Art and Artists of Texas. By Esse Forrester-O'Brien. (Tardy
Publishing Company, Dallas, 1935. Pp. 408, illustrations.)

In Esse Forrester-O'Brien's Art and Artists 'in Texas the
Tardy Publishing Company has brought out a fitting sequel and
complement to Florence E. Barns's Texas Writers of Today. Both
books are especially in good time, since Texas is to be on parade
for a year.

There are chapters devoted to pioneer artists, modern painters,
sculptors, miniature painters, print makers, craftsmen, wood carv-
ers, metallists, architects, designers, and cartoonists; and also sec-
tions dealing with art organizations, art museums, art monuments,
art in the Capitol Building and the Governor's Mansion, and the
Public Works of Arts Projects. Under each division there are bio-
graphical and critical sketches of all the artists who merit atten-
tion ; and some account is taken of practically every item of artistic
significance in the State. Since the author relied for biographical
information largely upon letters from the various artists, there
is of necessity a false proportion among the sketches. And the
reader finds himself wishing for more definite information than
is given--dates, for example. Doubtless many of the artists re-
fused to divulge birth dates, but the author, it seems, did not
make use of all the specific facts at her disposal.

Some dozen illustrations are included; and the book is made
more useful by an alphabetical arrangement of the sketches, by
bibliographical notes at the end of each sketch, and by an index.
The chapter and section divisions, especially toward the first of
the book, do not appear to be inevitable, or even logical.

Arlin Turner.

How to cite:
"Art and Artists of Texas", Volume 39, Number 2, Southwestern Historical Quarterly Online, http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/publications/journals/shq/online/v039/n2/review_DIVL2115.html
[Accessed Mon Nov 23 18:46:42 CST 2009]