Hi, and welcome back to the Chrissie Murphy Designs Blog. World Art Day was on April 15 this year and to celebrate the day, I held The Great Art Book Share. On that night I hosted an Instagram Live session where I shared about some of my all time favourite art books. It was a wonderful night and I loved chatting away about the art books I love.
I have received many comments since then asking me for the list of books I shared. This blog post will cover all of the books I mentioned on World Art Day. I have tried to group them into sections. This way, if you are looking for reference books etc, you won’t have to troll through all of them to find what you are interested in. Let’s get into it and have a look at the list.
Books about Artists
1. The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci (Volume 1)
This book contains snippets of information on all kinds of things Leonardo learned throughout his life. From details about perspective, light and shadow, to observational studies on how things fly for example. This is an inspiring look at one of the world’s greatest artists.
2. Etching Past and Present, Paul Bong, Yidinji Artist
Paul Bong is a First Nation’s Artist located in North Queensland. A few years ago, I had the pleasure of viewing Paul’s work at an exhibition where he was showcasing his series on Shields. I was instantly captivated. My husband met Paul Bong at a markets in Brisbane, and he bought me Paul’s book. Paul signed the book for me with a short personal message. This book is one that’s close to my heart.
3. Cubism in Colour, The Still Lifes of Juan Gris
Over the years of my studies I have become quite interested in Cubism. I have been particularly drawn to the work of Juan Gris because of his use of colour. Where a lot of cubist work features muted neutral palettes, i was struck by the vivid colours used by Juan Gris. This book showcases them well.
4. M.C. Escher, Visions of Symmetry, by Doris Schattschneider
This book is a fantastic reference for understanding how Escher created his symmetrical patterns. Sketches of how Escher planned his works are explored in this book.
5. Master of Stillness, Jeffrey Smart by Barry Pearce
Jeffrey Smart is one of my favourite artists and I bought this book because of that. This book captures his entire collection of work from his time painting landscapes in Australia to his final years in Europe where he focused on the urban landscape.
6. Banksy, Wall and Piece
I believe Banksy is one of the most influential artists of our time. His work continues to push boundaries relating to our attitudes towards materialism, consumerism, discrimination, war and genocide. This book features the majority of Banksy’s work up until its time of publishing (2005).
7. Jean-Michel Basquiat: And the Art of Storytelling by Eleanor Nairne, Hans Werner Holzwarth
In recent years I have come to sincerely appreciate the artwork of Jean-Michael Basquiat. It’s rich in symbolism and colour, often using broad brushstrokes applied in an unstructured manner. His work has a raw and authentic quality to it that I have become drawn to and strongly influenced by. This book provides a deep look into his work and life.
8. Frank Stella, American Abstract Artist by James Pearson
Another artist I have come to love is Frank Stella. I am particularly fond of his hard edge paintings and in particular, his Protractor Series. This little book provides a glimpse into the thinking of Frank Stella. It’s full of quotes (by Frank) that give insight into his art practice and processes.
Books about Art Movements
9. Cubism by Anne Gantefuhrer-Trier
This books provides a detailed look at the cubism art movement. The forefathers of Cubism (Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque) are heavily featured.
10. Art Deco by Markus Hattstein
This book provides a detailed look at the Art Deco movement. Unlike other books on Art Deco, this book looks at the entire movement (Art Deco in art, automobiles, architecture, furnishings and glassware (first example)). It is a comprehensive overview of the Art Deco movement and its influence in mainstream society.
Reference Books
11. Retro Fonts by Gregor Stawinski
This book is a fantastic reference for different fonts and how they have been used in various designs over the years.
12. 800 Classic Ornaments and Designs, Edited by Ernst Gunther
I have used this book as a reference so many times over the years. It contains hundreds of ornamental designs, fonts, elements and embellishments from various historical periods.
13. Cusack’s Freehand Ornament by Charles Armstrong
This is another book I have continued to use over and over again. This book contains a number of plates that can be used as the framework for creating ornamental design. When I was doing a lot of tangling art, I often relied on the plates in this book as options for different base strings to work from.
14. The Cabinet of Natural Curiosities by Albertus Seba
This is my favourite reference book of all time and the most expensive book I own. This book inspires me, fills me with wonder and I am repeatedly amazed at what I see when I read it. Albertus Seba (c 1665 -1736) was an apothacarist who amassed one of the largest collections of ground and sea specimens in all of Europe. Toward the end of his life he commissioned a number of illustrators to record his collection and this book is the result of that work.
