Thames & Hudson strana 21 z 126

An anthology of compelling essays by Marina Warner, one of our pre-eminent writers and critics. Art-writing at its most useful should share the dynamism, fluidity and passions of the objects of its enquiry, argues Marina Warner. In this new anthology of some of her most compelling work, she captures the visual experience of the work of several artists – with a notable focus on the inner lives of women – through an exploration of the range of stories and symbols to which they allude. Metamorphosis features vividly in the imagery, stories and media of the art that Warner has chosen to write about: in connection with animals in the work of Louise Bourgeois, for instance; with the Catholicism of Damien Hirst; and with performance as a medium of memory and resistance in the installations of Joan Jonas. Rather than drawing on connoisseurship, the author’s approach grows principally out of anthropology and mythology. She argues that art and aesthetics increasingly fulfil a magical social function – a principle that runs through these writings to give the collection a quality that is polemical as well as coherent. With an introductory essay and illustrations throughout, Marina Warner investigates how artists noted for their treatment of disturbing, uncanny material have reached beyond the visible, to express interior states. Truly inspiring, her writing unites the imagination of artist, writer and reader, creating a reading experience parallel to the intrinsic pleasure of looking at art.

The magnificent wonders of China, ancient and modern, revealed by an international team of leading scholars. China is the oldest continuous civilization on earth and holds a unique global place in the twenty-first century. The Great Wonders of China’s wide focus shows what makes China such a special country, with topics stretching from the natural wonders, including mountains and rivers, to the Silk Road; the technological innovations of printing and the compass; and the modern, vibrant cities of today as well as famous monuments, such as the Forbidden City in Beijing and the Great Wall. In this new and updated paperback edition, a team of leading scholars from Asia and the West provide a compelling history of China. Beyond the quality of the individual entries, The Great Wonders of China provides a chronicle of Chinese history and culture as well as helping readers understand and appreciate this vast country. 20 color illustrations

An essential guide for the discerning time-traveller: take a trip to ancient Egypt at the height of its power and prosperity in the reign of Ramesses II. More reliable than Herodotus and more upbeat than The Book of the Dead, this popular book in Thames & Hudson’s successful Time Travel series takes the reader to Ancient Egypt in the time of Ramesses II (1250BC). Egyptologist Donald Ryan guides the time-travelling tourist on a journey up the Nile, and en route he offers useful advice on everything from deciphering hieroglyphics to mummifying household pets. So leave the protective amulets at home and banish all fear of being sold as a galley slave – this imaginative guide is all you need to survive and enjoy your visit to Egypt in its golden age.

The newest board book instalment of the bestselling If I had a… series imagines what life would be like with a super-bouncy kangaroo for a pet. With rollicking rhymes and bold illustrations, our creative protagonist imagines the hopping highs and lows of having a kangaroo for a pet. Being an ace on the cricket pitch is a breeze, but hold on to your stomach during the school run – it’s pretty bumpy being bounced around in a pouch! The book winds down to little girl drifting off to sleep, perfect for bedtime reading.

The first book to consider Kiefer's photography and use of photographs in his wider artistic practice. Known for his monumental painting and installations, the internationally celebrated artist Anselm Kiefer's works are marked by a constant questioning of history and collective memory. Born in Germany two months before the Nazi capitulation in 1945, Kiefer's reflections on post-war identity, loss, and shared experience, nourished by myths and literature, create an unparalleled breadth of imagery. The use of photography as both practice and source material is a little-known aspect of Kiefer's art that has played a central role throughout his career. This book presents over 130 works charting the artist's relationship with photography, and his investigations into what images reveal.

Saul Leiter was one of those photographers who sought neither fame nor commercial success, despite his talent for imagemaking. Born in Pittsburgh, he spent his entire adult life in New York City's East Village, in an intensely creative environment where ideas from Europe and America came together and intermingled. There he encountered Rothko and the Abstract Expressionists, and discovered street photography and the work of Henri Cartier-Bresson. His mastery of colour is displayed in unconventional cityscapes in which reflections, transparency, complex framing and mirroring effects are married to a very personal printing style, creating a unique kind of urban view.

