Thames & Hudson strana 49 z 126

The mountains of Europe have many different meanings to many different people. For the locals they are a way of life; for visitors they represent breathtaking beauty, active holidays and peaceful moments. For cyclists, however, the dramatic landscapes mean something quite different: suffering, pain, agony - and glory. For over a century the mountains have provided the setting for the greatest cycling contests, where human determination and willpower can triumph over nature and opponents. In recent years, as cycling's popularity has changed our cities, made us more active and taken us down less-travelled roads, the mountains of Europe have become the primary destination for everyday riders who want to challenge themselves, experience the storied roads and escape their everyday lives. This publication is aimed at all who wish to be inspired by those challenges or celebrate those personal victories. With tributes and personal recollections from leading road cyclists, the photographs and words coalesce into a visual depiction that transcends any single perspective and will inspire awe and wonder in anyone who wishes to confront the power of the mountains.

The Monocle team celebrates the endlessly fascinating and culturally rich country of Japan. Ever since it launched in 2007, Monocle has had a rich and deep connection with Japan. From day one the magazine has had a Tokyo bureau - which today also encompasses a Monocle shop and radio studios - run under the watchful eye of Asia bureau chief Fiona Wilson. Over the past decade the magazine has built up a unique understanding and passion for the nation. It has covered everything from a live journey on the Emperor's jet and the tastiest places to eat in Kagoshima to the fashion designers crafting new levels of excellence and the businesses with remarkable stories untold outside Japan. This new book reveals the best of the nation in the run up to the 2020 Olympics. Complete with stunning photography and intriguing essays, it is a unique showcase of a country that for many remains a mystery.

* Packed with inspiring photographs of gardens, borders and features, this book provides a wealth of ideas for adapting schemes to fit the area being planted. * Includes patterns for 'natural' designs as well as more formal approaches. * TOPICS COVERED: Plants with Pattern: Leaf Shape and Texture; Patterns in Garden Layouts: Symmetrical and Formal; Patterns using Plants: Borders and Bedding; Patterns in Landscape

In Japanese life and culture, there has never been a clear distinction between art, craft and design. Generations of artisans have for centuries forged and refined their crafts, which have become the envy of the modern world. Regions of Japan are renowned for specific traditions, many of which are born of local materials and the natural settings in which they are produced. Visitors and craft and design enthusiasts have long known about the high quality of craftsmanship and the unique quality of these makers and the objects they create, though few are taken outside the country. Spurred by an awareness of the unseen treasures produced by these craftspeople, designer-authors Uwe Roettgen and Katharina Zettl set out across the country to find the finest examples, to document the makers and their workshops and the rural landscapes that surround them. The result is a breathtaking odyssey into the heart of Japanese culture. The authors portray twentyfive artisans, who work with natural materials to produce objects that are intended for everyday life but are worthy of museum display. Photographs and texts, drawn from close collaboration with each maker or studio, depict ancient techniques that continue to flourish, however much the world around them has changed. Craftland Japan is not merely a book about Japanese crafts: it is a glimpse into centuries of tradition and wisdom through the prism of contemporary makers. It celebrates the union of craft, design, materiality and landscape in a manner that most cultures can only hope to emulate.

'My art is a self-confession - in it I seek to clarify my relationship with the world. But at the same time I have always thought and felt that my art could also clarify other people's quest for the truth' Edvard Munch Why do people travel from across the world to see Edvard Munch's artworks? Munch painted emotions in a way that nobody had ever seen before, depicting love, friendship and the darker sides of life. This book gives readers the opportunity to become better acquainted with Edvard Munch and his oeuvre. It takes a close look at the artworks and explores the stories behind some of the most famous paintings in the world, such as Madonna and The Scream.

