History of art Books

Book SynopsisLeonardo Da Vinci is considered to be one of the greatest painters of all time and perhaps the most diversely talented person ever to have lived, responsible for the Mona Lisa, The Last Supper, The Madonna of the Carnation and Vitruvian Man. Leonardo was an Italian Renaissance polymath: painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist, and writer, and this captivating book provides the reader with a unique insight into the life and work of one of history''s most intriguing figures. All of Leonardo Da Vinci''s work is presented in this compact volume from his paintings and frescos, to detailed reproductions of his remarkable encrypted notebooks. As well as featuring each individual artwork,sections of each are shown in isolation to reveal incredible details for example, the different levels of perspective between the background sections of the Mona Lisa,Table of ContentsIntroduction; 1 Da Vinci's Life; 2 The Art; 3 The Designs; 4 The Collections; 5 The Manuscripts; Bibliography. Introduction by Carlo Pedretti The artist’s life Painting - Baptism of Christ - Annunciation (Florence) - Annunciation (Paris) - Portrait of Ginevra Benci - Madonna of the Carnation - Benois Madonna - Adoration of the Magi - Saint Jerome - Virgin of the Rocks (Paris) - Virgin of the Rocks (London) - Portrait of a Musician - Lady with the Ermine (Portrait of Cecilia Gallerani) - Portrait of a Lady (La Belle Ferronnière) - Last Supper - Sala delle Asse - Portrait of Isabella d’Este - Head of a Young Woman (La Scapiliata) - Virgin and Child with Saint Anne and Saint John the Baptist (London) - Virgin and Child with Saint Anne and a Lamb (Paris) - Saint John the Baptist - Bacchus (Saint John) - Mona Lisa or Gioconda The drawings Drawings in Italy - Florence, Galleria degli Uffizi, Gabinetto dei Disegni e delle Stampe - Turin, Biblioteca Reale - Venice, Gallerie dell’Accademia - Milan, Biblioteca Ambrosiana - Rome, Gabinetto Nazionale delle Stampe e dei Disegni Drawings in Europe Drawings in America The Collections Codex Atlanticus Milan, Biblioteca Ambrosiana Windsor Collection Windsor Castle, Royal Library - Anatomy - Landscapes, plants and water studies - Horses and other animals - Figure studies - Miscellaneous papers The manuscripts Codex Trivulziano Milan, Biblioteca del Castello Sforzesco Codex on the Flight of Birds Turin, Biblioteca Reale Manuscripts of France Paris, Institut de France Codices of Madrid Madrid, Biblioteca Nacional - Madrid I - Madrid II Codex Arundel London, British Museum Forster Codices (I-III) London, Victoria and Albert Museum Codex Hammer Seattle, Bill Gates Collection Libro di Pittura (Book on Painting) Vatican City, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana Bibliography

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“In Women Holding Things, artist Kalman—an uncommon philosopher of the quietly magnificent in the mundane—celebrates all the things we hold. […] The tender, infinitely expressive paintings are captioned with spare words that lend each vignette an extra air of human fragility and resilience.” — Maria Popova, The Marginalian “The prospect of reading and looking at Kalman’s work gets my heart moving like a squirmy animal. This is not a hyperbole. The excitement, I think, is in how she is able to locate the elusive sweet spot of poignant and funny, along with the often-dark complexities behind these emotions. I feel like I will learn something new about people, myself.” — Literary Hub “When [Maira] Kalman looked at her archives, she noticed that she had a large collection of photographs of women holding things. […] The project that germinated […] “Women Holding Things,” gathers dozens of new images and some previously unpublished ones.” — New Yorker "Kalman’s images encompass both everyday pleasures and incomprehensible loss, always affirming art’s sustaining grace." — Roberta Smith, co-chief art critic of the New York Times “I love Maira Kalman. I love her painting, I love her perspective, I love her handwriting, and I love her books, which somehow contain all of those things and so much more. Maira is a gift to the world, and her gifts should also be your gifts. They will certainly be my gifts.” — Emma Straub, Bookstore Owner and Author “The mega-talented writer and artist Maira Kalman presents, in radiant color, Women Holding Things. Kalman’s brief texts are thoughtful, autobiographical, powerful. This life-affirming book shines a light on women’s lives and how we all hold our humanity.” — Sandee Brawarsky, Hadassah Magazine

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Book SynopsisHailed the “Prince of the Impressionists”, Claude Monet (1840-1926) transformed expectations for the purpose of paint on canvas. Defying the precedent of centuries, Monet did not seek to render only reality, but the act of perception itself. Working “en plein air” with rapid, impetuous brush strokes, he interrogated the play of light on the hues, patterns, and contours and the way in which these visual impressions fall upon the eye. Monet's interest in this space “between the motif and the artist” encompassed too the ephemeral nature of each image we see. In his beloved water lily series, as well as in paintings of poplars, grain stacks, and the Rouen cathedral, he returned to the same motif in different seasons, different weather conditions, and at different times of the day, to explore the constant mutability of our visual environment. This book offers the essential introduction to an artist whose works simultaneously reflected upon the purpose of a picture and the passage of time, and in so doing transformed irrevocably the story of art.

