History of art Books

Book SynopsisThe first monographic publication in English on German Expressionist artist and architect Paul Goesch, whose extraordinary architectural fantasies were produced while he was institutionalized for schizophrenia

Read more less

Book SynopsisA fresh perspective on collaboration, collectivity, and conflict in the women’s art movement of the 1970sTrade Review“This is an urgent, important book. Tobin explores the productive, sometimes uncomfortable, moments where solidarity, collectivity and conversation met disagreement and difference as artists working in the USA and UK sought to forge new communities and ways of working, thinking, and living together.”—Jo Applin, author of Lee Lozano“Tobin’s work rescues women’s artistic subjectivity from the tomb of historical erasure without essentialism, she writes about 'women artists' as a political category – noting the complexity and nuance in their work with care, with generosity, and an unmatched theoretical precision.”—Lola Olufemi, author of Feminism, Interrupted“Amy Tobin offers a fluent, readable and important history of complex groupings, intense debates, diverse artworks and agonistic cultures of difference that formed the historic moment when art was transformed by a new consciousness—the Women’s Liberation Movement. This new political energy collided with all that was new and exciting, critical and challenging in post-1968 art practice: performance, moving image, photography, installation, conceptual practice, and most radically, the dynamic of collaboration and collective art making and a confrontation with differences and their often painful, but always creative, challenges.”—Griselda Pollock, University of Leeds

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisNow in its second edition, this volume is an accessible introduction to the history of art. Using an international range of examples, it provides the reader with a toolkit of concepts, ideas and methods relevant to understanding art history. This new edition is fully updated with colour illustrations, increased coverage of non-western art and extended discussions of contemporary art theory. It introduces key ideas, issues and debates, exploring questions such as: What is art and what is meant by art history? What approaches and methodologies are used to interpret and evaluate art? How have ideas regarding medium, gender, identity and difference informed representation? What perspectives can psychoanalysis, semiotics and social art histories bring to the study of the discipline? How are the processes of postcolonialism, decolonisation and globalisation changing approaches to art historTrade ReviewThe second edition of Art History: The Basics continues the authors’ investments in making art history accessible to a variety of 21st-century readers. Clear and cogent, it reconsiders who and what "the basics" of art history are by freshening up the canon of intellectual debates, methodologies, and interpretations that form art history’s discourse in the west and incorporating more recent and urgent conversations about gender, sexual orientation, de-colonialization, and "otherness" that continue to impact the discipline in radical and transformative ways. Predicating a text on a transformative model, as Newall and Pooke have done, reminds readers that art history is an inherently living discourse demanding new revisions as it adheres to new and changing contexts now and into the future. Jordan Amirkhani, Professorial Lecturer in Modern and Contemporary Art History, American University, Washington, DC Few art history textbooks today address so comprehensively the underlying issues and histories of art history the way this book does. Without a doubt, this book is the new companion of every serious art history professor and instructor. May F. El-Hage, art historian and curator, Beirut, Lebanon The second edition of Art History: The Basics continues the authors’ investments in making art history accessible to a variety of 21st-century readers. Clear and cogent, it reconsiders who and what "the basics" of art history are by freshening up the canon of intellectual debates, methodologies, and interpretations that form art history’s discourse in the west and incorporating more recent and urgent conversations about gender, sexual orientation, de-colonialization, and "otherness" that continue to impact the discipline in radical and transformative ways. Predicating a text on a transformative model, as Newall and Pooke have done, reminds readers that art history is an inherently living discourse demanding new revisions as it adheres to new and changing contexts now and into the future. Jordan Amirkhani, Professorial Lecturer in Modern and Contemporary Art History, American University, Washington, DC Few art history textbooks today address so comprehensively the underlying issues and histories of art history the way this book does. Without a doubt, this book is the new companion of every serious art history professor and instructor. May F. El-Hage, art historian and curator, Beirut, Lebanon Art History: The Basics is a highly practical source book for students and scholars, which ambitiously attempts to answer the question: 'What is art history?'. Covering a broad spectrum of key philosophical debates, it is nevertheless written in clear, accessible language. The subject is refreshingly presented as evolving and dynamic and the new edition includes sections on urgent contemporary issues such as the Black Lives Matter movement and recent global perspectives. This is a welcome addition to the bookshelf for students, art historians and general readers. Katie Hill, Programme Director, MA Modern and Contemporary Asian Art, Sotheby's Institute of Art Newall and Pooke completed the second edition of Art History: The Basics in the middle of the global outbreak of the pandemic. In such a daunting and critical moment, this book first and foremost addresses two urgent questions: What is the relevance of art to the evolution of our civilization? How has art history been shaped by the turbulent events in human society? At a time when the history is being rewritten, Newall and Pooke’s book reinforces the necessity, more than ever, of understanding that art, as a form of expression, enables us to explore new ways of perceiving the world, and that artists, as creators, shaped and advanced art history: so it expands and continues. Kejia Wu, Faculty Member, Claremont Graduate University; Columnist, the Chinese Edition of the Financial Times. The new and revised edition of Newall and Pooke’s textbook not only introduces the reader to what actually constitutes the history of art, but also shows how the discipline has developed and changed through critical interventions into the subject from the social history of art through to postcolonialism. As such, it is essential reading for students studying the history of art or anyone else with an interest in the subject. Warren Carter, Lecturer in Art History, The Open University, UK Table of ContentsIntroduction to the second edition ; 1. Art histories and art theories ; 2. Formalism, modernism and modernity ; 3. Marxist and social art histories ; 4. Semiotics and poststructuralism ; 5. Psychoanalysis, art and the fractured self ; 6. Representations of gender, sex and sexualities ; 7. Art and art histories since the 1960s ; 8. Postcolonialism, globalisation and art histories

