Master artist, teacher and scholar traces historical development of techniques and styles from 14th century B.C. to present; analyzes aesthetic concepts, criteria, and schools associated with specific aesthetic qualities; and provides comprehensive, in-depth guide to materials, technical principles and major brush strokes.

This collection of essays provides a historical and contemporary context for Indigenous new media arts practice in Canada. The writers are established artists, scholars, and curators who cover thematic concepts and underlying approaches to new media from a distinctly Indigenous perspective. Through discourse and narrative analysis, the writers discuss a number of topics ranging from how Indigenous worldviews inform unique approaches to new media arts practice to their own work and specific contemporary works. Contributors include: Archer Pechawis, Jackson 2Bears, Jason Edward Lewis, Steven Foster, Candice Hopkins, and Cheryl L'Hirondelle. The book is available at the ImagineNATIVE Film and Media Arts Festival: www.imaginenative.org.

Part of a series of handy, luxurious Flame Tree Pocket Books. Combining high-quality production with magnificent fine art, the covers are printed on foil in five colours, embossed then foil stamped. And they're delightfully practical: a pocket at the back for receipts and scraps, two bookmarks and a solid magnetic side flap. These are perfect for personal use, handbags and make a dazzling gift. This example features one of Hiroshige's stunning views of Mount Fuji. In this artwork, we see Mount Fuji as viewed across the slopes of a small-scale replica of the mountain. These mini-Fujis were quite a common feature as they enabled the pious-but-busy to make at least an approximation of the great pilgrimage up Mount Fuji and derive some of the same spiritual benefits.

Part of a series of handy, luxurious Flame Tree Pocket Books. Combining high-quality production with magnificent fine art, the covers are printed on foil in five colours, embossed then foil stamped. And they're delightfully practical: a pocket at the back for receipts and scraps, two bookmarks and a solid magnetic side flap. These are perfect for personal use, handbags and make a dazzling gift. This version features the classic Asian masterpiece Hokusai's The Great Wave. The most notable period in Hokusai's artistic life was the latter part of his career, beginning in 1830 when he was 70 years old. He began the series of landscapes he is most famous for: 'Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji', which included The Great Wave, off Kanagawa, probably his most iconic image.

"Ancestral Connections unlocks the inner meaning of Australian Aboriginal bark painting. Drawing on more than ten years of fieldwork among the Yolngu--an Aboriginal people of Northeast Arnhem Land--and applying both anthropological and art historical methods, Howard Morphy explores systematically the graphic representation of traditional knowledge in Yolngu art. He also charts the role that art has played in Aboriginal society both present and past.
The rich symbolism of Yolngu art links the Yolngu directly with the "Dreaming," the time of world-creation that continues as the spiritual dimension of the present. Morphy shows how a complex dialectic of "inside" and "outside" interpretations of painting structures the system of knowledge in Yolngu society, and how European interest in this art has caused certain changes in the conditions of its production. The "inside" significance of the art, however, has not changed; it retains its dual ability to represent and to constitute relationships between things.
"Ancestral Connections is a major contribution to the anthropology of art. A subtle commentary on the colonial encounter in northern Australia, the book demonstrates how the Yolngu have used their art--against all odds--as an instrument of cultural survival and as a component of the economic and political transformation of their society.

The giving of gifts both delights the recipient and pleases the giver. Practiced in all societies, gift exchange has a history as long as humanity. This gloriously illustrated catalogue is the first investigation of gift-giving and its impact on the development of art in the Islamic world. Presenting some 240 rare and costly works of art associated with gift exchanges among the courts of Islam, Byzantium, western Europe, and eastern Asia, the book provides a wide-ranging view of Islamic art and culture from the 8th through the 19th century.

At courts across the Islamic world, gift-giving often served as a nexus of art and diplomacy, religion, and interpersonal relations. The book examines the complex interplay between artistic production and gift-based patronage through numerous examples of deluxe, aesthetically pleasing objects either commissioned or repurposed as gifts. Tracing the unique histories of selected artworks, the book also explores how the exchange of luxury objects played a central role in the circulation, emulation, and assimilation of artistic forms within and beyond the Islamic world.

