Paintings and painting Books

Book SynopsisA TIMES, DAILY TELEGRAPH, SPECTATOR, ECONOMIST, NEW STATESMAN AND TLS BOOK OF THE YEARLONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN''S PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION 2025WINNER OF THE POL ROGER DUFF COOPER PRIZE 2025SHORTLISTED FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION 2024WINNER OF THE FRANCO-BRITISH SOCIETY LITERARY AWARD 2024A vital re-examination of the trailblazing and controversial artist Paul Gauguin and the first full biography in over thirty years written by the award-winning author of I Am Dynamite!: A Life of Nietzsche.''Scintillating.'' FINANCIAL TIMES''Immaculate.'' NEW STATESMAN''Phenomenal.'' PROSPECT''A heroic rehabilitation.'' THE TIMESPaul Gauguin is chiefly known as the giant of post-Impressionist painting whose bold colours and compositions rocked the Western art world. It is less well known that he was a stockbroker in Paris and that after the 1882 financial crash he struggled to sustain his artistry, and worked as a tarpaulin salesman in Copenhagen, a canal digger in Panama City, and a journalist exposing the injustices of French colonial rule in Tahiti.In Wild Thing, the award-winning biographer Sue Prideaux re-examines the adventurous and complicated life of the artist. She illuminates the people, places and ideas that shaped his vision: his privileged upbringing in Peru and rebellious youth in France; the galvanising energy of the Paris art scene; meeting Mette, the woman who he would marry; formative encounters with Vincent van Gogh and August Strindberg; and the ceaseless draw of French Polynesia.Prideaux conjures Gauguin's visual exuberance, his creative epiphanies, his fierce words and his flaws with acuity and sensitivity. Drawing from a wealth of new material and access to the artist's family, this myth-busting work invites us to see Gauguin anew.

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Book SynopsisA sumptuous large-format hardback containing sketches and paintings from the illustrated Lord of the Rings, together with brand new and previously unseen material.In this large-format hardback Alan Lee reveals in pictures and in words how he created the images in the authorised illustrated edition of The Lord of the Rings. These images would prove so powerful, matching perfectly with Tolkien's own vision, that they would eventually define the look of Peter Jackson's movie trilogy and earn Alan a coveted Academy Award.The book is filled with over 150 of his sketches and early conceptual pieces to show how the project progressed from idea to finished art. It also contains 20 colour paintings reproduced in full-page glory, together with numerous examples of his conceptual art produced for the films and brand new pieces drawn specially for this book. It also includes an exclusive foreword written by Sir Ian McKellen.The Lord of the Rings Sketchbook provides a fascinating insight into the imagination of the man who painted Tolkien's vision, firstly onto the page and then in three dimensions on the cinema screen. It will also be of interest to many of the 100,000 people who have bought the illustrated Lord of the Rings as well as for budding artists and illustrators interested in unlocking the secrets of book illustration.Trade Review‘Alan Lee’s artwork has a beauty and lyricism about it. His art captured what I hoped to capture with the films.’Peter Jackson ‘Among the greatest works of imaginative fiction of the 20th century.’Sunday Telegraph ‘An extraordinarily imaginative work, part saga, part allegory, and wholly exciting.’The Times ‘A grand piece of work in both conception and execution.’Daily Telegraph

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Book SynopsisVincent van Gogh’s story is one of the most tragic in art history. Today, he is celebrated the world over as one of the most important painters of all time, recognized with sell-out shows, feted museums, and record prices of tens of millions of dollars at auction. Yet as he was painting the canvases that would subsequently become these sell-out modern masterpieces, van Gogh was battling not only the disinterest of his contemporary audiences but also devastating bouts of mental illness, with episodes of depression and paralyzing anxiety which would eventually claim his life in 1890, when he committed suicide shortly after his 37th birthday. This comprehensive study of Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890) pairs a detailed monograph on his life and art with a complete catalogue of his 871 paintings.

