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Books > Arts & Architecture > Art forms, treatments & subjects > Painting & paintings
Get the perfect coffee-table book for birders and nature lovers,
pairing naturalist knowledge with beautiful watercolor paintings.
This is the bird book for people who love birds! Naturalist,
watercolorist, and debut author Jenny deFouw Geuder combines her
vast knowledge of birds, wildflowers, and nature with her artistic
expertise to create a book like no other. Drawn to Birds presents
more than 120 beautiful watercolor paintings, along with Jenny's
fascinating insights that add unique appeal to each page. Drawn to
Birds begins with an introduction to bird anatomy, as well as
details about nests, eggs, and migration. From there, more than 50
different bird species are showcased, with the watercolors divided
into groups like backyard birds, raptors, and wetland birds. As an
added bonus, there's a section dedicated to insects and
wildflowers. You'll appreciate Jenny's tips on how to welcome birds
to your yard and how to become a naturalist. Being a naturalist is
about more than simply stopping to smell the flowers. It's about
observation and making a record. Pause and notice the shapes,
colors, and patterns around you. Jenny's goal is to inspire you to
try your own hand at being a naturalist! She also includes
step-by-step guides for drawing, painting, and inking your own
pictures. Anyone can be an artist. Be brave, try it out, and keep
noticing the marvels around you. Extra pages for journaling and
sketching make this book a keepsake to cherish forever. If you
enjoy birding, gardening, or the great outdoors, Drawn to Birds
belongs in your book collection. Get one for yourself, and give one
as a gift!
Grab your practice book, paint brushes, and discover the beautiful
art of watercolor - no experience required! The ultimate beginner's
guide, Watercolor Success in Four Steps will teach you how to
perfectly paint 150 objects, from fruits and flowers to animals,
household items, and more! Understand the basics of watercolor with
tried-and-true techniques and create beautiful watercolor paintings
in just four simple steps. Each project offers a sample selection
of colors to get you started, followed by approachable,
step-by-step painting instructions to complete each design. Once
you've accomplished each project, you'll be equipped with all the
skills and techniques you need to design and create your own
watercolor works of art!
Bouleau's classic illustrated work examines the essential
reliance of European painting tradition on the golden mean and
other geometrical patterns. From antiquity to the present, expert
painters-including abstract modern masters such as Paul Klee and
Jackson Pollock-have conveyed harmony through the mathematics of
spatial division, ultimately giving geometry a crucial role as the
foundation upon which these classics were built. For over half a
century, "The Painter's Secret Geometry" has been a seminal work
for students of art history and composition. Now this popular, rich
analysis is back in print for today's artists and historians.
"St George and the Dragon" is a supremely beautiful painting. It is
an exquisitely rendered vision of a universal tale of good and
evil. And it is also an example of how art witnesses and
participates in the ebb and flow of world power. For its artist,
"Raphael" the painting represented a crucial step in his ascent to
the peak of the Renaissance art world and for a succession of
jealous owners it was the ultimate symbol of power and prestige.
Painted for a young Henry VII the painting then played a crucial
part in the diplomatic intrigues in Henry VIII's rumbustious court.
After Charles I's execution it moved through France into the
gathering power and purchases of Catherine the Great and her
Hermitage. It is a small work of art and during the Russian
Revolution its vulnerability was perilous - it was shunted around
Russia as war raged until, in an utterly dodgy transaction it was
sold by Stalin to the US Treasury Secretary. Into the grips of a
new world power. Within this perfectly rendered painting stories of
greed and warfare can be traced, in its history the changing
centres of world dominance can be seen and in the way its beauty
has been traded the intricate connections between high culture and
money and power can be disentangled. This small work of art is a
repository of the very story of Western civilisation and Joanna
Pitman is an author of considerable acclaim and great skill. This
is a fantastic piece of literature - history at its most
fascinating - storytelling at its finest.
In his joint capacities of Premier peintre du roi, director of the
Gobelins manufactory and rector of the Academie royale de peinture
et de sculpture, Le Brun exercised a previously unprecedented
influence on the production of the visual arts - so much so that
some scholars have repeatedly described him as 'dictator' of the
arts in France. The Sovereign Artist explores how Le Brun operated
in his diverse fields of activities, linking and juxtaposing his
portraiture, history painting and pictorial theory with his designs
for architecture, tapestries, carpets and furniture. It argues that
Le Brun sought to create a repeatable and easily recognizable
visual language associated with Louis XIV, in order to translate
the king's political claims for absolute power into a visual form.
