Portraits and self-portraiture in the arts Books

Book SynopsisWhether you?re an aspiring artist or new to the medium, seasoned instructor and accomplished artist Nathan Fowkes makes drawing portraits in charcoal not only accessible, but also a real pleasure! From stocking the best supplies to using them effectively, and composing a portrait while avoiding common mistakes, How to Draw Portraits in Charcoal by Nathan Fowkes will place you firmly on the path to producing the charcoal portraits you''ve dreamed of creating. His easy-to-follow tips, in-depth tutorials, and valuable exercises make this guide your first step toward building an understanding and appreciation for every face you draw. This handy book will equip you with the skills to capture them in beautiful charcoal fashion.

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Book SynopsisHarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics.''How sad it is! I shall grow old, and horrid, and dreadful. But this picture will remain always young If it was only the other way!''Wilde''s first and only published novel recounts the story of handsome Dorian Gray who upon having his portrait painted desires that it will age and grow ugly while he may remain eternally beautiful. The painting, which reflects each of Gray''s sins and transgressions in its hideousness, haunts him until it finally becomes unbearable. In this dark tale of duplicity and mortality, Wilde creates a world where art and reality collide.

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Book SynopsisHarperCollins is proud to present its range of best-loved, essential classics.The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it.'When Basil Hallward paints the portrait of young, handsome Dorian Gray, he falls prey to his dazzling beauty. Afraid that his youth and looks will waste away, Dorian expresses a wish that his portrait, and not he, will age and fade over time. His wish is granted, and over the ensuing years, Dorian indulges in every kind of vice and pleasure, never ageing nor disfiguring. Only his portrait, hidden to the world, bears the marks of his actions, and as his soul grows ever more wasted and corrupted, devastatingconsequences lie in wait.The Picture of Dorian Gray is an exploration of the purpose of art, the superficial nature of youth and beauty, and the conflict between morality and intemperance. First published in its complete, uncensored form in 1891, it is Oscar Wilde's only novel.

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Book SynopsisWith Creative Portraits in Watercolor, you’ll learn creative techniques for capturing a unique and stunning likeness using watercolor and other art mediums.

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Book SynopsisThe arresting pictures of Frida Kahlo (1907–54) were in many ways expressions of trauma. Through a near-fatal road accident at the age of 18, failing health, a turbulent marriage, miscarriage and childlessness, she transformed the afflictions into revolutionary art. In literal or metaphorical self-portraiture, Kahlo looks out at the viewer with an audacious glare, rejecting her destiny as a passive victim and rather intertwining expressions of her experience into a hybrid real-surreal language of living: hair, roots, veins, vines, tendrils and fallopian tubes. Many of her works also explore the Communist political ideals which Kahlo shared with her husband Diego Rivera. The artist described her paintings as “the most sincere and real thing that I could do in order to express what I felt inside and outside of myself.” This book introduces the rich body of Kahlo’s work to explore her unremitting determination as an artist, and her significance as a painter, feminist icon, and a pioneer of Latin American culture.

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Book SynopsisFollowing the success of A Dog a Day and Old Dogs, Sally Muir returns with an adorable collection of beautiful rescue dog portraits that will melt even the coldest of hearts. Several years ago, Sally Muir began a Facebook project, posting dog art daily, which became the best-selling book A Dog a Day. Through the project she was introduced to endless people and their dogs, and the distinct personalities and complex emotions that owners attribute to them. This was followed with Old Dogs, where Sally asked the public to send in photos of their elderly canines. She was drawn to the tales behind their greying whiskers and so the natural next step was rescue dogs with their eventful life stories. Rescue Dogs is a beautiful collection of loveable hounds with colourful histories and expressive faces. From Mr Bojangles who was rescued after being hit by a car to Molly who found a new lease of life after being rescued from a shelter at age 15, Rescue Dogs will tug at the heartstrings and leave you with a profound sense of optimism for life, new beginnings and kindness. This is the perfect gift for your dog-loving friends, or for yourself to enjoy some mindful moments flicking through delightful, heart-warming canine portraits.Trade Review For A Dog a Day: 'Muir’s dog portraiture … demonstrates the artist’s technical range and her keen understanding of essential doggishness … Muir’s mastery of the expressive capacity of the canine eye in particular makes these paintings live and pant.' – The Spectator 'Sally Muir has done the job brilliantly’ – The Times For Old Dogs: ‘Beautiful and touching. … A treasure trove for anyone that loves dogs and art’ – Kennel Gazette

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Book SynopsisSargent and Fashion explores the dynamic relationship of painting and dress — from portraits and performance, gender expression and the New Woman, to the pull of tradition and the excitement of new ideas. "The coat is the picture," John Singer Sargent exclaimed to his fellow artist Graham Robertson in the summer of 1894, tugging a heavy overcoat ever more tightly around his sitter's slender figure. Sought-after by sitters for his ability to present to the world flattering and engaging likenesses, Sargent was simultaneously pursuing his own artistic vision. Rather than holding up a mirror to contemporary fashion, Sargent made fashion a part of his artistic repertoire. He often chose what his sitters wore, pinned their garments, or draped fabric around them, all with a view to creating confections to be recorded on canvas through his unrivalled artistic gifts. With contributions from many of the leading thinkers on Sargent and his world, and lavish reproductions of major portraits and exquisite costumes of the period, this publication offers a vital new perspective on one of the most famous and fashionable artists of all time.

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Book SynopsisThis book is for anybody who wants to draw more, whether you are learning from scratch or developing existing skills. When you're learning to draw, the most important thing you'll own is a sketchbook, and this is a sketchbook with training wheels. Let go of your fear and unlock drawing skills that you never believed you could have with this expertly guided sketchbook. Not your ordinary art book, You Will be Able to Draw by the End of This Book is a combined tutorial and sketchbook that not only teaches you the fundamental steps required for you to be able to draw, but also allows you the space to practise on the page. The book lays flat to allow you to draw comfortably and has an elastic band to keep your artwork safe. Each exercise has an estimated completion time, so it doesn't matter whether you are at home, on your lunch break or even on the bus, you'll always find time to practise. Jake is like an ever-present companion who will guide you on your creative journey, with his friendly and practical tone. His lessons build in complexity as you work through the book, starting with the basics of line making and progressing to portraits and landscapes. His clever exercises will help you gain confidence and break you out of old habits as well as encouraging you to see things in a different way and relax. So pick up a pencil and discover the joy of drawing!

