A comprehensive introduction to the styles and techniques of portrait photography. Through simple projects on subjects such as 'Making Self-Portraits' and 'Capturing Personal Moments' as well as captivating profiles of twenty internationally acclaimed photographers, Cian Oba-Smith and Max Ferguson give you a visual tour of the medium. Perfect for the aspiring portrait photographer, this manual includes: ¿ Projects with which to experiment and develop your technique ¿ Inspirational profiles of leading photographers from around the world ¿ A complete overview of the most exciting, continually evolving form of photography
A glorious celebration of the beauty, diversity, importance and sheer wonder of plants, with exquisite illustrations from the collections of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Plants feed us, clothe us, shelter us, help transport us, and can both intoxicate and cure us. From food staples to exotic and enchanting flowers, plants are essential for the wellbeing of our selves and our planet. Helen and William Bynum are expert guides to the intriguing histories and uses of over 80 key plants. Rich in cultural, historical, botanical and symbolic associations, the plants, from every corner of the globe ¿ both familiar and bizarre ¿ have fascinating stories to tell. Starting with foods that laid the foundations for the development of civilizations, such as wheat, rice and maize, and those that enliven our diet, such as saffron and spices, sections look at plants that have helped to create our material world, including bamboo and the oak, and crops that have made people rich, such as tea, coffee and sugar cane. Many plants have been used medicinally and others, for instance eucalyptus or giant redwoods, have come to epitomize entire landscapes. Some are the objects of obsession, including the tulip, the rose and the lotus, and some are distinctly strange, such as the world¿s largest flower, rafflesia, which smells of rotting flesh! For anyone interested in the extraordinary beauty and diversity of flora around us, this stunning book, illustrated with botanical drawings, paintings and artworks will be an inspiration and a delight.
A fresh perspective on British landscape drawing in the Victorian and Modern eras. The attempts by artists of the Victorian and early Modern period to convey not merely the physical properties of a landscape but also its emotional and spiritual impact ¿ landscape as `places of the mind¿, as the critic Geoffrey Grigson put it ¿ is the focus of this fascinating new study of British watercolours produced between 1850 and 1950. Drawing on the British Museum¿s impressive collection, this book explores artists¿ spiritual quests to capture the essence of landscape and convey a sense of place. Artists of the later nineteenth and early twentieth centuries drew on earlier traditions but developed and extended the genre through their imaginative, personal responses to the artistic, cultural and social upheavals of the time. The book includes works by Victorian artists Edward Burne-Jones, Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Edward Poynter and by many well known twentieth-century artists, such as John and Paul Nash, Ben Nicholson and Henry Moore, some of which have never previously been published.
A compelling and authoritative overview of the drawings of Vincent van Gogh, one of the most celebrated and intriguing figures in the history of art. Vincent van Gogh¿s (1853¿1890) drawings are some of the most familiar and expressive in the history of art. Van Gogh believed that drawing was the `root of everything¿, and this was reflected in his remarkable output of over 1,000 works during his short and tragic life; many of them personal, often lonely explorations of the emerging modern world. This book is the first comprehensive account to celebrate the singularity of the artist¿s achievements in this field. Arranged broadly thematically, from drawings of potato harvesters to depictions of knotted poplars, pensive studies from life to a sketch of the famous Yellow House in Arles, eminent art historian and curator Christopher Lloyd encourages readers to consider the artist¿s drawings from a fresh viewpoint: documenting successes and failures, experiments, trials and disappointments. Primarily self-taught, Van Gogh¿s approach to drawing was instinctual, but he soon recognized the importance of mastering the grammar of art ¿ anatomy, foreshortening, perspective ¿ as well as materials and techniques, in order to express his emotional responses to a subject as vividly as possible. With examples from the artist¿s voluminous and emotionally charged family correspondence, sketchbooks, and comparative artworks by the Old Masters and contemporaries, this engaging study outlines why drawing is central to Van Gogh¿s oeuvre, and equal to the intensity and reputation of his paintings. Featuring works from the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam and many other important collections in Europe and the US, this beautifully illustrated volume offers an extensive interpretation of the artist¿s drawings, beyond what has been published to date.
