May Randomkit Art & Architecture

May’s RandomKit is Art and Architecture. This read can be non-fiction: biographies or memoirs of painters, sculptors, architects, or fiction about the same. Possible topics might be one of the wonders of the world: Great Wall of China, the Taj Mahal, Petra, The Roman Coliseum, Machu Pichu, or The Great Pyramid of Giza. How about a famous building: St. Basil’s Cathedral, the Hagia Sophia, Sydney Opera House, The Leaning Tower of Pisa, or Fallingwater. How about a famous painting: The Mona Lisa, The Girl with the Pearl Earring, The Last Supper, Scream, Starry Night, and Guernica. Again, both fiction and non-fiction will satisfy this month's Randomkit. What will you be reading?



Here is the wiki: https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/2024_RandomKIT

Great topic! I have several choices for this, but I am most likely to read Vincent Van Gogh - Leben und Werk by Christoph Wetzel, a short introduction to the painter that I have owned for ages.

If anyone is looking for a fantasy option for this months challenge, I find that several of Martha Wells stories has strong architectural elements; Wheel of the infinite, City of Bones, most of the The Books of the Raksura and several of the books in the Ile-Rien series.

Likewise, Malka Olders The Investigations of Mossa and Pleiti has a great deal of descriptions of the infrastructure and architecture of the colonies on Jupiter and Io.

I have the novel Headlong on my shelf. It has very mixed reviews. It has been billed as a Brugel art mystery, a tour de farce, and a novel of British art history. We'll see!

>4 Tess_W: I've got Headlong on my virtual TBR list as well. I've had it in my reading plans several times but it's never made the final cut. Maybe this is it's chance to shine.

Failing that, I've got The Portrait by Iain Pears.

I've had The Flanders Panel by Arturo Perez-Reverte on my TBR for way too long. Maybe this will be the push to get it read.

This may be a good month to tackle Die dritte Frau which is a kind of sequel to Die Purpurlinie, about a picture of Gabrielle d'Estrées hanging in the Louvre...

I have had Errol Flynn Slept Here on my shelf for quite some time and this is the perfect opportunity to read about the house that both Flynn, Ricky Nelson and other celebrities lived in.

I have several that would work:
--Leonardo da Vinci by Sherwin B. Nuland, a short bio that I've been meaning to read for years
--The Pinecone by Jenny Uglow. A biography of Jenny Losh, a 19th century self-taught architect, which I have requested from the library.
--Mr Mac and Me by Esther Freud. Historical fiction set during WWI featuring Scottish architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh

I have choices in both fiction and nonfiction. Awhile back I started The Art Thief by Michael Finkle but couldn't get into it so I may pick it up and try again. If that doesn't work I'll probably choose something by Laura Morelli.

>9 kac522: I am a fan of Charles Rennie Mackintosh and his wife Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh. Naturally, I loved Mr Mac and Me. I hope you enjoy it when you get to it.

>11 VivienneR: Thanks for helping me push it up the pile of possibilities! It's been on my TBR shelves forever and I really need to get to it.

I'm going to read Gloria Luca's Dan Perjovschi: The Horizontal Newspaper. Perjovschi is a Romanian artist, and The Horizontal Newspaper is an evolving work of art 50m x 4m on a wall in Sibiu, Romania (which is where I spent several months doing my PhD research, although this work wasn't there then sadly - I'll have to go back to see it!).

>9 kac522: I loved Mr Mac and Me as well.
Great topic - I have many, many possibilities for this one as I love historical fiction based on art or artists.

Oh, I've meant to read Mr Mac and Me a long time but didn't think of it, I may read it too.

The first title that came into my mind for this challenge is The Bat by Jo Nesbo. The title refers to the Sydney opera house.

I think I'll probably read Schultz and Peanuts / David Michaelis

I'm not sure what I have that might fit.
I know I have The Man who walked through Walls on the shelf. A wall being an integral part of any architecture. >;-)

>18 Helenliz: funny;-)
My most recent library haul includes ingrid fetell lees Joyful, which I think might fit this theme, although perhaps at a slant.

