handcrafted modern

i have been spending the last few days with leslie williamson's book Handcrafted Modern. its is a beautiful collection of images that give us a quiet glimpse into the home of many of my/our most admired american artists. 

i have been waiting for a bit for this book on the list at the local library and i do think it well worth the wait. at first glance i loved the all-over look of this book, it is a perfect compliment to whats inside its pages, from the cover material to the font to the image. it looks gorgeous (library stickers & all) sitting on my coffee table

what is inside is just as wonderful. williamson shoots everything on film, on a larger format camera. This quality of the image becomes the unifying voice of the book. i appreciate her brief introductions at the beginning of each home - she does not try and give a history lesson or explain the importance of each artist to the american/global design world, she simply gives us a hint at what it was like to be standing in the living room of george nakashima or having lunch with jens risom. it is first and foremost a book of photography. 

for me this is a great part of its success the other is her ability to capture the broadness of each space. you feel like the inhabitant is standing just out of frame. 
i havent been able to stop looking through it or thinking about it when i have put it down..a good indication for me that i should go ahead and purchase a copy of my own. 

williamson also has a wonderful blog.......

saul steinberg

over the weekend i came across the drawings of saul steinberg. simple lines full of life and humor and a bit of satire, i just love his work. 

cartier-bresson

for many years he was an illustrator for the new yorker, creating nearly 100 covers for the publication. additionally he worked in the mediums of sculpture and photography. his drawings capture the rawness of the everyday - the vast majority of his work is done between the mid '40's through the mid '80's it feels as poignant as ever. 

i happily acquired "the art of living" 1949, this weekend and have loved paging through the book - a favorite section: a montage of his chair drawings in the first section.