A journey through the great mass-extinction events that have shaped our Earth. Drawing on the latest research, this timely and original book lays out the current scientific understanding of mass extinction on our planet. Cutting-edge techniques across biology, chemistry, physics and geology have transformed our knowledge of the deep past, including the discovery of a previously unknown mass extinction. This compelling evidence, revealing a series of environmental crises resulting in the near-collapse of life on Earth, illuminates our current dilemmas in exquisite detail. Beginning with the oldest, Professor Michael J. Benton takes us through the `big five¿ die-outs: the Late Ordovician, which set the evolution of the first animals on an entirely new course; the late Devonian, apparently brought on by global warming; the cataclysmic End-Permian, also known as the Great Dying, which wiped out over 90% of all life on Earth; and, book-ending the age of the dinosaurs, the newly discovered Carnian Pluvial Event and the End-Cretaceous asteroid. He examines how global warming, acid rain, ocean acidification, erupting volcanoes and meteorite impact have affected conditions on Earth, the drastic consequences for global ecology, and how life in turn survived, adapted and evolved. Benton¿s expert retelling of the scientific breakthroughs are illustrated throughout with photographs of fossils and fieldwork, scenes from the laboratory and artistic reconstructions of ancient environments that bring us face to face with long-lost life forms. We learn how scientists have developed revolutionary new tools to uncover ancient extinction events and processes in forensic detail, how they model evolving systems, and how they are honing their methods to improve our understanding of the deep past. New research allows us to link long-ago upheavals to crises in our current age, the Anthropocene, with important consequences for us all.
Leading art critic and writer Richard Cork tells the stories of his personal encounters with some of the world¿s most influential modern and contemporary artists. Richard Cork draws on his impeccable skills as a critic and writer to tell the story of his encounters with some of the world¿s most influential artists. Through a series of frank interviews, some scheduled, others serendipitous, he uncovers artists¿ inner thoughts, anxieties and creative ambitions, to reveal the personalities behind the art. From individuals who are able to look back over a lifetime¿s work, such as Louise Bourgeois, Roy Lichtenstein and Jasper Johns, to young artists encountered at the beginning of their careers, including Tracey Emin and Damien Hirst, from a drive through the Yorkshire countryside with David Hockney to a tour of Soho drinking establishments with Francis Bacon, alongside remarkably insightful encounters with artists as varied as Gerhard Richter, Doris Salcedo, Sonia Boyce, Luc Tuymans and Steve McQueen, Richard Cork has found that `talking to artists can in my experience be surprising, revealing, salutary, testing, provocative, stimulating and at times capable of overturning all my preconceptions about the individuals I encounter.¿ Cork has played a significant role in popularizing late modern and contemporary art. In the words of art critic Louisa Buck, his `lucid, even-handed and at times trenchantly critical judgement has been invaluable in helping to create the multiplicity of approach and vigorous debates of today¿s artistic climate¿.
A Pulitzer-nominated author and one of the great public intellectuals of Slavic culture bring to life the unfamiliar myths and legends of the Slavic world. Slavic cultures are far-ranging, comprising of East Slavs (Russia, Ukraine, Belarus), West Slavs (Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland) and South Slavs (the countries of former Yugoslavia plus Bulgaria), yet they are connected by tales of adventure and magic with deep roots in a common lore. In this first collection of Slavic myths for an international readership, Noah Charney and Svetlana Slapak expertly weave together a retelling of the ancient stories with nuanced analysis that illuminates their place at the heart of Slavic tradition. Though less familiar to us than the legends of ancient Egypt, Greece and Scandinavia, in the world of Slavic mythology we find much that we can recognize: petulant deities, demons and faeries; witches, the sinister vestica, whose magic may harm or heal; a supreme god who can summon storms and hurl thunderbolts. Gods gather under the World Tree, reminiscent of Norse mythology¿s Yggdrasill; or, after the coming of Christianity, congregate among the clouds. The vampire ¿ usually the only Serbo-Croatian word in any foreign-language dictionary ¿ and the werewolf emerge from the shallow graves of Slavic belief. In their careful analysis and sensitive reconstructions of the origin stories, Charney and Slapsak unearth the Slavic beliefs before their distortion first by Christian chroniclers and then by 19th-century scholars seeking origin stories for their new-born nation states. They reveal links not only to the neighbouring pantheons of Greece, Rome, Egypt and Scandinavia but also the belief systems of indigenous peoples of Australia, the Americas, Africa and Asia. In so doing, they draw out the universalities that cut across cultures in the stories we tell ourselves.
The first monograph on the influential contemporary Cuban¿American interdisciplinary artist and writer Coco Fusco. Tomorrow, I will become an island is the first in-depth study of the performances, videos and social practice of the influential Cuban¿American artist Coco Fusco. Featuring contributions by renowned scholars of art history, performance art and Cuban cultural politics as well as an essay by the artist herself, the book offers a comprehensive review of Fuscös interdisciplinary art practice and her transnational perspective on race, gender and power. For more than three decades, Fusco has been a leader in conversations around the intersection of identity, feminism, culture, and politics in the Americas and beyond. Emerging during the 1980s as a pioneering advocate of multiculturalism in the arts, Fusco utilizes performance, video, exhibition making, archival research and writing to reflect upon the ways that intercultural relations and colonial histories shape the construction of the self and perceptions of cultural difference. Her work has critically examined society from a postcolonial perspective, engaging with debates about cultural politics throughout the Americas, Europe and elsewhere. This expansive approach is highlighted through a broad range of works that address themes including post-revolutionary Cuba, racial stereotypes, feminist politics, animal psychology, ethnographic displays, suppressed colonial records, military interrogation and sex tourism. The book will accompany an international touring retrospective of the artist¿s work starting in 2023.
