Categories
Just Art

Kurt Schwitters: Merz Art by Isabel Schulz

Hello Readers! Do you feel constrained by the boundaries of art styles, periods, and media? Do you feel boxed in by art genres? Are you afraid to cross-boundaries? Are these restrictions limiting your appreciation of art as pure, unbound, and unfettered? If yes, this book is for you! Read on…

German painter, author, and mixed media artist Kurt Schwitters (1887–1948) is regarded as one of the most significant artists of the international avant-garde. He studied art at the Dresden Academy, and created the nonsense word “Merz,” to describe his one-man artistic movement after the end of the first World War. Merz, as defined by Schwitters, is a “concept of the greatest possible unreservedness and artistic freedom in the choice forms of expression. Merz art is abstract and characterized by the way it crosses borders within the media.”

Drawing on a wealth of rich material held by the artist’s estate, this book provides an informative introduction and overview to Schiwtter’s entire Merz oeuvre, from the experimental magazine of the same name, which is celebrated as a noteworthy work of graphic design to his work on constructivism and surrealism, including aspects of painting, sculpture, and typography that were a precursor of modern installation art. Including 80 color illustrations, this book will engage fans of Schwitters work and reinvigorate interest in his innovative art.

From the book description

This book is a wonderful stream of art consciousness journey for those want to be free in their creative pursuits. Is Merz ki kya dawaa hai? Now available at leading bookstores. Get your copy now!

Categories
Impressionism Sculpting

En Passant: Impressionism in Sculpture by Alexander Eiling

It is hard to imagine the words Impressionism and Sculpture put together in one sentence. However, art is about imagination and this month we bring to you an excellent book by Alexander Eiling that examines Impressionism in Sculpture. This is a wonderfully illustrated book with an academic tilt. Read on…

Discover the sculptures of Impressionism and how they embody the movement’s ideals.

Is there such a thing as “Impressionist sculpture”? Since 1881 when Edgar Degas presented Little Dancer Aged Fourteen at the Sixth Impressionist Exhibition in Paris, the term has existed along with the discourse around it. This book is dedicated to the extensive examination of the question what it would mean to translate the characteristics of Impressionist painting, such as light, colour, ephemerality, and the ethereal, into sculpture. The book features a selection of artists including Edgar Degas, Auguste Rodin, and Medardo Rosso and examines the artistic processes that traverse genres in which one medium is enhanced by others. This valuable, fascinating resource offers a unique addition to the scholarship on the Impressionist era.

From the book description

Readers who are familiar with the various art movements and the readers who are still learning will find this book immensely helpful. Available at all leading book stores. Get one for your library now, if only to impress your guests.

Categories
Central and Eastern Europe Society and Culture

Central and Eastern European Art Since 1950 by Maja Fowkes, Reuben Fowkes

For the readers who believe that post World War II eastern and central Europe went into some kind of a art hibernation are in for a pleasant shock! This month we present to you a fascinating story of art and art movements in eastern Europe since the 1950s. This richly illustrated book by the Fowkeses duo is a gem of a book, especially for those readers who would like to know what went on in the ares during the second half of the last century. Read on…

A groundbreaking introduction to the contemporary art of central and Eastern Europe, this wide-ranging study explores painting, sculpture, photography, performance, and conceptual work.

In this pathbreaking new history, Maja and Reuben Fowkes introduce outstanding artworks and major figures from across central and Eastern Europe to reveal the movements, theories, and styles that have shaped artistic practice since 1950. They emphasize the particularly rich and varied art scenes of Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Yugoslavia, extending their gaze at intervals to East Germany, Romania, the Baltic states, and the rest of the Balkans.

This generously illustrated overview explores the richness of this region’s artists’ singular contribution to recent art history. Tracing art-historical changes from 1950 to now, the authors examine the repercussions of political events on artistic life—notably the uprisings in Hungary and Czechoslovakia, the Solidarity movement in Poland, and the collapse of the communist bloc. But their primary interest is in the experimental art of the neo-avant-garde that resisted official agendas and engaged with global currents such as performance art, video, multimedia, and net art. Central and Eastern European Art Since 1950 is a comprehensive, transnational survey of the major movements of art from this region.

From the book description

It is a path-breaking work of immense artistic and societal significance. This book should be in the library of readers who enjoy history as much as art. Widely available at leading book stores. Get it now!

Categories
Ancient

Metalworking in Bronze Age China: The Lost-Wax Process by Peng Peng

Coming from the Steel City, metal is in our blood, and so is all things artsy – objects made with metals. China has led the world in metalworking, as witness by the advanced science and technology developed by China in the areas of metalworking. This month we bring to you a wonderful book on the history, and evolution of metal working in bronze age China. Read on…

Metalworking in Bronze Age China is the first study that adopts a comprehensive, thorough, and interdisciplinary approach toward early Chinese lost-wax castings. It shows that the dominant belief that the lost-wax process as the optimal method for casting bronzes deserves more rigorous examination. In a broader sense, the book provides a study on the “norms,” which are seldom questioned. By examining the reasons why Chinese founders often chose not to use the lost-wax process they had clearly mastered, the book refutes the idea that lost-wax technology is the only “right way” to cast bronzes. This study demonstrates that a “norm” is in many ways an illusion that twists our comprehension of art, technology, civilization, and history.