Read more less

Book SynopsisArt Does art leave you cold? And is that what it's supposed to do? Or is a painting meant to move you to tears? Hemingway was reduced to tears in the midst of a drinking bout when a painting by James Thurber caught his eye. And what's bad about that? In Pictures and Tears, art historian James Elkins tells the story of paintings that have made people cry. Drawing upon anecdotes related to individual works of art, he provides a chronicle of how people have shown emotion before works of art in the past, and a meditation on the curious tearlessness with which most people approach art in the present. Deeply personal, Pictures and Tears is a history of emotion and vulnerability, and an inquiry into the nature of art. This book is a rare and invaluable treasure for people who love art. Also includes an 8-page color insert.Trade Review"...a provocative and felicitous inquiry... the most arresting facet of his unique investigation is his charting of the declining value society places on heartfelt reactions to art... Elkins elucidates subtle conceptions of pictoral time, presence, and absence; criticizes the bloodlessness of most art-history texts; and indicts the marketplace atmosphere of most museums. Prized by Romantics in the not-so-distant past, art-inspired tears are disdained in our brittle, ironic milieu, a psychological and spiritual diminishment Elkins boldly and rightly decries." -- Donna Seaman, Booklist"To cry in front of art is not a sign of weakness: it is the flexing of a truly aesthetic power. That is the truth we gain from James Elkins' admirably engaged and engaging book." -- Nigel Spivey, author of Enduring Creation"A history of weeping, a meditation on our deepest responses to art, and an ethnography of his own tribe of art historians, Pictures and Tears attempts to reclaim aesthetic experience from what Elkins calls 'the poison well' of art history and theory. I wish I could have read this book before I had written my own." -- Tom Lutz, author of Crying: The Natural and Cultural History ofTears"In the course of reading this book I found the following to be especially valuable: Eileen John's questioning of traditional propositional accounts of knowledge in "Art and Knowledge," Alan Goldman's defense of the much attacked concepts of aesthetic ewww.trs.nyc.ny.us.experience and attitude in "The Aesthetic," and Denis Dutton's listing of characteristics of art found in all cultures in "Aesthetic Universals." This is an immensely useful book that belongs in every college library and on the bookshelves of all serious students of aesthetics. It certainly exemplifies the editors' claim that philosophical aesthetics is a vibrant field today. The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism Spring 2003."Table of ContentsColorplates Preface Acknowledgements 1. Crying at Nothing but Colors 2. Crying No One Can Understand 3. Crying from Chromatic Waves 4. Crying Because You've Been Hit by a Lightning Bolt 5. Weeping Over Bluish Leaves 6. The Ivory Tower of Tearlessness 7. False Tears Over a Dead Bird 8. Crying Because Time Passes 9. Weeping, Watching the Madonna Weep 10. Crying at God 11. Sobbing in Lonely Mountains 12. Crying at the Empty Sea of Faith Envoi: How to Look, and Possibly Even be Moved Appendix: Thirty-two Letters Sources Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisConcise, scholarly survey traces castle development from ancient roots. Nearly 200 photographs and drawings illustrate moats, keeps, baileys, many other features. Caernarvon, Dover castles, Hadrian''s Wall, Tower of London, dozens more. 199 black-and-white illustrations. Preface. Index. Footnotes.

Read more less

Book SynopsisAn unprecedented biographical and interpretative overview of Matisseâs livres dâartiste â intimate visions of the artistâs war in words and pictures intrinsic to his lifeâs work.Trade Review'Not only does it contain rarely seen images, but also a sensitive analysis of his relationships (as inscribed in these books) and his political affiliations during World War II' - Art Society Magazine'Fresh, in-depth, lavishly illustrated ' - Financial Times'These books-as-works-of-art are both a running commentary upon Matisse himself, the ever evolving, ever surprising image-maker, and an extraordinarily vivid series of critical responses to words that are often so rich and elusive in their meanings' - hyperallergic.com'This extensive study, with its many reproductions and engaging commentary, offers a worthwhile late-period portrait of an artist, who, as Aragon wrote in his many encomia, “used books to tell the story of his life”, and renew(ed) the very concept of illustration' - Apollo'Utterly spellbinding' - The Lady'Louise Rogers Lalaurie carefully and sensitively explores this relationship with an eclectic selection of poetry, drama together with Matisse’s own words … An inspiring portrait of the artist's regeneration and creative powers' - Cellophaneland'Lalaurie pays close attention to the texts, throwing new light onto Matisse’s choice of books … Her linguistic skills are particularly valuable to an English audience, who might easily miss the nuances of the original French …one can only be grateful to the present publishers for doing admirable justice to both the artist’s intentions and those of his original publishers' - Burlington Magazine'The blind embossed cloth cover feels wonderful to the touch and the generous illustrations are printed complete with the torn and deckled paper edges all print lovers adore … Essential reading for Matisse fans' - Printmaking Today'Matisse put an enormous amount of effort into his publishing projects … these were not minor works, but masterpieces. And because they were always intended for the pages of a book, they retain much of the force of originals in this handsome volume' - The SpectatorTable of ContentsPreface • Introduction • 1. Poésies de Stéphane Mallarmé 1930-1932 • 2. Dessins, Themes et Variations 1941–43 • 3. Florilege des Amours de Ronsard 1941–48 • 4. Poemes de Charles d'Orleans 1942–1950 • 5. Pasiphaé, Chant de Mindos 1937–1944 • 6. Les Fleurs du Mal 1939–1947 • 7. Lettres Portugaises 1945–1946 • 8. Jazz 1941–1947 • Conclusion

