Книги з історії мистецтва

On Beauty is neither a history of art, nor a history of aesthetics, but Umberto Eco draws on both these disciplines to define the ideas of beauty that have informed us from the classical world to modern times. In terms of form and style, On Beauty has been conceived for a vast and diverse readership. Packed with examples from painting, sculpture, architecture, film, photography, the decorative arts and literature, it offers a rich and intelligent panorama of this huge subject. In On Beauty Eco is at his most captivating and eclectic: we read not only of Botticelli and Michelangelo but of how much the fashion of the 1960s owes to ancient Egyptian dress, and how ancient Roman and eighteenth-century hairstyles have much in common. It makes the familiar new, and sheds a brilliant light on the unfamiliar. On Beauty is illustrated in full colour throughout and produced to the highest standards.

About the Author:

Umberto Eco's first novel, The Name of the Rose (1982), was a huge bestseller which brought him worldwide acclaim. With his subsequent works of fiction, philosophy, literary criticism and semiotics, he has been recognised as one of Europe's finest thinkers. He is currently President of the Scuola Superiore di Studi Humanistici and the University of Bologna. He is also known for his lavishly illustrated anthologies, On Beauty, On Ugliness, The Infinity of Lists and The Book of Legendary Lands.

Beauty and ugliness are two sides of the same coin; by ugliness we usually mean the opposite of beauty and we often define the first in order to understand the nature of the second. But the various depictions of ugliness over the centuries are richer and more unpredictable than is commonly thought. The striking images and anthological quotations in On Ugliness lead us on an extraordinary journey through the passions, terrors and nightmares of almost three thousand years, where acts of rejection go hand in hand with touching instances of empathy, and seductive violations of all classical canons accompany an aversion to deformity. With his characteristic wit and erudition, Umberto Eco draws on examples in art and literature from ancient times to the present day. Abundantly illustrated with demons, madmen, vile enemies and disquieting presences, with freaks and the living dead, On Ugliness is conceived for a vast and diverse readership, and is an invaluable companion volume to On Beauty.

About the Author:

Umberto Eco's first novel, The Name of the Rose (1982), was a huge bestseller which brought him worldwide acclaim. With his subsequent works of fiction, philosophy, literary criticism and semiotics, he has been recognised as one of Europe's finest thinkers. He is currently President of the Scuola Superiore di Studi Humanistici and the University of Bologna. He is also known for his lavishly illustrated anthologies, On Beauty, On Ugliness, The Infinity of Lists and The Book of Legendary Lands.

This richly illustrated catalogue documents the exhibition organized by the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, in partnership with the State Russian Museum, St Petersburg. Featuring celebrated paintings by such pioneering artists as Wasilii Kandinsky, Kazimir Malevich, Vladimir Tatlin and Natalia Goncharova, it also includes the work of more than 20 other innovative artists of the Russian avant-garde, some of whose art has rarely been reproduced in colour.

These intriguing paintings are juxtaposed with native Russian arts and crafts, including religious icons, popular prints, textiles, and even children's toys, to explore the influence of folk art on the Russian avant-garde during the early decades of the 20th century.

These objects were avidly collected during this period by artists and intellectuals, who were aware of the gradual disintegration of peasant culture in Russia and eager to preserve its artifacts.

Through a rich array of some 70 paintings, related folk art objects and works on paper, the exhibition and catalogue make clear the intermingling of "high" and "low" forms of visual culture during this exciting phase of avant-garde production.

En se fondant sur les riches collections du Musée du papier peint de Rixheim, ce livre a pour propos de faire revivre ces innombrables motifs qui ont transformé la vie de nos ancêtres, de tenter de leur redonner un sens. Le motif de papier est un monde : les manufactures en ont imprimé des milliers des années 1770 à nos jours, de façon à transformer à moindre frais le mur nu et lui donner un sens en rapport avec les désirs de chacun. Ne parle-t-on pas à son propos de seconde peau ?