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Book SynopsisYou learn something instantly every time you pick up a pencil. We are all artists as children, painting and drawing each day. Most of us stop when we get older but David Gentleman kept going. For over ninety years he has been drawing, painting, engraving and printing, rising to become one of Britain's best-known and most loved artists. His watercolours have filled galleries; his iconic wood cuts are emblazoned across posters, book jackets and train stations; his stamps have made their way to the furthest corners of the world. Here, the great, polymathic artist and craftsman shares what he has learned over the course of a lifetime of making and thinking about art. Unlike his contemporaries, Gentleman was never a teacher; his lessons are a sequence of unconventional prompts and reflections that will deepen your relationship with your art, and with the world around you. Sincere, practical and unpretentious, Gentleman's insights are a breath of fresh air. Here are new ways to focus, n

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Book SynopsisAmong the women artists who have transcended art history, none had a meteoric rise quite like Mexican painter Frida Kahlo (1907–1954). Her unmistakable face, depicted in over fifty extraordinary self-portraits, has been admired by generations; along with hundreds of photographs taken by notable artists such as Manuel and Lola Álvarez Bravo, Nickolas Muray, and Martin Munkácsi, they made Frida Kahlo an icon of 20th century art.After an accident in her early youth, Frida became a painter. Her marriage to Diego Rivera in 1929 placed her at the forefront of an artistic scene not only in the cultural Renaissance of Mexico, but also in the United States. Her work garnered praise from the poet André Breton, who added the Mexican painter to the ranks of international surrealism and exhibited her work in Paris in 1939 to the admiration of Picasso, Kandinsky, and Duchamp.We access the intimacy of Frida’s affections and passions through a selection of drawings, pages from her personal diary, and an extensive illustrated biography featuring photos of Frida, Diego, and the Casa Azul, Frida’s home and the center of her universe.This book allows readers to admire Frida Kahlo’s paintings like never before, including unprecedented detail shots and famous photographs. It presents pieces in private collections and reproduces works that were previously lost or have not been exhibited for more than 80 years.Trade Review“A rare monograph as rich as any museum show.” * The Chicago Tribune *“Here is your own Kahlo museum.” * The Times *“An unprecedented glimpse into the historical haven of Kahlo.” * Vogue *

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Book Synopsis'You will quickly amaze and delight yourself. Hands down the best and most life-enhancing thing I've done in lockdown' India Knight, Sunday Times, about Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain Workbook accompanies the world's most widely used drawing instruction book by Betty Edwards. This workbook reinforces the five basic skills of drawing and includes: - 40 exercises to practice your drawing abilities - A range of subject matters from portrait drawing and still life, to landscapes and imaginative drawing - Advice for a variety of mediums such as pen and ink, charcoal and graphite - A pull-out viewfinder tool The original Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain helps artists to nurture the creative right side of the brain, dramatically improving your ability to draw, whether you are a professional, an artist in training or someone who draws for a hobby. This workbook will help you practise that knowledge with success at every step.Trade ReviewA guide to enhancing creativity and artistic confidence * Independent *The workbook contains just enough of Edwards' theory - along with dozens of illustrations - that one need have no qualms about giving it as a gift... does a pretty good job of breaking down the technique of drawing into easily-digested pieces. * Artists & Illustrators *The first edition of Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain... was a landmark in drawing tuition... The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain Workbook has been written as a supplement... (The viewfinder) is an ingenious way to understand and overcome the problem of foreshortening and to grasp the fundamentals of form and relationships. * Leisure Painter *Think you can't draw? You absolutely can . . . You will quickly amaze and delight yourself. Hands down the best and most life-enhancing thing I've done in lockdown -- India Knight, Sunday Times, about Drawing on the Right Side of the BrainA consciousness-expanding work -- LA Times about Drawing on the Right Side of the BrainA way to unleash our latent drawing abilities ... you'll be amazed at what a good artist you are -- Psychology Today about Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain

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Book SynopsisA beautiful and inspirational celebration of creativity by the dynamic and popular artist Mark Hearld. This beautiful book throws open the doors to the wonderfully vibrant and energetic world of Mark Hearld. He is a highly versatile artist, using a wide range of media and design projects to explore his love of nature, his interest in English popular art and his belief in the importance of living life visually. Hearld's exuberance, the endless inspiration he finds in the natural world, and his unbridled passion for making are evident on every page. Featuring his distinctive collages, textile designs, linocut prints, wallpapers and sculptures (to name just a few), Raucous Invention is a celebration of and insight into Hearld's recent work and extraordinary creativity. As Alan Powers explains in his introduction, this art is imperfect in the best way, messy and not prone to explaining itself, but the sound of singing and laughter is in the air.'