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis landmark collection presents a new history of Indian art from the twentieth century to the present day. Recent decades have seen an overdue interest in the acquisition and exhibition of modern Indian and South Asian art and artists by major international museums. This essential, lavishly illustrated volume presents an engaging, informative history of modern art from the subcontinent as seen through the eyes of prominent Indian art historians.Illustrations are paired with a strong narrative through line, where key experts contribute multiple perspectives on modernism, modernity, and plurality, as well as expansive ideas about contemporary art practices. A range of subjects, including Group 1890, the Madras Art Movement, Regional Modern, and Dalit art, are contextualized, along with key artists such as Amrita Sher-Gil and Raqs Media Collective. There are also sections devoted to the art of Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and other parts of South Asia.20th Century Indian ArtPublished in association with Art AliveTrade Review'A pioneering work of art-historical scholarship illuminated by revisionary contemporary critical and cultural frameworks ... a landmark cosmopolitan contribution to the profound spirit of intellectual inquiry and aesthetic hospitality that have, through the centuries, inspired the arts of India' - Homi K. Bhabha, Anne F. Rothenberg Professor of the Humanities, Harvard University'This wide-ranging, 750-page monument to the last century of art across South Asia puts its many movements and artists into authoritative context' - The New York Times Book Review'Indian art has found an immensely impressive range of historians and commentators, and a global context, in this enormous, significant scholarly landmark. Micro stories and the big picture, peripheries and the centre, colonial and postcolonial assumptions, modernism’s freedoms and constraints: every tightrope is walked with balance and insight' - Financial Times'At long last, Indian art from the long 20th century gets the forensic treatment' - The Art Newspaper'A landmark publication … It would make an important addition to the shelves of any art lover’s personal library' - Art Society Review'Sumptuously produced … [an] essential critical compendium' - India Today'A must read for art students, scholars, collectors and enthusiasts alike. Some of the most interesting chapters are on figures who have slipped out of the pages of mainstream art history' - MintLounge'An expansive and scholarly work explores the many artists, ideas, philosophies and the often turbulent social and political upheavals that have fed into 100 years of art in India' - Hettie Judah, Art Quarterly'A sea of riches … an irreplaceable resource … The more one tries to lasso the book and pull it closer for a comprehensive comment, the more it slips away into nooks and crannies of Indian art-making that are riveting. [Ultimately] it drives home the task it surely set itself: to entice, to reveal, to mystify, to clarify, to tantalise, to confuse, to provoke, to pacify, to anger, even, as much to delight ... enacting the range of the art it captures, in as many compelling ways' - The Telegraph India'For range and depth, a landmark in Indian art history. It pulls the marginal towards the centre yet keeps the big picture in view, rethinks modernism’s freedoms and troubles in a broadened global context and negotiates colonial and postcolonial assumptions with nuanced understanding' - Financial Times'20th Century Indian Art illustrates styles of art and craft in India that are complex and deeply enmeshed with geopolitics, identity, nationhood, post-colonial sensibilities, and creative subjectivities. At every page, readers enjoy pleasant visuals and sound research in this highly instructive sourcebook, urging us to broaden our minds as we critically approach these unique strands of Indian art history' - Hyperallergic'A lively introduction to a complex topic, accessible to the general reader and filled with information and analysis, clearly the product of a great deal of scholarly erudition. All of that is true, but none of it conveys the accomplishment of this book in advancing the agenda of so-called global art history. What 20th Century Indian Art makes abundantly clear is the urgency of pushing art history more radically and profoundly towards the study of transculturation' - The Journal of Art HistoriographyTable of ContentsIntroduction Section I Colonial Modernity, Art And National Identity Section II Post Colonial Decades in Visual arts practices Section III Nationalism after Globalization: Art in India in the 1990s-2000s Mapping Several Regional Modernisms in South Asia

Read more less

Book SynopsisA daily almanac that presents a selection of art historical events for every day of the year from momentous and headline-grabbing, to intimate, amusing or revelatory.Trade Review'Art history for people who don't want to read eye-glazing art history tomes ... Gift-perfect (but never trite)' - Los Angeles TimesTable of Contents366 detailed entries plus several concise 'Also on this day' entries for each day.

Read more less

Book SynopsisLeading 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 Table of ContentsForeword by Cornelia Parker Introduction Pablo Picasso Henry Moore Francis Bacon Louise Bourgeois Lucian Freud Helen Frankenthaler Roy Lichtenstein Anthony Caro Ian Hamilton Finlay Jasper Johns Bridget Riley Gerhard Richter Howard Hodgkin Bettina Pousttchi Frank Stella David Hockney James Turrell Rebecca Horn and Masanori Handa Gilbert & George Richard Long Rachel Whiteread Antony Gormley Anish Kapoor Doris Salcedo Luc Tuymans Langlands and Bell Damien Hirst Jenny Saville Tracey Emin Sarah Lucas Jake and Dinos Chapman Sam Taylor-Wood Steve McQueen Annette Messager Claes Oldenburg Tony Cragg Frank Auerbach and Lucian Freud Eva Rothschild Cornelia Parker Sonia Boyce

Read more less

Book SynopsisA remarkable, heartfelt, beautifully written analysis of the late work of 19 major artists that Max Porter describes as âcompletely and utterly marvellousâ. âPainting â exists and exults in immortal thoughtsâ William Blake In 2020, as the spread of Covid-19 causes pandemonium worldwide, an elderly artist returns to his childhood home to watch the transcendent beauty of the seasons and reflect on the final work of the artists he most admires. It seems to him that in their final art works â their late style â that they have something remarkable in common. This has more to do with intuition and memory than with rationality or reason and comes from trying to write about painting itself. Immortal Thoughts: Late Style in a Time of Plague is an anthology of these reflections. In this personal and moving account, nineteen short essays on artists are interspersed with short accounts of the cataclysmic global progress of the disease in poignant contrast to the beauty of the seasons in the Trade Review'It is rare indeed to encounter a book about art which is itself a work of art… Christopher Neve’s Immortal Thoughts is a direct and conscious attempt to distil, by a passionate engagement with the work of eighteen artists, the essence of art itself' - John Banville, New Statesman'Painter Christopher Neve finds words to capture the visual imagination of great artists in their final days. Their dance with death is made yet more poignant because Neve composed this beautiful little book in 2020, during lockdown, and his short essays are interspersed with snatches of world news from the “wireless” and glimpses of a plane-less blue sky' - David Reynolds, Books of the Year, New Statesman'From Titian and Michelangelo to Cezanne and Soutine, from Velazquez and Chardin to Bonnard and Pissarro, Neve sketches out the final periods of artists’ lives in lilting, lyrical prose ... His painterly style, his eye for detail and colour, is all the more powerful for the way that he juxtaposes it with the news of the outside world ... His approach amounts to a kind of emotional ekphrasis' - Times Literary SupplementTable of ContentsIntroduction Cézanne. Last watercolours Bonnard’s Last Four Paintings Titian Michelangelo’s Last Five Drawings Sculptors’ Drawings SPRING Rembrandt and Suffering Frans Hals. Last Painting Camille Pissarro at a Window Absence. (Gwen John) EARLY SUMMER Claude, Poussin and Time Goya Velasquez. Las Meninas A Footnote about El Greco Morandi Chardin Constable HIGH SUMMER Daumier. On Not Finishing LATE SUMMER Rouault Soutine WINTER

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe first substantial book on the French Neo-Romantics, a cosmopolitan group working in 1920s Paris who turned against modernist abstraction in favour of a new form of figurative painting.Table of ContentsAuthor’s note Prologue First act: 1926 1. Exiles 2. Leonid’s travels Second act: Against the tide 3. Gertrude Stein’s prevarications 4. Ten portraits 5. The ‘Bérard era’ 6. Tchelitchew: weightiness and grace 7. Transparent bodies 8. Eugene Berman: dreaming of architecture 9. A Paper Ball 10. Medusa Third act: Figures of style 11. Two minor arcana 12. The strange case of Waldemar-George 13. The invention of Neo-Romanticism 14. Neo-Humanism is a Neo-Mannerism 15. Fantasy landscapes 16. The theory of the saltimbanque Fourth act: Convergence lines 17. The lightness of being 18. The English scene 19. Kit Wood, the outsider 20. The art of nuance

