“I have never read a text which goes even half as far as this one in expressing the particular poignancy which lay at the heart of the impressionist movement. I say this as an art critic. As a novelist I would simply like to pay my tribute to the mastery of language, portraiture and storytelling which Figes has now at her command.” – John Berger
“A small masterpiece” – Susan Hill
“A luminous prose poem” – Joyce Carol Oates
This shimmering novel is an extraordinary portrait of a day in the life of an artist at work and at home. In prose as luminous as the colors Monet is using to portray his garden, Eva Figes guides us from dawn (‘midnight blueblack growing grey and misty’) through midday (‘the sun was high now… shrinking what little shadow remained, fading colors, the pink rambler roses on the fence by the railway track looked almost white’) to evening (‘the tide of shadows rising as the sunset glow faded outside.’) Monet’s wife, grieving for a lost daughter; a living daughter, fretting that she will not be able to marry the man she loves; their friend the abbé, eating and drinking with them; two children playing, closest to Monet in the freshness and certainty of their vision; all experiencing in different ways the richness of the light that Monet works unceasingly to pin down in his last, great paintings.
John Russell Pope is one of America’s most famous architects, responsible for many major works, including the Jefferson Memorial, the House of the Temple and the West Building of the National Gallery of Art. This book, The Architecture of John Russell Pope, Selected Works: Houses is the first volume of a two-part monograph, to be followed by a volume on public buildings.
Made in association with the ICAA (the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art), this is a lavishly illustrated study of Pope’s extraordinary house designs, often inspired by classical European architecture, standing proudly among his achievements as the crown jewels in many of the USA’s most vaunted ZIP codes. Originally published during the 1920s, Pope’s exquisite floorplans and sketches accompany period photographs and the original commentary by art historian and traditionalist Royal Cortissoz to create a comprehensive and visually stunning account of a true titan of American design.
Houses include: the residence of Ogden Mills, Woodbury, Long Island; Moses and Edith Taylor’s Glen Manor House, Portsmouth, Rhode Island; Charlcote House, built for James Swan Frick in the suburbs of Baltimore; the now lost Oak Hill mansion, Jericho, Long Island; and Brodhead-Bell-Morton Mansion (aka Morton House) in the exclusive Logan Circle area of Washington DC.
Tibetan Buddhist art is not only rich in figural icons but also extremely diverse in its symbols and ritual objects. This first systematic review is an abundantly illustrated reference book on Tibetan ritual art that aids our understanding of its different types and forms, its sacred meanings and ceremonial functions. Eighteen chapters, several hundred different implements are documented in detail, in many cases for the first time and often in their various styles and iconographic forms: altar utensils and amulets, masks and mirrors, magic daggers and mandalas, torma sculptures and prayer objects, vajras and votive tablets, sacrificial vessels and oracle crowns, stupas and spirit traps, ritual vases, textiles, furniture, and symbolic emblems. These are accompanied by many historical and modern text sources, as well as rare recorded oral material from high-ranking Tibetan masters. This long-awaited handbook is a must-have for all those with an interest in Buddhist art and religion.
Founded probably in the 5th or 6th century, the Cathedral of Genoa was later rebuilt in Romanesque style and devoted to St. Lawrence the martyr. Money came from the successful enterprises of the Genoese fleets in the Crusades. After a fire in 1296, the building was partly restored, the inner colonnades rebuilt and matronei and frescoes added. In 1550 the Perugian architect Galeazzo Alessi was commissioned by the city magistrates to plan the reconstruction of the entire building, but the construction of the cathedral didn’t finish until the 17th century.
Among the artworks inside the church are ceiling frescoes, paintings and altarpieces by Luca Cambiaso, Federico Barocci, Lazzaro Tavarone and Gaetano Previati, while sculpture include works by Domenico Gagini, Andrea Sansovino, Giacomo and Guglielmo Della Porta. Impressive are also the works of art and silverware kept in the Museum of the Treasury which lies under the cathedral. One of the most important pieces is the Sacred bowl brought by Guglielmo Embriaco after the conquest of Cesarea and supposed to be the chalice used by Christ during the Last Supper.
