American Realism: Twentieth-Century Drawings and Watercolors from the Collection of Glenn C. Janss

Realism has been a major, vital movement in American art during the pluralist 1970s and '80s. Anyone who doubts this statement need only visit the stunning ""American Realism'' show that is now touring nationally. This catalogue of that exhibition is grouped by subject matter (animals, landscapes, the human figure, the urban scene, portraits, etc.). The format lets the viewer compare how O'Keeffe, Demuth and Sheeler handled tree trunks; it also demonstrates that contemporary realists, in doing portraits, are influenced by a variety of styles from pointillist to precisionist. The stuffy, academic text maps the history of the realist influence in Western art, from the ``populist'' Caravaggio to ``street realist'' Degas and Delacroix's ``Romantic realism.'' When Martin (who teaches at Southern Methodist University) gets into 20th century America he is on surer ground. Stuart Davis, Thomas Hart Benton, John Sloan, Audrey Flack, Jack Beal and Neil Welliver are among the artists who, in their individual ways, have strengthened the realist tradition. (March)