In the global arena, African artists have contributed significantly to the inventiveness and creative vitality of the contemporary art world. The impact has been more immediate and pronounced for Western audiences as African artists move into the growing and significant diaspora in America and Europe.
Ethiopian Passages tells of the importance of the arts in the African diaspora and explores the important histories of migration and the myriad negotiations of artistic groups among African artists in the diaspora.
The book discusses Ethiopia's history: the word 'Ethiopia' means 'land of the sun-burned, or black-skinned people', representing a sense of place for Africans who became land-lost, renamed and denied the use of their native tongues. It tells of the reign of Menelik II-which marked the beginning of Ethiopia's modern history-and of life under the Marxist military regime. The book describes the tumultuous political environment of the late 20th century, and shows how these unstable times have shaped the Ethiopia of today. The book also questions stereotype misconceptions about African peoples and cultures and explains why the concept of 'ethiopianism' came to be associated with pride, independence, self-motivation and reliance, . . . thoroughly competent to chart their own course of development and to manage their own affairs'. Above all it revolutionizes our understanding of the culture and identity of African peoples.
"Ethiopian Passages" brings together artists from across several generations who have addressed issues of identity, experienced displacement and created new 'homelands'. The evidence of these encounters and personal experiences can be seen in the worksof art that are included, which demonstrate the magnificence and arresting power of contemporary African art.

This is a standard reference for American Indian jewelry, a source for factual information, neatly organized and lavishly illustrated in full color. Each profile identifies the artist by tribe, clan, active years, styles, lifespan, residences, education, teachers, students, awards, exhibitions, demonstrations, collections, photographs, and publications. Many profiles feature original quotations from the artists, as well as comments from scholars, collectors and veterans in the field. Personal portrait pictures and close-ups of their jewelry help to bring their biographies to life.

From rock art to Australian modernism, from bark paintings to the Heidelberg School, The Cambridge Companion to Australian Art provides a wide-ranging overview of the movements, themes and media found in Australian art. This Companion features essays that explore the influence of different cultures on Australian art, written by some of the leading scholars and professionals working in the field. Generously illustrated with over 200 colour images, from more than 40 collections and sites throughout Australia, this Companion provides a comprehensive exploration of the artistic identity of past and present Australia.

A study of a largely forgotten optical device and its relation to notions of opacity, transparency, and imagination. In this first full-length study of a largely forgotten optical device from the eighteenth century, Arnaud Maillet reconfigures our historical understanding of visual experience and meaning in relation to notions of opacity, transparency, and imagination. Many are familiar with the Claude glass as a small black convex mirror used by artists and spectators of landscape to reflect a view and make tonal values and areas of light and shade visible. In a groundbreaking account, Maillet goes well beyond this particular function of the glass and situates it within a richer archaeology of Western thought, exploring the uncertainties and anxieties about mirrors, reflections, and their potential distortions. He takes us from the magical and occult background of the "black mirror," through a full evaluation of its importance in the age of the picturesque, to its persistence in a range of technological and representational practices, including photography, film, and contemporary art. The Claude Glass is a lasting contribution to the history of Western visual culture.

A celebration of artworks featuring books and readers from throughout history, for the delight of art lovers and bibliophiles

As every book tells a story, every book in art is part of an intriguing, engaging, and relatable image. Books are depicted as indicators of intellect in portraits, as symbols of piety in religious paintings, as subjects in still lifes, and as the raw material for contemporary installations. Reading Art spotlights artworks from museums and collections around the globe, creating a gorgeous, inspiring homage to both the written word and to its pivotal role in the visual world.

Chinese wallpaper has been an important element of western interior decoration for three hundred years. As trade between Europe and China flourished in the seventeenth century, Europeans developed a strong taste for Chinese art and design. The stunningly beautiful wall coverings now known as `Chinese wallpaper' were developed by Chinese painting workshops in response to western demand. In spite of their spectacular beauty, Chinese wallpapers have not been studied in any depth until relatively recently. This book provides an overview of some of the most significant Chinese wallpapers surviving in the British Isles. Sumptuously illustrated, it shows how these wallpapers became a staple ingredient of high-end interiors while always retaining a touch of the exotic.