Contributors include: Gianluca Ameri, Beatrice Astrua, Michele Bacci, Piero Boccardo, Antonella Capitanio, Marco Ciatti, Marco Collareta, Anna De Floriani, Clario Di Fabio, Grazia Di Natale, Gabriele Donati, Lucia Faedo, Marco Folin, Maria Flora Giubilei, Henrike Haug, Karin Kranhold, Anna Rosa Calderoni Masetti, Roberto Paolo Novello, Linda Pisani, Stefano Riccioni, Giorgio Rossini, Philippe Sénéchal, Carlo Tosco, Gerhard Wolf, Photographs by Ghigo Roli.
Text in English and Italian.
The Royal Palace of Palermo, today seat of the Sicilian Regional Assembly, is one of the symbols of Sicily and of the rich Sicilian and national patrimony. Formerly a fortress, then royal palace and finally building of government, the palace is today an extraordinary and fascinating monumental complex. A casket of artistic treasures like the Palatine Chapel commissioned by Roger II, testimony of the deep encounter between the cultures of the Normans, the Byzantines and the Arabs. The origins of the Palace go back to the xii century, while its present look is mostly due to the additions made by the Spanish viceroys during the Renaissance. Its history is rooted in the viii century B.C., when can be dated the Phoenician structures discovered during the digs of 1984. The scholarly essays of this book, together with the new photographic campaign realized by the photographer Ghigo Roli, are an indispensable guide to the history of the Royal Palace, its manifold functions and the timeless fascination of its rich artistic heritage.
Published on the occasion of an important international loan exhibition at The Azerbaijan National Museum in Baku, this multi-author book is much more than a mere catalogue. Containing previously unpublished research and a wealth of previously hidden material from museums and private collections around the world, and written by a team of international museum professionals and independent scholars, it is the first co-ordinated and detailed study of the West Caspian region’s characteristic silk embroideries. The book traces the history of embroidery in the Caucasus, the multi-cultural sources of domestic embroidery, iconography and designs in which the textile traditions of the Iranian and Turkic worlds meet, materials and needlework techniques, as well as the relationship between embroidery and the pile carpet weaving tradition in the region.
Contents:
1 Silk Treasures of Azerbaijan, Alberto Boralevi & Asli Samadova
2 Historical Azerbaijan, Murray L. Eiland III
3 Caucasian Embroideries in Context, Penny Oakley
4 Safavid-style Domestic Embroideries from Historical Azerbaijan, 1550-1800, Michael Franses
5 Silk Culture in the Caucasus, Irina Koshoridze
6 Azerbaijan Embroidery Techniques, Jennifer Wearden
7 What Went Before to Make It as It Was? Caucasian Embroidered Textiles from The Textile Museum Collection, Sumru Belger Krody
8 Busily Engaged on Embroidery : Collecting and Curatorship for the V&A, Moya Carey
9 An Early Museum Collection: Azerbaijan Embroideries in the V&A, Penny Oakley
10 A Shared Design Lexicon: Azerbaijan Embroideries and Rugs, Brian Morehouse
With vivid memories of his first visit to the Scottish National Gallery in the 1970s and his initial encounter with Hugo van der Goes’ The Trinity Altarpiece, Rembrandt’s A Woman in Bed, Velázquez’s An Old Woman Cooking Eggs and Degas’ Diego Martelli, Robert Storr discusses the shifting balance of museum collections from historically ‘certified’ classics to art whose status and significance remains in active contention and from singular ‘treasures’ to ensembles that speak to the larger scope of an artist’s endeavor.