From the book description

This book will be a wonderful addition to your library, and is a great conversation starter around the coffee table. For the globally aware, this is a veritable treasure. Call you book store in advance to check availability.

Categories
Ancient Museums

Art in the Eurasian Iron Age: Context, Connections and Scale by Courtney Nimura

Iron Age. Because Iron was a killer-app! It led to the rise of civilizations, agriculture, industry, and accelerated war outcomes. However, a little noticed aspect of Iron Age is also the immense rise in art objects during the period. This new book on the subject by Courtney Nimura examines this ancient period’s art from close quarters. Read on…

Since early discoveries of so-called Celtic Art during the 19th century, archaeologists have mused on the origins of this major art tradition, which emerged in Europe around 500 BC. Classical influence has often been cited as the main impetus for this new and distinctive way of decorating, but although Classical and Celtic Art share certain motifs, many of the design principles behind the two styles differ fundamentally. Instead, the idea that Celtic Art shares its essential forms and themes of transformation and animism with Iron Age art from across northern Eurasia has recently gained currency, partly thanks to a move away from the study of motifs in prehistoric art and towards considerations of the contexts in which they appear.

This volume explores Iron Age art at different scales and specifically considers the long-distance connections, mutual influences and shared ‘ways of seeing’ that link Celtic Art to other art traditions across northern Eurasia. It brings together 13 papers on varied subjects such as animal and human imagery, technologies of production and the design theory behind Iron Age art, balancing pan-Eurasian scale commentary with regional and site scale studies and detailed analyses of individual objects, as well as introductory and summary papers. This multi-scalar approach allows connections to be made across wide geographical areas, whilst maintaining the detail required to carry out sensitive studies of objects.

From the book description

For readers with a keen interest in archaeology and ancient art, this is an excellent book, well written, thoroughly researched, and richly illustrated. Widely available at all leading bookstores, get your copy now!

Categories
Australia and New Zealand Biographies Technique

Sidney Nolan: The Artist’s Materials by Paula Dredge

Dear Readers, wishing you a happy new year 2020! It is said that sometimes medium is that message. This fact is highlighted time and again in the art world as artists explore different methods and media to capture and convey creative impulses. This month we bring to you the works of a celebrated artist – Sidney Nolan, in this beautiful book by Paula Dredge. Read on…

The newest addition to the Artist’s Materials series offers the first technical study

of one of Australia’s greatest modern painters.

 Sidney Nolan (1917–1992) is renowned for an oeuvre ranging from views of Melbourne’s seaside suburb St. Kilda to an iconic series on outlaw hero Ned Kelly. Working in factories from age fourteen, Nolan began his training spray painting signs on glass, which was followed by a job cutting and painting displays for Fayrefield Hats. Such employment offered him firsthand experience with commercial synthetic paints developed during the 1920s and 1930s.

In 1939, having given up his job at Fayrefield in pursuit of an artistic career, Nolan became obsessed with European abstract paintings he saw reproduced in books and magazines. With little regard for the longevity of his work, he began to exploit materials such as boot polish, dyes, secondhand canvas, tissue paper, and old photographs, in addition to commercial and household paints. He continued to embrace new materials after moving to London in 1953. Oil-based Ripolin enamel is known to have been Nolan’s preferred paint, but this fascinating study—certain to appeal to conservators, conservation scientists, art historians, and general readers with an interest in modern art—reveals his equally innovative use of nitrocellulose, alkyds, and other diverse materials.

From the book description

This book will fascinate the students of art techniques and art aficionados alike. Highly recommended for gaining an advanced understanding of applied art. Widely available at leading book stores.

Categories
Decorative Arts History

All Good Things: A Treasury of Images to Uplift the Spirits and Reawaken Wonder by Stephen Ellcock

This is our second post for the month because we just couldn’t resist the temptation to show this amazing new book to our readers. Stephen Ellcock is an image collector curator and somewhat of an internet sensation with huge fan following. This book is a collection of beautiful images from the past and the present. Read on…

In 2013 picture researcher and former publisher Stephen Ellcock began selecting imagery and posting them on his Visual Rapture Facebook page. Five years and 300,000 followers later, Ellcock has an international following who avidly await his daily uploads and his carefully curated and sequenced albums of images. His selections of little known and public domain imagery regularly attain thousands or shares or comments from all around the world. All give thanks for the uplifting nature of his selections.

Taking his title from the first ever Encyclopedia in the English language, All Good Things (Omne Bonum)this new compendium of art and photography inspired by both the natural world and human endeavour will appeal both to his digital followers and our image-focused, solace-seeking times. Providing meditative focus and visual exhilaration – Ellcock celebrates our humanity and inspires us to wonder once more.

