Cover Image: Dean Russo: A Retrospective

Dean Russo: A Retrospective

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

This is a charismatic tribute book to Dean Russo. The pieces of arts are the delightful and charm the reader. This book is an explosion of light.

#DeanRusso #NetGalley

Was this review helpful?

Great book! Great artist! I would give this book as a gift. Lovely artwork, and who doesn't like dogs?

Was this review helpful?

Being a dog owner, Dean Russo’s book was always going to draw my attention. He creates fabulous portraits of both animals and people, filled with vibrant colour and character - my favourites are the ones of pit bulls. It feels quite poignant to be reading this book about a widely feared and misunderstood breed of animal right now. We are moving from the UK to Ontario this year and our loyal Staffordshire Bull Terrier will not be able to come with us due to the legislation regarding dangerous animals. Several of the pictures certainly brought a lump to my throat.

There is very little in terms of writing, with a brief section on background information, however with 200 photos to see that isn’t a problem. The pictures certainly speak for themselves. The works are grouped according to subject and it’s possible to see the changes in style and in materials.

Quite simply it is a fabulous book and, for me, definitely a ‘keeper’.

Was this review helpful?

A vibrant collection of bright, happy art sure to please any pop art lover! Seeing Russo's early work is interesting; his later use of color and pattern is there to a lesser but recognizable degree. A lovely book to spend an afternoon with.

Was this review helpful?

Dean Russo: A Retrospective by Dean Russo is a book I requested from NetGalley and the review is voluntary. I have always enjoyed the bright and colorful paintings printed on posters and t-shirts I have seen in the past. Russo is an animal loved and supports wildlife conservation and humane society for less wild life, lol! This makes him a hero to me. His fun paintings reminds me happy times in my youth! Tie-dyed and water colored looks, bright, neon, and full of animals, and more! These paintings make me smile no matter what mood I am in. This is a great history and collection of his works. I enjoyed this book!

Was this review helpful?

The author displayed many pieces of enthralling hand-drawn art created from various types of media. Portraits as I've never seen before of animals and celebrities enlightened me as a new innovative type of artistry. My senses ran wild with the use of vibrant colors that seemed to jump off the screen of my tablet. Truly, a talented artist, Dean Russo is a force to be reckoned with.

I send my gratitude to NetGalley and Fox Chapel Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

Was this review helpful?

This is an excellent look at the very special work Dean Russo has already brought to our rather dreary world. I feel my heart lift when I spy his colorful take on dogs - especially pits - and cats and Albert Einstein. To read that he is has a wildlife series in the works to help animals facing extinction just makes me cry and those featured in this book are an excellent promo for the next book. I will want several.

I received a free electronic copy of this excellent collection of the works of Dean Russo from Netgalley, Dean Russo, and Fox Chapel Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me.

Was this review helpful?

Attractive in its arrangement, this book displays vivid images and enjoyable text. An artistic and professional text.

Was this review helpful?

I’ve been a fan of Dean Russo’s works for quite some time. So when I found out that they were making a book showing off his works…well I knew I wouldn’t be able to resist taking a look if nothing else! Dean Russo’s style has always been so bright and unique; it’s so eye-catching and memorable.
I should warn you, if you’re anything like me you’re going to walk away from this book wanting to go out and buy a couple of his prints. Considering how many pieces he’s made over the years, there would certainly be a lot to choose from.
The book contains so many pieces of artwork; it would probably have been overwhelming had they not been so neatly organized. Everything is sorted into four neat categories (not counting the introduction, of course): early works, dogs & cats, icons & celebrities, and finally safari & sea animals.
I’m really happy that the early works category was included. Not only was it nice to see these works (you can really see how his style advanced and changed thanks to these) but it really helped having them all grouped together as they were.
The cats & dogs category was obviously my favorite, though I greatly enjoyed the other prints as well. I think I’ve seen more of the cats and dog images than any of the others – I recognized many of them.
I really enjoyed being able to see Dean Russo’s collection all in one place like this. I honestly hadn’t realized how prolific of an artist he was until this point, so that was an eye opener for me. I strongly suggest any fans of his to go out and pick up a copy of his book when they have a chance.

Was this review helpful?

This was amazing to review, this book has 232 pages almost all of the pages show his artwork . I love how his passion to help animal shows in his artwork. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I have.

Was this review helpful?

Dean Russos work is amazing, A Retrospective is a fabulous collection of his work.
The artwork shown is bright, colourful and moving. the cats and dogs are brilliant, and capture the spirit of each breed. Many of the works have a deep massage attached.
One thing the animals and people all have in common are the eyes, Dean Russo has an amazing gift, bringing each work of art to life.
This is an essential book for artists and animal lovers, certainly one i will be buying.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Was this review helpful?

I remember having a poster of Jimmy Hendrix as a teenager and Dean Russo’s work has always reminded me of that poster, so I loved this book. Starting with his earlier works from 2006 onwards it’s interesting to see how his ideas evolved. I now would love for my old dog Beth an English Springer Spanial to be captured in all her youth fully energy and sparkle in a Russo picture. Sadly after 16 years she is sadly with me no more. you can see the personality of the animals in Russo’s portraits beautifully captured. Many thanks.

Was this review helpful?

This book is absolutely wonderful, just full of beautiful colour reproductions of Dean Russo's work. These amazing images spans the career of a very clever artist.
I really cannot praise the book enough, I really admire his work, and this book shows the wonderful colour, technique and subject matter.
Anyone that is into any form of imagery should buy this book.

Was this review helpful?

I didn't recognize Dean Russo by name, but I did recognize his artwork. His pieces shown here are predominantly animals (not a bad thing in my book). His paintings have realistic elements (he starts with the eyes and they are amazing!) but with the addition of a lot of unexpected color. Text is minimal, allowing the work to speak for itself. While I wouldn't say this is my favorite style of art, there's just something about Russo's work that makes me smile. Added bonus that he is also involved in animal rescue and conservation.

Thank you to Netgalley and Fox Chapel Publishing/CompanionHouse Books for the opportunity to review this beautiful book. All comments are my own, unbiased opinion.

Was this review helpful?

Dean Russo is a pop artists best known for his dog and cats mixed media paintings. You have probably seen them on T-shirts or in a catalogue. Brilliant colors of adorable animals. This book is a collection of some of his paintings. Very nicely done.

Was this review helpful?

Chances are good if you're an American animal lover, you've seen Dean Russo's art featuring cats and dogs on t-shirts and bags at every animal lover store (I happened to be at a fair the day before I read this, and there were literally at least six booths carrying t-shirts). His iconic combination of urban graffiti art and a love of animals is displayed in this retrospective, letting fans see how his work changed over a period of time. Also, I didn't know he did animals other than cats and dogs until reading this.

Was this review helpful?