Gothic Art Now…

I’ve been a film critic for six years now. I’ve done product reviews, here and there, as well as a handful of book reviews.
Despite all of that, I can honestly say that a review of Gothic Art Now has been the biggest challenge to compose.

I love art.
I consider myself an artist, of sorts. (By words and photography anyhow.)
Wherever I travel, I seldom miss the museum.
What I learned, through the introduction of this book, however, is that I am not nearly as open minded about art as I would have thought.

Gothic Art Now is a compilation of art pieces, ranging from sculptures and paintings to manipulated photography. I won’t pretend this book is not incredibly dark, but then again most would likely catch on to the clues in it’s title. There were certain images that caused both Chw and I to hastily turn the page out of uneasiness… HOWEVER, that is not to say that this book is not full of some of the most amazing art work I’ve ever seen. Expecting more darkly imaginative Victorian themed pieces, (which this book has), I found myself staring in admirable awe at several of the paintings found on it’s pages. (Both the digitally painted as well as the canvas.)

I was only a page or two in, when I realized this wasn’t a book that would be the best for small children. I’ll admit it, I’m a big wuss and some of the images in here could give me nightmares…
Go ahead and laugh, I’m pathetic. :)

My favorite piece, (and if you’ve seen the book, you’ll surely remember it) is a charcoal and pencil drawing entitled Family Reunion, by Laurie Lipton.
Whether Gothic Art is your thing, or not, the detail in this picture is amazing… Plus I loved the beautiful idea of it, that our long ago departed loved ones are there, waiting for us, on the other side.

I began to realize, as I turned the pages, that Gothic Art Now is the perfect example of how beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder. Many of the images in this book, after careful examination, became unexpectedly breathtaking… Regardless of my personal taste in art, there is no denying that this book is an incredible compilation of art- ranging in all forms. Jasmine Becket-Griffith has put together what I can only imagine is a thorough collection of Gothic art, which is likely vital to lovers and collectors of dark art.

Side note: as an amateur photographer, the photo manipulations displayed in this book honestly blew my mind… If you love photography and enjoy the darker things of life, seriously you have to check the photos in this book out…

To order Gothic Art Now at a great price, go here… For more from the amazingly talented Jasmine Becket-Griffith, you can visit her site here…