History of art Books

Book SynopsisAndrew Graham Dixon is one of the world's most prominent commentators on the visual arts. Highly knowledgeable, and with a gift for communicating complex ideas clearly and imaginatively, he is the author of Caravaggio: A Life Sacred and Profane, the best-selling biography of the Renaissance artist Michaelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. He is also the writer and presenter of several BBC art documentaries and the co-presenter of five series on the art and food of Italy alongside the chef Georgio Locatelli.

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Book SynopsisAnna Mason is a former curator and manager of the William Morris Gallery, London, winner of the Art Fund Prize for Museum of the Year 2013. She has also worked for the National Trust at Red House, and organized many exhibitions on Morris and his legacy. Jan Marsh is the author of Pre-Raphaelite Sisterhood, Jane and May Morris and biographies of Christina and Dante Gabriel Rossetti. She has also curated exhibitions on 19th-century art and artists, including Black Victorians: Black People in British Art 18001900', held at Manchester City Art Gallery and Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery in 2005. She is former president of the William Morris Society and a Trustee of the Brangwyn Gift at the William Morris Gallery. Jenny Lister is a curator of textiles and fashion at the Victoria and Albert Museum, specializing in the nineteenth century. Her publications include The V&A Gallery of Fashion and London Society Fashion 19051925: The Wardrobe of Heather Firbank. Rowan Bain is curaTrade Review'Lavishly illustrated' - The SpectatorTable of ContentsForeword by Jan Marsh 1. Sketches and Watercolours 2. May Morris and Morris & Co: Wallpapers and Embroidery 3. Book Covers and Designs 4. May Morris and the Art of Dress 5. Jewelry and Metalwork

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Book SynopsisHeadquartered in the heart of Asia, victionary connects creative talents and enthusiasts from all over the world through original concepts, intriguing graphic approaches, and innovative printing techniques. Founded by Victor Cheung in 2001, viction workshop ltd. provides fresh perspectives, timeless inspiration, and pure visual delight through its publishing brand, viction:ary. Aside from art, illustration, and graphic design-related titles, viction:ary also publishes travel guides and children's books. To that end, we welcome you to join us in spreading the joy of print to every corner of the world. https://victionary.com/pages/about-us

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Book SynopsisEric Karpeles's lavishly illustrated and comprehensive guide offers a feast for the eyes as it celebrates the close relationship between the visual and literary arts in Proust's masterpiece. Karpeles has identified and located all of the paintings to which Proust makes exact reference. Where only a painter's name is mentioned to indicate a certain mood or appearance, he has chosen a representative work to illustrate the impression that Proust sought to evoke. Botticelli's angels, Manet's courtesans, Mantegna's warriors and Carpaccio's saints stand among Monet's water lilies and Piranesi's engravings of Rome, while Karpeles's insightful essay and lucid contextual commentary explain their significance to Proust. The book closes with extensive notes and a comprehensive index of all painters and paintings mentioned in the novel. With over 200 beautifully reproduced paintings, drawings and engravings, and accompanying texts drawn from the Moncrieff/Kilmartin/Enright translation of In Search of Lost Time, this book is an essential addition to the libraries of Proustians worldwide and a handsome volume in its own right.Trade Review'Will thrill any Proust lover' - Financial Times'Will undoubtedly be greeted with the literary equivalent of a hosanna' - The New York Times'Intelligent and passionate … a window into Proust’s sharp, eccentric wit' - The Irish Times'Indispensable to the [Proust] addict, but also enticing for the casual browser' - ObserverTable of ContentsIntroduction • Volume I: Swann’s Way • Volume II: Within a Budding Grove • Volume III: The Guermantes Way • Volume IV: Sodom and Gomorrah • Volume V: The Captive • Volume VI: The Fugitive • Volume VII: Time Regained • Notes • Index of Painters and Paintings

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Book SynopsisPresenting a wealth of new, bespoke imagery and building on the authorsâ unrivalled level of expertise, 17th-Century Menâs Dress Patterns is a definitive resource for costume designers, fashion historians and students.Table of ContentsForeword • Men’s wardrobes, 1600–30 • Clothing terms • Dressing men, c. 1600–30 • Tailoring the doublet • Sewing stitches • Embroidery stitches • How to use this book • The patterns • 1. Green silk velvet doublet • 2a. Doublet of slashed silk satin • 2b. Slashed silk satin trunk hose with canions • 3. Sword girdle and hangers • 4. Crimson silk grosgrain doublet • 5. Slashed doublet of stamped ivory silk satin • 6. Embroidered silk damask cloak • 7. Felt hat • 8. Silk satin picadil • 9. Embroidered linen nightcap • 10. Linen nightcap liner • 11. Crimson silk velvet mittens with embroidered tops • 12. Embroidered linen stocking • Select bibliography • Acknowledgments