In this thought-provoking book, preeminent scholar Stephen Houston turns his attention to the crucial role of young males in Classic Maya society, drawing on evidence from art, writing, and material culture. The Gifted Passage establishes that adolescent men in Maya art were the subjects and makers of hieroglyphics, painted ceramics, and murals, in works that helped to shape and reflect masculinity in Maya civilization. The political volatility of the Classic Maya period gave male adolescents valuable status as potential heirs, and many of the most precious surviving ceramics likely celebrated their coming-of-age rituals. The ardent hope was that youths would grow into effective kings and noblemen, capable of leadership in battle and service in royal courts. Aiming to shift mainstream conceptions of the Maya, Houston argues that adolescent men were not simply present in images and texts, but central to both.

This is a revealing look at porcelain collecting in the reign of Louis XIV through the 18th century. This beautifully illustrated volume traces the changing market for Chinese and Japanese porcelain in Paris from the early years of the reign of Louis XIV (1643-1715) through the 18th-century. The increase in the quantity and variety of East Asian wares imported during this period spurred efforts to record and analyze them, resulting in a profusion of inventories, sales catalogues, and treatises. These contemporary sources - many never published before - provide a comprehensive picture of porcelains: when they were first available; what kinds were most admired during various periods; where they were sold and at what price; who owned them; and how they were displayed and used.

"George Littlechild: The Spirit Giggles Within" is a stunning retrospective of a career that has spanned nearly four decades. Featuring more than 150 of the Plains Cree artist's mixed-media works, this sumptuous collection showcases the bold swaths of colour and subtle textures of Littlechild's work. Littlechild has never shied away from political or social themes. His paintings blaze with strong emotions ranging from anger to compassion, humour to spiritualism. Fully embracing his Plains Cree heritage, he combines traditional Cree elements like horses and transformative or iconic creatures with his own family and personal symbols in a unique approach. "George Littlechild: The Spirit Giggles Within" shows the evolution of an artist from his earliest works to the present day, including hints of future directions and themes. An insightful foreword by artist and curator Ryan Rice, a Mohawk from the Kahnawake First Nation in Quebec, and Littlechild's reflections on each piece build a broad understanding of Littlechild's work, his life and his views on the role of art within all cultures.

What began in 1865 in Glatigny, France, at a dinner party hosted by esteemed university professor Edouard Rene de Laboulaye and attended, among others, by a promising young sculptor, Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, was the extravagant notion of creating and giving a monumental statue to America that celebrated the young nation's ideals. Bartholdi, and later civil engineer Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel, caught the spirit of the project and thus began the epic struggle to create, build, transport and pay for the monument. Although The Statue of Liberty was to be a gift from France, the cost of its creation was meant to be shared with America. To the Lady's creators and supporters, America offered liberty and the right to live one's life unencumbered, that is, without fear and with a rule of law and a government that derived its power from the consent of the people they governed. Yet, in America, fundraising for the Lady dragged. Had it not been for publisher Joseph Pulitzer's flashy fundraising campaign in the World, the entire project likely would have collapsed. The tale, abundant with lively and interesting stories about the Statue's creators, is also told in the context of America's immigration policies-past and present. Explored, too, is the American immigrant experience and how it viscerally connects to the Lady. Also integral to the tale is poetry-a sonnet-written by a then largely unknown Jewish poet, Emma Lazarus, who moved a nation and gave a deeply rich and fresh meaning and purpose to the Statue. In addition to the prose, Lady Liberty includes forty-five elegant, full-page stirring paintings by celebrated artist Antonio Masi. Lady Liberty, a smart, timely, entertaining, and nonpartisan jewel of a book, is written for every American-young and old. Lady Liberty also targets the millions who dream of one day becoming Americans.

This is the latest volume in the acclaimed series that depicts medicine as depicted in art throughout history. This sumptuously illustrated volume offers a visual history of the depiction of illness and healing in Western culture, ranging from Egyptian wall carvings to medieval manuscripts and from paintings and sculpture by the great masters of the Renaissance to 20th century artists such as Matisse & Magritte. Thematic chapters cover the examination of patients and their maladies, healing and medical treatments, and the sufferings and hopes of patients awaiting cure and recovery. Psychological anguish, represented by Masaccio's The Expulsion of Adam and Eve, and Munch's The Scream, are also treated along with more obvious physical manifestations.