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Book SynopsisCelebrate the gorgeousness of all things Gothic, with over 400 vintage art stickers, perfect for decorating, scrapbooking, crafting and collecting.   Explore the gloriously spooky world of vintage Gothic art, the inspiration behind characters from Dracula to Wednesday Addams. Over 400 high-quality art stickers cover popular Gothic themes, from fashion to architecture, animals andplants, as well as skeletons and mystic symbols.   Use the stickers to personalise bags, laptops and accessories, to bring your own spooky style everywhere you go. Add them to scrapbooks or journals. Or simply leave them in the book to enjoy as a treasured keepsake.   Packed to the belfry with stunning vintage art, Stickertopium: Gorgeous Gothic is perfect for a horror-themed art project, a Halloween gift, or a treat for that special spooky someone.   

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Book SynopsisA unique typographical sourcebook featuring over 150 specially designed, original alphabets exclusive to this book.Trade Review'A source of inspiration for type designers' - Creative Review'Brilliantly innovative ... a cool and classy work that will appeal not only to graffiti geeks but to anyone with an interest in design, graphics, typography or street culture' - MetroTable of ContentsIntroduction • The Artists and their Alphabets A– Z • Acknowledgements

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Book SynopsisFor four hundred years Caravaggio's (1571-1610) staggering artistic achievements have thrilled...Trade ReviewCaravaggio has rarely been seen in such depth and such relief as in this marvellous biography. Andrew Graham-Dixon reads Caravaggio's paintings with the habits and assumptions, thoughts and fears of his contemporaries so that we see and feel the paintings more acutely and intensely than before. The man and his work emerge enriched and enlivened -- Neil MacGregor, Director of the British MuseumCaravaggio: A Life Sacred and Profane gave me immense pleasure and provided constant delight. It is a thrilling lesson in the art of seeing, a sensual exploration of the shadows of Caravaggio's sometimes violent but always Christian world, a detective story with a highly satisfying ending. Andrew Graham-Dixon's ability to have a reader see a painting through written language is a rare and precious gift. The book's rigour and integrity are obvious. I trusted every word and was sorry to turn the final page -- Peter Carey

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Book SynopsisJohn Finlay gained his doctorate in Fine Art from the Courtauld Institute in London, UK. A renowned expert on Picasso and modern art of all genres, he is the author of Picasso's World, Pop! The World of Pop Art and A Degree in a Book: Art History. He has taught and lectured around the world and now lives in Scotland.

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Book SynopsisHow one visionary inspired 200 years of art, poetry, and protestWeaving between the historical, cultural and personal, award-winning author Philip Hoare reveals a web of creative minds and artistic iconoclasts fired with the wild and revolutionary genius of William Blake.A life-changing book' The Times, Book of the WeekA poetic fever dream'TelegraphQueer in all senses of the word' Neil TennantUndoubtedly Hoare's masterpiece' Olivia LaingIn 1973, Derek Jarman set off from London to film the stones of Avebury. He was following in the footsteps of Paul Nash, who had photographed the ancient megaliths a generation before. Standing in that muddy field, by those stones, both artists had felt a direct connection to their hero a man who had died a long, long time ago, yet who remained electrically alive to them.In this alluring and poetic odyssey, Philip Hoare traces the enduring legacy of William Blake and how he came to inspire so many creative lives. Reaching out of his past and into our future, Blake draws together the natural world and metaphysical realms, merging the human and the animal and the spiritual, firing up twentieth-century artists, filmmakers, poets, writers and musicians with his radical promise of absolute freedom. This stirring, deeply felt book brings us back to Blake and shows that art still has the power to create positive change.A book that is neither Blake biography nor critical analysis nor legacy-tracing nor personal odyssey but a capacious mixing of them all a joyful and dizzying romp through the stories of those who came under Blake's posthumous spell' Philip Marsden,Spectator Beneath the leaps and returns, the book is skilfully structured, following Blake's life and art, and rendering all the inset lives complete, however discontinuous they appear One can foresee a rush of books in the run-up to 2027, the bicentenary of Blake's death, but nothing will be as audacious or intriguing as William Blake and the Sea Monsters of Love' Jenny Uglow, TLS

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Book Synopsis''Study me reader, if you find delight in me...Come, O men, to see the miracles that such studies will disclose in nature.''Most of what we know about Leonardo da Vinci, we know because of his notebooks. Some 6,000 sheets of notes and drawings survive, which represent perhaps one-fifth of what he actually produced. In them he recorded everything that interested him in the world around him, and his study of how things work. With an artist''s eye and a scientist''s curiosity he studied the movement of water and the formation of rocks, the nature of flight and optics, anatomy, architecture, sculpture, and painting. He jotted down fables and letters and developed his belief in the sublime unity of nature and man. Through his notebooks we can get an insight into Leonardo''s thoughts, and his approach to work and life.This selection offers a cross-section of his writings, organized around coherent themes. Fully updated, this new edition includes some 70 line drawings and a Preface by Martin Kemp, one of the world''s leading authorities on Leonardo. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World''s Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford''s commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.Trade ReviewA remarkable insight into the Renaissance mind. * The Guardian. *