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Book SynopsisJulia Kay’s Portrait Party is an international collaborative project in which artists all over the world make portraits of each other and share them online. After years of exchanging portraits, tips and techniques within the group, in Portrait Revolution these artists are now sharing their art, their words, and their inspiration with everyone who is interested in or would like to get started with portraiture. Here you can find information on using different media, how to handle difficult portrait issues, and more. Portrait Revolution showcases 450 portraits by 200 artists, in a wide variety of media from oil painting to iPad art, watercolour to ballpoint, linocut to mosaic. There are a range of styles from realistic to abstract and interpretations by multiple artists of the same subject. Trade Review"As a visual feast, it offers an endless source of inspiration." * Paint & Draw *

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Book SynopsisLife Drawing for Artists teaches a contemporary approach to figure drawing that includes both the familiar poses—standing, sitting, lying down—but also how to capture figures in movement and in more dynamic and engaging positions. Author Chris Legaspi is a dedicated, life-long artist and admired instructor who is known for his dynamic figurative drawings and paintings, and as a successful illustrator in the entertainment industry. Whether you are an aspiring illustrator, art student, or a professional artist looking to develop your abilities, Life Drawing for Artists shows how to build your skills by combining fundamental building blocks, such as gesture lines, shape and design, structure, value control, and edge or line control. You'll focus on different skills while working on both quick timed drawings and longer detailed drawings. The book covers important topics, such as drawing different views, understanding perspective, foreshortening strategies, and how to deal with various lighting conditions. The examples and tutorials explore virtually every pose scenario, as well as many active and dynamic movements. Breathe drama into your figures as you master the fundamentals with this fresh approach to life drawing. The For Artists series expertly guides and instructs artists at all skill levels who want to develop their classical drawing and painting skills and create realistic and representational art.Table of ContentsPreface Chapter 1 Foundation The Purpose of Figure Drawing The Structure of a Life Drawing Session Recommended Materials Using Your Materials Chapter 2 Fundamentals of Life Drawing Making Marks The Concept of Gesture Construction Two-Dimensional Shapes Three-Dimensional Shapes Introduction to Shading, Light, and Shadow Chapter 3 The Drawing Process Overview of the Drawing Process Anatomical Landmarks Starting with the Head Drawing the Torso How to Draw One- and Two-Minute Poses How to Draw Three- and Five-Minute Poses How to Draw Ten-Minute Poses How to Draw Twenty-Minute Poses Chapter 4 Side View and Perspective Side View Techniques and Strategies How to Draw the Figure in Perspective Chapter 5 Exercises and Self-Study 150 Recommended Exercises Part 1: Drawing from Life and Observation Part 2: Dexterity Exercises Part 3: Old Master Studies Acknowledgments About the Author Index

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Book SynopsisDrawing the human face has a timeless and universal appeal, though it's often perceived as being difficult to achieve. Carole's book removes the mystery from portrait painting, and makes the subject accessible to even absolute beginners. She shows you in easy step-by-step stages how to use line, tone and form to capture a likeness and give it both personality and expression. Containing simple exercises along with longer step-by-step projects, this book leads you by the hand through the different elements of the face, allowing you to gradually build your skills before leading on to successfully describing your subject's likeness and character. Composition, clothing, props and more personal characteristics like age and hairstyles are all covered. The book also includes information on drawing from life.Trade ReviewThis is a complete re-working and a great deal of credit must go to Carole Massey who has done the heavy lifting here. She has not only added new material, but re-written and simplified to an amazing extent. Concentrating on the head and shoulders simplifies things immeasurably – you can forget about hands, feet, clothes and posture, for instance. It also allows her to concentrate on the form, features and expressions of the face, which is mainly what the book is about. This is not so much a course as an examination of the way portraits are built up. Although the way through it is progressive – you’re always building on and reinforcing what you learnt before, there aren’t the same number of examples, exercises and demonstrations. They’re there, and you’ll find them, but in a less structured way. It’s very subtle how the material you need is to hand just when you want it, rather than when you’ve come to expect it. There’s an excellent variety of gender, ethnicity, shape, form and age here. Carole is particularly good with babies and children and you could justify the relatively modest cover price for that alone. This is probably one of the best introductions to portrait drawing around and the fact that it uses recycled material is probably only of interest to reviewers like me. You won’t see the joins. -- Henry Malt * Artbookreview.net *Leisure Painter contributor, Carole Massey's eagerly anticipated guide to drawing portraits is aimed specifically at the beginner. Carole takes great pains to dispel the myth that portrait painting is only for experienced artists and makes it accessible to beginners through step-by-step examples. Simple exercises and longer projects show how to use line, tone and form to capture a likeness, using both monochrome and coloured pencils. There are also chapters on composition, clothing, props and more personal characteristics, such as hairstyles, resulting in portraits full of character and life. -- Leisure PainterMore people than ever have been finding joy in drawing and painting – it’s a fabulous way to unwind and relax. However, if you would like to improve your skills, then this is the perfect guide to take you through the stages. Step-by-step instructions remove the mystery to creating your very own masterpieces, with tips on how to capture personality and expression. * The People's Friend *I have always struggled with drawing noses and mouths when it comes to portrait drawing. This book is full of useful tips and advice on how to plan your portraits before going free hand. There is great advice on getting your proportions right which I have found extremely helpful. Once you’ve gained your grounding there are sections on shading and experimentation which is something I’m hoping to progress to. The book is not overly wordy like some others and it’s full of photos which really illustrate the points perfectly. I would thoroughly recommend this book to amateur artists like me. -- Emma Owen * Amazon *The last time Search Press rebadged a title in their Drawing Masterclass series as a beginner's guide, I raised an eyebrow so quizzically it would have made Roger Moore blush. They've done it again, but this time they - or rather Carole Massey, who has done the heavy lifting - have pulled off quite a conjuring trick. The rabbit has been pulled out of the hat, sawn in half, put back together again and released as a flock of doves, all without a step being missed. There's new material here as well as the original and the book is not so much a course as a gentle progression through faces, features, expressions and poses. Keeping it to the head and shoulders simplifies things no end. Carole is particularly good on babies and children, too. If you've been wanting to try portraiture, but have been looking for a starting point, you've found it. -- Henry Malt * The Artist *Excellent colour examples & easy to understand instructions to encourage a nervous beginner. -- James Holyland * Amazon Customer Review *Table of ContentsIntroduction 6 Materials 8 Your first portrait 26 Self portrait 28 Shape and structure 32 Features 38 Proportions 46 Capturing a likeness 68 Dimithra 72 Shading, tone and form 76 Character and expression 90 Moving on 96 Rosie 102 Drawing from life 106 Composition 114 Story 124 Maasai Warrior 132 Cora 136 Experimenting 140 Index 144

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Book SynopsisStudy human anatomy to translate nature into drawings that are both anatomically accurate and artistically beautiful.Essential Human Anatomy for Artists is an anatomy course in a book that’s designed to offer you new tools to help you understand the connections between exterior forms and underlying structures. Along with demonstrations of key materials are in-depth discussions of the skeleton and study of the muscles. The drawing demonstrations, which are based on a series of live model poses, are designed to help readers understand the various forms of the human body. Key information on movement and lighting is also included. For artists at every level of experience, Essential Human Anatomy for Artists allows you to learn to work freely and confidently with the human figure and use the information it provides to create an accurate visual impression. The For Artists series expertly guides and instructs artists at all skill levels who want to develop their classical drawing and painting skills and create realistic and representational art.Also available from the series: Drawing the Head for Artists, Figure Drawing for Artists, Life Drawing for Artists, Drawing and Painting Botanicals for Artists, Dynamic Still Life for Artists, Landscape Painter’s Workbook, Plein Air Techniques for Artists, and Sketching Techniques for Artists.Trade Review"Exceptionally well organized and thoroughly 'art student friendly' in presentation, making it an ideal and unreservedly recommended pick." * Midwest Book Review *Table of ContentsCHAPTER 1 BASIC TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES CHAPTER 2 THE SKELETON CHAPTER 3 THE HEAD AND NECK CHAPTER 4 THE TORSO AND PELVIS CHAPTER 5 THE UPPER AND LOWER LIMBS CHAPTER 6 MOVEMENT CHAPTER 7 LIGHTING AND BACKGROUND STRATEGIES Conclusion Resources Acknowledgments About the Author Index