Also available: Unfinished Paintings: Narratives of the Non-Finito Watson Gordon Lecture 2014 ISBN 9781906270919 ‘The Hardest Kind of Archetype’: Reflections on Roy Lichtenstein The Watson Gordon Lecture 2010 ISBN 9781906270384 Picasso’s ‘Toys for Adults’ Cubism as Surrealism: The Watson Gordon Lecture 2008 ISBN 9781906270261 Sound, Silence, and Modernity in Dutch Pictures of Manners The Watson Gordon Lecture 2007 ISBN 9781906270254 Roger Fry’s Journey From the Primitives to the Post-Impressionists: Watson Gordon Lecture 2006 ISBN 9781906270117
The wee folk have returned! Uncover the mystery of who they are and why they are here in the first book of the Vinetrope Adventures. Following a young girl, Sara, who has recently lost her mom to cancer, Return of the Vinetropes tells the story of a remarkable fairy-like creature found in Sara’s back yard. Lucinda Vinetrope: born wise, full-grown, and all alone. She may only be 12 inches high, but her personality is huge! Her arrival signifies the return of the Vinetrope nation, but also the return of their evil counterparts, the Chargons and the Vinkali. Joined by a supporting cast of comedic characters, animal and human alike, Sara and Lucinda set off on their quest to find the other Vinetropes and protect their world from danger.
This book grants unexpected, beautiful and provoking insights into the diversity of the collection of treasures held in Leipzig’s GRASSI Museum of Applied Arts. Focusing on the joy of contemplating the works, its hope is to awaken the desire for a personal encounter with them. The sequence of illustrations highlights exciting connections, diversions and views between the objects. Chronological records or even the stringent arrangement of the collections and materials play no role here, allowing surprisingly novel, latent qualities that are frequently otherwise hidden, to be revealed.
In this publication the works meet face to face and present a wonderful survey of the diverse forms of applied art and design.
The National Galleries of Scotland comprises three galleries: the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art and the Scottish National Gallery. Together these galleries house one of the finest collections of art to be found anywhere in the world, ranging from the thirteenth century to the present day. Many of the greatest names in Western art are represented by major works, from Titian, Rembrandt and Vermeer through to Picasso, Hockney and Warhol. This lavishly illustrated book contains one hundred of the National Galleries of Scotland s greatest and best-loved treasures. The selection made by the Director-General Sir John Leighton is intended to evoke the special character of the collection at the National Galleries with its distinctive interplay between Scottish and international art as well as the many conversations that it establishes between the art of the past and the present.
The largest maps in the world are to be found in the floor of the Citizens’ Hall, in the heart of the Royal Palace Amsterdam. The three circular mosaics, each measuring over six metres in diameter, together depict the known world and the night sky. They remain to this day an iconic and beloved part of the majestic palace, which was originally built in the mid-17th century to serve as Amsterdam’s town hall. At that time, the city was the world’s leading cartography centre. The prominent place of the floor maps relates directly to that primacy. This book tells the story of these unique maps and of the flourishing of cartography in Amsterdam in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Beginning with the 12,000-year-old cave paintings of Bhimbetka, up to the Bah’ai House of Worship, a blinding masterpiece of 20th-century engineering and design, the wealth of creative genius, brilliant skill and endeavor of its people are evident in India’s man-made wonders. Between the soaring medieval temples of the South and dramatically perched Buddhist monasteries of the North; the uniquely ornamented stepwells of the West and the grand Victoria Memorial, a symbol of British supremacy in the East, lie massive forts, fairy-tale palaces, tombs of Sultans, ruined ancient cities, statuesque cathedrals, and of course, the resplendent Taj Mahal. Along with these are the wonders bestowed on India by nature. In a country blessed with astoundingly diverse ecology and terrain, these range from the mighty Himalayan peaks of Nanda Devi and Kanchenjunga to the elephant-inhabited lush tropical forests of Periyar, and from the pristine-white island beaches of Lakshadweep to the tiger-infested delta of two legendary rivers: the Ganga and the Brahmaputra. Showcased in this book, in a feast of lavish colour photographs and lucid text, are 100 fabulous destinations that evoke the wonder that is India.
This publication was designed to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the discovery of the Riace Bronzes. In it, Luigi Spina’s photographic research dialogs with the texts written by Carmelo Malacrino.