The ultimate typographic experiment – 7,762,392 typefaces from one of the world’s foremost typography studios. System Process Form is a detailed survey of MuirMcNeil's Two type system, an extensive collection of geometric alphabets in which every stroke, shape, letterform and word is designed to correspond and collaborate in close harmony. The methodologies demonstrated transcend the short-term limitations of single solutions to single problems, revealing the ways in which system, process and form constitute the bedrock of a successful design practice. Using a combination of algorithm, chance and deliberation, a core database of 23 type systems and 198 individual fonts is interpolated to generate millions of hybrid forms in which every dot, line, space and letter is designed to correspond and collaborate in close harmony. The showcased examples, selected for their distinctively abstract and striking qualities, are printed in three vibrant neon inks and metallic black. The result, far more than a mere catalogue of typefaces, demonstrates the power of excavating design problems at their deepest roots, allowing abundant and diverse outcomes to proliferate spontaneously.

A lively introduction to and history of international contemporary art from 1960 to the present. What does it mean? Is it really art? Why does it cost so much? While these questions are perpetually asked about contemporary art, they are not the questions that E. H. Gombrich set out to answer in his seminal book The Story of Art. Contemporary art is very different from what came before. From the 1960s, where Gombrich’s account concludes, artists began to abandon traditional forms of art and started to make work that questioned art’s very definition. This is where Godfrey picks up the story. Developments in contemporary art have followed no straightforward line of progress or sequence of movements. Recognizing this, Tony Godfrey creates a narrative from a series of often dramatic creative conflicts and arguments around what art is or should be. From object versus sculpture and painting versus conceptual to local versus global, gallery versus wider world, The Story of Contemporary Art traces a history in terms of drastic changes in social and political life over the last sixty years. How do we experience being human in a world that seems to change so quickly? In exploring art’s relationship to this question, Godfrey asserts that multiple voices must be heard: critics, theorists, curators and collectors, but also audiences and artists themselves. Key to the book is the story of how a perception that art was made almost exclusively by white men from North America and Western Europe has been radically overturned. Compelling and intelligent, but never academic, this book tells us how.

A revised and expanded edition of the book described by Books Monthly as 'an absolute gem. A bible, in fact'. If the future is going to be creative, then Hegarty on Advertising points you in the right direction. Written by one of the world's legendary advertising men, this best-selling book contains five decades' worth of wisdom from the man behind hugely influential campaigns for brands such as Levi's, Audi, Boddingtons and Lynx. In this new and improved edition John Hegarty reveals what lies behind a great idea and effective advertising, the ingredients of a successful brand, the right way and the wrong way to run and launch an advertising agency, why you should always question the brief, the art of pitching to a potential client, the central role of storytelling in advertising, the impact of new technology in a rapidly evolving industry, and the importance of dealing with succession. And if that isn't enough, read the final chapters on winemaking and The Garage Soho, a startup incubator that he has co-founded, to find out what happens when an advertising man becomes the client and has ideas sold to him. Both a credo for creativity and a brilliantly entertaining memoir, Hegarty on Advertising provides unparalleled industry insight through stories and anecdotes about the agencies in which Hegarty has played a vital role and the many characters with whom he has worked along the way. Packed with straight-down-the-line, generous, engaging and witty advice, it will be of immense appeal across the whole creative spectrum, from those who want to work in advertising to chief executives who understand the power and value of ideas that sell.

