Asphalt Renaissance: The Pavement Art and 3-D Illusions of Kurt Wenner Paperback – August 2, 2011

I was given Asphalt Renaissance as a gift. When I picked it up to look over, I found I couldn't stop reading. It tells the incredible story of an artist finding his passion in classical art and pursuing that passion throughout Italy. There has been a true `asphalt renaissance' and Kurt Wenner is the cornerstone to this fascinating art form taking place on pavement. This book is full of clear color photos of his artwork and fascinating asides that answer all the nitty-gritty questions - like, what does he do when it rains? Or, what does he use for chalk? The book goes on to portray his next step in his career - interactive art. Now people can interact with his art and become part of his illustrations. He brings classical art to life. Truly an artist who leads the way in the art world. I am a high school librarian and I am buying a copy for our school library and one for my mother. I think this book belongs in as many hands as possible. Inspiring story!

this is mind blowing. i would love to associate with such talent who is so unworldly. how prolific, what patience, what endurance, what gift of artistry!!! this book should be in every library book shelf; every art lover homes. thank you mr wenner for sharing us your work. putting them in books at least enshrines your talent and make them last for the world to see.

With all the amazing images in this work, one could be forgiven for expecting just a coffee table book, but just wait till you start reading it!Asphalt Renaissance explains the history of the street painting and how Kurt Wenner converted this very traditional and impermanent art-form into a breakthrough medium that is cherished today by art appreciator and commercial client alike.The anecdotal stories behind the amazing literal and figurative journey he has taken along the way make the read all the better.Enjoy!

I received this book as a gift and could not put it down. Kurt Wenner is a master in such an unusual form of art. I can only begin to imagine how beautiful his work is in person since it is magnificant in the book. I loved the book so much I purchased 15 copies for family members!

Arrived on time. Great item. This is a gift for an artist friend. I'm sure she will love it!

My husband loved this book

Great addition to our Art Class library.

I picked this up expecting a coffee-table picture book of Kurt Wenner's sidewalk art and was pleasantly surprised to find a boatload of additional information about the sidewalk artists of Italy (madonnari) - their history, iconography, culture. In addition it's a memoir of sorts of how Wenner left art school dissatisfied with the lack of technical instruction and travelled to Europe to study classical art. Inadvertently he fell in with a group of madonnari and became fascinated by the art - both in its use of classical themes and as employment. From there he continually looked for new ways to expand the 'envelope' of the form - new compositions, huge scale, and finally the trompe l'oeil anamorphic style that has become his trademark.The book is over-sized, good quality reproductions and lots of them, comments on things like making one's own pastels instead of buying commercial ones. About the only thing I really missed was a dissection of exactly how he works. How is the drawing transferred to the pavement, etc. A blow-by-blow series of photos showing the entire process from start to completion would have been really nice.

Bought as a present.

Great gift

Very interesting book. I thought there would be more illustrations

Wonderful pictures and a great personal story from Kurt Wenner, who comes across as a really good guy. I learnt a great deal about street art from this.

Very prompt delivery, nice book and excelent graphics, but wish that the plates enclosed had not been split and were on one page.