This wide-ranging collection of 50 iconic portraits includes works by many of the world's most renowned artists, each with their own style, technique, and story to tell. Throughout the history of art, most of the world's greatest artists have produced portraits at some point in their careers, whether commissioned by rulers or magnates; created to preserve a cherished friend or relation; or even to capture the artist's own likeness. Arranged chronologically, each of the 50 masterworks in this book exemplifies a moment in history, or a turning point in the artist's career. Van Eyck's A Man in a Turban, Da Vinci's Mona Lisa, Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring, Sargent's Madame X, Kahlo's Self-Portrait with Necklace, Warhol's Marilyn, and many more world-famous paintings are featured in exquisite full-page reproductions accompanied by engaging and enlightening texts. An introductory essay on the history and importance of the portrait in art history and brief biographies of each artist round out this survey that provides valuable information in an attractive and affordable package.

There are innovators who blaze trails to show the way forward, and creative genius Bob Larkin is certainly one of them. His magazine and paperback covers are both legendary and iconic. From "Conan" to "Star Wars", "Doc Savage" to "The Hulk", there are few pop culture touchstones that artist Bob Larkin hasn't brought his unique and powerful style of illustration to. This full colour retrospective of over 100 paintings also includes an introduction by Joe Jusko and an afterword by Alex Ross.

The subjects of her recent art are a logical continuation of the larger narrative of Benjamin's body of work: She works to excavate the female human experience as she knows it. Benjamin muses on intimacy, sexuality, self-perception, body dysmorphia, and trauma through her avatars. Her work is diaristic, approaching her subjects through the lens of her own personal experience; each piece can easily feel like a self-portrait. Her women are simultaneously self-assured and crumbled, standing defiantly on their own two hairy legs, yet seeking the shoulder of an empathetic viewer to cry on. Benjamin uses her art to sort through her own trauma and self-analysis, and seeks to give faces, bodies, and narratives to the different facets of her own womanhood.

Scotland has produced an astonishingly high number of men and women whose lives have inspired and changed the world. This book, illustrating just over forty portraits, represents only a few of them, but with Robert Burns and Walter Scott, Eric Liddell and Alex Ferguson, Bonnie Prince Charlie and Queen Victoria, it represents the flavour of the collection at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery.

Such a charming atmosphere. Such a rich history. So many sights to see. And what a magnificent collection of ropes, chains, handcuffs, and intricate winch and pulley systems! Proprietor/artist Rich Larson takes every pain to make his Bed & Bondage the finest in the land, and in this second collection of delightful damsels in discipline, truly there are "No Reservations Required!" Like the first visit to this naughty nirvana, master of the house Larson combines his wicked imagination to his prodigious illustrative talents, and let the 5-star reviews pour forth! With his not-so-silent partner Steve Fastner, they team up for color cover paintings that will leave any road weary traveler breathless with anticipation! It's a simple formula of girls + ropes + nasty thoughts that has Rich Larson's fans returning season after season for more fun and froth at this most deviate of roadside attractions! Come for the full-body suspension gear, stay for the view!

Nothing excels like excess, and when you're showcasing a heavyweight illustrator like Claudio Aboy, a second helping of his outstanding work is simply a must-do! His first volume of exceptionally good 'bad girls' proved to be one of the best sellers in the SQP line of art books! Claudio was quite happy to chain himself back to his drawing board and whip up an entirely 'new' collection of drawings that focus on his favourite subject - the female form! Aboy paints, pencils, and inks - he's a triple threat of breath-taking talent. If you like ladies done the Argentine way (trust us - it's a treat!), then this second tome of torrid lovelies is just what you've been looking for! Scorchin' hot!

Tiny creatures who live in the deepest parts of the forest, their magic is not meant to be seen by the eyes of mere mortals, but fairies are a playful lot, and occasionally they let themselves be seen, wearing little more than gossamer wings and a winsome smile! In this second collection of nymphs and elvettes, we get more folklore fairies with artwork by Pelaez, Aldo Perez, Diego Florio, Brian LeBlanc, and many other myth merchants! Outstanding cover painting by Pelaez.

Rob Wareing has built a formidable international reputation as a portrait artist. This is his first book, and here he draws on over 40 years' experience to provide a complete guide to painting portraits in oils. In Rob's view, the most effective way to capture character is by working from life rather than photographs, and to follow the alla prima method to create a painting in one sitting. Starting with a fascinating overview of the subject, Rob then guides the reader through the materials he uses, explains how to pose and light the sitter, and how to prepare the work area before starting to paint. This is followed by detailed coverage of design and composition, the importance of proportions, and the painting process itself - from colour mixing through to finishing a painting without over-working. With clear, step-by-step demonstrations and numerous examples of the author's work throughout, this book provides both an expert guide to portrait painting and a unique insight into the working methods of one of the world's leading portrait painters.