How he did this is discussed through a series of individual case
studies ranging from Le Brun's lost equestrian portrait of Louis
XIV, and his involvement in the Querelle du coloris at the
Academie, to his scheme for 93 Savonnerie carpets for the Grande
Galerie at the Louvre, his Histoire du roy tapestry series, his
decoration of the now destroyed Escalier des Ambassadeurs at
Versailles and the dramatic destruction of the Sun King's silver
furniture. One key theme is the relation between the unity of the
visual arts, to which Le Brun aspired, and the strong hierarchical
distinctions he made between the liberal arts and the mechanical
crafts: while his lectures at the Academie advocated a visual and
conceptual unity in painting and architecture, they were also a
means by which he attempted to secure the newly gained status of
painting as a liberal art, and therefore to distinguish it from the
mechanical crafts which he oversaw the production of at the
Gobelins. His artistic and architectural aspirations were
comparable to those of his Roman contemporary Gianlorenzo Bernini,
summoned to Paris in 1665 to design the Louvre's East facade and to
create a portrait bust of Louis XIV. Bernini's failure to convince
the king and Colbert of his architectural scheme offered new
opportunities for Le Brun and his French contemporaries to prove
themselves capable of solving the architectural problems of the
Louvre and to transform it into a palace appropriate "to the
grandeur and the magnificence of the prince who [was] to inhabit
it" (Jean-Baptiste Colbert to Nicolas Poussin in 1664). The
comparison between Le Brun and Bernini not only illustrates how
France sought artistic supremacy over Italy during the second half
of the 17th century, but further helps to demonstrate how Le Brun
himself wanted to be perceived: beyond acting as a translator of
the king's artistic ambition, the artist appears to have sought his
own sovereign authority over the visual arts.
Sold in packs of 6. Gorgeous, foiled, handmade greeting cards,
blank inside and shrink-wrapped with a gold envelope. Themed with
our art calendars, foiled notebooks and illustrated art books. Our
greeting cards are printed on FSC paper and wrapped in
biodegradeable cellobag, and are themed with our art calendars,
foiled notebooks and illustrated art books. This example features
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.
A FLAME TREE NOTEBOOK. Beautiful and luxurious the journals combine
high-quality production with magnificent art. Perfect as a gift,
and an essential personal choice for writers, notetakers,
travellers, students, poets and diarists. Features a wide range of
well-known and modern artists, with new artworks published
throughout the year. BEAUTIFULLY DESIGNED. The highly crafted
covers are printed on foil paper, embossed then foil stamped,
complemented by the luxury binding and rose red end-papers. The
covers are created by our artists and designers who spend many
hours transforming original artwork into gorgeous 3d masterpieces
that feel good in the hand, and look wonderful on a desk or table.
PRACTICAL, EASY TO USE. Flame Tree Notebooks come with practical
features too: a pocket at the back for scraps and receipts; two
ribbon markers to help keep track of more than just a to-do list;
robust ivory text paper, printed with lines; and when you need to
collect other notes or scraps of paper the magnetic side flap keeps
everything neat and tidy. THE ARTIST. Angela Harding is a fine art
painter and illustrator based in Rutland, UK. She specialises in
lino prints and her work is inspired by British birds and the
countryside. THE FINAL WORD. As William Morris said, "Have nothing
in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be
beautiful."
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Lives of Tintoretto
(Paperback)
Giorgio Vasari, Pietro Aretino, Carlo Ridolfi, Andrea Calmo, Veronica Franco, …
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R295
Discovery Miles 2 950
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Ships in 12 - 19 working days
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The most exhilarating painter of the Renaissance and arguably of
the whole of western art, Tintoretto was known as Il Furioso
because of the attack and energy of his style. His vaunting
ambition is recorded in the inscription he placed in his studio: l
disegno di Michelangelo ed il colorito di Tiziano ("Michelangelo's
drawing and Titian's colour"). The Florentines Vasari and Borghini,
and the Venetians Ridolfi and Boschini wrote the earliest
biographies of the artist. The four accounts are related to each
other and form the backbone of the critical success of Tintoretto.
