“A beautiful book…the reproductions of the paintings are outstanding. The poems were inspired by the paintings, and make perfect companions for the reproductions… Elemental is a real delight and was definitely worth the wait.”
--News Editor Linda Sickler of Connect Savannah
(from Connect Savannah, June 4, 2008)
“Vann succeeds because he has a subject––the life observed in houses, on the streets and in the parks of his city––and a technique he has made his own…”
--Art Critic and Painter Bertha Husband
"The beautiful book graces the coffee table my living room, which displays on its walls other great artists I have known and admired. My life is enriched and surrounded by beauty of colors and words by Luther and Aberjhani"
--Miriam Center, author of Scarlett O'Hara Can Go to Hell
“A wondrously amazing book... I see the universal mind in both the paintings and poetry of Elemental. The ‘universal mind’ is always multi-dimensional––there is always the physical and the spiritual. The book has fusion of here and otherworldliness.” --Art Collector and Critic Dr. Ja A Jahannes A DYNAMIC DUO OF ART AND POETRY
"Born in Savannah, Georgia, and raised in New York City, Vann is an award-winning artist whose work has drawn praise for the artist’s use of different classic and innovative techniques as well as his unique integration of physical and spiritual dimensions. Although his work hangs in public and private collections around the world, ELEMENTAL marks the first published collections of Vann’s art, making the book itself an instant collector’s item. "Aberjhani, also a native of Savannah, is the author of several books, including: ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE; THE WISDOM OF W. E. B. DU BOIS; I MADE MY BOY OUT OF POETRY; and STRENGTH TO CARRY ON. "ELEMENTAL contains more than 50 reproductions of Vann’s art dating from the 1970s to the present. Like a number of other modern artists, Vann’s work celebrates such public ventures as New York City neighborhoods and black southern culture. However, Vann moves beyond these realms to capture the vitality and relevance of our inner selves. His powerful mapping of dreamscapes, subconscious intention, and spiritual transcendence has prompted comparison to such masters as El Greco, Michelangelo, and Salvadore Dali. At the same time, critics recognize his vision as solely his own." --from PAINT MAGAZINE
VISIONARY "Over time, Luther E. Vann’s work has evolved and changed. His early images are metaphysical, peopled with creatures and images that evoke the mystical and haunt the soul. After Vann returned to Savannah, his work began to represent the people he saw around him. He believes everyone on earth is imbued with spirituality and the mystical, and presents them as such… "The result is ELEMENTAL [The Power of Illuminated Love], a volume with more than 60 reproductions of Vann’s art dating from the 1970s to the present, and about 50 poems composed by Aberjhani, many specifically for the book." --from CONNECT SAVANNAH
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