In 1987 Fabio Ponzio decided to embark on a photographic odyssey in search of Eastern Europe. When he arrived in Poland the country was on the verge of collapse. There was little food in the shops and the queues to buy bread were immense. In Ceausescu's Romania, people's lives were reduced to a succession of dark days; the Securitate wielded absolute control and used informants, bribery and violence to beat any instinct for freedom out of individuals. In the same period, in Yugoslavia, the beginnings of what was to become the catastrophe of successive years were being laid out, while the West looked on in supreme indifference. In the autumn of 1989, everything changed. The various regimes of the communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe began to collapse in Budapest, Berlin, Warsaw, Prague, Sofia and Bucharest in a domino effect that continued in Albania and ended two years later in the Soviet Union. Ponzio continued his travels across an immense territory with a Leica, three Nikons and 100 rolls of film, in search of the people of the East, documenting the old energy that had been fortified through pain and sacrifice, now joined by a new energy, full of hope. Year after year, Ponzio returned to capture the many faces and stark differences of the other Europe, in search of the elements that make up the shared destiny of the peoples of Eastern Europe. Collected here are his stunning portraits of their traditions and faith, humility and courage, vulnerability and survival.

Flemish painter Jan Van Eyck (c. 1390-1441) towered above his contemporaries. With his unprecedented technique, scientific knowledge and unparalleled powers of observation, Van Eyck lifted oil painting to previously unseen heights and helped determine the course of Western art. In 2020 the Museum of Fine Arts Ghent will host the largest ever exhibition of Van Eyck's work. An Optical Revolution includes artworks by Van Eyck, several pieces from his studio and international masterpieces from the late Middle Ages, which makes the world of Van Eyck more tangible than ever. This tie-in exhibition catalogue unravels some of the myths that surround Van Eyck and his technique while showing his complete oeuvre and his influence in a new perspective. Central to the exhibition are the eight restored exterior panels of the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, a highly exceptional loan from St Bavo's Cathedral in Ghent. After the exhibition the panels will return to their original place in the cathedral and never again be shown elsewhere. Including essays by leading experts from around the world, this book will be an indispensable resource for Van Eyck fans and scholars alike.

What is contemporary art? What makes it 'contemporary'? What is it for? And why is it so expensive? The contemporary art world can be a baffling place, but Kyung An and Jessica Cerasi are on hand to bring you up to speed. From museums and the art market to biennales and the next big thing, Who's Afraid of Contemporary Art? offers concise and pointed insights into today's art scene, decoding 'artspeak', explaining what curators do, demystifying conceptual art, exploring emerging art markets and much, much more. The authors' playful explanations draw on key artworks, artists and events from around the globe, including Felix Gonzalez-Torres's 'Candy Spills', extreme Chinese performances, Damien Hirst and Kanye West. Packed with behind-the-scenes information and completely free of 'artspeak', Who's Afraid of Contemporary Art? is the perfect gallery companion and the go-to guide for when the next big thing leaves you stumped.

Home Computers showcases the quirky and characterful beginnings of a commercial product that would come to unite the globe: the personal computer. As so much technology is forgotten once it is superseded, this is a celebration of machines, industrial design and techno-utopianism of an era in the not-so-distant past. Conceived as a visual sourcebook of the most popular, most powerful and most idiosyncratic computers to grace our workspaces, this timely publication offers a reflection on how far we've come and a nostalgic look at a time when digital worlds could be contained in a box and turned off, rather than ever-present in our lives. Home Computers opens with a scene-setting retrospective by computer and gaming writer Alex Wiltshire. The book's heart is a series of specially commissioned photographs that capture details of switches and early user-interface design, letterforms and logos, and the quirks that set one computer off from another. Images are complemented by a potted history of each device, the inventors or personalities behind it, and its innovations and influences.

As a little boy of seven or eight, Jacques Henri Lartigue was given his first camera, and soon was developing his own photographs. Born into a prosperous family, from childhood Lartigue acutely observed the social rituals of the upper echelons of society through his photography. The hand-held Kodak camera, first introduced in 1888, granted the young photographer flexibility to capture the fine details of eccentric family members at home, the elaborate social parade in the Bois de Boulogne, on the beach in Normandy and beyond. Classic images of motor cars and high fashion sit alongside previously unpublished photographs from the Lartigue archive. These images of family beau-monde and demi-monde life are not only evidence of a prodigious talent, but also offer an intimate, adolescent perspective of Belle-Epoque Paris, the world of Proust, Debussy and the Nabis, before the outbreak of the First World War. At a young age Lartigue mastered the medium of photography: this exploration of his extraordinary childhood is interwoven with a social and cultural portrait of the Belle Epoque. Bonnard and Vuillard used the camera as a reference point for painting, Eugene Atget documented the architecture of the old Paris ahead of its developers, but Lartigue was the first to harness the immediacy of the snapshot, often capturing his subjects mid-gesture as in real life, creating a new visual language for the 20th century.