I'm planning on reading Labyrinth for the SFFKit; I don't know that much about it, but I'm wondering for anyone who has read it, do you think it would fit for architecture (or art)?

I'm sure I can find lots of other books to read for this theme - just wondering if I would get a twofer on this one?

I'm sure I could find some fiction on my shelf to fit, but since I really am trying to read more nonfiction this year, I'd say this challenge is a good push in that direction! The two books I've got that look to be clear fits are Leonardo's Nephew: Essays on Art and Artists by James Fenton and Faces, Forms, Films: The Artistry of Lon Chaney by Robert Gordon Anderson. I'll choose one or the other as we get closer to May!

I just remembered that I have The Secrets of Art: Uncovering the mysteries and messages of great works of art - a beautiful book from my MIL that I have been meaning to read for a while, and it will be perfect for this month!

I read Last Day by Luanne Rice. This was a disappointing mystery involving the murder of a gallery owner and missing artwork.

101 Things I Learned in Urban Design School by Matthew Frederick and Vikas Mehta (2018) is part of a larger series of books about basic principles of various professional schools. Other books in the "101 Things I Learned" series include Business School, Culinary School, Fashion School, Film School, Law School, etc.

It is a simple book, with text of a basic urban design principle and explanatory text on one page, and a design sketch illustrating that principle on the facing page. Some of the principles were generic for design and others opened my eyes to looking at architecture and urban spaces, like:
"We prefer enclosed spaces."
"Space doesn't make space. Forms make space."
"A design scheme is an argument."
"A park is a wide spot on a path."
"If the edges fail, the space fails."

My 3 favorites were:
--"Some trees are more urban than others" which argues that trees with arching shapes help define a public space.
--"Suburbanites walk perpendicular. Urbanites walk parallel." That is, suburbanites walk perpendicular from their car in the parking lot to the front door of one store, whereas urbanites walk parallel down a street, passing multiple storefronts, businesses and residences.
--"At the 4th floor, we tend to lose identity with the street." That is, residences on the 1st & 2nd floors have views and connections to the street. By the 3rd floor, street level is barely accessible. At the 4th floor and above, the connection is more to the skyline, the landscape and the horizon. When planning tall residences, designers need to keep these views and connections in mind.

All of the sketches illustrated the points in the text; a few sketches were of real places. Here I think I would have preferred a photograph, to see how in real life (not in a sketch) a principle is expressed. But a small quibble from someone who is not the target audience for the book.

Thanks to Joyce (Nickelini) here on LT who reviewed this book (in more depth) and sparked my interest. You can read her review here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/356846#8511337

>16 VivienneR: Despite the image of the Sydney Opera House on the cover, when I started reading I realized The Bat doesn't refer to the building but to the Aboriginal symbol of death. However, with two prizes, this will fit PrizeCAT this month. Instead I'll be reading The English Assassin by Daniel Silva.

I have completed my read of Errol Flynn Slept Here a detailed account of Mulholland Farm, the home that Errol Flynn build in Hollywood in 1940. It was also the home of the Stuart Hamlin family and in the 1980s Ricky Nelson lived there.

I read Borobudur, a book about the Buddhist temple in Java. The temple was built in the 8th century. The book has close-ups of the engravings which tell the story of Buddha. The temple is a beautiful piece of ancient architecture.

I read Joyful by Ingrid Fetell Lee, and inspired by the footnotes I ordered Eva Zeisel: life, design and beauty from the library, Depending on when it arrives, I might end up with more than one Art and architecture read this month.

I completed The Great Portrait Mystery by Austin Freeman. This was a short story. I intend on reading something more, should I have time--this month is final exam grading time!

I read a short biography, Leonardo da Vinci, by Dr Sherwin B. Nuland (2000). This book is in the Penguin Lives series; Nuland (1930-2014) was a surgeon and writer who taught bioethics and the history of medicine at Yale.