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Book SynopsisFounded in 1848 as a secret society, the Pre-Raphaelites rejected classical ideals and the dominant artistic genre painting of their era for what they saw as a more spiritual, sincere, and naturalistic approach. Founded by William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, and Dante Gabriel Rossetti, they evolved into a seven-member “brotherhood” that included poets and critics as well as painters. Moving away from the classical compositions exemplified by Raphael (hence the group’s name), the Pre-Raphaelites rather turned to medieval culture and the jewel-like colors of Quattrocento art for inspiration. Their principal themes were initially religious, but also included subjects from literature and poetry, as exemplified by Sir John Everett Millais’s famous Ophelia, drawn from Shakespeare's Hamlet. Inspired by the theories of John Ruskin, they were also committed to the close study of nature. This book presents key works from the Pre-Raphaelite group to introduce their reactionary principles, their dazzling colors, their interest in love, death, and nature, and their extensive influence on latter-day Symbolism and beyond.

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Book SynopsisDive into a wonderfully vibrant world of intense tones in this kaleidoscopic colour by numbers challenge. The easy-to-use number system is perfect for beginners, who can complete each image with paints, pens or pencils and reveal an astoundingly vibrant colour palette on every page. From stunning animals and breathtaking scenes, each single sided piece of artwork is a feast for the eyes; perfect for adults who wish to rediscover their playful side, or for children who enjoy an artistic challenge!Trade ReviewA sophisticated approach to colour by numbers, creating dramatic, vivid pictures * The Bookseller *

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Book SynopsisOnly 20 paintings and eight drawings are confidently assigned to Netherlandish painter Hieronymus Bosch (c. 1450–1516) but in their fantastical visions they have secured his place as one of the most cult artists in history. 500 years on from his death, his works continue to inspire scholars, artists, designers, and musicians, death metal band names and designer dresses. This edition offers the complete and haunting Bosch world in one compact format. Through full spreads and carefully curated details, we explore the full reach and compelling inventions of the artist’s genius as well as disturbing imagination. We encounter his hybrid creatures, his nightmarish scenarios, his religious and moral framework, and his pictorial versions of contemporary proverbs and idioms. Along the way, art historian and Bosch expert Stefan Fischer reveals the most important themes and influences in these cryptic, mesmerizing masterpieces.Trade Review“A magnificently illustrated monograph.” * The Times *“Superb color reproductions and numerous details allow us to examine Bosch’s fantastic imagery with a clarity seldom possible, even in a museum gallery.” * The Burlington Magazine *“Bosch in breathtakingly unearthly depth of field.” * Die Welt *

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Book SynopsisBring the soothing sounds of Bob Ross and The Joy of Painting into your home or office with the one and only mini Bob Ross Talking Bobblehead. Kit includes:- 4 bobblehead figure that plays 10 different wise and witty sayings from the art master- Mini easel book featuring 30 of Ross''s landscape works, which can be displayed alongside the bobblehead figure

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Book SynopsisResisting interpretation or classification, Mark Rothko (1903–1970) was a prominent advocate for the artist’s consummate freedom of expression. Although identified as a key protagonist of the Abstract Expressionist movement, first formed in New York City, Rothko rejected the label and insisted instead on “a consummated experience between picture and onlooker.” Following a repertoire of figurative works, Rothko developed his now iconic canvases of bold color blocks in red, yellow, ochre, maroon, black, or green. With these shimmering, pulsating color masses, Rothko stressed that he had not removed the human figure but rather put symbols or shapes in its place. These intense color forms contained all the tragedy of the human condition. At the same time, Rothko explicitly empowered the viewer in the expressive potential of his work. He believed “A picture lives by companionship, expanding and quickening in the eyes of the sensitive observer.” From his early development through to his most famous color fields, this book introduces the intellect and influence of Rothko’s dramatic, intimate, and revolutionary work.

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Book SynopsisWhat Makes Great Art showcases a selection of 80 outstanding paintings and sculptures from around the world and throughout time, assessing just what it is that makes them so great.