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Book SynopsisJonathan Richardson (1667face=Tahoma>–1745) was one of 18th-century England’s most significant cultural figures. A leading portrait painter and influential art theorist, he also amassed one of the period’s greatest collections of drawings. But there was another, highly unusual dimension to his pursuits. In 1728, at the age of 61 and shortly before his retirement from professional life, Richardson began to create a remarkable series of self-portrait drawings. Not intended for public display, these works were unguarded explorations of his own character. In one of the most astonishing projects of self-examination ever undertaken by an artist, for over a decade Richardson repeatedly drew his own face. His self-portrait drawings are usually dated precisely, and they document, from month to month, his changing state of mind as much as his appearance. Many were drawn in chalks on large sheets of blue paper, from his reflection in the mirror. Some of these are bold and psychologically penetrating, while others, in which he regards his ageing features with gentle but unflinching scrutiny, are deeply touching. A further group of self-portraits is drawn with graphite on small sheets of fine vellum, and in these Richardson often presents himself in inventive and humorous ways, such as in profile, all’antica, as though on the face of a coin or medal; or crowned with bays, like a celebrated poet. Sometimes, too, he copies his image from oil paintings made decades earlier, in order to recall his appearance as a younger man. In this extraordinary series of self-portraits, Richardson offers a candid insight into his mind and personality. Together, these drawings create nothing less than a unique and compelling visual autobiography. This publication – which accompanies the first ever exhibition devoted to Richardson’s self-portrait drawings, held in the new Gilbert and Ildiko Butler Drawings Gallery at the Courtauld – tells the story of these remarkable works Jonathan Richardson (1667–1745) was one of 18th-century England’s most significant cultural figures. A leading portrait painter and influential art theorist, he also amassed one of the period’s greatest collections of drawings. But there was another, highly unusual dimension to his pursuits. In 1728, at the age of 61 and shortly before his retirement from professional life, Richardson began to create a remarkable series of self-portrait drawings. Not intended for public display, these works were unguarded explorations of his own character. In one of the most astonishing projects of self-examination ever undertaken by an artist, for over a decade Richardson repeatedly drew his own face. His self-portrait drawings are usually dated precisely, and they document, from month to month, his changing state of mind as much as his appearance. Many were drawn in chalks on large sheets of blue paper, from his reflection in the mirror. Some of these are bold and psychologically penetrating, while others, in which he regards his ageing features with gentle but unflinching scrutiny, are deeply touching. A further group of self-portraits is drawn with graphite on small sheets of fine vellum, and in these Richardson often presents himself in inventive and humorous ways, such as in profile, all’antica, as though on the face of a coin or medal; or crowned with bays, like a celebrated poet. Sometimes, too, he copies his image from oil paintings made decades earlier, in order to recall his appearance as a younger man. In this extraordinary series of self-portraits, Richardson offers a candid insight into his mind and personality. Together, these drawings create nothing less than a unique and compelling visual autobiography. This publication – which accompanies the first ever exhibition devoted to Richardson’s self-portrait drawings, held in the new Gilbert and Ildiko Butler Drawings Gallery at the Courtauld – tells the story of these remarkable works and puts them into the context of his other activities at this period of his life – in particular the self-searching poems he wrote during the same years and often on the same days as he made the drawings. An introductory essay is followed by focused discussions of each work in the exhibition. This part of the book explores the materials and techniques Richardson used, whether working in chalks on a large scale or creating exquisitely refined drawings on vellum. It will also reveal how Richardson modeled some of his portraits on old master prints and drawings, including works in his own collection by Rembrandt and Bernini. The publication brings together the Courtauld Gallery’s fine collection of Richardson’s drawings with key works in the British Museum, the National Portrait Gallery and the Fitzwilliam Museum.

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Book SynopsisA beautifully illustrated catalogue of a world-class collection of arms and armour from India and the Middle East.The Wallace Collection is home to one of the finest collections of non-European arms and armour in the world, teeming with bejewelled and enamelled dagger hilts, swords and scabbards, and with delicately gilded spears, helmets, shields and breastplates. The pieces within the collection provide an unusually comprehensive view of three key areas India, Iran and the Ottoman Empire and span the seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, with star objects dating from as early as the fifteenth century. At once functional weapons and prestigious luxury objects, items in this area of the collection are fascinating and awe-inspiring both for their technical achievements and artistic virtuosity. This lavishly illustrated catalogue is a landmark contribution to the field of Islamic art, shining a light on the previously overlooked and hidden gems of the Wallace Collection and providing detailed photographs of almost every object, accompanied by descriptions of its provenance, the materials of its construction and how it was made.