Read more less

Book SynopsisAn absorbing group biography revealing how exiles from war-torn France brought Surrealism to America, helping to shift the centre of the art world from Paris to New York and spark the movement that became Abstract Expressionism. In 1957 the American artist Robert Motherwell made an unexpected claim: âI have only known two painting milieus well â the Parisian Surrealists, with whom I began painting seriously in New York in 1940, and the native movement that has come to be known as âœabstract expressionismâ, but which genetically would have been more properly called âœabstract surrealismâ.â Motherwellâs bold assertion, that Abstract Expressionism was neither new nor local, but born of a brief liaison between America and France, verged on the controversial. Surrealists in New York tells the story of this âliaisonâ and the European exiles who bought Surrealism with them â an artistic exchange between the Old World and the New â centring on taciturn printmaker Stanley William Hayter anTrade Review'I couldn’t believe the book hadn’t been written' - Robert Storr, art historian and ex-MoMA curator'Charles Darwent’s Surrealists in New York shows that Surrealism, not Expressionism, was the European mode that was truly abstracted in New York ... Darwent’s book … tells the real story' - Literary Review'It is a bold claim that the most influential abstract expressionist was an English geologist, but one he [Darwent] proves persuasively, using detail laced with drollness' - Sunday Times'A very readable and accessible account of a hitherto unexplored area of mainstream art history ... an important book on two counts: for its welcome reassessment of Hayter, and for the light it sheds on the links between the Surrealists and the Abstract Expressionists. Certainly it subtly alters the landscape of modern American art. Darwent writes authoritatively, marshalling a wide range of entertaining anecdotes and quotations to sustain his thesis' - The Spectator'Diverting' - World of Interiors'Absorbing … Drawing on first-hand documents, interviews and archive materials, Charles Darwent brings to life the events and personalities from this crucial encounter. In so doing, he reveals a fascinating new perspective on the history of the art of the twentieth century' - .Cent'Ambitious … [Darwent’s] account contributes significant biographical detail to the downtown network that saw mid-war Manhattan supersede Paris as the artworld capital … His consistently engaging narrative paints a fuller portrait of the conversations that propelled some of the seismic shifts in canonical modern art: from automatism to formalism, Surrealism to abstraction, Paris to New York' - Art Review'This admirably lucid and carefully researched book makes a compelling case for Hayter’s role in the revolution that took place in American painting during the 1940s. It is also a stark reminder that art history remains a work in progress' - The Art Newspaper'Eight gripping chapters, across 180 pages, uncovers a largely hitherto unexplored epoch; the tail-end of French Surrealism, merging with the beginnings of American Abstract Expressionism' - Printmaking Today'Well-researched and richly illustrated … [Darwent] provides a fascinating insight into the New York art scene in the 1940s' - British Museum Magazine

Read more less

Book SynopsisPaul Joannides is Emeritus Professor at the History of Art at the University of Cambridge. His publications include The Drawings of Raphael; Masaccio and Masolino; and Titian to 1518: The Assumption of Genius. Rick Scorza is a writer and lecturer on the Renaissance. In 2012 he was the inaugural Senior Thaw Research Fellow at the Drawing Institute of the Morgan Library & Museum, New York. He is also President of the British Museum's British Art Medal Society.Table of ContentsPreface: Vasari’s Life of Raphael and the present translation • Vasari's Raphael: Knowledge and Interpretation • The Life of Raphael of Urbino, Painter and Architect

Read more less

Book SynopsisRevised and redesigned for the first time since 2001, this standard introduction to visual art in the postwar era examines the movements, trends, and artists from abstract expressionism to the present day.Writing with exceptional clarity and a strong sense of narrative, Edward Lucie-Smith demystifies the work of dozens of artists and reveals how the art world has interacted with social, political, and environmental concerns. This book includes detailed coverage of major developments within the artistic community, such as pop art, conceptual and performance work, neo-expressionism, and minimalist art across the globe, including Asia, Africa, and Latin America. A new chapter on art since 2000 includes discussions of work by Banksy and Ai Weiwei, as well as recent trends in art from Russia and Eastern Europe.Movements in Art Since 1945Trade Review'Highlights how a plethora of new realities – born from the digital age and advancements in Artificial Intelligence – enliven our wider explorations of displacement, identity and the human condition' - AestheticaTable of ContentsIntroduction • 1. Abstract Expressionism • 2. The European scene • 3. Post-painterly abstraction • 4. Pop, Environments and Happenings • 5. Abstract sculpture, Minimal art, Conceptual art • 6. An age of pluralism • 7. Neo-Expressionist tendencies • 8. The USA – 1970s to 1990s • 9. Issue-based art and globalization • 10. The rise of video 11. The photographic medium • 12. Post-Pop blues • 13. The present and the future

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis introduction to the art of California focuses on the distinctive role the state played in the history of American art, from early twentieth-century photography and Chicanx mural painting to the fiber art movement and beyond. Shaped by a compelling network of geopolitical influences?including waves of migration and exchange from the Pacific Rim and Mexico, the influx of African Americans immediately after World War II, and global immigration after quotas were lifted in the 1960s?California is a center of artistic activity whose influence extends far beyond its physical boundaries. Including work by artists Yun Gee, Helen Lundeberg, Henry Taylor, Richard Diebenkorn, Albert Bierstadt, Chiura Obata, and Judith Baca, among many others, art historian Jenni Sorkin tells California?s story as a place at the forefront of radical developments in artistic culture.Art in CaliforniaTable of ContentsIntroduction 1. Picturing Identity in Landscape 2. Los Tres Grandes in California: Establishing a Mural Tradition 3. Abstraction as a Framework, 1945–1965 4. Art as Power: Social Movements and Aesthetic Politics, 1968–1978 5. The “isms” Go to School: Conceptualism, Feminism, Post-Modernism 6. Spaces and Places: the Alternative Space Movement and the Marketplace 7. Disaster Fueling Culture: the 1990s and 2000s 8. Biennialism