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Book SynopsisIn the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries there was one art form in which English artists excelled above all their continental European counterparts: the painting of miniatures. This fascinating book explores the genre with special reference to two of its most accomplished practitioners, Nicholas Hilliard and Isaac Oliver, whose astounding skill brought them international fame and admiration. Four centuries ago, England was famous primarily for its literary culture – the dram a of Shakespeare and Ben Jonson and the works of the great lyrical and metaphysical poets. When it came to the production of visual art, the country was seen as something of a backwater. However, there was one art form for which English artists of this period were renowned: portrait miniature painting, or as it was known at the time, limning. Growing from roots in manuscript illumination, it was brought to astonishing heights of skill by two artists in particular: Nicholas Hilliard (1547–1619) and Isaac Oliver (c .1565–1617). In addition to exhibiting the exquisite technique of the artists, portrait miniatures express in a unique way many of the most distinctive and fascinating aspects of court life in this period: ostentatious secrecy, games of courtly love, arcane symbolism, a love of intricacy and decoration. Bedecked in elaborate lace, encrusted in jewellery and sprinkled with flowers, court ladies smile enigmatically at the viewer; their male counterparts rest on grassy banks or lean against trees, sighing over thwarted love, or more modestly express their hopes in Latin epigrams inscribed around their heads. Often set in richly enamelled and jewelled gold lockets, or beautifully turned ivory or ebony boxes, such miniatures could be concealed or revealed, exchanged or kept, as part of elaborate processes of friendship, love, patronage and diplomacy at the courts of Elizabeth I and James I /VI. This richly illustrated book, like the exhibition it accompanies, explores what the portrait miniature reveals about identity, society and visual culture in Elizabethan and Jacobean England.

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Book SynopsisThis repackaged edition of this best-selling guide to anatomy in art that will help artists of all levels to improve their life-drawing skills. Unlock your inner artist and discover how to draw the human body in this beautifully-illustrated art book by celebrated artist and teacher, Sarah Simblet. Whether you''re looking to develop a new skill this New Year, or develop your drawing skills even further, this visually-striking guide offers a fresh approach to drawing the human body. Dive straight in to discover: -Over 250 specially-commissioned photographs and drawings -Covers each part of the human body from head to toe -10 masterclasses demonstrate how famous artists have depicted the human body-Practical advice and top-tips on life drawing Combining stunning photographs of models with historical and contemporary works of art and her own dynamic life drawing, Sarah will take you on a journey inside the human body to map its skeleton, muscle groups and body systems. Bring your artwork to life in the most dynamic way possible, with detailed line drawings superimposed over photographs to reveal the links between the body''s appearance and it''s construction. Featuring inspirational master classes on world-famous artworks, from Michelangelo to Hans Holbein, Ingres to Degas and more, discover how artists have depicted the human body over centuries. Each master class features a photograph of a model holding the same pose as in the painting, to highlight key details of anatomy and show how the artist has interpreted them.Understanding anatomy is the foundation to understanding the human body successfully. As well as being the perfect reference, Anatomy for the Artist will inspire you to find a model, reach for your pencil and start drawing! Let DK plant the seed of curiosity and watch as it develops into a life-long love of art, anatomy and more. A must-have volume for artists of all levels who wish to tackle life drawing, or those interested in human anatomy, whether as a gift or self-purchase.

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Book SynopsisDavid Hockney: Normandy Portraits accompanies a major exhibition on David Hockney at the National Portrait Gallery, London. It reveals new portraits painted in Hockney's Normandy Studio between 2020 and 2022. David Hockney: Normandy Portraits illustrates around 40 acrylic on canvas works painted by Hockney at his Normandy studio – depicting his friends and visitors, including his partner JP, pop-star sensation Harry Styles, and the artist himself. This image-led book product will showcase a series of some previously unseen portraits, through 48 pages, uninterrupted by text, to allow readers to engage directly with the artworks that will be on display at the National Portrait Gallery as well as some added exclusives. These works highlight the ongoing importance of portraiture within the artist’s practice and demonstrate his sentiment that ‘drawings and paintings … are a lot better than photographs to give you a sense of the person’. Hockney returned to painting after an intensive period spent depicting the Normandy landscape using an iPad. The portraits were painted quickly and directly onto the canvas without under drawing. As Hockney has said ‘to do a portrait slowly is a bit of a contradiction’.