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Book SynopsisA beautifully written memoir by one of the most important and original artists working today . . . utterly gripping, enraging, entertaining and important. I can't recommend it highly enough' Jennifer HiggieA sparkling memoir and portrait of trailblazing artist Liliane Lijn as a young womanIn 1958, talented and fearless and eighteen years old, Liliane Lijn left her family home and moved to Paris alone to become an artist. Once there, she found an art world filled with the wild energy of creative revolution peopled and controlled almost entirely by men. In the years that followed, Lijn built a life for herself in the city. She embraced the hectic bohemian spirit of the Left Bank. She befriended artists, painters, poets, gallerists and revolutionaries, as the late Surrealists gave way to a burgeoning Pop Art movement. She had disastrous love affairs with difficult men. She experimented boldly, creating ground-breaking sculptures with light, text and movement. And as her profile steadily grew, she was told again and again that there are no great women artists: There never have been.'Liquid Reflections is her memoir of these years of experiment and adventure years when Lijn was constantly in motion, from Paris to New York to Venice to Athens, from paper and canvas to wax and Perspex to oil and water. In love, she became pregnant but rebelled against the idea that a woman could not be both a great artist and a mother. And she sought and found radical pleasure in the act of creative expression and in the living, sensuous world around her. Based on personal diaries from the time, this is a riveting and revelatory account of a singular coming of age: a glittering portrait of the artist as a young woman. 'I wrote LIQUID REFLECTIONS because I wanted to take my readers on the journey I made to become an artist. It's the story of an idealistic, inspired young woman who refuses to accept the prejudices of her time. Becoming an artist was also a search for my own identity' Liliane Lijn

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Book SynopsisA bold, readable and beautifully illustrated introduction to an entire civilization, from 7th-century Arabia via medieval Spain and Central Asia to modern Iran.Table of ContentsIntroduction • 1. The Birth of Islamic Art: the Umayyads • 2. The ‘Abbasids • 3. The Fatimids • 4. The Saljuqs • 5. The Age of the Atabegs: Syria, Iraq and Anatolia, 1100–1300 • 6. The Mamluks • 7. The Muslim West • 8. The Ilkhanids and Timurids • 9. The Safavids • 10. The Ottomans • 11. Towards Modernity • Further Reading

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Book SynopsisDemonstrates how Renaissance artists used mirrors and lenses to develop perspective and chiaroscuro challenging our view of how these two foundations of Western art were established.Trade Review'The most talked-about art book of the year' - Sunday Times'It will change our views of Western painting' - London Review of Books'Hockney has utterly transformed the scope and basis of the debate… He is making us look at things afresh' - Martin Kemp, University of Oxford'Hockney is a superb communicator, his prose as lithe and vivid as his own pencil line' - Guardian'Sparkling, brilliantly analysed treatise on the use of optics in art and one of the most important books on painting published in the last 100 years' - State magazineTable of ContentsIntroduction • The Visual Evidence • The Textual Evidence The Correspondence • Endmatter