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Book SynopsisAn icon of 1980s New York, Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960–1988) first made his name under the graffiti tag “SAMO”, before establishing his studio practice and catapulting to fast fame at the age of 20. Although his career lasted barely a decade, he remains a cult figure of artistic social commentary, and a trailblazer in the mediation of graffiti and gallery art. Basquiat’s work drew upon diverse sources and media to create an original and urgent artistic vocabulary, biting with critique against structures of power and racism. His practice merged abstraction and figuration, poetry and painting, while his influences spanned Greek, Roman, and African art, French poetry, jazz, and the work of artistic contemporaries such as Andy Warhol and Cy Twombly. The results are vivid, visceral mixtures of words, African emblems, cartoonish figures, daubs of bold color, and beyond. This book presents Basquiat’s short but prolific career, his unique style, and his profound engagement with ever-relevant issues of integration and segregation, poverty and wealth.

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Book SynopsisEditor's Choice - The Bookseller"...the latest addition to the genre is the most stylish yet, comprising images from 1950s Vogue....Even in monochrome the Vogue Colouring Book is a masterful creation, transporting you back to the billowing layers, long gloves and poised hats of the 1950s." Stella magazine.This, the first colouring book from British VOGUE, has been created by award-winning writer, fashion editor, curator and Royal College of Art Professor, Iain R Webb. Celebrating the centenary of British VOGUE, these hand-drawn artworks are inspired by iconic images from the magazine in the 1950s - an era of hats and matching gloves, haughty elegance and hourglass silhouettes (a period that continues to inspire contemporary designers including Miuccia Prada and Dolce & Gabbana).The book features a glamorous dream wardrobe of luxurious ballgowns and soigné cocktail dresses, smart suits and dramatic accessories by key designers including Christian Dior, Balenciaga, Givenchy and Chanel. The accompanying captions offer fashion and style tips (often highly amusing in hindsight) and are taken from the original pages of British VOGUE. The c90 artworks can be coloured in in the spirit of the original images that inspired them or embellished with whatever colours and patterns take the reader's fancy. The colouring book is the perfect present for all those who love vintage fashion and will be published in time for VOGUE's centenary celebrations in 2016, which begin with a major exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery.Trade Review...the latest addition to the genre is the most stylish yet, comprising images from 1950s Vogue....Even in monochrome the Vogue Colouring Book is a masterful creation, transporting you back to the billowing layers, long gloves and poised hats of the 1950s. * Stella magazine *

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Book SynopsisMixing the contemporary with the ancient, MOSAICS spotlights ground-breaking emerging artist Cameron Welch.The inaugural monograph of multidisciplinary artist Cameron Welch presents a vivid, comprehensive look into a young artist’s practice. Welch’s work has straddled sculpture, collage, and textiles, but in early 2017, he shifted to mosaic as his primary medium. As a child, the artist was introduced to mosaic by his grandmother, an experience that has a lasting impact on the way he works the age-old medium to piece together disparate materials and histories. Welch treats mosaic as a physical manifestation of intertextuality, referring to the colliding contexts he unearths in the work as a kind of "infiltration."While Welch’s chosen medium evokes ancient traditions, the effect of his work is decidedly contemporary. His chaotic, jumbled compositions speak to the same anxiety felt in the Information Age, an era when unlimited

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Book SynopsisFrom Edouard Manet’s portrait of naturalist writer Émile Zola sitting among his Japanese art finds to Van Gogh’s meticulous copies of the Hiroshige prints he devotedly collected, 19th-century pioneers of European modernism made no secret of their love of Japanese art. In all its sensuality, freedom, and effervescence, the woodblock print is single-handedly credited with the wave of japonaiserie that first enthralled France and, later, all of Europe—but often remains misunderstood as an “exotic” artifact that helped inspire Western creativity. The fact is that the Japanese woodblock print is a phenomenon of which there exists no Western equivalent. Some of the most disruptive ideas in modern art—including, as Karl Marx put it, that “all that is solid melts into air”—were invented in Japan in the 1700s and expressed like never before in the designs of such masters as Hokusai, Utamaro, and Hiroshige in the early 19th century. This volume, derived from the original XXL monograph, lifts the veil on a much-loved but little-understood art form by presenting the most exceptional Japanese woodblock prints in their historical context. Ranging from the 17th-century development of decadent ukiyo-e, or “pictures of the floating world,” to the decline and later resurgence of prints in the early 20th century, the images collected in this edition make up an unmatched record not only of a unique genre in art history, but also of the shifting mores and cultural development of Japan. From mystical mountains to snowy passes, samurai swordsmen to sex workers in shop windows, each piece is explored as a work of art in its own right, revealing the stories and people behind the motifs. We discover the four pillars of the woodblock print—beauties, actors, landscapes, and bird-and-flower compositions—alongside depictions of sumo wrestlers, kabuki actors, or enticing courtesans—rock stars who populated the “floating world” and whose fan bases fueled the frenzied production of woodblock prints. We delve into the horrifying and the obscure in prints where demons, ghosts, man-eaters, and otherworldly creatures torment the living—stunning images that continue to influence Japanese manga, film, and video games to this day. We witness how, in their incredible breadth, from everyday scenes to erotica, the martial to the mythological, these works are united by the technical mastery and infallible eye of their creators and how, with tremendous ingenuity and tongue-in-cheek wit, publishers and artists alike fought to circumvent government censorship. As part of our 40th anniversary series, this edition compiles the finest extant impressions from museums and private collections across the globe in a lightweight, accessible format, offering extensive descriptions to guide us through this frantic period in Japanese art history.Trade Review“A quarter-millennium’s worth of prints reveal the evolving tastes of Japanese artists over the ages, and the impact of this art form on global culture.” * The New York Times *“A dreamlike stroll through the most beautiful landscapes of this fantasized Japan.” * Vogue *“I envy the Japanese for the enormous clarity that pervades their work... they draw a figure with a few well-chosen lines as if it were as effortless as buttoning up one’s waistcoat.” * Vincent van Gogh *