The photographer here develops a continued narrative, offering a direct comparison between the two sculptures, identified as A and B, exploring interpretations of the physicality of the two subjects as well as the three-dimensional quality of the bronze bodies, often concealed by the two-dimensional appearance of photographic images.
Carmelo Malacrino analyzes these famous 5th century BC masterpieces from two points of view: as ancient works of art on the one hand, and considering their significance for contemporary culture on the other. He retraces the story of the Bronzes beginning with their discovery in August, 1972, exploring the circumstances of their unearthing, the restoration they underwent, the exhibitions in which they were shown, as well as the impact they have had on the public, both nationally and internationally. Equally relevant is the reinterpretation of these two statues, beginning with their contextualization in the sphere of ancient Greek art, the related stylistic issues, and the reflection upon the practices and the knowledge possessed by Classical sculpture workshops.
This volume will be a pleasant surprise for those of you who love Classical sculpture, for archaeology enthusiasts, and for all those who aren’t satisfied with a quick glance when it comes to admiring a work of art.
Seattle has fueled the hopes, dreams, and imaginations of countless individuals throughout its history. Their energy, ideas, and inventions have influenced the city’s skyline, the evolution of air travel, the music and art worlds, and even the very coffee we drink. They are the reason Seattle is gifted with so many unusual, offbeat, and truly compeling places for explorers to discover and enjoy, from a coin-operated attraction filled with enormous shoes, the world’s greenest commercial building, and urban old growth forests, to a haunted staircase and museums dedicated to pinball, dialysis machines, and rubber chickens.
111 Places in Seattle That You Must Not Miss invites and inspires locals and visitors alike to seek out the Emerald City’s hidden treasures, overlooked gems, and charming curiosities.
Car Racing 1971 is every bit a worthy successor in the tradition established by the six previous tomes of the Car Racing series (1965 to 1970). It is still through treasures unearthed from the archives of the DPPI photographic agency that this book offers, for the title year, a unique experience of immersion in the atmosphere of 1970s motorsport. Created in 1965 by a group of photographers fascinated by the fury of the track and the bravura of drivers, DPPI has always gone where the action is. This proximity resulted in incredible action photos, unimaginable today. ‘This is not an umpteenth book on the history of motorsport,’ insists DPPI director Fabrice Connen. ‘In every case, we favored the strongest, most unusual pictures or those that best recreated the atmosphere of the time, even if they were taken at minor events or depicted less famous competitors.’
Text in English and French
The always astonishing stories of hundreds of dream cars covered in dust found in barns in the French or Belgian countryside, or stranded in open fields, overgrown with weeds, hidden for more than 50 years. “We found one of three Maserati A6G 2000 Berlinettas bodied by Frua, dating from 1956. And then, under piles of magazines, we discovered something even more exciting… a Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider , with obscured headlights, a car which belonged to Alain Delon, who was photographed on several occasions at the wheel – accompanied, in 1964, by Jane Fonda.”
That’s not all: Maserati A6G 2000 Gran Sport, Facel Vega Excellence, Hispano-Suiza H6B, Bugatti 57 Ventoux. Several Talbot-Lago, Delahaye and Voisin – the list of classic automobiles, forgotten for decades is incredible. In 2015, the Baillon collection, a “lifetime work”, was sold at auction for more than 25 million euros by Artcurial. Mi urbex-mi automobile collection: nuggets of inestimable value in their abandoned state before restoration.
What is most impressive is the sheer number of cars stored in barns or scattered across meadows overgrown with shrubs.
Christian Martin immortalizes these mechanical marvels and brings them to life through striking photographs. This enthusiasm is reflected in his photographs, presented for the first time in this book.
Text in English and French.
Whether you’re a proud Cardiffian, or a curious visitor, this is your ultimate guide to the Welsh capital’s hidden treasures and quirky charms.
From the familiar to the downright bizarre, each entry offers a unique insight into the city’s life. Where can you dare to stand in a hurricane or peek into magical miniature worlds?
Visit the place where Snoop Dogg turned gardener, uncover the unexpected tales behind the Norwegian church, touch walls that have stood for over 1,500 years, and even use a genuine 1920s urinal (gents only, of course!).