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Book SynopsisWATERSTONES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2022THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER'A long overdue, revisionist history of art by the brilliant Katy Hessel . . . Never stuffy or supercilious, Hessel's book is a revelation and an important first step towards redressing the balance of an art world in which women have been sidelined, stepped over and trampled upon for far too long.' REFINERY29'An extraordinary achievement that will have a disruptive cultural legacy and help deter­mine the landscape for years to come.' HARPER'S BAZAAR'Katy Hessel is a brilliant chronicler of the overlooked. I am so thrilled this book exists as an empowering, enlightening guide to the unforgettable vision of these brilliant artists. Essential reading.' ELIZABETH DAY'Will change the history of art . . . thank God.' TRACEY EMIN'I was not aware how hungry I was for this book until I dropped everything and ate it from cover to cover. I was not aware how angry I was that this book did not exist until it existed. It's an urgently needed, un-put-downable, joyful, insightful, glorious, perspective-shifting revision of the Story of Art.' ES DEVLIN__________________________________How many women artists do you know? Who makes art history? Did women even work as artists before the twentieth century? And what is the Baroque anyway?Have your sense of art history overturned, and your eyes opened to many art forms often overlooked or dismissed. From the Cornish coast to Manhattan, Nigeria to Japan, this is the story of art for our times - one with women at its heart, brought together for the first time by the creator of @thegreatwomenartists.__________________________________'A spirited, inspiring, brilliantly illustrated history of female artistic endeavour . . . The Story of Art Without Men should be on the reading list of every A-level and university art history course and on the front table of every museum and gallery shop.' LAURA FREEMAN, THE TIMES'Passionate, enthusiastic and witty . . . I wish I had had this book as a teenager' THE ITrade ReviewKaty Hessel is a brilliant chronicler of the overlooked. I am so thrilled this book exists as an empowering, enlightening guide to the unforgettable vision of these brilliant artists. Essential reading -- Elizabeth DayAn inspiring, beautifully written corrective -- Bidisha Mamata * Observer *Will change the history of art... thank God. -- Tracey EminExcellent, authoritative, exuberant and elegantly written -- Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of STALIN: THE COURT OF THE RED TSARI was not aware how hungry I was for this book until I dropped everything and ate it from cover to cover. I was not aware how angry I was that this book did not exist until it existed. It's an urgently needed, un-put-downable, joyful, insightful, glorious, perspective-shifting revision of the Story of Art. -- Es DevlinA book for every aspiring art historian - whatever their sex -- '10 best art books of 2022' * The Times *A long overdue, revisionist history of art by the brilliant Katy Hessel ... Never stuffy or supercilious, Hessel's book is a revelation and an important first step towards redressing the balance of an art world in which women have been sidelined, stepped over and trampled upon for far too long * Refinery29 *An extraordinary achievement that will have a disruptive cultural legacy and help deter­mine the landscape for years to come. -- Helena Lee * Harper's Bazaar *Well-researched and enlightening * Daily Express *Unapologetically revisionist * Financial Times *In this astounding, generous book, Katy Hessel has given us such a gift. Her research is profound, scholarly and wide-ranging, her writing authoritative yet accessible. I found so much to surprise and delight in these pages, so many works of art pulsating with life and intelligence, beauty and power. This book is a long-overdue corrective, and Hessel has executed it to perfection, echoing the passion and skill of the very artists she writes about. An astonishing achievement. -- Jessie Burton, author of The MiniaturistVia chronological chapters focusing on periods of change, Hessel leads the reader back through this story, reinstating the countless women whose contributions were missed. * RA Magazine *Vital... has firmly cracked open the canon -- Chloë Ashby, author of WET PAINT * Spectator *A spirited, inspiring, brilliantly illustrated history of female artistic endeavour... The Story of Art WithoutMen should be on the reading list of every A-level and university art history course and on the front table of every museum and gallery shop. -- Laura Freeman * The Times *A magnificent read and a beautiful book -- David WalliamsExhilarating ... a dazzling array marshalled by a talented young art historian who grinds her axe sharply and with skill ... [Hessel's] scholarship, enthusiasm and humour make this lavish book a must for any woman who loves art * Daily Mail *An illuminating celebration of female artists and their often overlooked place in history * Stylist *Passionate, enthusiastic and witty... I wish I had had this book as a teenager * The i *A touchpoint for a new generation who will go on to define the future of those exhibitions, collections, and auctions * Dazed Digital *This eye-opening read is an overdue revisionist history of art - ignoring the pale, male canon to celebrate female artists who have been overlooked for centuries -- Best non-fiction books of 2022 * iPaper *The early centuries are thin simply due to the paucity of surviving work by talented women painters but her story becomes fuller and more persuasive the closer it gets to today. Hessel is clear-sighted and impartial enough not to over-claim for her subjects but show that they are full of interest and every bit as worthy of attention as their male peers. -- Michael Prodger * New Statesmen *Katy Hessel's first book The Story of Art without Men is a necessary and urgent book. A truly empowering title, the volume celebrates the rise of women artists and recentres them within art, political and social history. Many of these artists have been presented at Serpentine and their visions are getting the visibility they deserve through the fantastic visuals and Katy's thorough research -- Hans Ulrich Obrist, Artistic Director, SerpentineWhen women are literally written out of history, Hessel conveys how radical, powerful and vulnerable their lives and art were - and still are. Through moments of rage and celebration, this story fundamentally centres creative freedom: the stifling of it, and the lengths endured to claim it. -- Tiarney Miekus * The Sydney Morning Herald *This passionate and personal telling of what has been an invisible history will bring revelation to anyone entering the world of art and its histories. -- Iwona Blazwick, Director, The Whitechapel GalleryAlthough women have always made art, for far too long, art history has been told as the story of male achievement. Katy Hessel's The Story of Art without Men is a brilliantly readable and lively corrective. Outraged and celebratory, it's chock-full of female trail-blazers - from the Renaissance until the present day - who forged their way, despite facing the kind of hurdles that would stump most mortals -- Jennifer Higgie, author of The Mirror and the PaletteCompiled with zip and wit, even the informed reader will learn something new on every page - we really cannot recommend it enough * The Fence *This eye-opening read is an overdue revisionist history of art - ignoring the pale, male canon to celebrate female artists who have been overlooked for centuries -- The best non-fiction books of 2022 * i paper *A sumptuously illustrated history... at once broad in scope and meticulously researched -- Breeze Barrington * TLS *This book has blown my mind. Really passionately recommend -- India Knight * Sunday Times *An extraordinary eye-opener, and very readable ... we badly need books like Hessel's * Evening Standard *