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Book SynopsisThe legend of Jean-Michel Basquiat is as strong as ever. Synonymous with 1980s New York, the artist first appeared in the late 1970s under the tag SAMO, spraying caustic comments and fragmented poems on the walls of the city. He appeared as part of a thriving underground scene of visual arts and graffiti, hip hop, post-punk, and DIY filmmaking, which met in a booming art world. As a painter with a strong personal voice, Basquiat soon broke into the established milieu, exhibiting in galleries around the world. Basquiat’s expressive style was based on raw figures and integrated words and phrases. His work is inspired by a pantheon of luminaries from jazz, boxing, and basketball, with references to arcane history and the politics of street life—so when asked about his subject matter, Basquiat answered “royalty, heroism and the streets.” In 1983 he started collaborating with the most famous of art stars, Andy Warhol, and in 1985 was on the cover of The New York Times Magazine. When Basquiat died at the age of 27, he had become one of the most successful artists of his time. First published in an XXL edition, this unprecedented insight into Basquiat’s art is now available in a compact, accessible volume in celebration of TASCHEN’s 40th anniversary. With pristine reproductions of his most seminal paintings, drawings, and notebook sketches, it offers vivid proximity to Basquiat’s intricate marks and scribbled words, further illuminated by an introduction to the artist from editor Hans Werner Holzwarth, as well as an essay on his themes and artistic development from curator and art historian Eleanor Nairne. Richly illustrated year-by-year chapter breaks follow the artist’s life and quote from his own statements and contemporary reviews to provide both personal background and historical context.Trade Review“I don’t think about art when I’m working. I try to think about life.” * Jean-Michel Basquiat *“The most complete monograph on Basquiat that exists.” * El País *“A must have... Exceptional reproductions of his most important paintings, drawings and sketches, to be shared with lovers of Basquiat’s raw art.” * vogue.com *“A cult object composed of exceptional reproductions of Basquiat's most important paintings, drawings, and sketches.” * Vogue *

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Book SynopsisLust for Life is the classic fictional re-telling of the incredible life of Vincent Van Gogh. “Vincent is not dead. He will never die. His love, his genius, the great beauty he has created will go on forever, enriching the world… He was a colossus… a great painter… a great philosopher… a martyr to his love of art. “Walking down the streets of Paris the young Vincent Van Gogh didn’t feel like he belonged. Battling poverty, repeated heartbreak and familial obligation, Van Gogh was a man plagued by his own creative urge but with no outlet to express it. Until the day he picked up a paintbrush.Written with raw insight and emotion, follow the artist through his tormented life, struggling against critical discouragement and mental turmoil and bare witness to his creative journey from a struggling artist to one of the world’s most celebrated artists.

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Book SynopsisA colourful tribute to one of the UKâs most iconic cities with a foreword by Sir Paul McCartney. With its historic port and unique docks next to the mighty river Mersey, Liverpool enchants tourists and locals alike. Its bustling music scene, past and present, defines the city. Pictures of The Beatles and Cilla Black, stars of the 60âs, quickly turn a pub visit into a trip down memory lane. The cityâs vibrancy shines through every page of drawings, illustrations and paintings. They take us to Liverpoolâs grand cathedral and characteristic waterfront, up St Johns Beacon, the cityâs radio and observation tower, into quirky antique shops and busy pubs. Liverpoolâs very own artists highlight the cityâs personality so uniquely, that it will inspire visits to all its secret corners.Trade ReviewIf you love Liverpool then you’ll love this wonderful book. -- Paul O’GradyA visual love letter to a beautiful city. -- Stephen McGannThis book has so many wonderfully creative images of my hometown - love it! -- Gerry MarsdenA unique view of the city's diverse landscape through the eyes of its artists’ -- John BarnesTable of ContentsForeword Preface The Three Graces and Pier Head The Waterfront and The Albert Dock Liverpool Cathedral and the Hope Street Quarter The Metropolitan Cathedral and around central Liverpool The Cavern Quarter Around Dale Street to the Pier Head and Waterfront Stanley Dock Tobacco Warehouse, Tate and Lyle Sugar Warehouse Crosby Football Around the City Artist Credits

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Book SynopsisJapanese woodblock printing is a beautiful art that traces its roots back to the eighth century. It uses a unique system of registration, cutting and printing. This practical book explains the process from design drawing to finished print, and then introduces more advanced printing and carving techniques, plus advice on editioning your prints and their aftercare, tool care and sharpening. Supported by nearly 200 colour photographs, this new book advises on how to develop your ideas, turning them into sketches and a finished design drawing, then how to break an image into the various blocks needed to make a print. It also explains how to use a tracing paper transfer method to take your design from drawing to woodblock and, finally, explains the traditional systems of registration, cutting and printing that define an authentic Japanese woodblock.