A new, narrative history of the Renaissance that takes in the whole of Europe and its global context, written by one of the UK¿s foremost art critics and respected writers on art. This imaginative reframing of the Renaissance presents its history as that of connections across Europe, where artists from the north and south were, together, products of the brilliantly fertile mix of classical inspiration, observation and selfconsciousness that set European culture alight from the 15th to the early 17th centuries. From Leonardo to Bosch, Bruegel to Titian, this stirring narrative sets the lives of artists against a period of great change across the continent. Across thirteen chapters, art critic and writer Jonathan Jones relates the story of Renaissance artists as pioneers, adventurers and by their own lights `geniuses¿. He reveals how they were inspired by their travels and encounters across Europe and beyond, such as the Aztec treasures upon which Albrecht Dürer gazed with wonder in Brussels in 1520, Antonello da Messinäs arduous journey to Bruges to discover the true nature of oil paint, or Hieronymus Bosch finding inspiration in West African ivory carvings imported by the Portuguese to Antwerp and other cities. In this history of shared ideals, the arrival of a hitherto unknown Netherlandish painter, Pieter Bruegel, in 1550s Rome carries the same importance as the work Michelangelo was engrossed in at that very same moment, in the same city, to raise the new Saint Peter¿s Basilica towards heaven. From Italian palazzi and piazzas to German woods, the royal castle of Prague to the dungeons of the Inquisition, this engaging and evocative read will captivate general readers and scholars alike.
A highly illustrated history of the diverse visual art produced across East Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia, written by two specialist art historians. Asia is home to more than half the world¿s population, and learning about the art of its many cultures helps readers understand the visual world that surrounds us. This book tells the story of the simultaneous development of artistic techniques, styles and ideas across East Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia, exploring the ways these regions were often dynamically interconnected with each other, and with places beyond Asia. It covers the full breadth of Asian art history, with almost 500 artworks from China, Japan, Korea, South Asia and Southeast Asia; including areas often under-represented in other books on the subject, such as Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Tibet, Nepal and Mongolia. Authors Lee and Hutton are active teachers, writers and speakers who engage with art history as a progressive field that promotes cross-cultural understanding. In this book, they situate Asian art in the context of art history globally, with 12 `Seeing Connections¿ features drawing themes and comparisons with art from many other parts of the world. The authors¿ approach encourages students to analyse and think about Asian artworks as a way of exploring ideas about gender and sexuality, personal and national identity, migration and diaspora, and anthropogenic climate change.
A wonderfully illustrated exploration of one of Hokusai's key motifs: Mount Fuji. Hokusai's Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji and the three volumes of his subsequent One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji show his fascination with a single motif: Mount Fuji. Hokusai's near-obsession with Fuji was part of his hankering after artistic immortality ¿ in Buddhist and Daoist tradition, Fuji was thought to hold the secret to eternal life, as one popular interpretation of its name suggests: 'Fu-shi' ('not death'). Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji was produced from c. 1830 to 1832 when Hokusai was in his seventies and at the height of his career. Among the prints are three of the artist's most famous: The Great Wave off Kanagawa, Fine Wind, Clear Morning and Thunderstorm Beneath the Summit. By the time he created his second great tribute to Mount Fuji, three volumes comprising One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji, he was using the artist names Gakyo rojin ('Old Man Crazy to Paint'), and Manji ('Ten Thousand Things', or 'Everything'). Contrasting the mountain's steadfastness and solidity with the ravages of the surrounding elements, Hokusai depicts Fuji through different seasons, weather conditions and settings, and in so doing communicates an important message: while life changes, Fuji stands still. Including all the illustrations from these two masterpieces, this book also features many of Hokusai¿s earlier renditions of the mountain, as well as later paintings. In this way, through Mount Fuji, this volume traces a history of Hokusai¿s oeuvre overall.
A large-format book that uncovers the secrets behind Nendo's unique creative process.He named his firm ?Nendo', the Japanese word for modelling clay; he uses manga-like sketches to illustrate his design concepts; and he creates some of the most imaginative furniture in the world: he is Oki Sato, one of Japan's most prolific designers. At any given moment, he has hundreds of projects in the works - architecture, interiors, furniture, tableware, and more. ?There is nothing I would not design,' says Sato.Sato renders his designs with remarkable conceptual clarity. At the outset, he allows his imagination to run wild and then documents his idea with a simple black line drawing - be it a bathroom basin defined by a single, ceramic swirl or a pair of wooden chopsticks that twist together to become one. These 2D images are converted into minimal 3D shapes described with clean outlines and a largely monochrome palette. Like a traditional Japanese ink painting, which constructs an image with just a few brush strokes, Sato extracts the unnecessary and eliminates distraction. Featuring Sato's original sketches, full-scale product images and explanatory texts, Project Nendo uncovers and unpicks the designer's unique creative process, guiding the reader step-by-step through his innovative and playful world to reveal the secrets behind fifty of his inimitable works.