At 170 pages, this is a short overview of Leonardo's life and work. Besides his artistic studies Leonardo studied geometry, mechanics, the flight of birds, animal and plant biology, optics, military engineering, hydraulics, and architecture. From this, Nuland says, Leonardo "began to see art from what might be called the scientific point of view. And the converse was also true: he was seeing science from the viewpoint of an artist." (p.27).

Nuland brings a special focus on Leonardo's anatomical sketches, and how they were centuries ahead of their time, with amazing detail and cross-sections of organs never before attempted by either artist or scientist. I enjoyed this biography and the aspects of Leonardo's genius using his artistic talents to explore science as presented by Nuland.

I have read a wonderful picture book which shows art in progress: the illustrator draws a train and a little pig sitting in one of the compartments. It talks to the artist, asking for a name, a shirt or a travel companion. On every page you see the artist's hands holding a pencil, drawing, and it is a wonderful visual experience: Johanna im Zug.

I have read a novel, Remember Ben Clayton by Stephen Harrigan. It takes place in 1920 and is about a well known sculptor who takes a commission from a rancher in Texas to sculpt his son who was killed in WWI.

June RandomKit is up and can be found here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/360835

I read The English Assassin by Daniel Silva
When Gabriel Allon arrives in Zurich to restore a valuable painting, he finds the owner has been brutally murdered. The story goes on to investigate the looting of art by Nazis and the part played by Switzerland.

One problem I have with Silva’s writing is that I can’t “see” Allon, or get an accurate understanding of his age. Sometimes I think he’s a young man, and at other times he seems past middle age.

I read Steeple Chasing which deals with art and architecture of churches, amongst other things.

I read The Face of Britain, which marries history and art history in a discussion of works at the National Portrait Gallery in London.

I'm reading Schulz and Peanuts and it's good, but long. 600+ pages with small font. I'm behind on some of my other challenges this month, so I might set it aside and hope to finish a couple of others before coming back and finishing this one.

I read Mary Colter, Builder upon the Red Earth, about an architect and interior decorator who designed several of the buildings on the south rim of the Grand Canyon.

At the last minute I finished a mystery that has an art connection. In Picture Miss Seeton by Heron Carvic (1968), Miss Seeton uses her drawings (and her umbrella) to help solve crimes. Quick, fun read.

I have finished a short history of the Versailles château: Versailles Château de la France et orgueil des rois. It should have had a bigger format to do justice to the ilustrations.

I only got half-way through my May book in May. It's a good book, but taking a long time to read (and it's a long book). I didn't get back to it in June, but still hope to get there in July. :-) Still plan to post here when I finish!

I read The Last Collection, historical fiction about the rivalry between Coco Chanel and Elsa Schiaparelli. Set just before the Nazi invasion of Paris. Of course, fashion design is art but the main character is also an artist (painter of abstract art) and colour plays an integral part in the descriptive passages, both physical and emotional.

Finally finished mine!

Schulz and Peanuts: A Biography / David Michaelis
4.25 stars

Charles “Sparky” Schulz created the Peanuts comic strip and wrote one daily comic for over fifty years. He was born in 1922 in St. Paul, Minnesota and died in 2000 in California. His father was a barber and though friendly with his customers, he didn’t like to travel or really leave home at all. Sparky was shy and grew up to be much like his father. His mother died when he was in his early 20s. Sparky was married twice and had five children.

There is so much detail! It is almost 700 pages long, and nonfiction, so it took a long time to read. Because I had other books to get to, although it’s a very good book, I did put it down for close to two months before getting back to it again. There are plenty of Peanuts strips peppered throughout the book, as Schulz often included autobiographical stuff in his strips; there is also two sections of photographs. The book itself, I’m giving 4 stars, but for the immense amount of research (much information given with help from the family) and detail, it gets the extra ¼ star.

I only read this now, but still wanted to post about Dear Vincent by Michael Bird, illustrated by Ella Beech. It is a beautiful picture book about Vincent van Gogh's time in southern France and how his brother Theo supported him. Highly recommended!