Delicious

Delicious, the Life and Art of Wayne Thiebaud was published in 2007. When I purchased it I was expecting the 9 x 12 official art history book of the same title. The book I received is approximately 8 x 8 with 108 pages. It contains a short biography of artist Wayne Thiebaud as well as his development as an artist from age 8 until his death in 2021 at the age of 101. I was not aware that this book is a children's book for kids aged 9 to 14. However, I still learned alot about the artist. Thiebaud is known for his paintings of cakes, pies, cupcakes,  hamburgers and hot dogs. He is one of my favorite artists of the 20th century.

The book has full page copies of Thiebaud's art along with some history concerning the methods used to make the painting. Thiebaud was a contemporary and friend of Willem de Kooning. He utilized Kooning's technique of making brushstrokes in his dessert paintings and painted many layers in each painting. He also copied the methods of the Old Masters. Thiebaud was a skilled cartoonist who could draw Popeye simultaneously with both hands. While he married twice and had a family, he went to college and earned a MS degree in art history. Thiebaud's day job was a professionor of art at Sacramento Junior College. 

During the 1960s he was thought to be a Pop Artist like Andy Warhol. However, Thiebaud used different ways of painting that were more complex than Warhol’s. He began each painting with a thumbnail sketch and then drew triangles or squares that he later drew into the pies, cakes, etc... Although Thiebaud is famous for his desserts, he also drew cityscapes and landscapes. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I will be thumbing through it alot in the future just to view those gorgeous paintings. 5 out of 5 stars.

Bible Translations for Everyone

Today I am reviewing something very different from my usual fare and discussing a religious book. The author of Bible Translations for Everyone, Tim Wildsmith, is a pastor and You Tuber whom I follow. His book was published in November 2024. It's a short, 178 page, soft cover book that is easy to read. 

The book opens with a history of early English Bibles such as the Wycliffe, Coverdale and Tyndale  Bibles. It then moves to individual chapters for the most read English translations such as the King James Version, New King James Version, Revised Standard  Version, New Revised Standard Version, The New American Standard Version, New International Version, English Standard Version, New Living Translation, and the Christian Standard Bible. Within each chapter you will read about the historical context of each one, the textual basis, translation philosophy and the people who translated them, as well as the differences, similarities, strengths, and weaknesses of each. Succeeding chapters discuss the Catholic translations and other modern, 21st century translations such as the Legacy Standard Bible, Modern English Version, and the Common English Bible.

 

The final chapter delves into how you can choose the one that is right for you. The author recommends choosing two translations, one for daily reading and another for studying the text. After reading this book, you will understand the essentials of each translation and be able to make an informed decision about which ones are right for you.

There are over 400 English translations of the Bible and I wish there was a listing of all of them at the back of the book. The author does give us, though, a bibliography of recommended reading as well as a short glossary which I found helpful. Bible Translations for Everyone is a welcome introduction into the most popular translations available today and I highly recommend it. 5 out of 5 stars.