Told through the unique and personal story of the author, How to be your dog's best friend is bright and vibrant, filled with informative pages on dog-care for children.
A sensitively written and illustrated story about a young Jewish boy growing up in the horrors of World War II.
Presents a portrait of gay men and women throughout time and across the globe whose lives have influenced society at large. This title features such celebrated figures as Michelangelo, Frederick the Great and Harvey Milk.
An extensively illustrated compendium of 45 expertly selected illuminated bibles that transport the reader through 1,000 years of history and across the Christian world.
"This engaging nonfiction picture book is a fun and informative read for children interested in learning about the lives of birds."--
An original retelling of a classic Taoist tale. Once upon a time, there was a tiny grain of sand. Its life was rather boring, until one day it made a wish. Suddenly the grain of sand found out what it might be like to be something else âEUR" but is the grass always greener? This rendition of a classic fable tackles an age-old question: how can you be happy with your lot in a world full of temptation? With bold, contemporary illustrations and a rhythmic and witty text, this book is funny, lively and wise.
Forty articles expertly curated by biographer Andrew Robinson provide an unrivalled account of the lives and personalities behind the greatest scientific breakthroughs of all time. Who made us see the atom, our minds, our planet and the universe afresh? How did we uncover the mysteries of life on earth? What next? The theories, discoveries and inventions of scientists have revolutionized our consciousness. Think of gravity, evolution, relativity, radioactivity and the Big Bang; electric motors, vaccines, nuclear power and computers. Behind these breakthroughs lie the personal stories of men and women with vision and determination: singular thinkers who defied adversity in their quest for answers. This book tells the remarkable lives of the pioneers â¿ from Galileo, Faraday and Darwin, through Pasteur and Marie Curie, to Einstein, Freud and Turing. Written by an international team of distinguished scientists, historians and science writers, it will intrigue budding scientists; those fascinated by the lives of great individuals; and anyone curious to know how we came to understand the exterior world and the pulse of life within.
Fierce and irreverent, the dot-to-dot puzzles in Join the Drag Queens will lead you to a fabulous finish! Pick up a pencil and prepare to go wild with it! The 20 fresh line-art puzzles from the talented hand of Jennie Edwards will keep you guessing right to the end—when each reveals a stunning drag queen in their glorious pomp, including Alyssa Edwards, Trixie Mattel, Bianca Del Rio, and more. The puzzles have been prepared and tested by the same team that created the first-ever series of dot-to-dot puzzles for grown-ups. That massive success revealed legions of enthusiastic dot-to-dot fans who will be thrilled to discover these brand-new challenges.
An accessible, design-led guide to the coolest, most collectible vintage film cameras combined with a practical reference to discovering the authentic buzz of shooting with film.
A revised and expanded edition of the book described by Books Monthly as `an absolute gem. A bible, in fact¿. If the future is going to be creative, then Hegarty on Advertising points you in the right direction. Written by one of the world¿s legendary advertising men, this best-selling book contains five decades¿ worth of wisdom from the man behind hugely influential campaigns for brands such as Levi¿s, Audi, Boddingtons and Lynx. In this new and improved edition John Hegarty reveals what lies behind a great idea and effective advertising, the ingredients of a successful brand, the right way and the wrong way to run and launch an advertising agency, why you should always question the brief, the art of pitching to a potential client, the central role of storytelling in advertising, the impact of new technology in a rapidly evolving industry, and the importance of dealing with succession. And if that isn¿t enough, read the final chapters on winemaking and The Garage Soho, a startup incubator that he has co-founded, to find out what happens when an advertising man becomes the client and has ideas sold to him. Both a credo for creativity and a brilliantly entertaining memoir, Hegarty on Advertising provides unparalleled industry insight through stories and anecdotes about the agencies in which Hegarty has played a vital role and the many characters with whom he has worked along the way. Packed with straight-down-the-line, generous, engaging and witty advice, it will be of immense appeal across the whole creative spectrum, from those who want to work in advertising to chief executives who understand the power and value of ideas that sell.
Featuring stucco sculptures at El Zotz and Holmul, this book includes the discovery of an underwater cavern of the earliest known occupant of the region, the Hoyo Negro girl, and evidence for the first architecture at Ceibal.
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