All Good Things is structured to evoke the medieval tradition of exquisite, illuminated books – beginning with the universal and travelling through the realms of sky, sea, earth, science and humanity before ending amongst the angels and monsters that have so preoccupied artists over the centuries.

Using found artwork from archives, libraries and little-known collections of art, illustration, photography and textiles this is a glorious adventure; one that can be appreciated on many levels. There will be introductions to each chapter as well as recommended image lists for enjoyment, restoration, inspiration. Carefully selected quotes from poets from thinkers, writers and scientists will counterpoint images perfectly and add to the richness of this beautifully produced book.

From the book description

It feels nice to close the year with such a richly illustrated book. We wish you a wonderful new year 2020, and all good things!

Categories
Germany Mindfulness Science and Technology Society

Healing Art: How art in hospitals promotes healing by Isabel Gruener

An often overlooked part of art is healing. Hospitals have known it for a long time, and therefore you can notice a lot of paintings in hallways and rooms. This month we bring to you an excellent book on the subject. Healing Art is as much about art as it is about healing and the intersection of creative synapses that influence, and sometimes promote healing. Read on…

• Explores the concept that art promotes healing through a survey of work created for the Robert Bosch Hospital in Germany

• Includes 48 commissioned artworks by significant contemporary artists, including some that were created with input from patients

• Offers specialist contributions from architecture and art history, healthcare design, art and corporate philosophy

Art can contribute to a healing environment, supporting the work of hospitals and enriching the lives of both patients and staff members. In this book, Isabel Gruener, the art officer at the Robert Bosch Hospital in Stuttgart, explores how the hospital’s commissioned art program supports the complex process of healing. Whether it is seriously ill patients in the intensive care unit, visitors in the public corridors, or employees in sterile functional areas: each is affected in their own way by the total of 48 artistic interventions. The narrative describing these art projects, which were created between 1998-2018, is supplemented by specialist contributions from the fields of art, design, and corporate philosophy. They explore an interdisciplinary approach and offer a view towards the future potential of healing art in healing environments.

From the book description

This is an excellent read for those of us who like to step beyond the obvious and stare into hitherto underappreciated intersections of art, society, and well-being. This book is not widely available, so you may like to call your local book store in advance.

Wishing all our readers Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year 2020! See you next month.

Categories
Botanical Drawing Science and Technology Zoology

A Wild Child’s Guide to Endangered Animals by Millie Marotta

Wishing all our readers a very happy Diwali! There is a child inside every grown up. A child, curious, exploring, learning, and wondering. It is for this child that we bring this month’s recommendation – an excellent guide to endangered animals by noted illustrator Millie Marotta. Read on…

From New York Times bestselling author Millie Marotta comes this gorgeous celebration of the animal kingdom.

Highlights the plight of 43 endangered species from around the world: Take a trip through freshwaters, oceans, forests, mountains, tundras, deserts, grasslands, and wetlands while learning about rare and well-known animals and their habitats.

• Vivid illustrations bring caribous, axolotls, giraffes, agami herons, and many more to life on these rich and varied pages.
• Illuminating text relays the story of each species, from how they live and why they are endangered to what is being done about it.
• Complete with a map detailing where each species can still be found to enrich the reading experience further and inspire additional research.

A visually rich, timely, informative book raises awareness in the most spectacular way .

Millie Marotta is a freelance illustrator working from her studio by the sea in a little corner of West Wales. She grew up in the wilderness of rural Wales where she developed a fascination with all things flora and fauna, which, along with intricate pattern and detail, remains an ongoing theme in her work. Millie’s intention is simply to create beautiful artwork which captivates, charms, and inspires a curiosity in others for the natural world.

A Wild Child’s Guide to Endangered Animals makes an enlightening gift for any nature or animal enthusiast.

From the book description

Readers who are nature enthusiast will find this book informative and though provoking. Widely available, get your copy now!

Categories
Cartography Museums

An Atlas of Geographical Wonders: From Mountaintops to Riverbeds by Gilles Palsky

One doesn’t need to be a cartographer to appreciate the beauty of maps. This month we bring to you a unique book – a geographical atlas with stunning illustrations of various geographical features with a focus on mountain and rivers. These maps were produced during the 1800s primarily to aid the imperial adventures abroad. Read on…

This is the first book to catalog comparative maps and tableaux that visualize the heights and lengths of the world’s mountains and rivers. Produced predominantly in the nineteenth century, these beautifully rendered maps emerged out of the tide of exploration and scientific developments in measuring techniques. Beginning with the work of explorer Alexander von Humboldt, these historic drawings reveal a world of artistic and imaginative difference. Many of them give way—and with visible joy—to the power of fantasy in a mesmerizing array of realistic and imaginary forms. Most of the maps are from the David Rumsey Historical Map Collection at Stanford University.

From the book description

Readers who are keen observers of geography are sure to enjoy this wonderful collection. This book is not widely available, so you may like to call ahead and check with your local book store.

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