A joyful and celebratory gift book devoted to the work of the much-loved English artist Eric Ravilious (1903¿1942) and the influence of natural forms and themes in his work. Eric Ravilious was a designer, painter, printmaker and illustrator best known for his depictions of the English landscape, particularly the South Downs. Often described as a particularly `English¿ artist, key to his style was an ability to convey in watercolour the mild vagaries of the British climate. His engagement with nature, though romantic rather than precise, pervades his works in many different techniques. This book explores his appreciation of the natural world and the techniques he used in a variety of media to convey those elements. Drawing on the V&A¿s collections, more than 100 beautiful images capture Ravilious¿s deep enjoyment of everything in nature, from dewponds, cockerels, grassy hills, owls, greenhouse geraniums, cornsheaves and snow, to the rainy seas, airport-runway puddles and tideswept beaches of his later work as a war artist. The book includes sections on weather, plants, landscape, animals and birds, and ends with a section devoted to man in the landscape, showcasing Ravilious¿s love of rusting machinery and other signs of human presence within nature, not least his famous depictions of hillside chalk figures. This book will appeal to those with a love of English landscapes, flora and fauna or an interest in British art and design in the interwar period.
Marking the centenary of Saul Leiter¿s birth, a full retrospective spanning the life and work of a genius photographer and artist. Saul Leiter: The Centennial Retrospective is the official, comprehensive publication that celebrates the centenary of the birth of one of the 20th century's greatest and most popular photographers. Created in collaboration with The Saul Leiter Foundation, this ambitious book, rich with previously unseen work, spans Leiter¿s entire oeuvre ¿ the abstract New York street scenes, his fashion work, his minimalist photographs of female nudes, his paintings and painted photographs ¿ shining new light on the life of one of the most enigmatic figures in photography. Bringing archival materials, including contact sheets and journals, into public view for the first time, and with texts by Adam Harrison Levy, Michael Greenberg and Lou Stoppard, looking in turn at Saul¿s life and philosophy, the hyperlocal nature of his New York street photography and his pioneering fashion work, this book is the definitive, must-have publication for all who appreciate Saul Leiter¿s genius.
A definitive survey of the finest examples of residential architecture in Britain from 1900 to the present, featuring the major architects of the 20th century and leading emerging talents. In recent years there has been a resurgence of interest in the architectural history and heritage of Britain. This has been driven by many important political, cultural and social factors, as well as a powerful and renewed interest in the design of house and home. The Iconic British House explores and celebrates fifty of the most architecturally significant houses from 1900 to the present. Encompassing major artistic movements, such as Arts and Crafts, Art Deco, Modernism and Postmodernism, the houses include examples designed by architects Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Edwin Lutyens, Berthold Lubetkin, Serge Chermayeff, Richard Rogers and many others. 21st-century innovation and imagination are evidenced in houses by established and emerging talents, such as Seth Stein, Nick Eldridge, Robin Partington and Ken Shuttleworth. Much more than a celebration of influential homes, this richly illustrated overview is also a comprehensive guide to shifting architectural movements and ideas, a survey of great architects with international relevance and a journey through changing tastes, styles, aesthetics and patterns of living.
A new edition of this classic collection of letters, critical reviews and reminiscences by Impressionist artists and their contemporaries. The Impressionists ¿ Monet, Manet, Degas, Morisot, Pissarro, Renoir, Sisley and others ¿ are probably the most popular of all artistic schools. Their struggle to impose a new vision is one of the most absorbing in the whole history of art. With imagination and insight, art historian Bernard Denvir brings Impressionism into focus by showing it through the eyes of the artists themselves and their contemporaries, against the background of the time. Through letters, critical reviews, statements and reminiscences ¿ whether explosive or appreciative, blinkered or perceptive ¿ of the people who were there, the story of this ground-breaking art movement comes alive. This was the age of innovation, political liberalization, emergent photography and modern ideas about perception. The Impressionists had new ways of painting, but they also had a new world to paint. This revised edition now features full colour reproductions of art throughout and an updated bibliography.
A pioneering look at early Scotland that transforms prehistory into gripping narrative history. The story of the land that became Scotland is one of dramatic geological events and impressive human endeavour. Alistair Moffat¿s gripping narrative ranges from the great thaw at the end of the Ice Age ¿ which was instrumental in shaping Scotland¿s magnificent landscape ¿ through the megalith builders, the Celts and the Picts, to the ascension of King Constantine II. Moffat deploys his knowledge with wit and deftness, interweaving the story with numerous special features on topics as diverse as cave drawings of dancing girls, natural birth control, the myth of Atlantis and the Zoroastrian Towers of Silence ¿ all of them valuable, sometimes quirky, additions to the whole picture. Rounding out the account is a selection of carefully chosen colour photographs that give a strong sense of the Scottish landscape and monuments. Erudite and entertaining, Before Scotland transforms our understanding of a neglected period. A story of dramatic geological events and impressive human endeavour, it is essential reading for anyone interested in the land that became Scotland.
The most ambitious and comprehensive book on women¿s vintage fashion ever published, featuring over 1,000 garments dating from the 1920s to the 1980s. This is not just another history of fashion: it is a survey of how fashion past continues to inspire fashion present. It features over 1,000 stand-out pieces, together with over 300 contextual illustrations, dating from the 1920s to the 1980s, including many icons of vintage fashion, from Marilyn Monroe¿s bra to the Ossie Clark dress made so famous by David Hockney¿s painting. Each garment is explored from the viewpoint of the contemporary fashionista looking to build a vintage wardrobe. The book is organized into three main sections. 'Decades' explores the shapes and fabrics that define the look of each period. 'Elements' explores the individual components of a vintage look, everything from hat to shoes. 'Hallmarks' explores fashion¿s perennial themes, from florals to the ever-popular Little Black Dress. Finally, a reference section includes invaluable practical advice for fans and collectors of vintage.
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.
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¿.
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.
"A beautifully illustrated guide to caring for your dog. Meet Lena and her rescue dog Jo! This is the true story of how Lena and Jo became best friends, told through Lena's own beautiful illustrations. It's also a guidebook, packed with useful tips about caring for a dog of your own. Learn how to choose a dog, how to train them, feed them and groom them, and pick up lots of fascinating facts about why dogs behave the way they do. Whatever the size and shape of your canine companion, this is essential reading for anyone who wants to be a dog's best friend"--]cProvided by publisher.
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.
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