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Book SynopsisLONGLISTED FOR THE 2020 BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE CHOSEN AS A BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE GUARDIAN, OBSERVER, THE TIMES, SUNDAY TIMES, DAILY TELEGRAPH, MAIL ON SUNDAY, FINANCIAL TIMES, NEW STATESMAN, SPECTATOR THE SUNDAY TIMES ART BOOK OF THE YEAR 2020 'Explosively enjoyable, bursting with life and art ... A central figure as wild and beguiling as any character in literature' CRAIG BROWN William Feaver, Lucian Freud’s collaborator, curator and close friend, knew the unknowable artist better than most. Over many years, Freud narrated to him the story of his life, ‘our novel’. Fame follows Freud at the height of his powers, painting the most iconic works of his career in a constant pursuit of perfection, just outrunning his gambling debts and tailor’s bills. Whether tattooing swallows at the base of Kate Moss’s back or exacting a strange revenge on Jerry Hall and Mick Jagger, Freud’s adventures were always perfectly characteristic. An enfant terrible till the end, even as he was commissioned to paint the Queen, what emerges is an artist wilfully oblivious to the glitter of the world around – and focussed instead on painting first and last. ‘A dazzling tour de force’ THE TIMES 'A wonderfully vivid chronicle' OBSERVER ‘Does justice to Freud’s pitiless genius’ DAILY MAIL Trade ReviewFreud’s voice rings out on every page, offering opinions on everything ... There’s plenty of celebrity juice here too * Guardian, Best Art Books of 2020 *The painter emerges as fully three-dimensional in this second part of Feaver’s biography * THE TIMES, Best Paperbacks of 2022 *Huge, gossipy and sometimes shocking … no less breezy and eye-popping than the first * The Times and Sunday Times Best Books of 2020 *The concluding volume of Feaver’s unmissable biography sees the great painter evolving from enfant terrible into Old Devil - although really was a man ever so uncompromisingly himself from cradle to grave? As a life it’s both a horrible warning and a shining example, and Feaver does it justice * Daily Telegraph *Freud was a wonderful painter – a genius – but a frequently awful human being. His endless feuds and fights, his numerous sexual partners, his extraordinary work and his eccentricities are all vividly chronicled in this, the second volume of Fever’s monumental biography * Mail on Sunday, Books of the Year *Lucian Freud wanted William Feaver’s biography of him to be ‘the first funny art book’ … [this is] certainly that, with laughs galore. But it’s also much more, not least a wonderfully vivid chronicle of the interlocking worlds of money, art and bohemia * Observer, Best Books of 2020 *Feaver has collected some fabulous stories * Daily Telegraph, The Best Biographies and Memoirs of 2020 *William Feaver’s biography of Lucian Freud also comes in two parts. I read the second part, Fame: 1968-2011 (Bloomsbury) this year and found it as engrossing and well informed as the first, and as judicious and well written -- Colm Toibin * New Statesman, Books of the Year *[One of] the best things I read this year … crammed with enough jaw-dropping, buttocks-clenching revelations to keep a whole Soho pub entertained for days -- Robert Douglas Fairhurst * Spectator, Books of the Year *Explosively enjoyable, bursting with life and art, and all focused on a central figure as wild and beguiling as any character in literature, real or fictitious ... Feaver is wonderfully deft at interweaving the art and the life in an unshowy manner. Throughout the two volumes he manages to convey Freud’s personal magnetism, and the way he was simultaneously controlled and controlling and out of control. And, rare for a biographer, he shows what it was like to be with his subject from day to day -- Craig Brown * Mail on Sunday *Magnificent ... Reads like the last days of Rome ... Feaver shares his subject’s style and timing. His clipped prose is running commentary and ironic aside; the sentences, bone-dry, have dramatic entrances -- Frances Wilson * Times Literary Supplement *If Freud’s pictures are at heart all about palpable reality, the same is true of Feaver’s daunting enterprise ... David Hockney described Freud’s portraits as being essentially “an account of looking”, and that’s just what Feaver’s book is too * Sunday Times *Does justice to Freud’s pitiless genius as an artist * Daily Mail *An extremely juicy biography … You can hear Freud’s voice on the page, which is thrilling …Bulges with gossipy stuff … He was more vivid than other people ... and Feaver’s great and generous achievement in his book is to enable us to imagine this. Its last lines – Freud tells him, that he’s always liked lipstick on the teeth – are so perfect. Somehow, they say it all. Dress up, go out, get laid. And then try to get it all down in your work: “Tell people you’ve been alive” -- Rachel Cooke * Observer *A biography that is as generous and unsparing as Freud’s own best work. At once personally intimate and critically detached, perceptive on the art ... but never trying to compete with it, Feaver’s biographical portrait is an unforgettable achievement * Prospect *Superb and eye-opening ... A figure who was driven by strong appetites, told the truth when it was uncomfortable or unwanted, and used paint to play a complicated game in which self-revelation was strangely mixed up with self-disguise. * Prospect *A mesmerising picture of a paintaholic who was incorrigibly on the make … Feaver’s vastly detailed biography is the ideal companion to Freud’s work. It resembles nothing so much as a large Freud canvas: hypnotic, occasionally reiterative, quirkily dark in places, proceeding by a process of obsessive accretion -- Elizabeth Lowry * Guardian *Diverting … Freud played the mischievous bar-room raconteur, chuckling over bygone stunts and scrapes, and sticking the knife into old foes with venomous relish * Sunday Telegraph *The latest instalment of the epic biography of Lucian Freud finds him at the height of his fame * The Times *Absorbing in all its darkness and light, a dazzling tour de force … Remarkable … we have to be grateful that his Boswell was there to make a record * Literary Review *The first volume of Feaver’s biography of the artist was highly acclaimed. This second one covers his most productive years * Sunday Times *PRAISE FOR THE LIVES OF LUCIAN FREUD: YOUTH: 'William Feaver has done a brilliant job -- Lynn Barber * Daily Telegraph *Freud emerges, dab by dab, fully three-dimensional from Feaver’s vibrant recitation of dealers and models, works in progress and gambling ... David Hockney, another sitter, described Freud’s portraits as being essentially “an account of looking”, and that’s just what Feaver’s book is too * SUNDAY TIMES *Freud and Feaver seize you by the elbows, bundle you into a Bentley, haul you round the nightclubs, feed you oysters, Guinness and amphetamines and order you Russian tea and eggs the next morning. I didn’t know whether I’d been roughed up or ravished * The Times *This is a tremendous read. Anyone interested in British art needs it … An extraordinary book -- Andrew Marr * New Statesman *A biography that is as entertaining, and full of twists and turns, as a picaresque novel … It has amazing zip and gusto, and leaves you wanting more -- Craig Brown * Mail on Sunday *Sparkling … An extraordinary tranche of anecdote and apercu … Feaver’s wonderful biography comes close to Freud’s own definition of his art: “A picture should be a recreation of an event rather than an illustration of an object” * Sunday Times *Superlative … Every page of this volume affirms his distinction … This is Lucian Freudian biography, packed with stories -- Alexandra Harris * Guardian *Lucian Freud was unique; unique in intensity, in affection, in interest and in fun. This brilliant and compendious biography has the same qualities. It does justice to Lucian -- Frank AuerbachFeaver has filled his book to the brim with the excitement and strangeness of Freud's life -- Colm Toibin * London Review of Books *Mesmerising, almost surreal in its headlong layering of detail, memory and gossip. Propelled by Freud's sardonic recollections, and lit throughout by William Feaver's impeccable, penetrating analysis of the work, this is a monstrously brilliant portrait -- Jenny UglowIn William Feaver’s The Lives of Lucian Freud, based upon decades of conversation with the painter, we hear Freud’s remarkable voice on almost every page. The result is a vivid, intimate biography of one of the 20th century’s most storied artists -- Annalyn Swann and Mark Stevens, Pulitzer Prize-winning authors of de Kooning: An American MasterHere, Freud gets to tell his version of events with panache * Spectator *

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Book SynopsisArgues that the modern subject did not emerge from psychoanalysis or existential philosophy but rather within early-twentieth-century Viennese portraiture.Trade Review“Catherine M. Soussloff has managed, in her philosophical and art historical reflections on the portrait in modernity, to bring important insights to our understanding of the relation between the individual and history. The ‘individual’ is the great enigma of modernist history. In focusing on the ‘subject’ in the individual as revealed and hidden in modern portraiture, Soussloff exposes many of the open secrets of modernist historical consciousness as well.”—Hayden White, Presidential Professor of Historical Studies, Emeritus, University of California and Professor of Comparative Literature, Stanford University“[B]y tracing the genealogy of a way of seeing and a means of comprehending art, this is a valuable contribution to both art history and the history of Judaism. For writers on art, this book re-emphasises the importance of portraiture. For those who work on Jewish life and thought, it stresses the ways in which paintings were used to express identity. Resting on real research and deep thought, The Subject in Art forces us to look again at some familiar images and to think again about the ways in which we approach them. For that, it is sincerely to be welcomed.” -- William Whyte * Journal of Modern Jewish Studies *Table of ContentsList of Illustrations vii Acknowledgments ix Introduction: The Subject in Art 1 1. A Genealogy of the Subject in the Portrait 5 2. The Birth of the Social History of Art 25 3. The Subject at Risk: Jewish Assimilation and Viennese Portraiture 57 4. Art Photography, Portraiture, and Modern Subjectivity 83 5. Regarding the Subject in Art History: An Epilogue 115 Notes 123 Bibliography 149 Illustration Credits 163 Index 167

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Book SynopsisThrough easy-to-follow techniques, tips and step-by-step demonstrations, this book provides guidance for beginning artists to draw portraits of their friends and family. It helps readers learn about materials, basic techniques and individual facial features. It also helps readers learn how to draw people from a range of age groups and ethnicities.