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Book SynopsisThe art of caring for the things you love ...Caring for the items you love around the home is easier - and more rewarding - than you think. In his first book, The Repair Shop''s resident woodworking expert Will Kirk takes you on a tour of the basics of wood care and restoration, from first steps and quick fixes around the home to getting stuck into larger projects over a weekend.Whether you are fixing something you have had for years or upcycling something new, Restore shows you how simple and joyful woodworking can be, from fixing knicks and stains and making small repairs, to everyday hacks you can use to help care for your furniture.Restore teaches us how to save pieces of furniture from the scrap heap and appreciate the craftsmanship behind the objects we use every day. Encouraging us all to slow down and appreciate the beauty of woodcraft through easy, accessible projects - which anyone can start working on at home!Bestseller in nielsen bookscan week 202429

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Book SynopsisThis beautifully illustrated book is the first full-length critical study to focus on the works of fine artist and printmaker, Tirzah Garwood (1908-1951), wife of artist Eric Ravilious.

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Book SynopsisJudith Miller (foreword writer) started collecting antiques in the late 1960s, whilst a student at Edinburgh University. In 1979 she became the co-founder of Miller's Antiques Price Guide. Since then, she has written more than 100 books on the subject of design and antiques. She is a frequent contributor to newspapers and magazines, and has hosted several TV shows. She is a regular presenter on BBC's The Antiques Roadshow.

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Book Synopsis**A brilliant new history of Georgian Britain through the eyes of the artists who immortalized it, by one of the UK''s most exciting young historians**''Alice Loxton is the star of her generation ... the next big thing in history'' DAN SNOW, author, Listening to Stone''Vivid, pacey and endlessly engaging, this brilliant debut brings the late Georgian period dazzlingly to life. Irresistible stuff'' TRACY BORMAN, author, Crown & Sceptre London, 1772: a young artist called Thomas Rowlandson is making his way through the grimy backstreets of the capital, on his way to begin his studies at the Royal Academy Schools. Within a few years, James Gillray and Isaac Cruikshank would join him in Piccadilly, turning satire into an artform, taking on the British establishment, and forever changing the way we view power. Set against a backdrop of royal madness, political intrigue, the birth of modern celebrity, French revolution, American independence and the Napoleonic Wars, UPROAR! follows the satirists as they lampoon those in power, from the Prince Regent to Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire. Their prints and illustrations deconstruct the political and social landscape with surreal and razor-sharp wit, as the three men vie with each other to create the most iconic images of the day. Alice Loxton''s writing fizzes with energy on every page, and never fails to convince us that Gillray and his gang profoundly altered British humor, setting the stage for everything from Gilbert and Sullivan to Private Eye and Spitting Image today. This is a book that will cause readers to reappraise everything they think they know about genteel Georgian London, and see it for what it was - a time of UPROAR!

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Book SynopsisA poetic, passionate and intensely personal exploration of colour written during the final year of Derek Jarman''s life -- with a new introduction by Ali Smith.In Chroma, his most poetic and lyrical book, Derek Jarman explores the uses of colour. Shifting across the spectrum and from the medieval to the modern, he draws on the work of great colour theorists from Pliny to Leonardo. Interwoven with these musings are evocative memories from Jarman''s childhood and illustrious career, along with reflections on his deteriorating health. Written a year before Jarman's death, and as his eyesight was failing, this is an intensely personal work; a paean from an artist seeking to memorialise the extraordinary power of colour even while it receded from his own life.Trade ReviewChroma is more than an Aids autobiography...it is a paean to colour...Shot through with sass and moving testimony...this complexly written, yet stylish and readable book locates most powerfully the sublimal brilliance of one artist * Gay Times *Chroma sparks off pieces of Jarman's poetry and prose against fragments that span Ovid, Alberti, Goethe and Wittgenstein...to form a highly personal reflection on colour, a keleidoscopic experience that throws out different facets like a prism in the light * New Statesman *Full of anger, wit, emotion, and knowledge, this collection informs and astounds...Immensely powerful * Kirkus *Jarman reminds us how much there is to be smelled, observed and listened to in the world if we do not walk past it * Guardian *The context of the writing of this book inevitably turns it from an amusing bricollage to a gesture of extraordinary generosity, a tribute to the continuing need to create and communicate on the very edge of darkness * Financial Times *