Borghini is the first one to give some information about Marietta
Tintoretto, also an artist, and Ridolfi is the richest in anecdotes
about the artist's life and personality - including the one about
the inscription which he may, however, have invented. Boschini, a
witty Venetian nationalist, wrote his account in dialect verse. El
Greco, whose marginal notes to Vasari are included for the first
time in English, Calmo and Franco knew Tintoretto personally and
their writings give a real flavour of this complicated man.
Unavailable in any form for many years, these biographies have been
newly edited for this edition. They are introduced by the scholar
Carlo Corsato, who places each in its artistic and literary
context. Approximately 50 pages of colour illustrations cover the
full range of Tintoretto's astonishing output.
Vincent van Gogh is best known for two things - his sunflowers and
his ear-cutting. But there are many other ways of knowing this
remarkable son of a Dutch pastor, who left his chill homeland for
the sunshine of Arles in the South of France; and left us over a
thousand frank letters of struggle and joy, to help us glimpse his
inner world. Vincent came late to painting after spending time in
London trying to be a Christian missionary. And though he is now
amongst the most famous artists on earth, in his day, no one saw
him coming - apart from one French art critic called Aurier. It is
possible he never sold one of his paintings in his life time. When
he discovered the sun in Arles, he also discovered energy. Yellow
for him was the colour of hope, and in his last two years he
painted almost a canvass a day. But hope ran out on July 27th ,
1890 when he shot himself, aged 37. He was at this time six months
out of a mental institution, where perhaps he experienced his
greatest calm. Vincent compared himself to a stunted plant; damaged
by the emotional frost of his childhood. 'Conversations with Van
Gogh' is an imagined conversation with this remarkable figure. But
while the conversation is imagined, Van Gogh's words are not; they
are all authentically his. "Speaking with Vincent - which he
insists on being called - was a privilege,' says Simon Parke. 'He's
endlessly fascinating, contradictory, moving, funny, insightful and
tragic. There's a fury in him; but also a great kindness. He found
harmony in human relationships elusive; his love life was a painful
shambles. But with colour, he was a harmonic genius, and he has
much to say about this. And here's the thing: for a man who killed
himself - he died in the arms of his brother on July 29th -
spending time with him was never anything but life-affirming.'
Christopher Neve's classic book is a journey into the imagination
through the English landscape. How is it that artists, by thinking
in paint, have come to regard the landscape as representing states
of mind? 'Painting', says Neve, 'is a process of finding out, and
landscape can be its thesis.' What he is writing is not precisely
art history: it is about pictures, about landscape and about
thought. Over the years, he was able to have discussions with many
of the thirty or so artists he focuses on, the inspiration for the
book having come from his talks with Ben Nicholson; and he has
immersed himself in their work, their countryside, their ideas.
Because he is a painter himself, and an expert on 20th-century art,
Neve is well equipped for such a journey. Few writers have conveyed
more vividly the mixture of motives, emotions, unconscious forces
and contradictions which culminate in the creative act of painting.
Each of the thirteen chapters has a theme and explores its
significance for one or more of the artists. The problem of time,
for instance, is considered in relation to Paul Nash, God in
relation to David Jones, music to Ivon Hitchens, hysteria to Edward
Burra, abstraction to Ben Nicholson, 'the spirit in the mass' to
David Bomberg. There are also chapters about painters' ideas on
specific types of country: about Eric Ravilious and the chalk
landscape, Joan Eardley and the sea, and Cedric Morris and the
garden.
Keep the page in your book with this gorgeous pack of 10 foiled
bookmarks, printed on both sides, with a silky ribbon and featuring
artwork by Harry Clarke. Harry Clarke was an Irish representative
of the Arts & Crafts movement. Sea Fever is his illustration
for a poem of the same title by John Masefield in The Years at the
Spring, an anthology compiled by Lettice D'Oyly Walters. Clarke's
fantastic illustrations have encouraged comparisons to the work of
Aubrey Beardsley and Kay Nielsen.