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Book SynopsisTHE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'A burst of springtime joy' Daily Telegraph 'A springboard for ideas about art, space, time and light' The Times 'Lavishly illustrated' Guardian David Hockney reflects upon life and art as he experiences lockdown in rural Normandy On turning eighty, David Hockney sought out rustic tranquility for the first time: a place to watch the sunset and the change of the seasons; a place to keep the madness of the world at bay. So when Covid-19 and lockdown struck, it made little difference to life at La Grande Cour, the centuries-old Normandy farmhouse where Hockney set up a studio a year before, in time to paint the arrival of spring. In fact, he relished the enforced isolation as an opportunity for even greater devotion to his art. Spring Cannot be Cancelled is an uplifting manifesto that affirms art's capacity to divert and inspire. It is based on a wealth of new conversations and correspondence between Hockney and the art critic Martin Gayford, his long-timeTrade Review'This book is not so much a celebration of spring as a springboard for ideas about art, space, time and light. It is scholarly, thoughtful and provoking' - The Times'A burst of springtime joy' - Daily Telegraph'Lavishly illustrated… Gayford is a thoughtfully attentive critic with a capacious frame of reference' - Guardian'Gloriously illustrated … It’s a book about many things – Hockney’s love of France and French painting, his reflections on many other artists among them. But at its heart is this octogenarian’s adoration of nature, his belief that art is rooted in love, and a restless gusto for life ' - Andrew Marr, The SpectatorTable of Contents1 An unexpected move 2 Studio work 3 La vie française: French life in a Bohemian style 4 Lines and time 5 A merry Christmas and an unexpected New Year 6 Locked down in paradise 7 A house for an artist and a painter’s garden 8 The sky, the sky! 9 Sumptuous blacks and subtler greens 10 Several smaller splashes 11 Everything flows 12 Rippling lines and musical spaces 13 Lost (and found) in translation 14 Picasso, Proust, and pictures 15 Being somewhere 16 Full moon in Normandy

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Book SynopsisHow do you draw Celtic knotwork? What are the secrets of keys? Are there tricks for drawing Celtic spirals? What do these mysterious patterns actually mean? Who drew them? Where did they come from? In this exquisite pocket book, author and artist Adam Tetlow shows us the practical tricks of the trade and the hidden principles behind the ancient magical science of Celtic artwork. With examples from both early and later periods, illustrations by the author and rare engravings.Trade Review"Fascinating" FINANCIAL TIMES. "Beautiful" LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS. "Rich and Artful" THE LANCET. "Genuinely mind-expanding" FORTEAN TIMES. "Excellent" NEW SCIENTIST. "Stunning" NEW YORK TIMES. Small books, Big ideas.

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Book Synopsis''I have never read such a stimulating short guide to art'' Lynn Barber, Sunday Times Now Grayson Perry is a fully paid-up member of the art establishment, he wants to show that any of us can appreciate art (after all, there is a reason he''s called this book Playing to the Gallery and not ''Sucking up to an Academic Elite''). Based on his hugely popular BBC Radio 4 Reith Lectures and full of pictures, this funny, personal journey through the art world answers the basic questions that might occur to us in an art gallery but seem too embarrassing to ask.Trade ReviewThis book is full of good jokes, full of cartoons, full of memorable epigrams, but above all full of thought-provoking ideas that make you want to pause on every page and say: "Discuss." I have never read such a stimulating short guide to art. It should be issued as a set text in every school -- Lynn Barber * Sunday Times *A visual and intellectual delight * Time Out *Punchy, mischievous ... Hugely entertaining. You could, genuinely, take an aphorism or a quote from every second page ... This is splendid, transgressive stuff ... a love letter to art ... a thing of pleasure: petite, luxuriously printed, a mischievous little hymn to 21st-century inclusivity -- Melanie Reid * The Times *It reveals Perry to be not just an artist but a wordsmith, too... It is acute and funny at the same time. This, I think, is why people love Perry so much. * Daily Telegraph *A joy to read * New Statesman *A polemic for inclusivity... The great thing about Perry's statement of it here is that you are always convinced that he believes it and lives by it * Observer *It's unputdownable! It's really relevant to anyone who does anything ... A great book ... Grayson is brilliant -- Stewart Lee