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Book SynopsisExplores the relationship between fashion and power in Renaissance Italy, focusing on visual art and culture and the nature of aristocratic masculinity and patriarchal authority.Trade Review“With this vivid account of fifteenth-century fashion, McCall has given us thrilling new ways to interpret the politics, gender posturing, and art of Renaissance Italy. Bringing new light to such well-known historical figures and events—and from such a surprising angle and with so much delicacy in the details of the prose—is what makes Brilliant Bodies a remarkable achievement.”—Emanuele Lugli,author of The Making of Measure and the Promise of Sameness“Readers who worry that McCall’s book might be an academic affair directed toward art historians, costume scholars, archivists, and other specialists need not fear: the chapters are beautifully illustrated, the writing is accessible, the argument is clearly developed with a critical eye toward current debates on gender, identity, and the symbolic valorization of whiteness, or ‘brilliance,’ in the courts of early Renaissance Europe, where aristocratic men and women regularly bleached their hair blond, powdered their hands and faces white, and embellished their clothing with shimmering metallic threads and gems that made their bodies glow like the sun.”—Maria H. Loh Art in America“Readers who worry that McCall’s book might be an academic affair directed toward art historians, costume scholars, archivists, and other specialists need not fear: the chapters are beautifully illustrated, the writing is accessible, the argument is clearly developed with a critical eye toward current debates on gender, identity, and the symbolic valorization of whiteness.”—Maria H. Loh Art in America“Specialists have long awaited the publication of [McCall’s] book, which will turn into an instant classic in the field.”—Ulinka Rublack Journal of Design History“Lavishly illustrated and written in an accessible style, it is a must-read for anyone interested in dress or the Renaissance court.”—Sara van Dijk Virtus“Beautiful, provocative, and stylishly written.”—Charlotte F. Nichols Renaissance and Reformation

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Book SynopsisA fun how-to sketchbook for drawing portraits and selfies! Sketch Your Best Self is a quirky guide to drawing all kinds of faces – starting with your own! The book is split into four sections, covering the basics, how to draw faces, building bodies and selfie style. This comprises how to draw features, how to create different expressions, drawing bodies and limbs and lots of fun stuff including how to create a selfie in pop art style, full colour, monochrome and retro classics style. So pucker up for creating lips, decide if today is a good or bad hair day, practise some photobooth-style expressions, build your friends limb by limb, add some attitude, then try out the fun and whimsical drawing challenges with super fun pages based around Snapchat style filters. Don’t be left out – this beautiful book is fully inclusive and can be enjoyed by everyone!Trade ReviewThis lively book by artist, Amy Blackwell, is a fun guide to drawing portraits of yourself and your friends. Divided into four sections, Amy starts with Your Gave and includes information on composition, eyes, ears and nose before moving on to Beyond Basics. Here Amy shoes you how to handle expressions, create a style, sue pattern and make-up to best effect. The Entire Selfie looks at proportions, drawing hands and feet, accessories and shoes, and the final section, Selfie Styles, moves on to more stylistic exercises, working in black and white, colour, pattern overload, retro classics or creating a photo-booth effect. This is a fun, up-to-date book that will encourage teenagers and all young artists to look again at drawing their portraits. -- Leisure Painter * Leisure Painter *Sketch Your Best Self is a beautifully illustrated step-by-step guide to drawing yourself. It is ideal for both beginners and those wishing to develop their artistic abilities further. The blank spaces are ideal for sketching on, allowing you to compare styles. Both myself and my children (ages 15 and 10) have had great fun with this book. We highly recommend it. -- Customer Review * Customer Review *Table of ContentsIntroduction How to use this book Tools Part 1: Your Face Draw your face, Composition, Angles, Ears, Eyes, Noses, Mouth, Teeth Part 2: Beyond Basics Expressions, All smiles, Feeling icky, Creating style, Using pattern, Using colour, Makeup, Hair, Frames & sunnies, Introduce your selfie Part 3: Entire Selfie Proportions, Stretch or shrink, How to draw hands, How to draw feet, Boobs, bums & tums, Body confidence, Stance, Sports day, Sitting & reclining, Dressing room, Accessorize, Shoes, glorious shoes!, Scars & tattoos, My entire selfie Part 4: Selfie Style Black & white, Monochrome, Full colour, Pop art, Pattern overload!, Behaviour patterns, I, Robot, Mermaid, Life under the sea, Chibi: Kawaii!, Once upon a time, Dream team, Flower power, Friendship garden, Animal selfie, Hippie or vintage chic?, Retro classics, Cool girl, The man filter, Photo booth, Face paint, Glamazons, Dream come true Acknowledgments

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Book SynopsisPositioning Alice Neel as a champion of civil rights, this book explores how her paintings convey her humanist politics and capture the humanity, strength, and vulnerability of her subjects “One of the most ambitious and thorough collections of Neel’s work to date.”—Allison Schaller, Vanity Fair “For me, people come first,” Alice Neel (1900–1984) declared in 1950. “I have tried to assert the dignity and eternal importance of the human being.” This ambitious publication surveys Neel’s nearly 70-year career through the lens of her radical humanism. Remarkable portraits of victims of the Great Depression, fellow residents of Spanish Harlem, leaders of political organizations, queer artists, visibly pregnant women, and members of New York’s global diaspora reveal that Neel viewed humanism as both a political and philosophical ideal. In addition to these paintings of famous and unknown sitters, the more than 100 works highlighted include Neel’s emotionally charged cityscapes and still lifes as well as the artist’s erotic pastels and watercolors. Essays tackle Neel’s portrayal of LGBTQ subjects; her unique aesthetic language, which merged abstraction and figuration; and her commitment to progressive politics, civil rights, feminism, and racial diversity. The authors also explore Neel’s highly personal preoccupations with death, illness, and motherhood while reasserting her place in the broader cultural history of the 20th century.Published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Distributed by Yale University PressExhibition Schedule:The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (March 22–August 1, 2021) Guggenheim, Bilbao (September 17, 2021–January 30, 2022) de Young Museum, San Francisco (March 12–July 10, 2022)

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Book SynopsisStruggling artist Sadie Montgomery never saw what was coming... Literally! One minute she''s celebrating placing as a finalist in a prestigious portrait-painting competition, the next she''s lying in a hospital bed diagnosed with a probably temporary condition known as face blindness. She can still see - but every face she looks at is now a jumbled puzzle of disconnected features. As she struggles to hang on to her artistic dream, work through major family issues, and take care of her beloved dog Peanut, she falls in love - not with one man but two. The timing couldn''t be worse. Making judgment calls on anything right now is a nightmare. If only her life were a little more in focus, Sadie might be able to have it all...*****PRAISE FOR NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER KATHERINE CENTER ''My perfect 10 of a book. As funny and sweet as all the very best nineties rom-coms, but with Center''s signature heart-tugging depth. I

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Book SynopsisThe Herbert Smith Freehills Portrait Award is one of Britain's most prestigious art prizes, and is the leading showcase for artists throughout the world specialising in portraiture. Barbara Walker, Tom Shakespeare and Russell Tovey are among this years judging panel. The prestigious competition showcases the very best in contemporary portrait painting and is open to everyone aged eighteen and over. Since its inception over 40 years ago, the competition has attracted over 40,000 entries from more than 100 countries and over 6 million people have seen the exhibition. Alongside stunning artwork reproductions, the catalogue includes extended interviews with all prize-winning artists by journalist Richard McClure, and descriptive captions for all exhibited works by National Portrait Gallery curator Tanya Bentley, providing fascinating insight into the people and techniques behind the portraits.