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Book SynopsisFrom Yves Klein's spotless tailoring to the kaleidoscopic costumes of Yayoi Kusama and Cindy Sherman, from Andy Warhol's denim to Martine Syms's joy in dressing, the clothes worn by artists are tools of expression, storytelling, resistance, and creativity.In What Artists Wear, fashion critic and art curator Charlie Porter guides us through the wardrobes of modern artists: in the studio, in performance, at work or at play. For Porter, clothing is a way in: the wild paint-splatters on Jean-Michel Basquiat's designer clothing, Joseph Beuys's shamanistic felt hat, or the functional workwear that defined Agnes Martin's life of spiritua labor. As Porter roams widely from Georgia O'Keeffe's tailoring to David Hockney's bold color blocking to Sondra Perry's intentional casual wear, he weaves his own perceptive analyses with original interviews and contributions from artists and their families and friends.Part love letter, part guide to chic, with more than 300 images, What ArtTrade ReviewA liberation and a joy, beautifully written and brilliantly thought. What Artists Wear is at once a revelatory account of how art is made and an electrifying investigation into the relationship between clothes and autonomy, freedom and power -- Olivia LaingBrilliant, loving, visually incisive -- Hilton AlsCompelling * Apollo *Revelatory * Guardian *An insightful account ... whether offering visual analysis or social observation, Porter writes with clarity and wit * Frieze *A fascinating exploration of the clothing worn by the rebels, rule breakers and outliers of the artistic world, and what it means to live in it ... The book defies convention ... Porter's curiosity is infectious * Esquire *Eclectic, invigorating ... the chapters devoted to female artists make for the most fascinating reading, their clothes liberating them by giving them permission to be different * Observer *Unique, intelligent and enlightening, super interesting and so well researched. It is rare indeed to come across a book that not only captures the imagination, but informs and amuses at the same time. Each turn of the page is a surprising delight. Perhaps what is most striking about this book is its authenticity ... Charlie Porter's seriousness and genuineness, coupled with his off-kilter sense of humour, not forgetting his huge talent, seep through the entire production. Not a fake nor pompous note anywhere. This is simply the real article, just like Charlie. -- Adrian Joffe * President of Comme des Garçons *A roving, intimate analysis of the clothes that inform art * AnOther Magazine *Wonderful ... I read it in one delicious gulp. An important page-turner. -- Jennifer Higgie * author of The Mirror and the Palette *Delicious ... What Artists Wear can be enjoyed by everyone, regardless of your art or fashion knowledge ... Porter shares each anecdote with the confidence and clarity of a story teller, weaving memories into the book * Glass *Timely ... intimate ... A leisurely, contemplative journey through the art world of the 20th Century, as shown through the medium of the artists' own clothes. * Hypebeast *Brilliant and unexpected... What Artists Wear approaches fashion in a wholly different way * Showstudio *Personal and brimming with anecdotes ...Porter explores the intrinsic connections between artists and their choice of clothing with agility, nuance and insatiable curiosity... His diverse curatorial eye holds both geographic and historical breadth -- Dan Thawley * A Magazine Curated By *A clarion call to examine not only the clothes of artists but also our own * The Art Newspaper *Unexpected, lushly illustrated ... As a connoisseur of the lived-in, Porter delights at Lee Krasner's paint-spattered slippers and the tactile richness of Alberto Giacometti's rumpled suit -- Hettie Judah * V&A Magazine *As he cycles through the lives of Jean-Michel Basquiat, Sarah Lucas, Martine Syms, and Joseph Beuys, Porter's deep dive is a tender report on the legacies we leave behind and the clothes that accompany us along the way. * Dazed Books of the Year *Inquisitive and insightful, Porter's skillful dissection of the historical context, social commentary, and personal symbolism behind each artist is a pleasure to get lost in * Publishers Weekly *Unique, wide-ranging... Style guru Charlie Porter takes us on a voyage of discovery * Creative Boom *Porter captures the various 'archetypes' associated with artists. He emphasises the shift from the 'codification of patriarchy to the breaking of the canon -- Araba Opoku * The Art Newspaper *Clothes can be a prison. But Porter makes a powerful argument that they offer freedom too, to work against the structures "that control what we all wear" -- En Liang Khong * Times Literary Supplement *

