The Art of Robert E. McGinnis

Why can't more art books show large, full page images like this book does? I never buy art books now with heavy text that forces the images to be small on the page.McGinnis was a prolific and very talented illustrator whose work was often seen on book covers for its somewhat distinctive style, or in National Geographic for his ability to capture historic scenes filled with costumed characters and lots of energy. I remember his, and a number of other talented illustrators, influence on my early commercial career. I showed the book to a few illustrator friends and they were equally excited to see a rare book on an artist/illustrator who deserves to be recognized for his exciting work that was seen by so many over the years.There are several illustrators of exceptional design and technical ability who would be nice to see in print; pre-digital masters who could actually paint and draw extremely well. The era of magazine spreads and brilliant editorial work is long past, unfortunately. McGinnis was able to capture some of that work and did it with his own personal flare.

Graphically this book pulls no punches...vivid amazing graphics and lots of them. Well organized curation and even the slip cover of this hardbound book is done with class. Many books of big $ artists at much higher prices could learn from the way this book was created. I could go on for a bit, but if you like McGinnis' art just buy it! You will not be disappointed and I think the price is a steal.

McGinnis worked in a wide range of illustration venues. Unfortunately, McGinnis came after the golden age of illustration thus a lot of his work is in the lower regarded trades, magazines, paperbacks, movie posters, etc. That takes nothing away from the quality of his work but reflects the state of the business in his day. I have seen the art of McGinnis literally everywhere in my life. He certainly is prolific and well appreciated. As you can see, he uses exaggeration to great effect. I enjoyed this retrospective.

The almost unlimited variety of subject matter in this book reflects the unlimited ability of the artist to conceive, illustrate and present his images as what they are, each their own unique and stand alone statement of a circumstance, a visually expressive story and, particularly with his landscapes and 'The West', a story of a moment in time.His book covers are definitely historical documents in their own right, as they reflect the times and culture of their day.Though not a 'Pin-Up' book, it shows elements of that genre, done in Robert E. McGinnis's his unique style.Upon opening the front cover, this book demands the reader's complete and undivided attention, so, make yourself comfortable, cancel all appointments, fill your cup or glass, and settle back for a rare absorbing read, don't say you weren't warned!.

If readers have been followers of this remarkable illustrator for some time, they may already have a copy of "Tapestry: The Paintings of Robert McGinnis" published back in the year 2000. Such readers may be wondering if that book is entirely redundant with this one and if this one is worth having. Well, I think it is. Any career overview of this type has certain highlights that need to be acknowledged, and those images are present in both books, but this volume seems determined not to present them in the same way. Images that appeared as quarter-page reproductions in "Tapestry," the front cover illustration, for example, may be a full page here. One image that appeared as a page and a half in the older book is cropped much closer to the figure and is reproduced as a double page spread in this volume. This book also reproduces dozens of illustrations that are not present in the older book. This one includes some sketches and photo-reference. It also features an interview with McGinnis that offers some insight into what the illustration game was like back when scarcely a week went by without the appearance of a McGinnis illustration somewhere.If you are a McGinnis fan you will NOT be disappointed by this book, whether you have a copy of "Tapestry" or not.

Prompt delivery via USPS. New book at less cost than..... GREAT!!!

A fine addition to McGinnis's art and even if you have the prior book "Tapestry", you will appreciate this book as well. There are works in "The Art of Robert McGinnis" that are not in "Tapestry". There is also an interview with him that is interesting and gives you a sense of what he is all about. McGinnis was and is one of the best illustrators we've been fortunate to have and one of the few still producing artwork. There are examples of his paperback book covers as well as his more recent landscapes. There are his elegant nudes and western genre works and numerous sketches. All in all, if you are a fan of his work or just want to acquaint yourself of his many talents this book is very fine indeed. The reproductions are quality printing and the price is a bargain!

I'm sure I read numerous novels with McGinnis covers back in my teen years without ever making the connection. Viewing this collection took me back to those days, suddenly linking all those covers in my retro mind. Best of all, not only is the art just as terrific as in its day but the book offers fascinating insights such as McGinnis' repeated use of a hero who was a ringer for James Coburn, or a cover McGinnis illustrated with a naked woman (her breasts and crotch blocked from view by arms and other items) which the publisher made him repaint a bikini top and bottom on the woman; after publication, once McGinnis had his painting back, he repainted the bikini back out. Fun stuff!

Tanto el arte como la información que traen este libro es espectacular.

Libro di ottima fattura, esaustivo, ben impaginato e con immagini di qualità molto alta.

Robert E McGinnis Art Book is very helpful for Cover Design, Colour & Light, Composite and his Very Beautiful Painting work each and every page. "Amazon should package to Each Book Thick Paper cover because I know how value of this Drawing Book"

Beautiful illustrations. Book has met my expectations. The hardcover is a plus. I've always loved this type and era of artwork, having it in one edition is well worth the price.

An excellent book that covers seven decades of creativity from Robert McGinnis. Look through the book and you'll soon be aware that he's an incredibly versatile artist which is probably why he's been in demand for years, he always delivers what the client wants. His paperback covers from the sixties are collected because they feature hard edge dames known as 'McGinnis women' and he painted hundreds. Plenty are shown in these pages fortunately without the bland title and sub-deck typography, the actual covers are shown much smaller.I thought the 'McGinnis women', either nude or clothed very stylised, they all look the same (with the predictable long legs) except for the faces and hair styles. His movie posters and consumer magazine illustrations reveal much about his compositions and painting technique. For example, on page ninety-seven there is a superb picture of Walter Matthau (for the movie: 'The odd couple') sitting in chair reading a paper with his legs laid out on a casual table, the chair, Matthau's clothing, a bowl of fruit and some other food on the table are rendered in what looks like a very casual brush-stroke style but as in fact very precise and deliberate, making the painting totally convincing and eye-catching. A 1968 painting from 'Good Housekeeping' has a bird's eye-view of a white house framed by a lawn and trees, a beautiful composition with added detail of an old fashioned water pump, an electricity box on a wall and rather small, a young girl sitting near a doorway. Away from the girlie art there are plenty of examples of McGinnis creativity throughout the book.The back pages have some wonderful examples of his non-commercial work including twenty showing cowboys in the old Western. I thought the book was an worthwhile overview of a very versatile artist though in common with other books about well known illustrators there is no mention about how McGinnis works. Nothing about his working environment, types of pencils, brushes, paints etc. Including this would really have made the book complete. Look at some spreads from the book at Westread Book Reviews and click on May 2020