Read more less

Book SynopsisAn updated edition of a classic volume and thorough overview of William Blake's life and work.Trade Review'A unique and valuable guide' - The Times'Gracefully written and generously illustrated' - Times Literary Supplement'A thing of joy. Warmly recommended' - GuardianTable of ContentsPreface • Introduction • 1. Apprentice to Antiquity • 2. ‘The lost art of the Greeks’ 3. A New Mode of Printing • 4. ‘Lovely Lambeth’ • 5. Night Thoughts • 6. Natural Friends • 7. The Line of the Almighty • 8. Spiritual Enemies • 9. Visions of Albion 10. The Interpreter • 11. King and Priest in his own Household

Read more less

Book SynopsisExplores the connections between modern and premodern art, offering a radical reading that reveals the underlying patterns and ideas traversing centuries of artistic practice. This book reconsiders from a double perspective some key issues in the history of art, from iconoclasm and illusionism to the status of painting, and installation.Trade Review'Brilliant, original and provocative' - Linda Nochlin'Alexander Nagel reminds us, throughout the skilful weave of his argument, that there is much more medievalism in the art of the present, and much more contemporaneity in the art of the distant past, than we often realise' - Independent'A wide-ranging bravura display of intellectual erudition and exemplary curiosity' - The Spectator'A rich and important contribution to modernist studies, amply demonstrating that our age has got the medievalism it deserves' - The Art Newspaper

Read more less

Book SynopsisExactly 500 years after its first publication by the great Venetian printing house Aldus Manutius, Francesco Colonna's weird, erotic, allegorical antiquarian tale, Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, was translated into English and reprinted in full, together with all of its 174 original - and enchanting - woodcut illustrations.Trade Review"'Joscelyn Godwin, whose translation is a masterpiece of clarity and scholarship, has achieved something truly remarkable with this beautiful edition. It is unquestionably one of the publishing events not just of the year but of the century' - Andrew Graham-Dixon, The Daily Telegraph; 'A mammoth task of inestimable value, carried out with learning, elegance and wit' - International Herald Tribune; 'An extraordinary and exceptional book' - The Architects' Journal; 'Adds a fresh dimension to our understanding of the Renaissance' - The Times; 'Joscelyn Godwin has proven that a desiccated rose can not only live again, but may also, with the help of fantasy, grow vivid as never before' - The New York Review of Books; 'Should undoubtedly find a place in every serious English-speaking academic library' - The Art Book"

Read more less

Book SynopsisModern Art takes the reader through individual movements from Impressionism to Conceptual Art, situating these within five broader chronological themes. Starting with Impressionism in 1860, Dempsey proceeds through the essentials of Modernism, the post-war New Disorder and beyond. The material is arranged with great care to lead the reader through over seventy essential topics of modern art in a practical and easy-to-navigate structure. Each boldly designed feature includes a clear definition of the theme, a list of key artists, features, media and collections, and expertly curated illustrations with explanatory captions. A reference section includes a useful glossary of modern art terms, an easy-to-navigate timeline and suggestions for further reading.Trade Review'The ideal companion for anyone wishing to understand the key developments in western art over the last century and a half' - Caroline Douglas, Contemporary Art SocietyTable of ContentsIntroduction • 1. Rise of the Avant-Gardes 1860–1900 • 2. Modernisms for a Modern World 1900–18 • 3. Search for a New Order 1918–45 • 4. A New Disorder 1945–65 • 5. Beyond the Avant-Gardes 1965–today

Read more less

Book SynopsisSmall, smart, essential an easy-to-read, straightforward and entertaining introduction to art history via fifty pivotal moments from antiquity to the 21st century.Trade Review'A wonderful addition to the excellent Art Essentials series' - Choice

Read more less

Book SynopsisAn affordable, accessible introduction to artworks in the global landscape, including land art, site-specific art and sculpture parks.Trade Review'A perfect gazetteer for adventurous lovers of contemporary art' - Martin Gayford'All the artworks in this book are worth making the journey for … a welcome addition to any armchair explorer’s bookshelf' - Studio International'An immersive journey through landscapes across the world ... it is hard to imagine the appeal of Destination Art diminishing any time soon. The projects showcased in this book offer us the chance of immersive, multi-sensory encounters with place, of a kind that will have an increasingly rare and precious appeal' - AestheticaTable of ContentsIntroduction • 1. Personal Visions & the Rise of Land Art • 2. Monumental Art & the Environment • 3. Destination Art Comes of Age • 4. Destination Art Around the World

Read more less

Book SynopsisStephanie Straine is Senior Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the National Galleries of Scotland in Edinburgh. She was previously Curator of Exhibitions and Projects at Modern Art Oxford and has worked at Tate Liverpool and The Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh. She publishes widely on modern and contemporary art, with a focus on artists working with drawing.Table of ContentsIntroduction • Multiple Beginnings • Constructing an Abstract Vocabulary • Abstract Expressionism and its Legacies • Global Geometries • Minimal, Conceptual and Process Art • Abstraction in the Digital Age

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Lives of the SurrealistsUnlike the impressionists or the cubists, the surrealists did not obey a fixed visual code, but rather the rules of surrealist philosophy: work from the unconscious, letting your darkest, most irrational thoughts well up and shape your art. An artist himself, and contemporary of the later surrealists, Morris illuminates the considerable variation in each artist?s approach to this technique. While some were out-and-out surrealists in all they did, others lived more orthodox lives and only became surrealists at the easel or in the studio.Focusing on the thirty-two artists most closely associated with the surrealist movement, Morris lends context to their life histories with narratives of their idiosyncrasies and their often complex love lives, alongside photos of the artists and their work.Trade Review'A delight ... Morris writes with a pleasingly conversational tone and a dry humour and affection that undercuts the more preposterous behaviour described here … Juicy little nuggets litter the book' - The Times'Gossipy, waspish, biased, score-settling and very entertaining' - Literary Review'Uproariously funny … [Morris’s] anecdotes are all told with a dry but good-natured humour … these figures make for highly entertaining company' - The Spectator'An exceptionally lively, crisply written, independent-minded survey of one of the most bizarre groups of misfits who ever lived' - Mail on Sunday'A carnival of wackiness' - Big Issue'A compelling compendium of all the major players … page-turning … The book strikes the right balance between recognizing the artistic achievements of the milieu, as well as their colourful personal lives' - ArtnetTable of ContentsForeword Introduction Eileen Agar Jean (Hans) Arp Francis Bacon Hans Bellmer Victor Brauner André Breton Alexander Calder Leonora Carrington Giorgio de Chirico Salvador Dalí Paul Delvaux Marcel Duchamp Max Ernst Leonor Fini Wilhelm Freddie Alberto Giacometti Arshile Gorky Wifredo Lam Conroy Maddox René Magritte André Masson Roberto Matta Edouard Mesens Joan Miró Meret Oppenheim Wolfgang Paalen Roland Penrose Pablo Picasso Man Ray Yves Tanguy Dorothea Tanning Major Surrealist Group Exhibitions