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Book Synopsis''We live within a spectacle of empty clothes and unworn masks''In this series of remarkable pieces from across his career, John Berger celebrates and dissects the close links between art and society and the individual. Few writers give a more vivid and moving sense of how we make art and how art makes us.One of twenty new books in the bestselling Penguin Great Ideas series. This new selection showcases a diverse list of thinkers who have helped shape our world today, from anarchists to stoics, feminists to prophets, satirists to Zen Buddhists.

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

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

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

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Book SynopsisThe original readymade: a pioneering volume on the ancient tradition of the scholar’s rock Lose yourself in the endlessly rich variety of Chinese scholars’ rocks, or gongshi, in this catalog featuring a major gift of Chinese stones to the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum at the U.S. National Arboretum. This gift from recognized authority on scholars’ rocks Kemin Hu includes 50 types of stones, ranging from the traditional to the modern. Lingbi, taihu, ying and other stones have been collected from all over China and are presented here in nine thematic groupings. One hundred and seven stunning photographs allow readers to plumb the depths of this ancient yet dynamic art form. Phillip E. Bloom, curator of the Chinese Garden and director of the Center for East Asian Garden Studies at the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens, guides readers through gongshi’s 2,000-year history and introduces them to some of China’s most passionate “lithomaniacs.” Featuring numerous illustrations and historical aficionados’ own musings in both translation and the original Chinese, Bloom’s essay cracks open gongshi’s history for a Western audience. A collector’s preface by Hu, as well as reflections on stone collecting by American enthusiasts, complete the catalog. Stone appreciation is on the rise in the United States, although the English-language literature remains slim. Cultivated Stones is a valuable contribution to this growing field, not just an introduction for the interested novice but a scholarly advancement in its own right.Trade ReviewCultivated Stones is a beautifully designed volume with a sharp layout and stunning and evocative photographs of the one-hundred-plus stones Illustrated. It is a quality publication from all aspects of production—paper quality, binding, and binding. Rating: Excellent; a must-have volume for all students of Chinese stone appreciation. * VSANA (Viewing Stone Association of North America) *The best way to enjoy this book is in a serial manner. Choose a stone that appeals to your curiosity and mood at any moment and take at least five minutes to took at the image of the stone and allow your mind to wander. You will be rewarded by a deeper reverence for nature and connection with things in the ground we tread upon every day. -- Scott Aker * CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) *

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Book SynopsisWhy would a smart New York investment banker pay twelve million dollars for the decaying, stuffed carcass of a shark? By what alchemy does Jackson Pollock’ s drip painting No.5 1948 sell for $140 million? The first book to look at the economics of the modern art world, and the marketing strategies that power the market to produce such astronomical prices, this surprising and revelatory book explores the money, lust, and self-aggrandizement of the art world in an attempt to determine what makes a particular work valuable while others are ignored. Drawing on interviews with past and present executives of auction houses and art dealerships, artists, and the buyers who move the market, Thompson launches the reader on a journey of discovery through the peculiar world of modern art to reveal the source of Charles Saatchi’s Midas touch, and how far a gallery like White Cube has contributed to Damien Hirst becoming one of the highest-earning artists in the world.Trade Review'If you read no other book about art in your life, read the one that's gripped me like a thriller for the past two days.’ – Richard Morisson‘This enthralling, revelation-rich trip through the “money game” of the art market brings an economist’s eye – and a dry, sceptical wit- to its absurdities.’‘Don Thompson is an entertaining sceptic when it comes to contemporary art…a much-needed attempt to get to grips with the mysteries of the art market…Thompson’s knowledge of markets and law is a convincing and informative read.’'If you read no other book about art in your life, read the one that's gripped me like a thriller for the past two days.’ – Richard Morisson ‘ This enthralling, revelation-rich trip through the “ money game” of the art market brings an economist’ s eye – and a dry, sceptical wit- to its absurdities.’ 'Intriguing and readable' ‘ Don Thompson is an entertaining sceptic when it comes to contemporary art… a much-needed attempt to get to grips with the mysteries of the art market… Thompson’ s knowledge of markets and law is a convincing and informative read.’

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Book SynopsisThe Pre-Raphaelites: a study of the artists, their lives and context, with 500 images, and a gallery showing 300 of their most iconic paintings.