But that’s just the beginning. With 111 unique locations to explore, you’ll discover Cardiff’s rich history and vibrant present. Each entry is brimming with fascinating facts, local lore, and practical visiting information, making this book perfect for both day-trippers and residents.
Whether you’re planning a weekend getaway, entertaining out-of-town guests, or simply looking to fall in love with your city all over again, this guide will take you on a journey of discovery.
“…packed with superb colour photographs… This book is a wonderful companion to cathedral-crawling, not least in helping the crawlers work out what is, and what isn’t, worth seeing” – Simon Heffer, Telegraph“
A beautifully illustrated guide” — Premier Christianity
“[The] thrilling tale of the medium’s continuity… is set forth by Janet Gough, the erstwhile director of Cathedrals and Church buildings at the C of E, in her latest book, Divine Light” — World of Interiors
“I would recommend that you visit some of these cathedrals, book in hand.” — The Methodist Recorder
“What a gem of a book it is, and its size makes it one to carry around as you visit England’s cathedrals.” — Chronicle
The stained-glass windows of England’s cathedrals illuminate interior spaces, communicate religious and other messages, and – perhaps – offer us a glimpse of heaven. This book tells the remarkable story of these much-loved works of art.
Divine Light features glass from every Church of England cathedral. It spans 900 years, beginning with the windows installed at Canterbury Cathedral following the murder of Thomas Becket in 1170 and representing every subsequent century in the history of English stained glass. Divine Light encompasses the Middle Ages, the Reformation, the hugely productive ‘long 19th century’, the Pre-Raphaelites, the Arts and Crafts movement, the creative commissions of the 20th century, and the innovative glass being commissioned by cathedrals today.
The book establishes the connections between the artistic beauty of stained glass, its effectiveness as a narrative medium, and the various technical developments that have shaped the work of practitioners over the centuries. The refraction of light through colored glass emerges as an early form of mass communications that retains its power to move and inspire today.
Travel today is fast, comfortable, and accessible to many. But between the 17th and early 19th centuries, it was a privilege reserved for the elite. Young British aristocrats would embark on a Grand Tour as the final stage of their education. Italy was the highlight of this cultural journey, with visits to Rome, Florence, Venice, and Mount Vesuvius. Along the way, they admired art and architecture, forged connections, and refined their taste—often returning home with artworks and souvenirs to adorn their country estates.
It wasn’t just young men who traveled; entire families journeyed across Europe in grand entourages. What inspired them to set out, which routes did they take, and what treasures did they bring back?
This book explores those journeys and presents a remarkable selection of artworks brought home from three of England’s finest stately homes: Holkham Hall, Burghley House, and Woburn Abbey.
Discover the Finger Lakes: 4,692 square miles of Upstate New York packed with history, vineyards, waterfalls, gorges, and hidden treasures.
111 Places in the Finger Lakes That You Must Not Miss takes you off the beaten path to the odd, the unexpected, and the downright fascinating. Explore stories, legends, and secrets most visitors never find. Visit the place where Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn came to life. Spin on the world’s fastest carousel. Stand beneath waterfalls taller than Niagara. Tour a haunted winery. Browse a collection of brains. Try your hand at circus school. Wander a garden inspired by Claude Monet. Visit the Dalai Lama’s North American retreat.
The Finger Lakes have been called magical, creative, historic, and breathtaking – and you’ll see why. Adventure, mystery, and wonder await at every turn.
“…packed with superb colour photographs… This book is a wonderful companion to cathedral-crawling, not least in helping the crawlers work out what is, and what isn’t, worth seeing” – Simon Heffer, Telegraph“
A beautifully illustrated guide” — Premier Christianity
“[The] thrilling tale of the medium’s continuity… is set forth by Janet Gough, the erstwhile director of Cathedrals and Church buildings at the C of E, in her latest book, Divine Light” — World of Interiors
“I would recommend that you visit some of these cathedrals, book in hand.” — The Methodist Recorder
The stained-glass windows of England’s cathedrals illuminate interior spaces, communicate religious and other messages, and – perhaps – offer us a glimpse of heaven. This book tells the remarkable story of these much-loved works of art.