Read more less

Book SynopsisA lavishly illustrated look at the sources behind the paintings of Francis Bacon. Francis Bacon famously found inspiration in photographs, film-stills and mass-media imagery. In this new, updated edition of In Camera, Martin Harrison reveals how these sources informed some of Bacon's most important paintings and triggered decisive turning points in the artist's stylistic development. Key influences, including the masters Velázquez, Poussin and Rodin, the photographer Eadweard Muybridge and the film director Sergei Eisenstein, are given close consideration. Bacon's work is examined in relation to the precedents set by other artists working in the tradition of making use of mechanical reproductions, including Pablo Picasso and Walter Sickert, and in the context of his contemporaries Lucian Freud, Mark Rothko, Graham Sutherland and Patrick Heron. With the aid of over 270 illustrations, including valuable source images and documents, In Camera is a bravura accomplishment ofTrade Review'An indispensable work of reference for anyone wishing to follow the protracted dialogue that Bacon conducted with photography – and through photography with the art of the past,his own work and real life' - Art Newspaper'Scrupulous and well-balanced…crammed with information and illuminating speculation' - Literary Review'Bacon's working documents [are] painstakingly retrieved and analysed by Martin Harrison… an opulent, paradoxically beautiful book' - Observer'A revelation' - Daily TelegraphTable of ContentsIntroduction • After Picasso • Michelangelo and Muybridge • Raw Material • In Camera • Skin/Flicks

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe compelling story of over 5,000 years of Scottish art, told by Lachlan Goudie, renowned contemporary Scottish artist, broadcaster and presenter of BBC Four's 'The Story of Scottish Art'. This is the story of how Scotland has defined itself through its art over the past 5000 years, from the earliest enigmatic Neolithic symbols etched onto the landscape of Kilmartin Glen to Glasgowâs fame as a centre of artistic innovation today. Lachlan Goudie brings his perspective and passion as a practising artist and broadcaster to narrate the joys and struggles of artists across the millennia striving to fulfil their vision and the dramatic transformations of Scottish society reflected in their art. The Story of Scottish Art is beautifully illustrated with the diverse artworks that form Scotlandâs long tradition of bold creativity: Pictish carved stones and Celtic metalwork; Renaissance palaces and chapels; paintings of Scottish life and landscapes by Horatio McCulloch, David Wilkie Trade Review'An exhilarating, big-picture, and often surprising account of Scottish art' - Andrew Marr'Even more of a joy than the glorious Scottish art it celebrates … A feast for the mind’s eye' - Simon Schama'Moving and personal … the definitive guide to Scottish art' - Bendor Grosvenor'Not only does this book prove that few people know more about Scottish art than Lachlan Goudie, but that no one else cares more. A masterful panorama of art history, and an utterly compelling account of how a nation has seen, and continues to see, itself' - Sathnam Sanghera

Read more less

Book SynopsisTaking content as a guide to form, this important survey on abstract art breaks open the canon to make room for artists from across the globe. Abstract art is always rooted in experience of the real world.' So begins art historian Pepe Karmel's exploration of the origins and evolution of abstract art. Traditional histories of the subject have concentrated on formal innovations abstraction as a sequence of isms' with less interest in how the art relates to the world around us. At the same time, they have tended to privilege a core group of European and North American artists considered central to the subject's discussion. Moving well beyond the established figures and movements usually associated with abstract art, and focusing on subject matter and content rather than simply colour and form, Karmel reconsiders the history of abstraction from a global perspective, showing us how artists from all parts of the world have used abstract imagery to convey personal, social and political experience. Following an introductory account of the pioneers of abstraction, including Piet Mondrian, Kazimir Malevich and Jackson Pollock, the book forgoes a standard chronological structure to explore the subject through five eclectic, theme-based chapters: Bodies', Landscapes', Cosmologies', Architectures' and Signs and Patterns'. Taking a figurative artwork as the starting point for each chapter, the author ranges across a wide array of topics embryos, star charts and calligraphy among them all the while clearly demonstrating the link between abstraction and the real world. Complementing the text throughout are groups of carefully selected artworks, paired to reveal surprising affinities and significant differences. At the heart of the book is a desire to demonstrate new ways of looking at abstract art through the prism of a broader, more inclusive mix of artists, from Vasily Kandinsky to Ibrahim El-Salahi, Carlos Cruz-Diez to Bridget Riley, Anni Albers to Sean Scully, and Julie Mehretu to Wu Guanzhong.

Read more less

Book SynopsisJapanese Dress in DetailFeaturing both garments and accessories, this book is an extraordinary exploration of the beauty and complexity of Japanese fashion. Specially commissioned close-up photography and authoritative texts accompany each garment, and front-and-back line drawings make this publication an invaluable resource for students, collectors, designers, fashion lovers, and Japanophiles.Table of ContentsIntroduction • Necklines and Shoulders • Headwear • Sleeves • Waists • Waist Accessories • Hems • Lining and Undergarments • Footwear • Further Reading • Glossary • Picture Credits • Acknowledgments • Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisA beautiful and informative gift book devoted to Edward Bawden's representations of England. Edward Bawden (1903-1989) was a printmaker, painter, illustrator and designer. He studied and later taught at the Royal College of art, served as a war artist in WW2 and worked extensively as a commercial artist for companies including London Transport, Fortnum and Mason, Shell-Mex, the Folio Society and Chatto and Windus. Aside from the years he spent in France, the Middle East and North Africa while serving as a war artist, and later visits to Canada and Ireland, Bawden rarely travelled far from home, but found inspiration in the fields and farms of his native Essex, at the seaside, and in classic London scenes: Kew Gardens, the Royal Parks, the Tower of London and St Paul's Cathedral, and the iron-and-glass monuments to Victorian engineering such as Liverpool Street station and the markets in Spitalfields and Smithfield. This book celebrates England as represented by Bawden in 85 works held in the V&A's collection, including prints, posters, drawings, paintings, murals and advertising material. The illustrations include such early pieces as his poster Map of the British Empire for an exhibition in 1924; his mural English Garden Delights, designed for the Orient Line Navigation Company in 1946; illustrations for books including Good Food, The Gardener's Diary and Life in an English Village; advertising work for London Transport, Shell and Fortnum & Mason; the poster Lifeguards, created to mark the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953; and a varied selection of linocuts and watercolours. As this book demonstrates, it was England, with its quiet landscapes, its pleasures and pastimes, its history and ceremonies, its traditions and recreations, that was the source of Bawden's finest and most engaging work.Trade Review'A jewel box containing numerous reproductions of Bawden’s cheerful art' - The New Criterion

