Incisive reflections on more than twenty portraits of the author by some of the greatest artists of the last centuryOver the course of his life as a friend and confidant of artists and collectors; and as a lover of art himself; James Lord has written some of the best accounts we have of modern aesthetic genius; his biography of Giacometti was widely acclaimed for succeeding; in the words of one reviewer; "in every way as one of the most readable; fascinating and informative documents; not just on an artist; but on art and artists in general" (The Washington Times). And yet through his connection with the great artists of his day; it was inevitable that Lord would himself become the object of the artists gaze. In fact; from the time he was a young man; Lord sat for many of the major and minor painters and photographers of his day; including Balthus; Cocteau; Cartier-Bresson; Freud; Giacometti; and Picassomdash;in all but one case at the artists request. In Plausible Portraits; Lord gathers; alongside these images; his reflections; penetrating the mind of artist and model alike in a sequence of illuminating double portraits of two masters at work.
#1580654 in eBooks 2007-07-01 2007-07-01File Name: B005QBKY2C
Review
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful. Say Hello to the God of Manga! (Manga no Kami-sama ni Yoroshiku!)By Ada PalmerYou will not believe me when I try to tell you about Osamu Tezuka. He drew over 150.000 pages of manga in his lifetime. more than 700 separate series. and more than 70 anime. films and movies. He was a pioneer every genre. from hard sci-fi to mahou shoujo to adult films. He developed the drawing and animation techniques that still dominate the industry today. Todays greats. from Rintaro to Yoshiyuki Tomino. worked and studied with him. He was a political activist. writing against war. racism. environmental exploitation. medical corruption. He was a national hero of Japan. and under consideration for the Nobel Prize in literature when he passed away in 1989. Astro Boy. Black Jack. Kimba the White Lion. Metropolis. Phoenix. Buddha and Princess Knight are only the best known of literally hundreds of creations which have impacted every corner of the manga world. If you think this sounds like too much for one man to plausibly accomplish in a lifetime. youre far from the only one who finds Osamu Tezuka a little superhuman.Fred Schodt. author of Dreamland Japan Manga! Manga!: the World of Japanese Comics and translator of Phoenix. Astro Boy and more. was a personal friend of the "God of Comics" and his translator when Tezuka visited America. In his long-awaited Astro Boy Essays. Schodt gives a concise and detailed introduction to the life. influence and significance of Tezuka in the history of Japan and the international comics world. Focusing on Tezukas best known work. the anti-racist childrens classic Astro Boy. it gives efficient. approachable portraits of Osamu Tezukas life and personality. the atmosphere in Japan during and after WWII and their effect on the manga industry. the nightmarish behind-the-scenes production schedule that birthed Japans first animated TV series. and the spread of Astro Boy as a Japanese. and later an international symbol of peace. technology. hope for the future. and above all of Japan itself. The rocky history of Astro Boys American distribution gives a fascinating look at the beginnings of American anime fandom. and how many barriers had to be broken to achieve the comparatively-smooth licensing and distribution system in place today. All the material is presented in a format beginners can understand. but with enough details that even experts will find themselves learning more with every page. The Astro Boy Essays is an invaluable contribution to manga scholarship. and provides a window for American otaku to finally learn about the "God" who made anime what it is today.For more information about the book. see: [...]For more information about Osamu Tezuka. his life and works. see: TezukaInEnglish.com3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. A fun readBy Paul GDetailed. serious. interesting.........and fun! Lots of fun! If you love Astro Boy. Manga or Osamu Tezuka.....grab yourself a copy. NOW!!5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. A book every anime/manga fan needs to readBy D. FredericksonI just happened upon this book when I was shopping for manga and thought it looked like a good read. Well. its a great read! Finally a book in English about Tezuka!Schodt does an amazing job breaking down Mighty Atom/Astro Boy along with Tezuka. He actually knew Tezuka so he brings a great insight to this work. The images in the book are great as well. especially the color inserts at the beginning of the book. Included are a great index of all the manga and anime episodes. and a character guide with both Japanese and English character names.If you are a fan of anime. manga. or both. you will want to read this book to know why the two art forms are so popular today. not only in Japan. but all across the world!