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Book SynopsisMartin Gayford is a writer and art critic. His books include Man with a Blue Scarf (in which he recounts the experience of being painted by Freud); Modernists and Mavericks; Spring Cannot be Cancelled, with David Hockney; A History of Pictures, with David Hockney; Shaping the World: Sculpture from Prehistory to Now, with Antony Gormley; Love Lucian: The Letters of Lucian Freud, 19391954, with David Dawson; and Venice: City of Pictures, all published by Thames & Hudson.

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Book SynopsisL.S. Lowry's famous urban landscapes and self-titled matchstick men' have captured the imagination of generation after generation. Get a sense of his work with this week-to-view desk diary filled with his myriad drawings and paintings. Created in association with The Lowry and printed on FSC-certified paper.

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Book SynopsisEdward Hopper (1882–1967) is something of an American success story, if only his success had come swifter. At the age of 40, he was a failing artist who struggled to sell a single painting. As he approached 80, Time magazine featured him on its cover. Today, Hopper is considered a giant of modern expression, with an uncanny, unforgettable, and utterly distinct sense for mood and place. Much of Hopper's work excavates modern city experience. In canvas after canvas, he depicts diners, cafes, shopfronts, street lights, gas stations, rail stations, and hotel rooms. The scenes are marked by vivid color juxtapositions and stark, theatrical lighting, as well as by harshly contoured figures, who appear at once part of, and alien to, their surroundings. The ambiance throughout his repertoire is of an eerie disquiet, alienation, loneliness and psychological tension, although his rural or coastal scenes can offer a counterpoint of tranquility or optimism. This book presents major works from Hopper's œuvre to introduce a key player not only in American art history but also in the American psyche.

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Book SynopsisUnleash your inner artist with Stitch!Relax and unwind as you journey to the sunny shores of Kaua'i, Hawaii with this intricate colour by numbers book. Featuring over 70 detailed images from the 2002 classic film Lilo & Stitch, fans will love reliving iconic scenes and favourite moments, from Stitch's galactic escape to finding his 'ohana with Lilo and Nani. Grab your favourite pens or pencils and bring Stitch's tropical Hawaiian home to life. With an easy-to-follow colour key, creating your own masterpieces has never been easier.

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Book SynopsisA dazzling array of invention, insight and observation from perhaps the greatest genius of Western civilisation. Towering across time as the painter of the Mona Lisa, forever famous as a sculptor and an inventor, Leonardo da Vinci was one of the greatest minds of both the Italian Renaissance and Western civilisation. His celebrated notebooks display the astonishing range of his genius. Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code and recent in-depth biographies have stimulated renewed interest in Leonardo and his complex and enquiring intelligence. This brand-new selection of sketches, diagrams and writings from the notebooks is a beautiful and varied record of Leonardo's theories and observations, embracing not only art but also architecture, town planning, engineering, naval warfare, music, medicine, mathematics, science and philosophy. Complete with a short biographical essay describing Leonardo's life and achievements, this is the perfect introduction to a mysterious and endlessly fascinating genius.

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Book SynopsisPeaking in the 1960s, Pop Art began as a revolt against mainstream approaches to art and culture and evolved into a wholesale interrogation of modern society, consumer culture, the role of the artist, and of what constituted an artwork. Focusing on issues of materialism, celebrity, and media, Pop Art drew on mass-market sources, from advertising imagery to comic books, from Hollywood's most famous faces to the packaging of consumer products, the latter epitomized by Andy Warhol's Campbell's soup cans. As well as challenging the establishment with the elevation of such popular, banal, and kitschy images, Pop Art also deployed methods of mass-production, reducing the role of the individual artist with mechanized techniques such as screen printing. With featured artists including Andy Warhol, Allen Jones, Ed Ruscha, Robert Indiana, Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, and Roy Lichtenstein, this book introduces the full reach and influence of a defining modernist movement.

