Joan Simon.

If the Looking/Learning feature in this month's issue of SchoolArts piqued your interest about the art and life of Susan Rothenberg, you will be interested in this handsomely designed publication which follows Rothenberg from her childhood in Buffalo, New York, to her first critical acclaim as an artist in the mid 1970s, into the new directions in painting that she is investigating in the 1990s. Plenty of illustrations (161; 87 in full color, including three gatefolds) depict Rothenberg's development from the early iconic horse paintings to the richly colored and textured figurative work of the 1990s. Author Joan Simon examines the artist's work in a broad historical context and within a narrower focus that interconnects the themes, images and surface treatments of her paintings with incidents from her daily life. The extensive text and reproduction of paintings are further complemented by sketches and documentary photographs never before shown. Annotated notes, a chronology and other bibliographical information also provide insight and information about this innovative and authoritative American painter.