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Book Synopsis'A vital book' JUNO ROCHE'Beautifully illustrated and fascinating' MEG-JOHN BARKER'Fun and fact-filled' SUSAN STRYKERThis inspiring collection of illustrated portraits celebrates the lives of influential transgender, non-binary and intersex figures throughout history.Showcasing the diversity of gender identities and expressions that have existed in all cultures alongside developments from recent years, the extraordinary stories in this book highlight the achievements and legacies of those who have fought to be themselves, whatever their gender. From activists, soldiers and historical leaders through to pirates, actors and artists, this book explores the life and times of over fifty trans and intersex trailblazers in their fight for equality, acceptance and change. Poignant, educational and empowering, these are the gender pioneers everyone needs to know about.Trade ReviewGender Pioneers is a fun, fact-filled, easy-to-read romp through the long history of gender-diversity in cultures around the world. It places contemporary trans identities in a broader context to show there's nothing new about being non-binary or changing gender. -- Susan Stryker, author of Transgender History: The Roots of Today's RevolutionOur history is rich, deep, diverse and expansive. Ancient even. This beautifully illustrated book documents our rich history clearly and gloriously. A vital book if setting out to discover our history(s) or to tell or retell the story the us. We have been pioneers pushing at the constrictive limits of gender for centuries. -- Juno Roche, author of Trans Power, Queer Sex and Gender ExplorersA beautifully illustrated and fascinating tour through the history of transness and gender creativity. A must for anyone who wants to know their gender history, or to access awesome possibility-models from across time and space. -- Meg-John Barker, author of Life Isn't Binary and Gender: A Graphic Guide

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Book SynopsisExam board: Edexcel Level & Subject: AS and A Level English Literature First teaching: September 2015 Next exams: 2025Trade Review“The new Collins Classroom Classic editions are perfect for schools – clear text, bright covers, a good size for pockets and bags, and a great price that makes buying new class or cohort sets very attractive in these budget-conscious times.” de Stafford School

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Little is known about the Dutch painter Frans Hals: no letters or diaries survive, and the only contemporary documents are unrevealing. But Nadler manages to construct a satisfying quasi-biography by using the milieu of seventeenth-century Haarlem. . . . Though Hals has long been overshadowed by his contemporary Rembrandt, Nadler demonstrates why his peers held him to be 'the modern painter par excellence.'" * New Yorker *“Hals may have become famous for his lifelike portraits, but the only way to depict his own life, Nadler suggests in The Portraitist, is to paint a picture of the social world in which he was embedded. As Nadler acknowledges, this is a book whose subject ‘all too often . . . disappear[s] from view.’” * New York Review of Books *"Splendid." -- Ian Buruma * Times Literary Supplement *"Nadler laments the absence of biographical material about Hals, but does a wonderful job of bringing the social context of his art to life in intricate and lively detail. In so doing, he brings this incomparable artist to life as well." * Literary Review *Named one of the best books of 2022. * New Yorker *"In The Portraitist, [Nadler] closes in on his subject, as it were. By sketching the artistic, social, political and religious milieus and the elite subjects who came to Hals for portraits and civic guard pieces, Nadler sketches a sharp picture of the politically turbulent first half of the seventeenth century and Hals’ position therein. This results in a quasi-biography which brings Hals to life in a refined way." * NRC Handelsblad *"[The Portraitist] is stylistically much like a portrait by the master: broadly sweeping strokes situate the geopolitical context and are embellished by microhistorical details relating to the art market and to Hals’s family and his patrons. The paintings serve as focal points along the way. Though much about Hals’s life remains unknown, Nadler’s portrait of the age in which he worked is clearly and astutely evoked. . . . Recommended." * Choice *"Nadler’s biography of Frans Hals discusses the life and legacy of the Dutch 17th-century painter against the backdrop of his thriving adopted city of Haarlem, delving into the artistic, social, political, and religious worlds of the time." * The Art Newspaper *"Nadler is particularly adept at illuminating the details of the lives of Hals’s sitters and how they connect to the ebbs and flows of religious power struggles, inside and outside the Dutch Republic. The resulting image is one of a flexible artist willing to work for individuals of different faiths. At the same time, Nadler casts Hals as an artist who had to navigate a complex, and frequently shifting, religious environment in a never-ending search for commissions and sales. Nadler’s illumination of Hals’s network is particularly useful in the various passages related to the painter’s family. Nadler expertly gathers information about Hals’s grandparents, parents, and their relations in Antwerp before the young Hals relocated to Haarlem by 1591. . . . Nadler’s book is an informative volume crafted in engaging prose. " * Historians of Netherlandish Art Reviews *"Framed by the religious upheavals of the era, situated solidly in the art world of the Dutch Republic, and defining Hals’ accomplishments, Nadler’s accessible and convincing portrait presents a politically pliant and religiously ambiguous man with loose narrative brushstrokes similar to those used by the genius himself." * Booklist *“Nadler has made 17th-century Holland his own special province. This polymath historian of philosophy has already built onto his expertise about Spinoza and Descartes with truly interdisciplinary studies, including Rembrandt’s Jews and Menasseh Ben Israel. Now he makes his own portrait of Rembrandt’s contemporary, Frans Hals, and his Haarlem society. Nadler’s deep research provides the first thorough biography of Hals, the painter who for half a century boldly fashioned lively likenesses of his fellow citizens onto his canvases.” -- Larry Silver, author of Rembrandt’s Holland“This welcome new book on Frans Hals situates the artist, his patrons, and his city in a broader perspective than any previous study. We learn about circumstances in his life and milieu that were surely of influence on Hals’s paintings. Much to our benefit, Nadler delves into matters that we tend to take for granted.” -- Gary Schwartz, author of Rembrandt’s Universe“Nadler has masterfully brought Frans Hals to life much as this remarkable seventeenth-century Haarlem artist animated sitters in his portrait paintings. Nadler’s engaging narrative draws the reader close to the artist and captures the essence of his distinctive manner of painting. He introduces us to Hals’s family, enumerates Hals’s financial woes, and assesses the personalities of his sitters, among them merchants, ministers, officers in militia companies, and directors of charitable institutions. Seamlessly fusing these narratives, Nadler evokes the ambiance of Haarlem’s rich and varied culture, but he also explores how broader political and religious developments in the Dutch Republic impacted Hals throughout his career.” -- Arthur K. Wheelock Jr., author of Clouds, Ice, and Bounty: The Lee and Juliet Fund Collection of Seventeenth-Century Dutch and Flemish PaintingsTable of ContentsList of Illustrations Introduction 1. Exile 2. Haarlem 3. Master Painter 4. Citizen Hals 5. In a Rough Manner 6. "Very Boldly Done after Life" 7. Debts and Disputes 8. Pandemics 9. "A Pleasing, Good and Sincere Peace" 10. Denouement Acknowledgments Notes References Index

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Book SynopsisOne of the most fascinating aspects of Rembrandt's extraordinary artistic career is his suite of brooding half-length portraits of religious figures from the late 1650s and early 1660s. Painted during a difficult time in the artist's life - when he no longer enjoyed a ready market for his works and may have turned to his deep religious convictions for solace - these images are among the most evocative Rembrandt created. For years scholars have debated whether these paintings were intended as a series, yet until now these works have, unbelievably, never been shown together. An exhibition by the National Gallery of Art and this accompanying catalog assemble seventeen of the paintings for the first time, finally giving the powerful images their due. Many of these subtle and wondrous paintings have been identified as images of apostles and evangelists, but among them are also representations of Christ, the Virgin, and still-unidentified saints and monks. In Rembrandt's typical fashion, the

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewThrough her wonder and her doubt Kristeva sets forth a compelling account of the sacred and of the intimate visionary capacity of the human soul. -- Joshua Paetkau The Ecclesial University Blog The Severed Head is a reminder that art can be the best teacher, particularly when the topic is an uncomfortable one. -- Patricia Contino New Pages.com This beautifully written and richly layered meditation on mortality and representation will undoubtedly appeal to those readers interested in semiotic and psychoanalytically informed readings of art. -- Jonathan Patkowski Library Journal XPress Reviews The Severed Head considers a remarkable a remarkable range of representations of the severed head in art historical, religious and mythological contexts. TLS

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Book SynopsisLunch with the FT has been a permanent fixture in the Financial Times for almost 30 years, featuring presidents, film stars, musical icons and business leaders from around the world.The column is now a well-established institution, which has reinvigorated the art of conversation in the convivial, intimate environment of a long and boozy lunch.This new and updated edition includes lunches with:Elon MuskDonald TrumpHilary MantelRichard BransonZadie SmithNigel FarageRussell BrandDavid GuettaYanis VaroufakisJean-Claude JunckerGwyneth PaltrowRebecca SolnitJordan PetersonChimamanda Ngozi AdichieAnd more...