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Book SynopsisLearn about key movements like impressionism, cubism and symbolism in The Art Book.Part of the fascinating Big Ideas series, this book tackles tricky topics and themes in a simple and easy to follow format. Learn about Art in this overview guide to the subject, brilliant for novices looking to find out more and experts wishing to refresh their knowledge alike! The Art Book brings a fresh and vibrant take on the topic through eye-catching graphics and diagrams to immerse yourself in. This captivating book will broaden your understanding of Art, with:- More than 80 of the world''s most remarkable artworks- Packed with facts, charts, timelines and graphs to help explain core concepts- A visual approach to big subjects with striking illustrations and graphics throughout- Easy to follow text makes topics accessible for people at any level of understandingThe Art Book is a captivating introduction to painting, drawing, printing, sculpture, conceptual art, and performance art - from ancient history to the modern day - aimed at adults with an interest in the subject and students wanting to gain more of an overview. Here you''ll discover more than 80 of the world''s most groundbreaking artworks by history''s most influential painters, sculptors and artists, through exciting text and bold graphics.Your Art Questions, Simply ExplainedThis fresh new guide examines the ideas that inspired masterpieces by Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Klimt, Matisse, Picasso, and dozens more! If you thought it was difficult to learn about the defining movements, The Art Book presents key information in a clear layout. Find out about subject matters, techniques, and materials, and learn about the talented artists behind the great works, through superb mind maps and step-by-step summaries.The Big Ideas SeriesWith millions of copies sold worldwide, The Art Book is part of the award-winning Big Ideas series from DK. The series uses striking graphics along with engaging writing, making big topics easy to understand.

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Book SynopsisIn pursuit of both knowledge and delight, the craft of botanical illustration has always required not only meticulous draftsmanship but also a rigorous scientific understanding. This new edition of a TASCHEN classic celebrates the botanical tradition and talents with a selection of outstanding works from the National Library of Vienna, including many new images. From Byzantine manuscripts right through to 19th-century masterpieces, through peonies, callas, and chrysanthemums, these exquisite reproductions dazzle in their accuracy and their aesthetics. Whether in gently furled leaves, precisely textured fruits, or the sheer beauty and variety of colors, we celebrate an art form as tender as it is precise, and ever more resonant amid our growing awareness of our ecological surroundings and the preciousness of natural flora.Trade Review“Art, beauty, and knowledge come together in A Garden Eden. A comprehensive coffee table book on botany with beautiful images. Love of aesthetics is almost the only thing that counts.” * Cosmopolitan *“A selection of the best works in botanical illustration.” * ELLE *“A Marvellian world of botanical delights unfurls. Art blends with science in plates that range from the Byzantine to the Baroque.” * The Times *

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Book SynopsisThe rise of the Art Nouveau style across Continental Europe and the US in all forms of art was remarkable and is explored in this beautifully illustrated book. Discussing the movement first as a whole, then from the angle of the graphic arts and finally as manifested in the fine arts, it focuses on the style in two dimensions. From the work of well-known figures such as Toulouse-Lautrec, Gaudí and Tiffany to beautiful posters and illustrations advertising everything from coffee to costumes, and even including an exploration of the links to Synthetism and Symbolism among other movements, the book is a treat from start to finish.

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Book SynopsisA provocative, captivating and highly accessible story of British art from 4000 BCE to the 19th century.

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Book SynopsisRembrandt: a study of the artist, his life and context, with 500 images, and a gallery showing 300 of his most iconic paintings.

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Book SynopsisWith a survey of African textiles on the market, this book illustrates over 570 spectacular colour photographs the traditional, hand crafted, indigenous textiles of the whole continent. It provides a wealth of information on the rich art of African textiles.Trade Review'Spectacular ... this book really does span a whole continent ... a wealth of detail in this book which would be useful and fascinating for makers of all disciplines' - Craftsman Magazine'This lovely book is a visual feast which enriches our knowledge of the textile crafts of Africa' - The Textile Directory OnlineTable of ContentsIntroduction: The Diversity of African Textiles • West Africa • North Africa • East Africa Central Africa • Southern Africa