A showcase of over forty of the most exciting and unique off-grid houses in North America, across a wide variety of wild and remote landscapes. Living off the grid has become increasingly desirable in recent years. Escaping the city to be immersed in nature is ever more appealing as the pressures of everyday life increase. The need to reduce our carbon footprints as the effects of climate change become a reality has brought sustainable living, particularly in off-grid and net-zero houses, to the forefront. In Off the Grid: Houses for Escape Across North America, Dominic Bradbury turns to North America to showcase how architects are making living in the wilderness a more aordable and attainable dream. From cabins deep in the forest to desert homes and stunning coastal retreats, this collection of the most innovative off-grid homes reveals how clever design is redefining the possibilities for living in some of the most extraordinary natural environments on Earth. 400 color illustrations

Trends come and go, but French interiors, old or new, never go out of style. The New French look is spirited and fresh, layered but never fussy, effortless yet always chic. It confidently uses elements of colour and pattern to create an elegant atmosphere, but with a new contemporary edge. Referencing history, it offers a respectful nod to the past without ever looking stale and stuffy. In this first book in the Style Study series, interior designer Lauren Li takes a deep-dive into the best examples of the New French look to discover what makes the aesthetic so appealing. From the city to the beach, the country and the mountains, Li explores the work of leading French architects and designers to reveal how they do it.

An authoritative step-by-step manual, combining tutorials, inspirational galleries, extensive cross-referencing and advice on metal jewelry-making. Thanks to the popularity of workshops and classes, metal jewelry-making is no longer the exclusive realm of professional jewelry designers. Now, with a little patience and the right instruction, anyone can learn to create beautiful jewelry with metalsmithing techniques. This book is one of the most comprehensive volumes on metal jewelry-making available. Freshly commissioned, full-colour photographs accompany detailed step-by-step tutorials, while comprehensive sidebars detail the relevant considerations for applying each technique to a variety of different metals, with cross-references where applicable. The book also includes profiles of contemporary practitioners, providing readers with an understanding of a wide range of different working methods, materials and developing techniques. With its combination of tutorials, inspirational galleries, extensive cross-referencing and advice, Metalsmithing for Jewelry Makers is an authoritative reference that is guaranteed to appeal to professionals and amateurs alike.

Through archival drawings and photographs, and newly shot sheer silhouettes designed by Yves Saint Laurent from the collections of the Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris and the Museum for Lace and Fashion, Calais, Sheer: The Diaphanous Creations of Yves Saint Laurent highlights the couturier’s pioneering work in lace and other sheer fabrics, uncovering how he was able to overturn codes of unveiling the body to present a new, powerful and sensual feminine figure. The book shows how he worked to ‘reveal’ the body of the woman wearing his clothes with both elegance and audacity: the Nude Dress of 1968, for example, made entirely of transparent chiffon, provided ‘modesty’ in the form of ostrich feathers. Original outfits, sketches, collection boards and fabric swatches give an intimate window into the designs, while photographs of models and clients such as Catherine Deneuve and Naomi Campbell bring to life the designer’s creations in a way that still shocks even now. Sheer is an essential read for fashion fans, and a fascinating and unique look at the work of one of the great designers.

In 1907, when she was twenty-five and not yet a published novelist, Virginia Stephen had everything still to prove. She felt herself to be at a crossroads: ‘I shall be miserable, or happy; a wordy sentimental creature, or a writer of such English as shall one day burn the pages.’ Today her prose is still blazing; perhaps it burns brighter than ever. This is the story of how a determined young woman with a notebook became one of the greatest writers of all time. It is a story that sparkles with wit and friendship, language and love, wicked jokes and passionate appreciation of ordinary things. Hers was a life lived with intensity from moment to moment, courageous and defiant of convention, and shaped into the lasting patterns of art. Considering each of Woolf’s novels in context, this gripping account shows why, eighty years after her death, Virginia Woolf continues to haunt and inspire us.

Take a refreshing walk through the woods without even leaving your home. Woodlands are everyone’s favourite landscapes and, from a colouring perspective, they’re full of amazing details. Acorns, bluebells, curling ferns, toadstools and leaves all give the colourist a calming, natural and satisfying experience. Meander through this uplifting woodland journey of meditative scenes and be inspired by uplifting quotations gently scattered through the pages.

If you get lost, it’s simple – you just look at a map, and hey presto! You can find out where you are. But might there be other things a map can show? How about treasure maps, maps of your feelings, maps of how things work…? When you think about it, a map can have a million uses. This charming new picture book by Shinsuke Yoshitake is an ingenious exploration of the wonderful world of maps and how they help to guide us.