Read more less

Book SynopsisPresents a selection of about 100 plants that grow wild in Ireland or are cultivated in Irish gardens. This book features plants that range from native plants to exotic species introduced from the New World and Asia, unusual plants that grow in some of the most extreme environments in Ireland, and hybrids created by plant breeders.Trade Review'Such beauty! … a glorious new book from the always excellent Thames & Hudson. … If ever a book could lift the spirits it is this one' - The Irish Times'Reading this book feels a bit like a beautifully illustrated ramble in the countryside … an enjoyable book, designed to intrigue and delight … a real treasure' - Reference Reviews

Read more less

Book SynopsisGabrielle 'Coco' Chanel was, without doubt, the most influential designer of the 20th century. This book honours her influence by celebrating the key elements that defined and still define her style through inspired pairings of classic and contemporary photographs.Trade Review'A sumptuous book that links the couture house’s past classics to its present collections' - Harper’s Bazaar'A visual feast' - ASOS Magazine'Innovative … vibrant and telling … a highly detailed and informative pictorial biography on the legend that is Coco Chanel' - f22 Magazine'It is the pairing of classic and contemporary photographs, that makes this book unique, and most effectively illustrates the simplicity of Chanel’s work that allows it to be endlessly reinterpreted afresh... a rewarding testament to the most iconic of design houses, and of women' - The Scotsman'Intriguing and stunningly beautiful' - Cassone

Read more less

Book SynopsisOnce the domain of the domestic, craft has now infiltrated every creative sphere - including food, fashion, fine art and architecture. From applique and baskets to weaving and zakka, this book features over 30 new and old crafting techniques. Each chapter includes a short historical overview of the craft.Trade Review'It's not often that a generalist book can give a specialist title a run for its money but this puts many current embroidery titles to shame in terms of its scope and presentation' - Embroidery magazineTable of ContentsIntroduction • Basic Tool Box • Fibre: felt; knit; crochet; weave; macramé; yarn; baskets; leather; rugs • Stitch: embroidery; cross stitch; needlepoint; tapestry; sew; appliqué; quilt and patch; haberdashery • Surface: marble; indigo; print; dye; collage; gild • Form: clay; beads; books; jewelry; origami; paper; mobiles; upcycle; veneer/wood; zakka

Read more less

Book SynopsisDespite his posthumous fame as a painter of flowers, still-lifes, gardens, landscapes and city scenes, during his lifetime Vincent van Gogh believed that his portraits constituted his most important works. Although as an artist he was touched by so many different things', he was nevertheless committed to the art of portraiture a quality that distinguished him from his contemporaries. Van Gogh was passionate in his avoidance of bland, photographic resemblances, in the hope of capturing the essential character of his models by means of expressive colour and brushwork. Showcasing a dramatic set of portraits created during Van Gogh's ten-year career, this book reflects the strong visual impact with which the artist captured the diversity of contemporary life. In his many portraits, we can discern the artist's desire to record expressively a number of themes, from the plight of the agricultural workers in his native Brabant and the destitution of prostitutes and their children in urban Europe, to the lives of his cosmopolitan acquaintances in Paris, including café owners and art dealers. It was here that he began his remarkable sequence of self-portraits. With reference to Van Gogh's extensive correspondence, Skea elaborates how the artist perceived his chosen subjects as would a writer, and how he felt that his portraits should somehow evoke what he considered to be the spiritual underpinning of human existenceTrade Review'Sheds new light on Vincent Van Gogh's paintings and his enigmatic personality' - The Courier (Dundee)Table of ContentsIntroduction: ‘And painted portraits have a life of their own that comes from deep in the soul of the painter…’ • 1. The Netherlands • 2. Paris • 3. Arles • 4. Saint-Rémy de Provence • 5. Auvers-sur-Oise • Sources of Quotations, Further Reading

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis survey exhibition captures the arc and continued ascent of contemporary artist Beverly McIver. This exhibition catalog accompanies a survey exhibition of contemporary artist and painter Beverly McIver. Curated by Kim Boganey, this exhibition represents the diversity of McIver's thematic approach to painting over her career. From early self-portraits in clown makeup to more recent works featuring her father, dolls, Beverly's experiences during COVID-19 and portraits of others, Full Circle illuminates the arc of Beverly McIver's artistic career while also touching on her personal journey. McIver's self-portraits explore expressions of individuality, stereotypes, and ways of masking identity; portraits of family provide glimpses into intimate moments, in good times as well as in illness and death. The show includes McIver's portraits of other artists and notable figures, recent work resulting from a year in Rome with American Academy's Rome Prize, and new work in which McIver expTable of ContentsContents Director’s Foreword Jennifer McCabe Acknowledgments Kim Boganey A Conversation with Beverly McIver Kim Boganey Pigments and Personas Richard J. Powell PLATES Exhibition Checklist Selected Biography and Bibliography Index

Read more less

Book Synopsis"A collection of compelling quotations from a rising star in contemporary art, architecture, and design"--

Read more less

Book SynopsisThorsten Opper is Curator of Greek and Roman sculpture at the British Museum. He is the author of Hadrian: empire and conflict and curator of the exhibition Nero at the British Museum.Table of ContentsIntroduction – approaches to Nero; the source tradition 1. Nero and the family of Augustus – Augustus and the system of the principate; Julio-Claudian society; Nero’s family 2. Power and succession – Nero’s accession; expectations of the new reign; poetry and imagery 3. Conflict and reform – Nero and the military; external conflicts; the Armenian War; Britain and the Boudicca rebellion 4. Spectacle and splendor – Nero’s reforms and major projects; public entertainment; Nero on stage 5. Passion and discord – the imperial family; Nero’s wives and daughter 6. Fire – the great fire of Rome of AD 64 7. The new Apollo – Nero’s palaces and the Domus Aurea; luxury and elite society; diplomacy and triumph 8. Crisis and death – internal conflict and elite resistance; rebellion; Nero’s death; civil war; ‘False Neros’ and Nero’s enduring popularity Bibliography Credits Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisPresents the collections of Chinese ceramics outside Asia. This title includes many items of imperial quality, with beautiful examples of extremely rare Ru and guan wares as well as the famous David vases.