What does a venus fly trap eat? How strong is a giant water lily? Does a cactus flower? The newest addition to Yuval Zommer's bestselling series answers these questions and more as it introduces young children to all kinds of colourful, carnivorous, weird and wonderful flowering plants from around the world. It opens with introductory spreads on how to be a botanist; how to recognise different types of flowers; the life-cycle of a plant; flower anatomy; and the seven types of animal pollinators including bats, birds and beetles. Subsequent spreads, illustrated within various habitats, are dedicated to specific varieties of plants, including the carnivorous venus flytrap, the giant water lily and the weird and wonderful corpse flower. Readers will enjoy learning about different edible flowers and why flowers are fragrant or colourful, not to mention grisly details about carnivorous and poisonous flowers.

The Big Idea shortlisted for series design in the British Design and Production Awards Modern technology has enhanced our lives in numerous ways - we can now communicate in real time with friends and colleagues around the world, and do our shopping and banking without leaving home. But, as technology crowds further into our personal lives, is it doing us more harm than good? Are we becoming anxious, depressed and socially isolated, unaware of the manipulating influence of algorithms designed to keep us engaged and to filter the picture of the world we see? Has our online gaming or gambling unwittingly developed into a disturbing addiction? This rigorous and insightful volume assesses the impact of our increased screen time and daily interactions with personal technology on our individual choices, our relationships, and our mental and physical health, and suggests how best to mitigate any adverse effects.

The Big Idea shortlisted for series design in the British Design and Production Awards The effects of global warming are being felt around the world through climate change, and images of our rivers and oceans choking with plastic have provoked an instinctive horrified reaction. In response, governments, corporations and individuals are beginning to change their policies and behaviour - but is it too little, too late? Is it possible to reverse the damage we have done to the planet, or have we reached the point where we are only able to manage the problems and devastation caused? This engaging and incisive volume offers insightful analysis of a range of key issues including deforestation, global warming and single use plastics, while evaluating whether - and how - it may just be possible to mend our planet.

Alongside American photographers such as Saul Leiter, Joel Meyerowitz, Stephen Shore and William Eggleston, Harry Gruyaert became one of the few European pioneers to explore the creative possibilities of colour in the 1970s and 1980s. The previous decades had elevated black and white photography to the realms of art, relegating colour to use in advertising, the press and illustration. Gruyaert's work suggested new territory for colour photography: an emotive, non-narrative and boldly graphic way of perceiving the world. Gruyaert's ability to seamlessly weave texture, light, colour and architecture comes together to wonderful effect in this new collection. His photographs of airports beautifully - and at times surreally - record these liminal, yet reliably inhabited spaces.

In this path-breaking 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. While politics in the region have been marked by unstable geography and dramatic transitions, artists have forged a path of persistent experiment and innovation. This generously illustrated overview explores the richness of their singular contribution to recent art history. Tracing art-historical changes from the short-lived unison of the socialist realist period to the incredible diversity of art in the post-communist era, 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.

Contemporary African art has grown out of the diverse histories and cultural heritage of the African continent and its diaspora. It is not characterized by any particular style, technique or theme, but by a bricolage-like attitude towards art-making, incorporating and building upon the structures from which older, precolonial and colonial genres were made. In this revised and updated edition of Contemporary African Art, Sidney Littlefield Kasfir examines the major themes, developments and accomplishments in African art of the 20th and 21st centuries. Organized thematically, the book includes new chapters on the history of African photography and the growth of the global art market, alongside significant discussions of patronage and mediation, artistic training and national and diaspora identities.