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Book SynopsisArtist's Drawing Techniques brings together a selection of award-winning artists and tutors who are represented by multiple galleries throughout the UK, including Katarzyna Kmiecik, Mark Langley, Ashley Mortenson, Kate Parkin, Charlie Schaffer, Gail Sibley, Katie Sollohub, Rupert Smissen, and Jake Spicer.

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Book SynopsisTable of ContentsList of Illustrations Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Christian Krohg, the Radical Naturalist 2. Naturalism, the Dark Side of Realism 3. The Heroism of the Scientist 4. Hippolyte Taine and the Modern Breakthrough in Scandinavia 5. Christian Krohg in Skagen: Painting according to Taine 6. Naturalism and the Beholder: Sympathy and Theatricality 7. Naturalist Paragone: Literature and Painting 8. Albertine in the Police Doctor’s Waiting Room: Panopticon, Spectacle, Speculum 9. Modern Pessimism: From Naturalism to Symbolism Epilogue: Naturalism Is Dead, Long Live Naturalism!

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Book SynopsisCharts the history of French female portraiture from its heyday in the early nineteenth century to its demise in the early twentieth century. This book focuses on six canonic paintings and how they illuminate evolving social attitudes and aesthetic concerns in France over the course of the century.

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Book SynopsisDiminutive marvels of artistry and fine craftsmanship, portrait miniatures reveal a wealth of information within their small frames. This book presents approximately 180 portrait miniatures, selected from the holdings of the Cincinnati Art Museum. It includes both American and European miniatures and stresses the continuity of stylistic tradition.Trade Review"Perfect Likeness showcases the largest collection of miniatures in the U.S. . . . "—Booklist * Booklist *

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Book SynopsisPhilip de László (1869-1937) was the pre-eminent portrait artist working in Britain between 1907 and 1937. He painted nearly 3,000 portraits, including those of kings and queens, four American presidents and members of the European nobility. This title gives an account of both his life and his work.Trade Review"[Hart-Davis] is uniquely well-qualified to undertake a life of de Laszlo . . . . this biography is lavishly and intelligently illustrated . . . . [it] should succeed in renewing interest in an artist who ably captured a glamorous, now-vanished world."--Martin Rubin, Washington Times -- Martin Rubin * Washington Times *

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Book SynopsisFor much of early modern history, the opportunity to be immortalized in a portrait was explicitly tied to social class: only landed elites and royalty had the money and power to commission such an endeavour. This book examines the patronage and production of portraits in Tudor and Jacobean England.Trade ReviewSelected as a Choice Outstanding Academic Title for 2013 in the Fine Arts Category. -- Outstanding Academic Title * Choice *

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Book SynopsisExploring the relationship with painted portraits, conventions, settings, sitting, making and multiple production, this book argues that the new centrality and aesthetic ambition of the sculptural portrait were informed by Enlightenment notions of perception and selfhood.Trade Review“This book is beautifully laid out with superb photographs and details of sculpture illustrated, while the dense text provides a penetrating analysis of the subject… This ground-breaking compendium of observation and research accrued through years of experience, curating and teaching demands attentive reading.”—Tessa Murdoch, Burlington Magazine -- Tessa Murdoch * Burlington Magazine *

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Book SynopsisThe first in-depth exploration of the rise and evolution of abstract, symbolic, and conceptual portraiture in American artTrade Review“While the rise of identity politics since the early 1990s has subjected ideas of the nature and representation of identity to scrutiny, there has been no single publication that focuses on artists’ development of radical alternative strategies in portraiture. The authors of This Is a Portrait If I Say So are to be applauded for addressing this important and neglected subject, and for the original and significant questions that their project raises.”—Paul Moorhouse, National Portrait Gallery, London -- Paul Moorhouse“Given the scholarly attention devoted to portraiture in recent years, and the growing number of major exhibitions that look at the genre, This Is a Portrait If I Say So is a timely intervention. One of its great strengths is the absolutely fascinating and unusual array of portraits chosen for examination.”—Shearer West, University of Sheffield -- Shearer West“[This] book explores how different artists investigate the meaning of identity through a range of issues, from sexuality and technology to race and politics . . . [to] reveal both the expansiveness and the diversity within the genre of American portraiture.”—The Magazine Antiques * The Magazine Antiques *“In a time when identity, politics, and technology are so prevalent in our daily lives, This is a Portrait If I Say So reveals a new narrative of the progression of portraiture in American art.”—Mackenzie Salisbury, ARLIS/NA Reviews -- Mackenzie Salisbury * ARLIS/NA Reviews *

