Harley Brown's Eternal Truths for Every Artist [Hardcover]

 

 

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Artists working in a figurative, representational way, especially if they work with pastel and need some advice for portraits and figures (in my opinion, the other subjects done by the author are less convincing, artistically speaking) will probably find this book usefull, even though I would rather recommend "Painting beautiful skin tones with color & light in oil, pastel and watercolor" by chris Saper in this case. For the others, be aware that you may be disappointed and not find the treasure of universal "truths" within the book, as the title suggests. In fact, I don't think there are something like "eternal truths for every artist". Just compare the work of Arcimboldo, Vermeer, Miro, Mondrian and Klimt and then we are just talking about painting... Many of these "truths", for example about edges to name one, work for M. Brown's type of work, but may not always be applicable for example for abstract art. This kind of book would have gained a lot if the author had discussed the paintings of other artists, especially those from a different "school of thought". In this respect I would say the book's style is too dogmatic and lacks some sense of humility and nuance. Art has more to do with originality, emotion and the expression of one's personality than with craftsmanship, for example the quality of a drawing. Of course it is very useful when other artists are willing to tell you some tricks, as long as these "tricks" are recognised as such and are not given the status of "universal truths" applicable to every piece of art in every movement of art. I bought this book based on the reviews because I thought it would be motivational, but in fact it had quite the opposite effect, because my kind of work(ing) is just too different from the one described in the book. Still I gave this book a 3, because the book is nicely illustrated and presented, introduces concepts like value, composition, edges, etc.
So, if you are working in a figurative, realistic way with pastel, have acquired a certain ease (because the book doesn't always explain the "how-to" part of the things, for example, when merely presenting soft and hard edges, but not telling the different WAYS to create soft edges with your medium), if moreover you have had art classes or work shops (because at some points the book presupposes an academic background which autodidacts lack, without them therefore being "beginners" in their artistic expression!), but if you need strong directions to progress, this book may work well for you and actually disserve a 4. If your work is of a different kind from that of the author, and if you usually prefer to confront different points of view in order to define your own, you may remain disappointed by the content of the book (as compared to the promising title)and the unilaterality of the speech. One book that overcomes this risk of one artist overrating his way of expressing art as the only one being right is "design & composition secrets of professional artists" by "international artist", where 16 painters of different backgrounds and styles explain their way of working.
So, with a more appropriate title, with an index (to facilitate looking up specific items), with a less authoritative and clear-cut way of presenting things and with more "practical" tricks to put the concepts immediately into practice, and with a more "scientific" way of approaching a subject and constructing a book,the book would have got a 4 or 5.

In this book don't expect to be taught every technique for every medium. No, that's not Mr. Brown's goal at all. Instead he's going to share the things that make a painting more interesting, more full of life and quite simply 'work' in a way that draws the viewer into the art. I've been amazed as page after page has been loaded with things that I never knew - that no one ever told me before! - even though I've read dozens of books on technique and have taken classes. These are the eternal truths of composition, dominate tone and color and the list goes on. I can tell that this will be a book I will refer to endlessly throughout my journey as an artist.

There are some good tips. It is like a classroom. You just take it a step at a time. So, you gotta be patient and have to time to try out some of his techniques.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Reviewing the Reviewer
I feel badly that the "reviewer from New York," found this book slightly disappointing. Perhaps he doesn't know what to look for because the wealth of information in... Read more

Published on Feb 12 2003

4.0 out of 5 stars Helpful pastel portraits, slightly disappointing otherwise
Harley Brown provides a motivational work with attitude whose goal is to provide you with eternal truths for every artist. Read more

Published on Jan 7 2003

5.0 out of 5 stars Harley Brown's Eternal Truths for Every Artist
I recieved this book for my birthday last year, and am now ordering 2 additional copies for friends, after fighting for weekend rights to go through it. Read more

Published on Dec 13 2002 by lrookes

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite artist and Author!
I first met Harley in a book called "How to be a successful artist" where he told his inspiring start . Read more

Published on Nov 22 2001 by Linda Sue Lawson

5.0 out of 5 stars A Few Appetizers of Eternal Truths
A lot of reviewers give their reaction to the book reviewed. While that's helpful I'm going to do something a bit different. Read more

Published on Oct 18 2001 by hamsterdance

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best
I had a discussion with the guy at the book store about this book, and he said that the title ended up making people think that if they read this book, they'd be the next Picasso... Read more

Published on Sep 30 2001 by Amy

5.0 out of 5 stars My eternal truths to the reading of "Harley Brown's ..."
OK, so the title of this review is cut off. It should say, "My eternal truths to the reading of "Harley Brown's eternal truths for every artist"". Read more

Published on Aug 7 2001 by The Artist

5.0 out of 5 stars Carry it with me every chance I get!
I never have read a book that tells you not to get cozy and get back in the studio (art room for some of us!) and keep it open. Read more

Published on July 9 2001 by DAR

5.0 out of 5 stars The greatest change
In the three months I have had it beside me, this book has made the most dramatic differece in my life as an artist. Read more

Published on May 9 2001 by judith jackson

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best "how to" books on art I've read
Well, I'm only up to page 39, but I can tell that this is a gem of a book. Harley Brown is an award winning artist that works mainly in pastel--and is very opinionated in a... Read more

Published on April 13 2001 by Jennifer

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