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Rating: 
Summary: Hirschfeld's Harlem
Review: This book is a must for any Hirschfeld fan. A great addition to my Hirschfeld collection of books.
Rating:
Summary: Hirschfeld's Harlem
Review: This book is a must for any Hirschfeld fan. A great addition to my Hirschfeld collection of books.
Rating:
Summary: 75 Years of Brilliance
Review: This is a very impressive and moving collection of artwork that captures a robust culture from a unique perspective. While best known for his apparently goofy caricatures (a common opinion that is a caricature in itself), Al Hirschfeld is actually a keen and insightful observer of culture. Hirschfeld came of age in New York City almost next door to Harlem, and was heavily influenced by the culture of the Harlem Renaissance, and this spirit informed his interpretation of African American culture for the next 75 years. Before embarking on his well-known celebrity caricatures, Hirschfeld captured the spirit of Harlem culture and nightlife in narrative paintings of regular people, which are collected impressively in this book's opening gallery. Here Hirschfeld's misleadingly simple style captures a full range of motion and emotion - capturing dancing, music making, and street culture with incredible power. The same goes for the uncharacteristically haunting "Ebony Sister" which speaks volumes on black experience. Next is a fantastic collection of caricatures of African American celebrities, covering a good 75 years of showbiz greatness, in which Hirschfeld uses simplicity and humor to bring out each performer's most eye-catching strengths. As usual, it is great fun to search for the Nina's that Hirschfeld always slipped into his portraits - the best is one of Whoopi Goldberg, whose dreadlocks are made up almost entirely of Nina's. This book is well-supported by an outstanding essay on the Harlem Renaissance by Gail Lumet Buckley, as well as commentary by many black entertainers who have been moved by Hirschfeld's documentation of their culture, and who sure don't treat him like any sort of outsider. This is truly a winning collection not just of great artwork, but of its place in culture and history. [~doomsdayer520~]
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