Book Review ~ The Art of Steampunk

The Art of Steampunk: Extraordinary Devices and Ingenious Contraptions from the Leading Artists of the Steampunk Movement
By Art Donovan
Published By Fox Chapel Publishing
expected Release: August 1, 2011

Received via netGalley for review

Summary: The Art of Steampunk seeks to celebrate the world of Steampunk: a world filled with beauty and innovation.  A world in which steam power and technology intertwine to create machines that are not only functional and practical, but unique and striking.  

 Inside, you will find the fantastical and stunning artwork of Steampunk artists from around the world.  The 17 artists featured on these pages, among the frontrunners of the Steampunk genre, have had their work displayed at an exhibition at The Museum of History of Science at the University of Oxford, UK and have attracted the media attention of BoingBoing, one of the world’s largest blogs.  Their artwork consists of everything from clocks and watches to light fixtures and jewelry, but every piece demonstrates hours of painstaking work and devotion from its creator.  You will find that the artists themselves are just as unique and colorful as their masterpieces.  Fully embracing Steampunk ideology, many have adopted a Victorian alter ego—a mad scientist persona to match the complicated intricacies of their artwork.

    The Art of Steampunk brings the vision of the Steampunk artist alive on the page, providing a unique insight into the captivating and dynamic world of a vastly underground genre.

My Thoughts: I liked the layout of this art book. The opening  was very informative. It gives the history of the steampunk movement; from written words to artwork and fashion inspired by them. My favorite was the artist section. From the clocks, jewelry, and modern technology to the less practical(my 6 yr old asked if Dali had created one of the pieces)  each piece brought you further into the world of steampunk. There is a bio and examples of all seventeen artists that were part of the London exhibition. Some of the artists only got their bio and then one example of their work where others got 2-3 double pages. This was the only issue I had with the book.
Even reading this on my laptop the quality of the pictures and art was amazing and I look forward to adding this to our collection of art books.

Rating: 4