Woodrow Wilson Crumbo and the oilman Thomas Gilcrease met for the first time at the Mayo Hotel in Tulsa in 1945. Gilcrease would eventually persuade the young Crumbo to join him as artist-in-residence at the nascent Thomas Gilcrease Museum. Potawatomi, French, and German by birth, Crumbo was orphaned young and fostered within various Native traditions. His genius knew no tribal borders, but he supported and promoted Indian art and artists throughout his life, as an educator, director of art at Bacone College, consultant to Gilcrease, and early adopter of printmaking methods that expanded the audience for Native fine art.
The Gilcrease Museum has the honor of possessing the largest extant body of Crumbo's delightful and finely crafted work, which is celebrated and interpreted within the pages of this book.

Despite China's long tradition of venerating the past as the ultimate source of cultural authority, the discourse of antiquity prior to the Song period (960-1279) demonstrated little concern for ancient objects. With a focus on physical artifacts of the past, Song intellectuals began a new discipline, "the study of bronze and stone" (jinshixue), that generated collections of items such as bronze vessels and bells, stone steles, and ink rubbings of inscriptions carved or cast on objects. This first comprehensive study in English of the Song antiquarian movement and how it refashioned the distant past uses textual and material evidence to examine this development, which has had long-lasting influence on Chinese intellectual history and on the preservation of material objects. In addition to collecting and comparing artifacts, Song antiquaries compiled extensive catalogs that included drawings, measurements, and meticulous descriptions. These studies have contributed to the way history has been documented since the eleventh century and serve as a basis for archaeology of the modern period. Bronze and Stone contextualizes the Song antiquarian movement among previous Chinese engagements with antiquity, subsequent popular interest in ancient objects, and world antiquarianism.

Tony C. Brown examines \u201cthe inescapable yet infinitely troubling figure of the not-quite-nothing\u201d in Enlightenment attempts to think about the aesthetic and the savage. The various texts Brown considers-including the writings of Addison, Rousseau, Kant, and Defoe-turn to exotic figures in order to delimit the aesthetic, and to aesthetics in order to comprehend the savage.In his intriguing exploration Brown discovers that the primitive introduces into the aesthetic and the savage an element that proves necessary yet difficult to conceive. At its most profound, Brown explains, this element engenders a loss of confidence in one\u2019s ability to understand the human\u2019s relation to itself and to the world. That loss of confidence-what Brown refers to as a breach in anthropological security-traces to an inability to maintain a sense of self in the face of the New World. Demonstrating the impact of the primitive on the aesthetic and the savage, he shows how the eighteenth-century writers he focuses on struggle to define the human\u2019s place in the world. As Brown explains, these authors go back again and again to \u201cexotic\u201d examples from the New World-such as Indian burial mounds and Maori tattooing practice-making them so ubiquitous that they come to underwrite, even produce, philosophy and aesthetics.

A survey of the stunningly beautiful visual and decorative arts created by India's Deccan kingdoms In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Deccan plateau of south-central India was home to a series of important, highly cultured Muslim kingdoms and was a nexus of international trade. Invigorated by cultural connections to Iran, Turkey, East Africa, and Europe, Deccani art is celebrated for its unmistakable, otherworldly character: in painting, a poetic lyricism; in architecture, a somber grandeur; and in the decorative arts, lively creations in inlaid metalwork and dyed textiles. This beautifully illustrated catalogue, which includes extraordinary new site photographs and lush landscape images, along with discussions of 200 of the finest Deccani works, creates the most comprehensive examination to date of this fascinating and remote world. The text not only discusses paintings, drawings, textiles, arms, manuscripts, and other decorative arts from this rich culture, but also explores the history, architecture, literature, and music of the period. Essays by prominent international authors, supplemented by informative maps, illustrated appendices, and select primary sources, make this pioneering book a key resource on the subject.

These fine-quality tear-out wrapping sheets feature twelve Asian-inspired prints, suitable for craft projects as well as for gift wrapping. An introduction details the history and meaning behind the designs and provides some wrapping inspiration. Plus, these patterns are printed with real gold Pantone ink! Tuttle Gift Wrapping Papers are an excellent value a fraction of the price of single sheet gift wrap paper from stationery shops. Each sheet is removable by tearing along a perforated line; Twelve individual sheets and patterns; Perfect gift wrap for any occasion birthdays, anniversaries and various holidays.