Jaipur has drawn upon the arts to carve a niche for itself. This book tells the story of the visual arts, both commissioned and acquired, by the royal family of Jaipur over a period of more than two centuries, highlighting the dual roles of its rulers as patrons who commissioned works from their own court artists, and as collectors who acquired works from elsewhere. In the special case of Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh II, it also encompasses the creation of art, as he was an accomplished amateur photographer. The book begins with paintings from the 18th century, from the period of the founder Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, up to that of Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh, under whose reign painting in particular flourished. It then captures the excitement of the late 19th century when the camera competed with, but also complemented, the artist’s brush under Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh II. In the end, images leading to Indian Independence and its aftermath overseen by Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh II and Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II, bring us up to the mid-20th century. Contents: Foreword by Princess Diya Kumari of Jaipur; Introduction; Glories of the Suratkhana – Two Centuries of Painting at the Jaipur Court Sonika Soni; Painting Materials and Process; The Age of the Founders, 1727-1778, Jaipur and the Mughals, People at Court, Mughal Paintings and Jaipur Copies, Acquired from Elsewhere, Religious and Folk Paintings, Large Format Paintings; An Aesthete’s Court, 1778-1819,The Patronage of Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh, Illustrated Manuscripts, Krishna’s Dance, Other Jaipur Subjects, Influences from Elsewhere; New Directions, 1819-1880 A New Era, Illustrated manuscripts, The Court Atelier, Influences from Elsewhere, Large Format Paintings; The View from the Tasveerkhana – Photography at the Jaipur Court Mrinalini Venkateswaran, Photography Equipment; Early Photography in Jaipur, 1860-1890 Self-portraits, Nobles at Court, Women of the Zenana, Foreign Visitors, Royal Visitors, Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh’s views of Amber & Jaipur, Views of Amber & Jaipur by the Maharaja’s Contemporaries, Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh outside Jaipur, Bourne & Shepherd; Into the Modern Era, 1880-1950 Portraits of the later Maharajas, Capturing Ceremony, Painting and Design; Acknowledgements; Select Bibliography; Index.
A fascinating journey through the development of 19th century photography
Early Gaze provides a fascinating insight into the origins and development of photography in nineteenth-century Belgium. At the time, the technology was the wonder of the age. Presenting never-before-published material, the book uncovers hidden stories and perspectives while also revealing a rich array of subjects. It also demonstrates how the ruling class harnessed photography as a potent instrument of identity and control. From intimate portraits to medical experiments, from art photography to the first mugshots, Early Gaze brings together hundreds of unique images to illuminate how the pioneers of the era sought to capture their world with the camera.
With numerous unique photos by François Braga, Joseph Pelizzaro, Guillaume Claine, Joseph Ernest Buschmann, Edmond Fierlants, and others.
Text in English and Dutch.
Charlotte Perriand (1903-1999) was one of the most innovative furniture and interior designers of the twentieth century, long renowned for the tubular-steel chairs she created with le Corbusier. Her career spanned nearly seventy-five years and included work in her native France as well as in Africa, South America, Asia, and Europe, and today her designs are highly collectable. Recently, several hundred photographic negatives were uncovered in her archives, revealing for the first time the scope of her work as a photographer. In the late 1920s, French interior and furniture designer Charlotte Perriand was at the cusp of her career, just beginning her work as an architect, designer, town planner, and political militant. Starting in 1927, she turned to photography, which was to play a pivotal role in her development as a designer through the pioneering years of the modern movement. Her photographic venture ended in Japan in 1941, when the hope of a better world was shattered by World War II. For Charlotte Perriand, photography was a machine for thinking, taking notes, and stirring emotions, but it was also an instrument of political engagement. Today, her photographs are a revelation, offering unseen glimpses into her creative process and intellectual development. Her photographs express the important themes and questions explored by modern artists of the day, and are part of the vast stream of avant-garde movements in which painters, architects, and photographers – and sometimes all three combined – worked together in a common spirit.
Both beautiful and unusual, the images in this exquisitely bound book capture the freshest contemporary photography of flora from both famous and lesser-known photographers around the world. Although enchanting, the pictures move us away from traditional and sometimes predictable images of gardens, wildflowers and tropical plants. This beautifully bound book makes a perfect gift and shows flowers in a new light, whether shot in the studio, on location or using surprisingly abstract techniques.
architekturbild, the European Architectural Photography Prize, has been awarded on a two-yearly basis since 1995. This time the contestants’ subject is “Borders”. A polarized subject, borders can be understood in the sense of opening or closing, of including or excluding, or as definitions of geographical or (urban) spatial areas. They can be clearly recognizable or subtly noticeable, but are always perceived as either protecting or deterring. In the context of the European Architectural Photography Prize 2017, this book by no means focuses on the negative interpretations of this term, but rather on how the concept of ‘borders’ influences and stimulates photographic-artistic involvement with our built environment. This book accompanies an international traveling exhibition, starting in the German Architecture Museum (DAM) on May 5th, 2017. Text in English and German.
