Mermaids and Magic Shows: The Paintings of David Delamare by David Delamare and Nigel Suckling

Book Type: Art Book
Author(s): David Delamare and Nigel Suckling
Pages: 128

Summary(amazon.com):

Gliding, golden, half-fish, half-woman, hair streaming behind her: from ancient folk tales to Hans Christian Andersen's beloved The Little Mermaid to films likeSplash!, these fantasy creatures entice children and adults alike. In artist David Delamare's richly imaginative paintings, they appear beautiful as never before, captured in a dreamy, wonderful sea world. Mermaid embryos lie curled inside bubble-like eggs, floating in the foamy water; another, with swirly tattoos covering her back, sits on a rock, gazing at herself pensively in the mirror; a third sits astride a dragon, her head thrown back in an expression of ecstasy. Also here: the deadly sirens, the "downside" of mermaids who lure men to their death with their irresistible song, plus Delamare's magical gallery paintings and book illustrations. 

My Review:

Although this is not a typical mermaid book, I am always entranced by David Delamare's work. The mermaids he creates are beautiful, sensual, and capture the essence of the sea. In this particular book, the authors discuss a bit about Delamare's inspiration for his art, some biographical information and facts about some of the paintings. Unfortunately, I bought this book without reading it first and I am disappointed I did. I feel a bit mislead by the cover. Although it features a mermaid and the title is "Mermaids and Magic Shows" there was only a brief section on Delamare's mermaid art. The rest was other illustrations and children's books he has done. If readers are sensitive to nude art I would advise to not even bother looking into this book. Much of Delamare's work features nude models. Here is a link if you are interested in buying or simply looking at Delamare's art: David Delamare Mermaid Gallery.

Overall, I give this book (***-****) between 3 and 4 stars.

-Sirenita The Selkie