Divine Light features glass from every Church of England cathedral. It spans 900 years, beginning with the windows installed at Canterbury Cathedral following the murder of Thomas Becket in 1170 and representing every subsequent century in the history of English stained glass. Divine Light encompasses the Middle Ages, the Reformation, the hugely productive ‘long 19th century’, the Pre-Raphaelites, the Arts and Crafts movement, the creative commissions of the 20th century, and the innovative glass being commissioned by cathedrals today.
The book establishes the connections between the artistic beauty of stained glass, its effectiveness as a narrative medium, and the various technical developments that have shaped the work of practitioners over the centuries. The refraction of light through colored glass emerges as an early form of mass communications that retains its power to move and inspire today.
Welcome to Birmingham, a super-diverse city with an ever-shifting identity. This is the quiet medieval market town that overnight became the center of the industrial revolution, over the centuries rolling out leather wares, jewelry, steam engines, motor cars, fountain pens, gun smithery, toys, chocolate, heavy metal music and nanotechnology. The city’s drive to successively reinvent itself as motor city, conference capital and shopping destination reflects that initial burst of energy. The result is a city of many layers, bold planning experiments, overlapping fragments and pockets of creative endeavor which can be tough to navigate without a guide. However, its many treasures coruscate more brilliantly for being lost. This book tells the story many would miss through the art, places, buildings, people and the dynamic mix of cultures that reveal the Birmingham identity, from the smallest architectural details to epic civic structures. Only here can you chill on a bench with local heroes Black Sabbath, will you be greeted at the museum by the fallen angel Lucifer, chance upon a golden Burmese peace pagoda, time travel in the Shakespeare Library and find the world’s oldest surviving instance of railway architecture.
For over 2000 years artists travelled throughout India, using painted picture scrolls to spread stories from the great Indian epics, as well as a wealth of stories about regional Gods and heroes and moral tales, amongst the most illiterate rural population. In the hands of the painters and singers, the picture scrolls became a portable cinema, projection screens for mythical knowledge and an incentive to listen to the songs whilst looking at the scrolls. In the same way that other oral art forms have dwindled and lost significance, the picture scroll artists also lost their public and their income. However, in the east of India – in West Bengal and Jharkhand – two closely related but distinctive picture scroll traditions have been upheld: the patua and the jadopatia. Political changes, technical innovations and social turmoil brought both these traditions face to face with the necessity to develop new survival strategies too. Accompanies an exhibition at the Ethnographic Museum of the University of Zurich, Switzerland, from 30th August 2012.
Intizar Husain is the finest writer of Urdu prose and the most brilliant story-teller of the post-partition generation. The two novellas, Day and Dastan (Din Aur Dastan), his favorite texts, show his versatility and fictional inventiveness. Day, a realistic story, is a meditation on the cruellest of events to have scarred our times – migrations. When people are forced to move to new homes or new geographies, they only recall a mix of uncanny facts, streets lost in sad nostalgias, fantasies of lovers, parables of simple things, or an unending romance about a possible life and a world. While physical geographies are redrawn, moral landscapes become so bewildering as to leave one emotionally paralyzed. As in Intizar Husain’s other work, India’s partition haunts the tale like an inexplicable shadow.
In contrast, Dastan is a traditional tale of wonder. Its language is lyrical and exaggerated; its narrative, obsessed with action, weaves dreams and adventure, heroism and mercy, beauty and love, magic and grace. It is located in another time of turmoil and uncertainty when mysterious forces cause havoc in nature, and societies rise up suddenly to avenge old wrongs. The 1857 war of independence is prophesied by a mysterious faqir; rivers suddenly break their banks; an old haveli is left desolate; a princess weeps beside a fountain; a parrot shows a soldier the road to take; and hope of political change is fatally lost. Intizar Husain is neither a social critic nor a preacher; he is a story-teller – a supreme one.