Artist, writer, musician, film-maker, "Star Wars" mega-fan - Matt Busch goes by many titles. "The Detroit Real Press" called him, 'The Rock Star of Illustration', and given his legion of genuine rockers who dig his work, that's a pretty good description of this multi-talented artist. Much beloved for his "Star Wars" paintings and comic work, this particular collection of full colour illustrations focus on another great love of Matt's life - portraits of pretty girls in various states of undress! Get to see the hotter side of Busch's amazing work, including the artist's personal favourites (paintings and the models who pose for him!). Also a nice little step-by-step feature shows Matt's process for all you would-be artists-in-training!

From the time The Big Penis Book was published, readers anticipated The Big Book of Pussy. Granted, perhaps not the same readers, but the seed had been planted and the calls and letters began flowing in. Once they had that long-awaited book, some found themselves overwhelmed by the variety and abundance, as well as the sheer size of the book. As one reviewer wrote, "let's give credit to Amazon for...the strength of its packaging. Who wants a 2-ton pussy book being 'exposed' for the mailman...?" For those who worry that there can be too much of a good thing, we've made a pared down, "best of" edition of The Big Book of Pussy, a petite little kitten of a book that puts those in-your-face photos in proper perspective. Now you can follow the evolution of genital exposure with ease, through 100 years of photos with one thing in common: the exhibitionistic pleasure with which the models present their feminine pulchritude. And with over 150 photos-36 new to this book-of the pet we love to pet, no bothersome text to interrupt the flow, all in a package that won't stress the mailman's back, we just may have produced the perfect self-gifter of the year.

In late May 1918 in Valdosta, Georgia, ten black men and one black woman, Mary Turner, eight months pregnant at the time, were lynched and tortured by mobs of white citizens. Through hauntingly detailed full-color artwork and collage, Elegy for Mary Turner names those who were killed, identifies the killers, and evokes a landscape in which the NAACP investigated the crimes when the state would not, when white citizens baked pies and flocked to see black corpses, and when black people fought to make their lives-and their mourning-matter. With introductions from C. Tyrone Forehand, great grand-nephew of Mary and Hayes Turner, whose family has long campaigned for the deaths to be remembered; abolitionist activist and educator Mariame Kaba, reflecting on the violence visited on black women's bodies; and historian Julie Buckner Armstrong, who opens a window onto the broader scale of lynching's terror in American history.

As a rule, artists find a comfortable, workable niche, and stay there for the rest of their lives. A designer, a painter, or a sculptor - rarely do you find someone who can literally do it all, and well! Daniel Horne is one of those irksome individuals, equally adept in practically any medium; his art is breathtaking in scope, imagination, and level of detail. Horne's career has reflected his love of fantasy and fable. The richness of these illustrations comes from a limitless imagination and a trained eye, but also hours and hours of detailed sketches, studies, research drawings. The Daniel Horne Sketchbook Volume One contains intricate break-downs, as well as many finished projects and personal pieces. See for yourself what makes Daniel Horne such a genuine talent, a masterful illustrator, and a true Renaissance man.

This comprehensive book brings to light the portraits, private collections and public patronage of the princesse de Lamballe, a pivotal member of Marie-Antoinette's inner circle. Drawing extensively on unpublished archival sources, Sarah Grant examines the princess's many portrait commissions and the rich character of her private collections, which included works by some of the period's leading artists and artisans. The book sheds new light on the agency, sorority and taste of Marie-Antoinette and her friends, a group of female patrons and model of courtly collecting that would be extinguished by the coming revolution.

Using clear and concise language and in-depth, step-by-step demonstrations, author and renowned artist Mary Whyte guides beginning and intermediate watercolorists through the entire painting process, from selecting materials to fundamental techniques to working with models. Going beyond the practical application of techniques, Whyte helps new artists capture not just the model's physical likeness, but their unique personality and spirit. Richly illustrated, the book features Mary Whyte's vibrant empathetic watercolors and works by such masters of watercolor as Mary Cassatt, Thomas Eakins, Winslow Homer, John Singer Sargent, and Georgia O'Keeffe.

This book is a volume in the Penn Press Anniversary Collection. To mark its 125th anniversary in 2015, the University of Pennsylvania Press rereleased more than 1,100 titles from Penn Press's distinguished backlist from 1899-1999 that had fallen out of print. Spanning an entire century, the Anniversary Collection offers peer-reviewed scholarship in a wide range of subject areas.

From head to toe, the human form, in all its complexities, is visually simplified to such a degree in this remarkable workbook that even complete beginners will soon be able to draw accurate, well-proportioned faces and figures every time they try.
Avoiding complex charts of muscles and bones that are more helpful to doctors than to artists, this book's refreshing approach teaches anatomy from a cartoonist/illustrator's point of view. For example, there are many large and small muscles in the neck, all rendered in great detail in most anatomy books, but here, master teacher Christopher Hart shows only the four that are visible and need to be drawn. His clear instruction helps readers to visualize and portray shifting body weight in a pose without the need of a model, and instead of showing a mass of facial muscles and bones, he translates them into the simple planes an artist needs to draw a range of expressive faces.