15. The Continuum Encyclopedia of Symbols by Udo Becker
This is a great reference book exploring the use of different symbols throughout history and the ages.
16. Dictionary of Architecture and Construction edited by Cyril M Harris
I bought this book for the detailed little reference images that accompany entries about architecture and construction elements. There are some great examples of architectural ornament in this book.
17. Shells by Roderick Cameron
I recently found this book at a second hand book store and I fell in love with the illustrations and photographs depicting shells from the worlds oceans. This book is simply a reference book of shells.
Books about Art History
18. The Illustrated Story of Art.
I bought this book about a year ago when I was studying a unit on historical influences for contemporary art. This book illustrates some of the most important works of art from each period of art history. I like how each art period is presented in a timeline and you can see when each piece of art was created in relation to it.
19. Essential History of Art
This book is very similar to that mentioned above, however it’s older and it doesn’t contain a timeline presentation. It does however, present all of the great works of art throughout history and does this in a chronological order according to the art movements.
Books about developing your Art Practice
20. The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
This book is a 12 week course on reconnecting with yourself as an artist, particularly the wonder and creativity we all had as children. It is a very popular book that has sold over 5 millions of copies since it was first published. It is well worth the investment if you are wanting to develop yourself as an artist.
21. Unlocking the Heart of the Artist by Matt Tommey
This book is faith based and is a wonderful resource and guide for helping you understand your calling as an artist from a Christian perspective. The book explores the belief that God has a creative call for artists and it helps you explore what that call may be.
22. Everything for art – How to be a successful artist by Tizian Baldinger, Simon R Bose and N.N
I have mixed feelings about this book. It is an excellent resource on how to be a successful artist explaining things like how to inventory your work, how to network at exhibitions and how to write an Artist Statement (for example). But the foundation of this book is that you give everything for art. It explains how art is to be put before everything eg- family, faith, friends, recreational activities etc. I found this unacceptable as I do not want to live a life like this. I have included the book in this list because the information it contains is excellent. However, it’s foundation of giving “everything for art” is something I personally do not agree with.
23. Find your Artistic Voice by Lisa Congdon
Artistic style and artistic voice are two very different things. So much of the focus over the last 20 years has been on developing our style, but very little has been written on developing our artistic voice. This book is an excellent guide for helping you develop your artistic voice. Its advice is practical with real life examples being included by other artists. I highly recommend this book for those wanting to develop their practice.
24. The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
This is the very first art book i ever purchased as it was recommended to me by another artist. The book is about how we can fight through tumes of creative block. Steven calls these times “Resistance” and the book explores the different ways we experience it and how we can fight against it.
25. Show Your Work by Austin Kleon
This is a fantastic little book for helping you develop confidence as an artist. It encourages you to “show your work” and to build on the learnings and confidence you gain by doing so.
Absolutely faves
26. Pitman’s Costume Drawing by Doten and Boulard
I absolutely love Pitman Books and I have been collecting them for a little while. This book is filled with different drawings of people in costumes and how to replicate them. I particularly love the decorative ornamentation in these drawings. One day I hope to explore this kind of figurative work more extensively.
27. Pitman’s Realistic Abstract Art by H Sternberg
I cannot wait to get onto the other side of my Diploma to begin looking in to some of the concepts this book introduces. The book is full of ways to present ordinary household objects in an abstract manner. I consider this book a treasure.
28. Pitman’s Posters by Howard Boughner
This Pitman book is the equivalent of the foundations in graphic design today. It covers the layouts and composition you can use in commercial art, and provides examples of different elements you could consider adding to your designs. This book is another gem!
29. Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
The Cabinet of Natural Curiosities is my favourite reference book of all time, but this book is my favourite book of all time. This is a book i could read multiple times as the story both fascinates and resonates with me. It is the true story of Christopher McCandless, his life and subsequent death in the wilderness of Alaska in 1992.
That’s all for the Great Art Book Share
I hope you find this list of some of my favourite art books helpful. I am continually encouraged by the wealth of information and inspiration that is available in books. They continue to play an integral part in the development of my art practice. It is my hope you may have a similar experience as you incorporate more books into your own art practice.
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Until my next blog post, “I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received”
Ephesians 4:1.
In peace always
Chrissie xx