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Book SynopsisA new selection of post-impressionist painter Vincent Van Gough''s letters, The Letters of Vincent van Gogh put a human face on one of the most haunting figures in modern Western culture. In this Penguin Classics edition, the letters are selected and edited by Ronald de Leeuw, and translated by Arnold Pomerans in Penguin Classics.Few artists'' letters are as self-revelatory as Vincent van Gogh''s, and this selection, spanning his artistic career, sheds light on every facet of the life and work of this complex and tortured man. Engaging candidly and movingly with his religious struggles, his ill-fated search for love, his attacks of mental illness and his relation with his brother Theo, the letters contradict the popular myth of van Gogh as an anti-social madman and a martyr to art, showing instead a man of great emotional and spiritual depths. Above all, they stand as an intense personal narrative of artistic development and a unique account of the process of creation. The letters are linked by explanatory biographical passages, revealing van Gogh''s inner journey as well as the outer facts of his life. This edition also includes the drawings that originally illustrated the letters.Vincent Willem van Gogh (1853-1890) was born in Holland. In 1885 he painted his first masterpiece, The Potato Eaters, a haunting scene of domestic poverty. A year later he began studying in Paris, where he met Gauguin, Toulouse-Lautrec and Seurat, who became very important influences on his work. In 1888 he left Paris for the Provencal landscape at Arles, the subject of many of his best works, including Sunflowers.If you enjoyed The Letters of Vincent van Gogh, you might also like 100 Artists Manifestos, available in Penguin Modern Classics.''If there was ever any doubt that Van Gogh''s letters belong beside those great classics of artistic self-revelation, Cellini''s autobiography and Delacroix''s journal, this excellent new edition dispels it''The TimesTable of ContentsThe Letters of Vincent van GoghAbout This EditionTranslator's NoteIntroductionBiographical OutlineEarly LettersRamsgate and IsleworthDordrechtAmsterdamThe BorinageEttenThe HagueThe Hague, Drenthe and NuenenFrom Nuenen to AntwerpParisArlesSaint-RémyAuvers-sur-OiseBibliographyIndex

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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 work of Henri Matisse (1869–1954) reflects an ongoing belief in the power of brilliant colors and simple forms. Though famed in particular for his paintings, Matisse also worked with drawing, sculpture, lithography, stained glass, and collage, developing his unique cut-out medium when old age left him unable to stand and paint. Matisse’s subjects were often conventional: nudes, portraits, and figures in landscapes, Oriental scenes, and interior views, but in his handling of bold color and fluid draftsmanship, he secured his place as a 20th-century master. It was Matisse’s palette that particularly thrilled the modern imagination. With vivid blue, amethyst purple, egg-yolk yellow, and many shades beyond he liberated his work from a meticulous representation of reality and sought instead a “vital harmony,” often referring to music as an inspiration or analogy for his work. A comprehensive and informative source, this lavishly illustrated publication includes preparatory studies, full-page reproductions, and enlarged details. Discover the artist's adventurous path, from the chromatic brilliance of his Fauve period, right through to his invention of gouache cut-outs at the ripe age of 80. Each image has been reproduced with painstaking care to create a viewing experience worthy of the expressionist par excellence. The bard of color deserves no less.

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Book SynopsisAn important survey of one of the most important collections of late Russian icons illustrated with over 400 images and written by distinguished art historians.

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Book SynopsisNow available in paperback, this book remains the definitive survey of the life and work of Surrealist artist Leonora Carrington (1917-2011). Carrington burst onto the Surrealist scene in 1936, when, as a precocious nineteen-year-old debutante, she escaped the stultifying demands of her wealthy English family by running away to Paris with her lover Max Ernst. She was immediately championed by Andre Breton, who responded enthusiastically to her fantastical, dark and satirical writing style and her interest in fairy tales and the occult. Her stories were included in Surrealist publications, and her paintings in the Surrealists' exhibitions. After the dramas and tragic separations of the Second World War, Carrington ended up in the 1940s as part of the circle of Surrealist European emigres living in Mexico City. Close friends with Luis Bunuel, Benjamin Peret, Octavio Paz and a host of both expatriate Surrealists and Mexican modernists, Carrington was at the centre of Mexican cultural life, while still maintaining her European connections. Leonora Carrington: Surrealism, Alchemy and Art provides a fascinating overview of this intriguing artist's rich body of work. The author considers Carrington's preoccupation with alchemy and the occult, and explores the influence of indigenous Mexican culture and beliefs on her production.Trade Review'full of stunning colour reproductions of Carrington's visionary art, whose hybrid forms borrow from nature, culture and religion in order to take themselves beyond all three. A beautiful book.' Ali Smith, The Sunday TelegraphTable of ContentsIntroduction: The magikal art of painting; The reluctant debutante; Ernst, Surrealism and the femme sorciere; Heaven and hell: wartime experiences; The alchemical kitchen: Domestic space as sacred space; Esoteric interests; Bibliography; Index.