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Book SynopsisA remarkable study in social and cultural change that explains how and why the Late Antique world, between c. 150 and c. 750 AD, came to differ from 'Classical civilization'. The first century AD was one of momentous events: the end of the Roman empire, the rise of Christianity across western Europe and the disappearance of Persia from the Near East; an era in which the most deep-rooted of ancient institutions disappeared for all time creating divergent legacies which are still present. Renowned historian Peter Brown examines these changes and the reactions to them, to show that the period of Late Antiquity was one of outstanding new beginnings and far-reaching impacts. The result is a lucid answer to a crucial question in world history; how the exceptionally homogenous Mediterranean world of the first century AD became divided into the three mutually estranged societies of the Middle Ages: Catholic Western Europe, Byzantium and the Islamic world. Brown's remarkable study in so

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Book SynopsisNorman Ackroyd CBE RA has spent over four decades recording the coastal landscapes of the British archipelago. All his watercolours and many of his etchings are executed en plein air, mainly from chartered boats chosen for their skippers' local knowledge and expertise in landing on the more remote rocks and islands. These journeys, which can last up to fourteen hours, are the result of extensive reading and research. A Shetland Notebook contains 39 watercolours selected from several journeys to the edges of Shetland in the spring and summer of 2012. From the verdant flora of the southern isles to the rugged northern cliffs of Unst and Esha Ness, the book paints a vivid portrait of one of the most intriguing yet inhospitable corners of the British Isles. Each sketch is accompanied by a brief but engaging commentary by the artist.

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Book SynopsisOffers an account of the decorative arts of the Art Deco period. This book celebrates the styles rich variety of form and its diverse international roots as the very factors that make it a perennial favourite of modern collectors and designers.Trade Review'A sumptuous work' - House & Garden'The sheer sumptuousness of the images will surely appeal to those specialists, collectors and the general public who fuel the constant stream of glossy new Art Deco titles' - Art Quarterly'Alastair Duncan has put what seems like every art deco object ever made inside this book … A serious A - Z section on 500 designers makes the work definitive' - Sunday TelegraphTable of ContentsIntroduction • Media and Masters: Furniture and Interior Decoration Sculpture • Paintings, Graphics, Posters, Bookbinding • Glass Ceramics • Lighting • Textiles • Silver, Metal, Lacquer and Enamel Jewelry • A–Z of Artists, Designers and Manufacturers

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Book SynopsisAn exploration of the captivating work and mystical outlook of the modern artist Remedios Varo, focusing on her years in Mexico City

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Book SynopsisThe Future (and the past) is Female: Summer Wheat's whimsical, often tongue-in-cheek tableaux in rich jewel tones punctuated with bright neons, teem with fantastical figures that imagine tribes of women hunting, collaborating, celebrating, and ultimately replacing millennia of images of male rulers and warriors. Summer Wheat's unique formative experiences with art growing up in Oklahoma were shaped by the aesthetic and conceptual drive of the images that surrounded her from the rich textures Native American weavings to the brilliant hues of Lisa Frank Trapper Keepers. Bridging those early influences with the canon of Western art (from ancient sculpture to medieval tapestries) and popular references such as astrology and music videos, the artist's work centers female archetypes 0in her expansive practice of painting, sculpture, and large-scale installation. For the artist's first monograph, curator Jen Sudul Edwards discusses the wide range of subjects that inform Wheat's work and p

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Book SynopsisThe first monograph on the contemporary French fashion brand Zadig & Voltaire, published on the occasion of its 25th anniversary.Synonymous with an effortless rock and roll style, Zadig & Voltaire is a Paris-based French fashion brand founded by Thierry Gillier in 1997. With the brand’s name and ethos inspired by the 1747 philosophical novella Zadig, or The Book of Fate, by the French philosopher Voltaire, Gillier seeks to infuse the house with the optimism and modernity that permeates the story. Informed by a modern approach to luxury, the brand’s signature designs blur the boundaries between masculine and feminine, exuding a rebellious spirit and sense of modern cool.This highly anticipated debut monograph presents Zadig & Voltaire’s history through its most memorable collections, advertising campaigns, and iconic moments. Illustrated with evocative photographs captured by some of the most renowned names in fashion photography, sTrade Review"'Life is not a straight road—ups and downs—but it’s my way,' reads Thierry Gillier’s note jotted onto a Château Voltaire memo pad. Little did Gillier know when he dashed this off in the late ’90s that this note would serve as an opening to a book covering the decades-long journey of his passion project and one of fashion’s favorite cult brands. In Zadig & Voltaire: Established 1997 in Paris, the knitwear rebel and global director of Vogue Runway Nicole Phelps discusses the French brand’s most iconic moments. Captured by the lenses of photographic icons such as Olivier Zahm and the deft duo behind V’s very own current September covers, Inez & Vinoodh, this marvelous monograph oozes sensuality with divinely undone imagery. There’s even a little insider knowledge from the designer himself, with notes on his influences and inspirations. It all started with some cashmere,a defiant spirit, and a dash of rock ‘n’ roll—and the rest is history." —V MAGAZINE

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Book SynopsisBill Beckley is an American conceptual artist and one of the first artists to use photography as a means of artistic expression. In the early 1970s he was part of a loose-knit group of conceptual artists that used images and fictional texts in a form that came to be known as Narrative Art. I was basically writing a story and taking pictures at the same time. The text evolved with the photos, he says. In the 1980s he experimented with various materials and his work became more sculptural and pictorial. By the end of the decade, he had found a way to integrate these materials with photography, and this integration became a very important aspect of all his works. In 2019 he produced the Neapolitan Holidays series, inspired by cards dated between 1915 and 1972, sent to or from Naples, Italy. The artist responded to the text on the postcard with an email or a text message an old postcard receiving a response, sometimes even after a hundred years.

