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After a century in which the lexicon of artists materials expanded from the classic oil, canvas, stone and plaster to include photography, film, performance, found objects, and concepts, the spotlight has finally swung back. A new generation of artists--as well as some who never abandoned figurative painting in the first place--is relishing the solitary, slow, subtle set of processes involved in not just painting, but painting people. They are choosing paints unique ability to distil a lifetime of events rather than photographys glimpse of a frozen moment. Painting People, edited by the prominent London art historian and critic Charlotte Mullins, unites and contrasts the work of a key group of artists from around the world, and investigates their richly varied accomplishments in lucid text with detailed commentaries, accompanied by more than 150 reproductions. The list of contributing artists is stellar, ranging from photo based painters like Luc Tuymans, Peter Doig and Marlene Dumas to Pop artists like Sigmar Polke and Alex Katz, photorealists like Chuck Close and Gerhard Richter, Neo Expressionists like Cecily Brown, and comics-inspired painters like Yoshitomo Nara, Inka Essenhigh and Takashi Murakami. There are erotic grotesques from John Currin and Lisa Yuskavage, meditations on the muse by Elizabeth Peyton and Lucian Freud, "Repro-realistic" work from Neo Rauch, and of course self-portraits by Philip Akkerman and Marcel Dzama, among others.

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Library Journal Review

Edited by London-based art historian, broadcaster, and critic Mullins (Rachel Whiteread), this comprehensive survey chiefly comprises catalog-like entries describing more than 150 works by approximately 65 contemporary artists world wide who paint the human figure. Also included are an introduction to figure painting and five three-page essays describing the various paintings. Concentrating on works by artists who create universal subjects (e.g., Chuck Close, Lucian Freud, Lisa Yuskavage), Mullins presents five typographies for examining contemporary figure painting. In "Figure Unravelled," she focuses on approaches to painting and composition that affect the rendering of human forms; "Urban Condition" and "Other Worlds" then situates the painted figures in the aforementioned contexts. "Folk Tales" draws attention to real or imaginary narratives that inform representations. Finally, "The Past Deconstructed" explains how contemporary painters have appropriated and departed from canons of representation set forth in many art forms. Well documented with artists' biographies, a selected bibliography, a list of illustrations, and an index, this superbly conceived book makes the art of figure painting understandable to diverse audiences. It belongs in most academic, special, and public libraries that have art book collections. Strongly recommended.-Cheryl Ann Lajos, Free Lib. of Philadelphia (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

CHOICE Review

London art historian and critic Mullins has brought together a study of contemporary artists who paint the human figure. Included are 200 color reproductions by 85 artists from around the world. Some artists, such as Lucien Freud and Chuck Close, are well known, but many are still developing their reputations. Mullins chose artists who paint people interacting with the world and, in doing so, explore themes of modern times. Her chapters are arranged by these themes: "The Figure Unravelled," "The Urban Condition," "Other Worlds" (which explores themes of romanticism), "Folk Tales" (the telling of unique and well-known stories), and "Past Deconstructed" (focusing on the use of photography by these artists). Many of the works reflect on the isolation of the people portrayed, some are disturbing, and some emphasize the newest technology that these artists employ, including the use of photography in their work. This valuable collection of modern art includes excellent bibliographies for each artist. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers; lower-division undergraduates through professionals. N. M. Lambert University of South Carolina Upstate