John Margolies, Roadside America, edited by Jim Heimann, with contributions by Phil Patton, C. Ford Peatross and photos by John Margolies. Taschen, 288 pages, about 400 color photos, 2010. ISBN: 978-3-8365-1173-5. Hard cover $39.99. The enthusiasm for vernacular expression that began flowering in the United States in the 1970s never quite gelled into a unified movement. Yet a new generation did learn to value the work of self-taught artists and a sizable coterie of writers, photographers, architects and others discovered an exterior landscape whose aesthetic dimension was almost entirely accidental, but all the more striking for it.
Continue readingBook Review: Henry Darger
Henry Darger, by Klaus Biesenbach, with contributions by Brooke Davis Anderson and Michael Bonesteel. Prestel USA, 304 pages, 250 color illustrations, 2009. ISBN 978-3-7913-4210-8. Hard cover $85
Continue readingArchitectural Miniatures
Architectural visions and details from vintage matchbook covers.
Continue readingBook Review: Mary Nohl Inside and Outside
Mary Nohl Inside & Outside: Biography of the Artist, by Barbara Manger and Janine Smith. University of Wisconsin Press, 134 pages, 165 color images, 145 b/w or sepia images, 2009. ISBN 978-0-6152-5118-9. Soft Cover $29.95. See my Mary Nohl photos, circa 1990
Continue readingFine fashions
It’s been some time since I’ve stumbled across anything as nice as these fashion drawings in an antique store, mostly because I don’t spend much time in them any more.
Continue readingThe Bottle Cap Inn: New Views
Some new views of the monumental Bottle Cap Inn, and an updated page format.
Continue readingThe Signs of Clark Street
There are great signs up and down Clark Street. This is part 2 of what will no doubt be a continuing series. Here’s part 1
Continue readingMagical Mediocrity:
Harry Potter and the Secret of Hogwarts
Assume for a moment that the wizarding world of Harry Potter is more than a setting for magical adventure. Think of it as a real place, one where actual magical folk live their actual lives. Now think of it as a place to raise a child and imagine how any reasonably caring parent would rate it. Read more
Continue readingMy Not So Weekly Credo
You can always play the Ramones
Continue readingArchitectural Treasures
Interesting sites and details from Chicago and vicinity.
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