the front of the DVD’s. He’s also the man that painted that poster for ET of the fingers touching. Yes. The same man. I’ll let that thought sink in for a while because that just completely blew my mind."



Read the rest of my review HERE



That beautiful and fascinating book of movie poster art by John and Andrea Alvin, which will appeal to a huge cross-section of film and art lovers alike, was only kept off the top spot for me by one art book that I've gone back to again and again and again just to stare at the utter beauty of it... As I said in my review of it (which you can read HERE) "If you’re the type, like me, who can sit for hours in a gallery staring at just one picture and letting it soak into your soul, get this book."



I give you my number one choice of Titan Books art books....



1) The Art of Greg Spalenka

Images - Titan Books