Read more less

Book SynopsisPrincipal contributors from the British Museum Rosina Buckland, Curator, Japanese Collections Timothy T. Clark, Honorary Research Fellow Alfred Haft, JTI Project Curator for Japanese Collections Akiko Yano, Mitsubishi Corporation Curator, Japanese Collections with C. Andrew Gerstle, Professor Emeritus, SOAS University of London Supporting contributors Akama Ryo, Ritsumeikan University Akeo Keizo, Osaka University of Commerce Paul Berry, Kyoto University of Foreign Languages Hirai Yoshinobu, National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto Scott Johnson, Kansai University Nakatani Nobuo, Kansai University Ellis Tinios, Leeds University

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis an essential tool kit for understanding the world around us. It''s about our obsession with collecting, the quest for authenticity and the creation of national identities. It''s about Hitchcock''s film sets and why we value imperfection. It''s about fashion and technology, about politics and art.''A memoir and a master class in musing on modern design . . . It''s a collection of thoughtful, absorbing essays about many aspects of modern design, a subject nobody writes better about than Sudjic'' - Evening StandardTrade ReviewA memoir and a master class in musing on modern design . . . It's a collection of thoughtful, absorbing essays about many aspects of modern design, a subject nobody writes better about than Sudjic . . . There are many rewarding pieces here on subjects ranging from the genius of Dieter Rams, the beauty of the Jumbo jet, the success of Ikea, the troubled concept of authenticity, and the contradictions of Leon Krier, to the development of the zip and the end of the typewriter and the analogue camera * London Evening Standard *The book is written with a natural fluidity, with authority, and at times an almost academic interrogation * Design Week *Combining Sudjic's obsessive attention to obscure detail with a pop culture-honed eye for influence and connection, 'B' is a handbook of why things are the way they are * Wallpaper* *

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis richly illustrated books tells the story of the different ways in which women were represented in Italian Renaissance painting. -- .Table of ContentsIntroduction1 Women, men and society: painted marriage furniture2 Profile portraits in the Quattrocento: cirtue and status3 Portraits 1480–1560: beauty and power4 Female nudes in Renaissance art5 The cult of female saints: images of devotion and exemplaConclusionIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisArgues the conceptual significance of performance, and of a performative model of art, to the revival of the monument in the wake of the Second World War, the Holocaust and the fall of the Eastern bloc. -- .Trade Review'Mechtild Widrich’s astonishing and original book connects performance histories, feminist theory and speech act theory to elucidate the “event character” of public art by contemporary artists. Widrich advances a powerful argument about the stakes of spectatorship, temporality and collective memory.'Julia Bryan-Wilson, Associate Professor of Contemporary Art, University of California, Berkeley'Rigorously researched and argued, this important book will become required reading not only on the history and theory of performance art but also on the history of the "performative" itself as it has transformed public art and commemoration.'Kirk Savage, Professor, History of Art & Architecture, University of Pittsburgh -- .Table of ContentsIntroduction: what is a performative monument?1. Documents 2. Audiences 3. Sites 4. Monuments Conclusion: relations Bibliography Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisFrom workaday marigolds to handwear custom-crafted for the Queen, gloves perform many functions--insulation from the cold, protection from injury, and even ceremonial roles. Gloves have been used since prehistoric times, but in Britain their use as formal and fashionable items took off during Elizabeth I''s reign, and played a surprisingly significant cultural role well into the nineteenth century. They were often given as precious gifts, used in coronation ceremonies, sent to indicate assent, or even to offer a formal challenge. This beautifully illustrated history, published in association with the Worshipful Company of Glovers of London, delves into the glove''s place in history, offers detailed descriptions of their production in the artisanal workshop and on the factory floor, and also tells the fascinating story of the closely guarded privileges of the glove-makers'' guilds.Table of ContentsGloves Speak Many Languages / The Glove-making Profession / Materials and Manufacture / Gloves in Fashion / Gloves in the Twenty-first Century / Further Reading / Places to Visit / Acknowledgements / Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisAn illuminating exploration of 31 incredible women?across art, architecture, dance, literature, and more?whose culture-defining contributions have, until now, been overshadowed by their role as muses to history''s better-known men. What does it mean to be someone''s muse? Historically, to be called a ?muse? among artistic circles has been marketed as a flattering title. It is a commendation that most often refers to a woman whose vivacity and beauty are the source of inspiration for a (usually) male artist or creator. Perhaps her inspiring presence is even credited in the story of his success. But the very concept of a muse underestimates these women and their abilities. At its root, muse is a support role, the title a consolation prize that claims to recognize a woman?s greatness?but only in her support of another.I''m Not Your Musereclaims the narrative of 31 of these extraordinary women, from The Mother of the Movies Alice Guy-Blaché to Modernist designer Eileen Gray, prima ballerina Maria Tallchief, storied Harlem Renaissance editor Jessie Redmon Fauset, and many more. Each of these women advanced the narrative of culture and society, pushing the boundaries of visual arts, dance and movement, commercial architecture, music, journalism, and the performing arts. Whether by historical accident or cruel design, their contributions have historically been overshadowed by those of their male counterparts, and often collaborators. In this briskly written, incisively researched compendium, author and researcher Lori Zimmer repositions these women as the main characters of their own lives. Each profile is accented with original illustrations?including jaunty portraits in playfully constructed frames?by artist Maria Krasinski. Together, theyhighlight the contemporary accomplishments and historical legacies of a wide-ranging group of revolutionary women. Featured women include: Louise Blanchard Bethune Claude Cahun and Marcel Moore Minnette de Silva Clara Driscoll Jessie Redmon Fauset Loie Fuller Martha Gellhorn Eileen Gray Belle da Costa Greene Alice Guy-Blaché Miss La La Edmonia Lewis Neysa McMein Hildreth Meière Lucia Moholy May and Jane Morris Na Hye-Sok Fernande Olivier Pan Yuliang Ethel Reed Clara Rockmore Ada Bricktop Smith Maria Tallchief Alice B. Toklas Suzanne Valadon Baroness Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven Leonora Carrington Remedios Varo Kati Horna

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less