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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 SynopsisAbstract landscape painting expresses emotion while still capturing the essence of a landscape. This compelling book explores this suggestive style first developed by Turner. Using the hauntingly-beautiful paintings of Gareth Edwards, it explores the technical, historical and psychological dimensions of abstract landscape painting to help you develop your own skilful and intensely personal approach. Through this new book you can learn about how to begin an abstract landscape painting, using chance application; understand how to ‘manage accidents’ to create innovative pieces of work; discover the importance of effective composition and how this navigates the viewer’s journey; determine the importance of the ‘invisible’ elements of painting: the unspoken value of the viewer and the influence of ‘looking’. It also reveals how to utilize a convergence of linear and atmospheric perspective to help your viewer traverse the picture plane and helps you understand the importance of light, space, colour, and tone in generating evocative paintings. Finally, it encourages you to be more demanding of your surface, using textural techniques and glazing to achieve professional production values. It is a unique and exciting book into this under-documented genre.Trade ReviewAs well as the personal connection you also get the best of two worlds – top-quality writing as well as painting. This really is a stupendous book. -- Henry Malt * artbookreview *At last – at long last, you might say – along comes a serious book about abstract painting that goes further than what you might previously have dismissed as the painting-by-numbers school of instruction. This is a unique book that does its readers as well as its subject full justice. -- Henry Malt - The Artist reviewer * The Artist *

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Book SynopsisThe paint-loaded palettes of fifty world-renowned artists are displayed alongside the paintings the artists created using those hues, and the colours and brushstrokes employed are analysed to uncover surprising new stories about each artist and their work. Presented broadly chronologically, the artists featured in this revelatory book range from those working in the 17th century to the present day, including Artemisia Gentileschi, Paul Cézanne, Berthe Morisot, Vincent Van Gogh, Wassily Kandinsky, Georgia O'Keeffe and Bridget Riley. Each artist's palette whether photographed or visible in self-portraits is paired with one or more works by the artist that reflect the colours of the paint remaining on the palette. Colour expert and art historian Alexandra Loske skilfully analyses each artist's colour palette and brushstrokes to reveal not only exactly how they used colour in their work but also to tell the story of their journey with colour and the influence of their approach on the

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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 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 SynopsisIn her second book, botanical artist Harriet de Winton shows you how to paint modern watercolour artworks to treasure and share. Picking up where New Botanical Painting left off, this books aims to expand readers' repertoires into fauna as well as flora, with easy-to-follow instructions for a variety of difficulty levels.Through more than 30 step-by-step projects, you'll discover how to paint beautiful butterflies, bumblebees, birds and botanicals from around the world. In the final chapter, you'll find a guide to composing stunning patterns and scenes with your own botanical watercolour creations. Use your new skills to make art for your wall, unique cards, invitations, or simply paint for pleasure.Projects include: Bengal TigerChilean FlamingoPrickly PearZebraBumblebeeGarden Tiger MothPeacockWhite-tailed DeerPolar BearArctic PoppyAnd many more!

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Book SynopsisJust when you thought there was no hope of ever finding a comprehensive color-mixing resource for oil, acrylic, and watercolor artists, along comes the 1,500 Color Mixing Recipes for Oil, Acrylic & Watercolor, a collection of Walter Foster's bestselling Color Mixing Recipes books, including Color Mixing Recipes for Oil and Acrylic, Color Mixing Recipes for Portraits, Color Mixing Recipes for Watercolor, and the most recent addition, Color Mixing Recipes for Landscapes. This incredible collection comes in a user-friendly concealed spiral-bound format that is tabbed for quick and easy reference. Aspiring artists will also find two removable color mixing grids--one for oil or acrylic, and one for watercolor.

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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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Book SynopsisThe vividly told, gloriously illustrated memoir of an artist born with disabilities who searches for freedom and connection in a society afraid of strange bodies; 'a hymn to life' (DAVID MITCHELL).

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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 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 SynopsisArtist's Painting Techniques brings together a selection of award-winning artists and tutors who are represented by multiple galleries throughout the UK, including Hashim Akib, Colin Allbrook RI RSMA HSEA, Marie Antoniou, Grahame Booth, John Chisnall, and Graham Webber ROI IEA EAGMA.

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