Selling your soul to the Devil has never paid such delicious dividends! Here is a collection of satanic sirens who use their under-worldly charms to entrance and entrap mortal men to their eternal doom. This is the latest in one of our most popular line of books - fiery females in bed with the Dark Lord himself! It includes art by Boada, Tomas Giorello, Meriggi, Pelaez, Maraschi, Blas Gallego, Pascarelli, Torres, Quintabani, and others. Cover Painting by Dorian Cleavenger.

This book analyzes the philosophical origins of dualism in portraiture in Western culture during the Classical period, through to contemporary modes of portraiture. Dualism - the separation of mind from body - plays a central part in portraiture, given that it supplies the fundamental framework for portraiture's determining problem and justification: the visual construction of the subjectivity of the sitter, which is invariably accounted for as ineffable entity or spirit, that the artist magically captures. Every artist that has engaged with portraiture has had to deal with these issues and, therefore, with the question of being and identity.

You are invited to enter the fantasy world of a "forbidden art," erotica, and to explore its many wonders. Over 500 color photographs of erotic artworks and artifacts are shown here, and most of them have not been published or exhibited previously. As you turn the pages, unforgettable images of love, passion, and sensuality unfold. Feast your eyes and mind upon sexual delights as you traipse randomly, back and forth, through many centuries, countries, cultures, artists, and mediums. The originality and imagination of the artists may expand, ignite, and incite your thoughts and senses. The author is a serious collector of art works and erotica, living in Florida.

With this book, Emmelyn Butterfield-Rosen brings a new formal and conceptual rubric to the study of turn-of-the-century modernism, transforming our understanding of the era's canonical works. Butterfield-Rosen analyzes a hitherto unexamined formal phenomenon in European art: how artists departed from conventions for posing the human figure that had long been standard. In the decades around 1900, artists working in different countries and across different media began to present human figures in strictly frontal, lateral, and dorsal postures. The effect, both archaic and modern, broke with the centuries-old tradition of rendering bodies in torsion, with poses designed to simulate the human being's physical volume and capacity for autonomous thought and movement. This formal departure destabilized prevailing visual codes for signifying the existence of the inner life of the human subject. Exploring major works by Georges Seurat, Gustav Klimt, and the dancer and choreographer Vaslav Nijinsky- replete with new archival discoveries-Modern Art and the Remaking of Human Disposition combines intensive formal analysis with inquiries into the history of psychology and evolutionary biology. In doing so, it shows how modern understandings of human consciousness and the relation of mind to body were materialized in art through a new vocabulary of postures and poses.

Many loved The Big Book of Legs but some found it just too darn big, weighing in at nearly seven pounds. True, it was packed with shapely legs spanning six decades, from the first shy emergence of the ankle in the 1910s, through the rolled stockings and rouged knees of the 1920s, to the Betty Grable '40s, the stockinged and stilettoed '50s, on into the sexually liberated '60s and '70s, but it could still put a dent in your own thighs if you sat reading for too long. Fortunately here at TASCHEN we listen to your groans of agony as well as your moans of ecstasy; thus, this light and portable new edition, packing over 100 of the choicest photos from the original volume, as well as 38 new photos, into a compact (and frankly adorable) package. From Betty Grable to Bettie Page, the greatest legs of the 20th Century can be found within, shot by Irving Klaw, Bunny Yeager, and the incomparable Elmer Batters, father of leg art. There are silk and nylon stockings, high heels in abundance, curvy calves, taut thighs, playful toes and towering arches-with no bothersome text to get in the way. Could leg love get any sweeter?

Kinbaku is the Japanese word for rope bondage: In the west it is often referred to as Shibari. Although it originated in Japan as a means of restraint and torture, during the last hundred years it has also been used as an activity which gives emotional, physical, and visual pleasure for the participants. Nawashi Murakawa, the Artistic Director of the annual London festival of the Art of Japanese Rope Bondage provides the historical context for the practice which goes back 12000 years. He also explains how Kinbaku has developed as a dramatic art form which is performed in front of audiences in many countries. This series of ten chapters demonstrates how the art of rope bondage has developed in the UK, Russia, Canada and the USA as well as presenting a modern day live performance in Tokyo. The final section shows more traditional Japanese techniques. Chapters with Japanese contributors provide the text in Japanese as well as in English. The stunning and surprising photographs reveal the beauty and daring of the models, and their written accounts together with those of the photographers and rope experts give an insight into the lifestyle of those who practice this particular fetish.