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“Elizabeth Goldring’s illustrated biography Nicholas Hilliard: Life of an Artist, published to coincide with a major centenary exhibition, tells his story with all the flair of her last book, an examination of the flamboyant and (for his day) selfie-loving Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester” —Suzi Feay, Financial Times“Goldring’s engaging account of his life, character and artistic methods, supported by gorgeous illustrations and illuminating new archival discoveries, makes for a wonderful book, at once authoritative and full of pleasures.” —Helen Hackett, Literary Review“Before you book your tickets [to the National Portrait Gallery’s Hilliard retrospective], read Elizabeth Goldring’s sumptuous survey Nicholas Hilliard: Life of an Artist. Goldring, whose previous book Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester and the World of Elizabethan Art, considered portraiture and patronage, has a fine, incisive eye. This is a scholarly book … but full of insight and courtly intrigue. [. . .] Goldring gives the bones of Hilliard’s biography [. . .] and his turbulent times [. . .] but more than that she encourages you to really look. [. . .]The close-up photographs of jewels and lace are a revelation.” – Laura Freeman, The Times“Richly detailed and illuminating [. . .] If Hans Holbein fixed the appearance of Henry VIII’s court for the ages, it is Nicholas Hilliard who performed that service for Henry’s daughter, Elizabeth. His exquisite portrait miniatures captured not just her transition from youthful monarch to Virgin Queen to Gloriana but the constellation of her court. [. . .] for those sittings he would stare at the royal visage for hours from mere feet away. Perhaps no one else ever looked at her so intently. Goldring’s fascinating and beautifully produced book allows us to do something similar with the limner himself.” – Michael Prodger, The Sunday Times"Elizabeth Goldring's engrossing, thickly illustrated biography shows that it was a rags-to-riches-and-back-again story. [. . .] This superb book vividly conjures a costly dresser and spendthrift, terrible with money, litigious, and sometimes slippery with creditors [. . .] Patrons bailed him out more than once, and his penultimate year was spent in Ludgate jail for debt. What humiliation for one who painted everyone who counted."—Philippa Stockley, Evening Standard“A brilliant and definitive biography”—Jerry Brotton, Financial Times Weekend Magazine“Scholarly”—Laura Gascoigne, The Spectator“Superb”—Simon Wilson, RA Magazine“A fascinating and beautifully produced life of the Elizabethan miniaturist”—The Sunday Times (‘Best Recent Books’)An Apollo 'Off the Shelf' Selection (February 2019)An Arts Society 'Good Reads' Selection (Spring 2019)“A landmark scholarly biography . . . Goldring excavates the connections that let an Exeter goldsmith become an artist renowned at the courts of Europe. She has rescued a Renaissance in miniature”—Jonathan Jones, The Guardian“Nicholas Hilliard not only allows us to study the artist and his gifts. It pulses too with the vivid conviction we find in JH Plumb's study of Walpole or Claire Tomalin's of Pepys. [. . .] Everyday lives in the Elizabethan and Jacobean ages are vividly rendered here. Goldring sharpens our ability to look beyond the glossy-magazine analogs of court painting and decipher, as with TS Eliot's vignette of the poet Webster, the skull beneath the skin. She is good, too, at placing Protestant Hilliard and his family in the context of the religious wars that threatened Britain for nearly a century and ravaged Europe for more than two. [. . .] At times Goldring's book reads like an Elizabethan version of a John le Carre novel [. . .] In spite of informed and scrupulous scholarship, with the author ever distinguishing what is known from what may reasonably be inferred, the narrative is unputdownable” —Grey Gowrie, The Financial Times“Meticulous [. . .] lavishly illustrated [. . .] absorbing [. . .] a milestone in Hilliard studies” —James Hall, TLS“Elizabeth Goldring’s absorbing and well-researched historical biography of Hilliard surveys the personal and professional life of the artist, and examines the personalities behind his portraits.” —Olenka Horbatsch, British Museum Magazine“A fascinating and beautifully produced life of the Elizabethan miniaturist” —The Times (Best Books of the Year)“An outstanding archivally-based biography [. . .] this essential hardback study of Protestant England's first native-born artist, with a brilliant European reputation across the Catholic Renaissance courts (magnificently and fully illustrated in colour), acts as a profound reminder of the diplomatic power of great art” —Stephen Lloyd, Art Quarterly“The National Portrait Gallery's superb exhibition of Elizabethan miniatures closed last month but for those who missed it, Elizabeth Goldring's Nicholas Hilliard: Life of an Artist is worth the cover price for its beautiful close-up photographs alone.” —William Moore, Evening Standard (Best summer holiday reads)“[A] rich and compelling new biography”—Mathew Lyons, History Today"Goldring has unearthed each and every fact known about Hilliard (surprisingly many) and woven them into a contextualised, informative and well paced text [. . .] a superior publication [. . .] timely and scholarly" —Mike von Joel, State“This is set to be the definitive study of Nicholas Hilliard. It includes a full biography and includes a wealth of illustrations, many of the images appearing in colour for the first time. New archival research adds to the authoritative nature of the text and the quality of production is everything you could wish for – a book like this can easily be let down in that department, but this shines”—Artbookreview.net“Crisp, elegant and engaging prose [. . .] A lavish abundance of full-colour illustrations [. . .] at last, the biography that the outstanding miniaturist truly deserves” —William Aslet, Country Life“Sumptuous [. . .] the first ever full investigation of [Hilliard's] life and art, illustrated with 250 beautiful colour images. [. . .] Elizabeth Goldring has tracked down a wealth of documentation and her eye for detail, deftness of touch and elegance of style perfectly matches the exquisite works of her fascinating subject.” —Roderick Conway Morris, The Lady“This gorgeous book is a beautifully written and thoroughly researched account of Hilliard’s life and work and illustrated throughout with many images appearing in colour for the first time” —Henry Malt, The Artist “[A] rich and compelling new biography”—Mathew Lyons, History Today Winner of the 2019 Apollo Book of the Year Award, sponsored by Apollo: The International Art MagazineShortlisted for the Richard Schlagman Art Book Award, sponsored by the Whitechapel GalleryShortlisted for the 2019 Best First Biography Prize, sponsored by Slightly Foxed MagazineShortlisted for the William M. B. Berger Prize for British Art History"This is a book I have long been waiting for, the first fully documented biography of Nicholas Hilliard setting him within the political, social and cultural worlds of his age. It will long remain the definitive work."—Roy Strong

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Book SynopsisA vibrant survey of visual culture in Golden Age Denmark (1801-1864).

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Book SynopsisThe new paperback edition of Roy Strong's popular introduction to Elizabethan portraiture.Trade Review“Britain’s great Renaissance man – in the sense both that the Renaissance is his period, and that he can turn his hand to anything – appears as spring-chickenish as he is inexhaustible. His 43rd book, The Elizabethan Image, is published this month, and its sequel, The Stuart Image, is already being written – Hannah Betts, Telegraph“There is no better person to introduce this period afresh and to convey its richness and complexity, with the aid of the magnificent illustrations that run through this book” —Frances Spalding, Daily Mail (Book of the Week)“[A] lavish production [. . .] Strong has always had an instinctive feel for, and understanding of, the Elizabethan mindset and aesthetic. This book is no exception — and is particularly good on the ways in which the upwardly mobile used portraiture to signal their social ascent. Learned yet accessible, The Elizabethan Image provides a rich overview of the portraiture of the period which will appeal to fans of Strong's original publications as well as to a new generation of readers” — Elizabeth Goldring, Spectator “Engaging overview, in portraiture, of a rich period of English history.” —The Bookseller “Strong returns to his specialist subject in this sumptuously illustrated book” —Apollo Magazine (Off The Shelf)“An account rich in biographical detail”— Matthew Dennison, World of Interiors“When an academic with such a distinguished track record as Roy Strong's publishes a new work in the field to which he has already contributed so much, it is an important event –particularly when the publisher also has a history of producing sumptuously illustrated books. Indeed, the result is a book delightful both to read and to look at, in which text and image support one another in an ideal manner” —Paul Flux, Albion “Thorough, but never exhausting, this is an authoritative and comprehensive interpretation that provides a wealth of historical insight as well as artistic vision and presentation” — Henry Malt, The Artist “While many of Strong’s previous publications were beautiful artefacts, this one surpasses them all” — Helen Hackett, TLS“[Strong] returns to his first love, revealing that he has kept up with all the developments in modern scholarship. The result is a sumptuous, beautifully illustrated volume [. . .] A book to treasure” —A.N.Wilson, Spectator (Books Of The Year)“This beautiful book opens up to a wide audience a world of emblem and allegory, political manoeuvrings and religious conflict, serpents, sea monsters, and armillary spheres [. . .] In The Elizabethan Image Strong integrates a lifetime’s work with a synthesis of recent research by others, and the book will serve as an essential introduction to Elizabethan portraiture for many years to come”—Juliet Carey, Apollo MagazineCHOICE Outstanding Academic Titles, 2020

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Book SynopsisBrings together, for the first time, Lucian Freud's oil on copper paintings, including his lost portrait of Francis Bacon and two works that have never been reproduced before.

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Book SynopsisAn eye-opening presentation of largely unknown figurative drawings by a renowned pioneer of abstraction

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Book SynopsisExcerpts from art critic, historian, lecturer and broadcaster James Hall's lively and comprehensive cultural history of self-portraiture, including such artists as Dürer, Gentileschi, Van Gogh and Kahlo. Surprising, questioning, challenging, enriching: the Pocket Perspectives series celebrates writers and thinkers who have helped shape the conversation across the arts. Mixing classic and contemporary texts, reissues and abridgements, these are bite-sized, fully illustrated reads in an attractive, affordable and highly collectable package.

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