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My Favorite Videos
Sculpting the Head by Jodi and Richard Creager
Automata--from the exhibition of Antique Automata in France circa 1980's
Sculpting Hands with Jodi and Richard Creager
Wonderland of Music Boxes and Automata
George Stuart Videos
Living Dolls, The Artistry of Martha Armstrong-Hand
Les Petites Dames de Mode, Little Ladies of Fashion--John Burbidge
Bob McKinley's Doll Workshops
Mold Making and Casting Alumilite
My Favorite Books
Doll Sculpting by Lewis Goldstein
Sculpting Dolls in Paperclay by Robert McKinley
Dollmaking--One Artist's Approach by Robert McKinley
Fantasic Figures by Susanna Oroyan
Drawing the Head and Figure by Jack Hamm
The Body of Christ-In the Art of Europe
and New Spain 1150 to 1800 by James Clifton
Designing the Dolls by Susanna Oroyan (See one of my figures on page 79.)
Cabaret Mech- Movement
by Aidan Lawernce & Gary Alexander
Facial Expressions
by Gary Faigin
The Figure by Walter Reed
Faux Surfaces in Polymer Cly by Irene Semanchuk Dean
Polymer Clay by Irene Semanchuk Dean
Art Throughout The Ages--Grdner, De La Croix, Tansey
My Favorite Master Painters of Angels
Fra Angelico
Hans Memling
Jan Van Eyck
Carlos Schwabe
IL Garo Falo
Sandro Botticelli
Francesso Granacci
Francesco Botticini
Benozzo Gozzoli
Pietro Perungino
Antonio Pollaivolo
Michaelangelo
Leonardo da Vinci
Filippino Lippi
Phillippe de Champaigne
Fra Angelico was perhaps the most known for the beauty of his angels, for even Michaelangelo exclaims "he surely must have seen these heavenly creatures to painted them so beautifully."
My Favorite Automata Makers
-Masters of the Magic-
Jacques de Vaucanson (born 1709)--The Flute Player--The Duck--The Flute and
Drum Player.(all life size)
Jaquet-Droz ---The Writer, Musician and Draughtsman of which were admired
in 1775 by Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette.(perfect articulation-- in writing
,drawing and even the breathing while playing the harpsichord)
Jean-Eugene Robert Houdin--(1805-1871)---His peices were not really
automata(False Automata) as they did not contain the principal movement
within and the power to continue the commands, but were activated by
different tricks and slight of the hand by the Master of illusion
himself.(though he did know how to make and did make automata, but he was
more fascinted and mastered the "magical" part of this illusion)
DeCamps-- One who coordinated a much more admirable and graceful movement
in the automata of which were invented by man.
Alexandre Nicolas Therode--(1807-1880) His 1867 Exhibition of the Great
Boulder with several automata won the hearts of all who saw it.
Blaise Bontems--(1814-1881)--He had learned the art of taxidermy as a young
man and soon desired to animate the birds he stuffed--- his method of the
most natural articulation in the birds was so perfected that it has not been
surpassed , even in today's age.
Jean Marie Phalibois--(1835-1900)---His animated scenes on bases were
covered in glass domes, and most meticulously made.
Jean Roullet and Ernest Decamps---they became associates in 1889 and were
known for the life-like movements in animals and for the marvelous movements
of the automata such as the jumping,crawling, leaping,hopping and walking.
Leopold Lambert--(1854-1935) He and his wife Eugenie Bourgeouis,as the
seamstress, created some of the most highly detailed dressed small pieces
that had limited movment, while their larger pieces had more elaborate
movements and again the same detailed costuming.
Gustave Vichy(1839-1904) and Henry Vichy (born 1866)--their 1893 exhibition
in the Chicago World's Fair won them the recognition of having the more
polished mechanical toys. Later Henry incorporated the ability to have the
automata speak and sing.
Renou--- This firm was created in 1847 by Dehais et Laforest. His heads on
the automata were mostly made by Jumeau and were smaller than most automata
of the era, which made them less expensive, but very popular to the public.
---------Edgar Allan Poe even devoted an essay about automata on Von
Kemplen's Chess Player--------(in the catagory of False Automata)
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