Going against the grain of conventional street photography or humanist photography—both too traditional for his bold creative vision—Ray K. Metzker (1931–2014) uniquely appropriated urban space through its vertical and horizontal lines, with complete mastery of light. Long underrated, his work has previously only been featured in about a handful publications, all of which are now out of print. This new monograph, bringing together approximately 150 photographs, offers a fresh perspective on Metzker’s work as well as a (re)discovery of the American photographer, who developed an emotional affinity early on with the cities of Chicago and Philadelphia. His photography broke free from narrative aesthetic conventions, elevating monochrome photography to new heights.
From wild parrots in the streets of Tokyo to prize pigeons outside New York, this book brings together the world’s best contemporary photography of birds and asks us to look anew at these mysterious winged creatures in all their complexity and majesty.
Featured photographers: Frankie Alduino, Barbara Bosworth, Xavi Bou, Giacomo Brunelli, Robert Clark, Tim Flach, Andrew Garn, Mark Harvey, Leila Jeffreys, Simen Johan, Tracy Johnson, Katerina Kaloudi, Sanna Kannisto, Tom Leighton, Neeta Madahar, Dillon Marsh, Joseph McGlennon, Yoshinori Mizutani, Yola Monakhov, Carla Rhodes, Pentti Sammallahti, Joel Sartore, Aniruddha Satam, Søren Solkær, Tamara Staples, Luke Stephenson, Julia Tatarchenko and Janice Tieken.
From Nigel Grierson, (photographer/sleeve designer and joint creator of the 4AD visual identity), and with an essay by esteemed photography writer, Gerry Badger, comes the first volume of his street photography from the early 1980s – created while studying at The Royal College of Art in London. Here ‘the decisive moment’ combined with Grierson’s uniquely minimalist eye, are employed to create images of great power, humor and poignancy. Pioneering ‘flash in daylight’ within British documentary photography from the late 1970s, onward (‘a time when natural light was almost a creed’ – Badger), this award winning work, is finally published. In his brief introduction, Grierson speaks of his fascination for the ‘paradoxical’ nature of the medium, being both documentation and self expression simultaneously. He states, ‘It seemed to me, that through photography and observation, there was the possibility, for the two great arcs of life; one of the outer world of reality / documentation, and the other of the inner world of fiction and dream, to come together with the single click of a shutter’.
Since 2004-05, the producers of the ‘Gute Aussichten – New German Photography’ competition have presented their winning photos at over one hundred solo shows. The competition fills a gap in the art world, which had previously left it up to chance or good luck to decide whether talented new photographers gained attention. The competition takes place every year, and the magazine Der Spiegel describes it as “Germany’s most prestigious competition for new photography.” This book showcases the top entries to the competition. The travelling exhibition starts on the 18th of November 2016 at the NRW-Forum in Düsseldorf, Germany. It will appear at different venues worldwide throughout 2017. Text in English and German.
This beautifully designed book is a celebration of one of the world’s most creative, dynamic and fascinating cities: Tokyo. It spans 400 years, with highlights including Kano school paintings; the iconic woodblock prints of Hiroshige; Tokyo Pop Art posters; the photography of Moriyama Daido and Ninagawa Mika; manga; film; and contemporary art by Murakami Takashi and Aida Makoto. Visually bold and richly detailed, this publication looks at a city which has undergone constant destruction and renewal and it tells the stories of the people who have made Tokyo so famous with their insatiable appetite for the new and innovative – from the samurai to avantgarde artists today. Co-edited by Japanese art specialists and curators Lena Fritsch and Clare Pollard from Oxford University, this accessible volume features 28 texts by international experts of Japanese culture, as well as original statements by influential artists.
Early photography flourished throughout India, with particular vigour in the city of Bombay. Long before the invention of moving pictures, and long before Bollywood, Bombay was the first Indian city where the photographic needs of the public including more affluent indigenous Indians as well as British were catered to. The aim of this publication in researching under-recognized photographers of the time like Narayen Daji, Hurrichund Chintamon, Shivashanker Narayen and Shapoor N. Bhedwar is to contribute new information for a local history that is still very much in formation. Following a roughly chronological trajectory, the volume looks at some of the earliest surviving Bombay photographs, and moves through differing eras to the end of the century, covering architectural studies and landscapes, portraits and ethnographic studies, and the documentation of trade and technological advancements that produced such spectacular pictures.