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Book SynopsisThe unfading popularity of Gustav Klimt (1862–1918) attests not only to the particular appeal of his luxuriant painting but also to the universal themes with which he worked: love, feminine beauty, aging, and death. The son of a goldsmith, Klimt created surfaces of ornate and jewel-like luminosity which show the influence of both Egyptian and Japanese art. Through paintings, murals, and friezes, his work is defined by radiant color, fluid lines, floral elements, and mosaic-like patterning. With subjects ranging from sensuality and desire to anxiety and despair, all this iridescence is also suffused with feeling. Klimt’s numerous images of women, characterized by curvaceous forms, tender flesh, red lips, and flushed cheeks, were particularly charged with passion, at a time when such frank eroticism was still taboo in Viennese upper-middle-class society. This book presents a selection of Klimt’s work, introducing his pictorial world of decoration and desire, as well as his influence on artists to come.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisThis rich volume reflects on a body of work through the lens of the designer himself.

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Book Synopsis"Stunning in its visual display of information, intuitive in its navigation, and generous in every single way, the design of New West rewards the reader page after page. The printing is absolutely incredible, using the art of vintage linen postcards to create a textured, color-saturated vision of the American West that is both old and new at once. The harmony between the vision for the design and the technical aspects of the production is a beautiful thing to behold." -- GOLD winner of the PubWest Book Design Awards The Mid-Century Linen Post Card, recognized for its color-saturated hues and textured finish, evolved as a rare hybrid of the mediums of photography, painting, and mass printing. New West, a comprehensive publication of this popular artform, explores the evolution of the American West through these vibrant and compelling images. The American West is renowned for its unique and spectacular natural scenery. While early images depicting vast expanses of unsettled land still persist, today, contemporary westerners are far more likely to live in cities than in the wild. New West celebrates the pre-existing geography of the landscape, as well as its high-speed transformation to suit man’s need for growth, commerce, transportation, entertainment, arts, education, and public life. Examined through the lens of four waves of innovation; steam, steel, oil, and information, this book also asks the ultimate question of any exploration of history: what innovation is next?

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Book SynopsisFantasy art, that colorful blend of myth, muscle and sexy maidens, took off in 1923 with the launch of Weird Tales magazine, was reinvigorated in the 1960s with The Lord of the Rings, Conan the Barbarian paperbacks with Frank Frazetta covers, and the late ’60s emergence of fantasy psychedelia. It went big in the ’70s with the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, the brilliant French magazine Métal Hurlant, and the first Star Wars film. The number of active artists peaked in that decade, but a new generation of fans discovered the genre through fantasy trading card games in the ’90s, leading to a massive interest in the art form today.Frank Frazetta’s oil paintings—when they infrequently come to market—have sold for more than $ 5 million in recent years. Fans line up at Comic-Cons to meet Boris Vallejo, Rodney Matthews, Greg Hildebrandt, Michael Whelan, and Philippe Druillet, and memorialize dead icons HR Giger, Jeffrey Catherine Jones, and Frazetta. This book features original paintings, contextualized by preparatory sketches, sculptures, calendars, magazines, and paperback books, for an immersive dive into this dynamic, fanciful genre. Insightful bios go beyond Wikipedia to give a more accurate and eye-opening look into the life of each artist. This collection will reign as the most exquisite and informative guide to this popular subject for years to come.Trade Review“A book at least as epic as its subject.” * La Liberté *“It was likely the first art you really enjoyed, discovered on a comic book, paperback, or record cover. You could almost feel the blood vessels expanding in your brain... absorbing the rich colors, the alien landscape, the idealized human figures.” * Dian Hanson *

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Book SynopsisRevel in the charm of Hogwartswith this deluxe lock and key diary that comes with a companion invisible ink pen, 192 ruled pages, and a lock with two keys to guard your enchanted thoughts and spells.

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Book SynopsisNo one captures the graces and idiosyncrasies of cats quite like the painters, printmakers, and haiku masters of Japan. From the Edo to the Showa period, many artists turned their gaze toward an unlikely subject: their small feline companions. Closely observed portraits in words and ink elevate the everyday adventures of cats: taking a nap on a Buddha statue's lap, daintily eating a rice ball, courting the neighbor's cat. This curated collection of poems, prints, and paintings will leave you inspired to cultivate the serenity and wonder embodied by these creators - and by the cats themselves. Presented as a sweet, jacketed paperback with thoughtful design touches, this volume includes each poem in both English and Japanese.

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