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Book SynopsisNew in paperback, Whitney Chadwick's groundbreaking study of women in the Surrealist movement.Trade Review'Presents a wealth of imagery and information about artists who commanded respect from their male contemporaries…as such it will be of great value both in reassessing the history of Surrealism and in illuminating the persistent marginalization of women’s art' - The Oxford Art Journal'Professor Chadwick’s book has been centrally important and has initiated a vital re-centring of the whole Surrealist enterprise' - Times Higher Education Supplement'Admirable' - Burlington Magazine'A classic' - ArtNewsTable of ContentsIntroduction 1. Search for a Muse 2. The Muse as Artist 3. Revolution and Sexuality 4. The Female Earth: Nature and the Imagination 5. Women Artists and the Hermetic Tradition 6. Cycles of Narrative Fantasy Notes

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Book SynopsisSusie Hodge (MA, Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts) has written numerous books on art and art history. She has also given lectures and held practical workshops, as well as taking part in television and radio programmes on art. Her books have received many awards and the Wall Street Journal described her book How to Survive Modern Art as a 'lesson in clarity'. She has twice been named the No. 1 art writer by the Independent. Her previous titles include: The Great Artists: Vincent van Gogh, The Great Artists: Paul Klee and Just Draw! Faces in 15 Minutes (all for Arcturus) and How to Look at Art (Tate Publishing). She lives near London in the UK.

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Book SynopsisBen Edge is a rising star of both the art world and the current folk revival. This is the first trade book of his art: an illustrated guide to the amazing and wildly popular folk customs and seasonal celebrations of the British ritual year with over 100 of his paintings and photographs.

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Book SynopsisScottish artist Caroline Walker (b.1982) is known for her accomplished paintings which offer a lens into the everyday lives of women. Bringing together work made over the past five years, exploring themes of motherhood and early-years care, this important publication reveals the evolution of Caroline Walker's highly original artistic language. Through her large canvases, intimate panels and ink sketches, Walker portrays diverse female subjects in settings that blur the boundaries between public and private worlds, and reveal the complex social, cultural and economic experiences of women living in contemporary society. Walker's considerable skill in fusing a mastery of her medium with subjects that invite debate has ensured her standing as one of the leading painters working in Britain today. This ground-breaking publication celebrates her story so far.

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Book SynopsisLong anticipated and hugely welcome, Paul Holberton's A History of Arcadia is a close and thorough examination of a great number of original texts of classical and early and later modern pastoral poetry, literature and drama in ancient Greek, Latin, Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, German and English, and of a wide range of visual imagery, ending just before 1800. The book analyses the development of pastoral as a means of representing human happiness on this earth in the requited wooing of girl and boy, to whose feelings early modern pastoral gives voice.This tremendous book is an iconographic study of Renaissance and Baroque pastoral and related subject matter, with an important chapter on the 18th century, both in the visual arts, where pastoral is very poorly understood, and in words and performance, about which many false preconceptions prevail.The study begins with Virgil's use of Theocritus and an analysis of what basis Virgil provided for Renaissance pastoral and what, by contrast, stemmed from the medieval pastourelle. Pastoral developed notably in the Venetian High Renaissance. Its texts incorporated Petrarchist and Neoplatonic ideas of love, of which this book charts the development and evolution with unprecedented precision, considering also the female nude in art. There is a novel and polemical discussion of the development of landscape subjects in art, from Giorgione to Claude. The contributions of the most influential or representative authors - Petrarch, Sannazaro, Montemayor, Tasso, Guarino, Lope de Vega, Cervantes, Honoré d’Urfé, Cornelis de Hooft, Shakespeare and lastly Salomon Gessner - are considered beside many interesting more minor ones - Arsocchi, Bernardim Ribeiro, Clément Marot, Cieco d’Adria, John Fletcher, Fontenelle - and the verses of madrigals.There is a chapter on 'Being Rural' - what we can say about the reality of life in the country in the early modern period. There is a chapter on 'Et in Arcadia Ego' that introduces new evidence for the dating of Poussin’s famous work by reference to a neglected work by Sébastien Bourdon in Yale; another on a pastoral composition by Rubens that has not been considered as such. There is an important and bold discussion of self-projection (‘metachronic’ representation) by monarchs and courtiers across Europe in the 17th century, both within pastoral and without, which illuminates profound differences between Protestant and Catholic culture. Coming from the study of earlier periods, the author is able to throw new light on the Rococo - figures such as John Gay, Watteau, Gessner and Gainsborough - and to explain the termination of pastoral writing and art with the embrace of modernity in form and means of expression.All texts are given in the original language and all translated into English, while the visuals are beautifully reproduced: the book is also an anthology.Trade ReviewRemarkable … This is a substantial publication in every sense: two volumes [available separately] amounting to almost a thousand pages, with lavish colour illustrations throughout … [It has] exceptional range ... so much to praise. * Literary Review *

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

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