This anthology celebrates the remarkable beauty of our feline companions. Deliberately striking, the photographs in this exquisitely bound book emphasize modern, innovative perspectives – showcasing fresh, unexpected projects from both renowned and emerging photographers around the world. Moving beyond the traditional, sometimes predictable shots of cats lounging on windowsills or in laps, these images re-imagine cats in a new light, whether captured in studio settings, on location or using surprisingly abstract techniques.
Albert Dros has a passion for landscape photography. Although he travels the world in search of the most beautiful images, the Netherlands is still his favorite subject. After all these years, Albert has created extremely atmospheric, colorful and almost romantic photographs of the Netherlands. His dream images in this book show everything that makes the Netherlands the Netherlands: from tulips to windmills, from purple moors to vast river landscapes and from picturesque towns to animals in meadows and in the wild. The Beauty of the Netherlands is the result of ten years of craftsmanship by an internationally renowned photographer who captures a Netherlands that few people will ever see with their own eyes.
This small, beautiful book showcases the best and most arresting modern photography of the dog. Bringing together bold projects by established and emerging photographers from around the world, the book moves beyond sentimentality to present images that are intimate, cinematic and quietly powerful. Playful, poignant and sometimes unexpected, these photographs reveal the many ways dogs exist alongside us — as companions, characters, confidants and constants. This is a fresh, modern portrait of our closest of animal friends.
To wander is to travel without a fixed route or destination, to move expectantly through the world. Wander, the second volume in Sean Palfrey’s photography book series, explores the joy of following a winding course.
Palfrey is a renowned pediatrician and child health advocate, who travels the world with his work and for pleasure. His fascination with people, places, and stories informs both his artistic and professional practices. Wander traces Palfrey’s journeys across continents and cultures over five decades and features seventy photographs of remarkable places, from the mountain ranges of South Africa to the beaches of Chile, the woods of Canada to the deserts of New Mexico, to name a few. In the text accompanying each photo, Palfrey recounts his experiences and meditations in lyrical narratives.
Wander depicts and describes vastness, intimacy, beauty, and loss. Palfrey affirms photography’s capacity to spark our imaginations: “Every photo here has a story, a backstory, a then-story, and a since-story.”
In a world of infinite images here is a guide to 65 of the best ever taken. From early experiments with light and form through Leica masterpieces and now artificially generated images, take it or leave it, this is our opinion as to why these particular photographs rise above so many others and how they shaped the history of photography as an art form as well as the way we see ourselves and the world. This is the third book in a new series of Opinionated Guides on art movements, mediums and ideas which builds on the success of Hoxton Mini Press Opinionated Guides to London.
In September 1939, thousands of German soldiers were turned loose on Poland. In 1940, they descended on Holland, Belgium and France. In 1941 they went to the Balkans, and then to the USSR. Armed with Leica and Rolleiflex cameras, some of these soldiers were officially commissioned as photographers, while others were asked by their commanders to snap records of events. Among them were trainees who knew about the Bauhaus, and other, older, men who could remember Weimar. Some excelled at formal portraiture, others were storytellers, stylists or humanists who wept at what they saw. The style and content of their work changed along with the collective mood after 1942, a change that is discernible in the photographs themselves. Celebrated author and art historian Ian Jeffrey – author of How to Read a Photograph and The Photography Book – has trawled through these albums, picking out the most compelling of these works to create an intimate record of anonymous lives experiencing the unprecedented.
“When one is tired of London, one is tired of life.” – Samuel Johnson London has long been a center of the literary world. From Shakespeare to Amis, Byron to Blake, Plath, Thomas, Christie and Rowling; many of the greatest names in literature have made this metropolis their home. Writers’ London guides the reader through homes, bookshops, pubs and cemeteries, in search of where literary greats loved and lost, drank and died. Discover the Islington building where Joe Orton was murdered by his lover, the Soho pub where Dylan Thomas left his manuscript, the Chelsea hotel where Oscar Wilde was arrested, and the Bank of England where Kenneth Graham was shot at (and missed) three times. Gathering hundreds of famous and less-well-known anecdotes, this meticulously researched volume will entertain any lover of literature. Also in the series: Vinyl London ISBN 9781788840156 Rock ‘n’ Roll London ISBN 9781788840163 Art London ISBN 9781788840385 London Peculiars ISBN 9781851499182
In the last twenty-five years contemporary art in Scotland has grown from a tiny and tightly knit community to a globally recognized center of artistic innovation and experiment. This book provides the first comprehensive and fully illustrated guide to the art of the period. Featuring the work of more than eighty contemporary artists who first made their careers in Scotland including Turner Prize winners Douglas Gordon, Simon Starling and Martin Boyce. An accessible introduction for new audiences and a handy reference guide to the art of this period.