Diana Armfield RA Hon RWS NEAC has a highly personal attachment to
subject and a subtly distinctive affinity with the rhythms of form
and tone. These qualities make her an important, influential figure
in modern British art - and a very popular one. Flower paintings
have brought her wide acclaim, but this book - created to mark her
100th birthday - also richly represents Diana's feeling for
landscape and place. Including an inspiring number of more recent
works, it brings her fascinating artistic and life story up to
date. 'I think I was born making things', Diana comments to Andrew
Lambirth, whose absorbing interview with her forms the narrative
thread of Diana Armfi eld: A Lyrical Eye. Diana's was a creative
childhood steeped in experiments with drawing, pottery and
embroidery, played out against the backdrop of a picture-fi lled
house, a lovely garden and an artistic family. She studied at
Bournemouth, Slade and Central art schools, starting out as a
talented textile designer - a legacy that lent her a unique
approach to the geometry, cadences and colour qualities of a
painting. After organising cultural activities for workers and
troops in World War II, Diana became one half of a successful
partnership designing textiles and wallpaper, whose work featured
in the Festival of Britain in 1951. The 1960s brought a turn to
painting and from 1966 Diana has been a regular exhibitor at the
prestigious Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. She has continued to
paint and draw throughout her life and, as this book clearly
demonstrates, always thinks afresh about each subject she tackles
in order to respond to it with a close, warm sincerity. Diana Armfi
eld: A Lyrical Eye charts Diana's personal and artistic journey
with over 200 beautiful reproductions of her work, tracing
favourite subjects and events - from a Welsh landscape to an
informal fl ower display or the much-loved location of a painting
trip in Italy or France. Andrew Lambirth's interview also explores
the unique bond with her husband, painter Bernard Dunstan, who died
in 2017, looking at how two leading artists interwove their
personal and creative lives over a marriage of almost 70 years. As
well as this interview, Andrew has contributed an essay on Diana's
work to the book. Diana's standing and popularity have led to
regular exhibitions, especially at prominent London gallery
Browse& Darby. Her work is held in private and public
collections worldwide, from London's V&Ato the Yale Center for
British Art.
This first-ever biography of American painter Grace Hartigan traces
her rise from virtually self-taught painter to art-world fame, her
plunge into obscurity after leaving New York to marry a scientist
in Baltimore, and her constant efforts to reinvent her style and
subject matter. Along the way, there were multiple affairs, four
troubled marriages, a long battle with alcoholism, and a chilly
relationship with her only child. Attempting to channel her vague
ambitions after an early marriage, Grace struggled to master the
basics of drawing in night-school classes. She moved to New York in
her early twenties and befriended Willem de Kooning, Jackson
Pollock, and other artists who were pioneering Abstract
Expressionism. Although praised for the coloristic brio of her
abstract paintings, she began working figuratively, a move that was
much criticized but ultimately vindicated when the Museum of Modern
Art purchased her painting The Persian Jacket in 1953. By the
mid-fifties, she freely combined abstract and representational
elements. Grace-who signed her paintings "Hartigan"- was a
full-fledged member of the "men's club" that was the 1950s art
scene. Featured in Time, Newsweek, Life, and Look, she was the only
woman in MoMA's groundbreaking 12 Americans exhibition in 1956, and
the youngest artist-and again, only woman-in The New American
Painting, which toured Europe in 1958-1959. Two years later she
moved to Baltimore, where she became legendary for her signature
tough-love counsel to her art school students. Grace continued to
paint throughout her life, seeking-for better or worse-something
truer and fiercer than beauty.
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn was the leading painter and graphic
artist of the 'Golden Age of Dutch Art'. He excelled in imbuing his
art with the 'deepest and most lifelike emotion', with rich detail
and stunning lighting. This richly enjoyable book gives the reader
an illuminating overview of the life, work and influences of the
artist, before going on to showcase the most stunning and varied
examples of his oeuvre, broken down into themes - Portraits,
Landscape & Narrative, Self-portraits, and Etchings &
Drawings. Discover his versatility in the range of works selected,
from the electric The Storm on the Sea of Galilee to the treasured
The Night Watch, with its triumph in chiaroscuro and energy. A
visual feast, it will underline the artist's status as a true
master.
A Kenyan upbringing is the ticket to this voyage into a remarkably
real created world entered via carved, integrating frames. Twice
TVs pick of the show at the Royal Academies and with crowds and fan
mail at a third RA Summer Exhibition, James remains a virtual
unknown in his own country. A production rate averaging just one
painting a year may account for this, but in an Art World where
price is all, his output is sufficient to net him a viable living
selling internationally. Also introducing the remarkable paintings
of his artist son Alexander James. Together their art is akin to a
vigorous breath of fresh air in a stuffy room.
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