In the last twenty-five years contemporary art in Scotland has grown from a tiny and tightly knit scene to a globally recognized center of artistic innovation and experiment. Generation Reader provides the first collection of key documents from the period including essays, interviews, critical writing and artists’ own texts. This publication will fill a significant gap in the scholarship of the period and provide a resource for the future, an illustrated guide to the ideas, events and debates that shaped a generation. The selected archive texts from the period will sit alongside some newly-commissioned writing which includes essays by the novelist Louise Welch and by Nicola White, Dr Sarah Lowndes, Francis McKee, Professor Andrew Patrizio and Julianna Engberg. GENERATION is a landmark series of exhibitions tracing the remarkable development of contemporary art in Scotland over the last twenty-five years. It is an ambitious and extensive program of works of art by more than 100 artists at over 60 galleries, exhibition spaces and venues the length and breadth of Scotland between March and November 2014.
This is the first study of a fascinating, international phenomenon in the art of the past century. Naked portraiture is an original hybrid of the traditional genres of the nude and portrait, and has been created by an astonishing range of major artists, in many different media and in a variety of major artistic centres. Martin Hammer’s ground-breaking book compares work by painters such as Egon Schiele, Paula Modersohn-Becker, Pierre Bonnard, Stanley Spencer, Lucian Freud, Tracey Emin and Jenny Saville. The analysis encompasses a rich tradition of naked portraiture using photographic media, produced by figures such as Alfred Stieglitz, Richard Avedon, Diane Arbus, Boris Mikhailov, Nan Goldin, Gary Schneider and Melanie Manchot. The subjects are men and woman, old and young, black and white, healthy and disabled. They might be lovers, close relatives or friends, with their nakedness suggesting the intimacy and tenderness existing between artist and subject. Conversely, the artist might not know them beyond the circumstance of making the pictures. Many of the images represent the artists themselves, with nudity carrying connotations of self-exploration, vulnerability, playfulness or fantasy. Martin Hammer’s innovative study seeks to explain naked portraiture as a symptom of wider currents in modern culture, a visual parallel to various other manifestations of an impulse to reveal what is hidden, profound, or authentic, beneath the surface facade. The book also opens up for consideration the wider issue of how and why the genre of portraiture has been radically extended and reinvented, in so many different ways, within the art of the last hundred years.
A Shepherd’s Life centres on Jenny Armstrong, born in 1903 at the farm of Fairliehope, who spent her life working as a shepherdess in the Pentland Hills. In a series of remarkable paintings made over twenty years and based on close observation, Victoria Crowe, one of Scotland’s foremost painters, pays tribute to the life and work of this exceptional woman. In spite of their different ages and backgrounds, the two women came to value each other’s company and it was through the shepherdess that the artist learned how to interpret the surrounding landscape. At the same time the paintings depict an ancient way of living that has been long in the decline and which, at the start of a new millennium, may be finally disappearing.
This book brings together over 160 of the finest surrealist artworks by legendary artists including Salvador Dalí, Max Ernst, René Magritte, Joan Miró and Man Ray. The works hail from the four renowned and extraordinary private collections of Edward James, Roland Penrose, Gabrielle Keiller and Ulla and Heiner Pietzsch, and together offer a superb overview of surrealist art.
Ten essays explore the different origins, historical contexts and creative urges behind these collections. Artworks, perhaps more than anything else that one can acquire, are objects of desire and surrealist artworks even more so. The sheer quality of the works acquired (and, in the case of the Pietzsches, still being acquired) is astonishing and, while passionate about their private visions, all the collectors have been mindful of contributing something to the public good.
The collections complement each other to an extraordinary degree and allow us to follow some of the artists’ careers from beginning to end. By uniting them, exciting new juxtapositions emerge along with a fuller and richer picture of the surrealist movement as a whole.
These sketchbooks, the work of the acclaimed Scottish artist Barbara Rae CBE RA during her three journeys towards the Northwest Passage in the depths of the Arctic Circle in 2015, 2016 and 2017, record in colorful and assured brush strokes the icebergs, frozen bays and snowdrifts of this often hostile landscape. Polar bears roam and the Northern Lights dance across its pages, accompanied by Rae’s handwritten notes in which she records her experiences and her immediate reactions to this harsh, unforgiving environment. Each page of the sketchbooks is meticulously reproduced, and the handsomely bound volume sits comfortably in the hand, making it the perfect gift for anyone interested in painting or exploration.