Sommaire :
Les fleurs du XVIIIe, les fleurs du XIXe, les arabesques, les ornements du XIXe, les textiles du XVIIIe, les textiles du XIXe, capitons, rubans, dentelles.

Between 1919 and 1939, Paris experienced a cultural and intellectual boom. Packed with evocative illustrations, this book is a vibrant kaleidoscope of the incomparable city at its dazzling peak.

The city was ablaze with bright lights and the sound of jazz, and the ideas and fashions born there spread across the world, attracting a host of international artists, writers and performers to come and share the excitement of the period that the French called les années folles – the crazy years.

Bohemian Montparnasse, with its cafés, bars and studios, was a hub of creative energy. Cubism, Surrealism and Dada turned Paris into the home of the avant-garde, and Picasso and Matisse were just two of the leading lights in a scene that included Chagall, Giacometti, Léger, Miró and Calder.

Intellectual life was punctuated by artistic quarrels, ideological debates, rival literary schools and competing theatrical styles. In literary circles, Gide, Valéry and Malraux were at the forefront of French thought, while world writers who found inspiration there included Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald and James Joyce.

But Paris was not just a city of the mind: it was a city of unsurpassed style. The International Exhibition of 1925 became a landmark event, and Art Deco and modernist designers embraced the beauty of technology, machinery and all that contemporary life had to offer.

It was a golden age for haute couture, too, with the houses of Chanel, Lanvin and Schiaparelli dressing the emancipated women who peopled Paris’s glittering social scene, while the exotic nightlife was embodied in the sensational glamour of Josephine Baker.

When the Great Depression of the 1930s cast a shadow over the world, the carefree days were over but the city’s creative spirit continued to flourish. Political and social turmoil began to be reflected in such challenging works as Picasso’s Guernica, while the films of René Clair and the photography of Brassaï and André Kertész captured a darker side to life.

The publication of the Said and Roswitha Marouf Collection focuses the viewer’s eye on the magnificent art works of the Meissen porcelain manufactory, which in 2010, on the occasion of its 300 anniversary, will celebrate the multifarious artistic wealth of the first European manufactory for porcelain. This book is not about the history of Meissen porcelain in the eighteenth century, which has been examined in numerous publications, but is rather a feast for the senses. The collection documented here provides a representative survey of the early creative period of the Meissen manufactory, especially in the area of painting, with outstanding works of art by Johann Gregorius Höroldt and his workshop.

Also the small sculptural work of Johann Joachim Kaendler and co-workers is presented in detail. The diversity of the porcelain items, chosen with care and collector’s passion, is reflected in the some 500 reproductions – including numerous large-format reproductions – of the nearly 200 art works. In the clear commentaries and in magnificent reproductions – including many details – the individual characteristics and distinctive features of these works are vividly presented.
Since 1994 the author, Dr. Ulrich Pietsch, has been director of the Porcelain Collection of the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, the world’s largest collection of Meissen porcelain of the eighteenth century.

Performance is now featured in major museums and considered one of the most important artistic forms of the twenty-first century. An astonishing increase in the number of works and venues around the world testifies to performance as the chosen medium for new generations of artists.

This is a timely update to the essential guide.

First published in 1979 and now extensively updated, this pioneering book has been expanded with a definitive account of the technological, political and aesthetic shifts in performance art that mark the early years of the twenty-first century.

A new chapter features over 100 artists from around the world, both established and up-and-coming, including Marina Abramovic, Walid Raad, Francis Alÿs, Pierre Huyghe, Tino Sehgal, Sharon Hayes and Matthew Barney among many others, who can now be seen in the historical context from the Futurists and Dadaists to Yves Klein and Laurie Anderson.

Persian art and architecture have a rich heritage that stretches far beyond the borders of modern-day Iran, from the Abbasid monuments of Baghdad to the splendid Timurid buildings of Samarqand and Bukhara.

In this glorious volume a wealth of photographs capture this profusion in rich detail, creating a vibrant guide that will captivate anyone keen to explore the cultural achievements of this 
great civilization.

When the ancient land of Persia was conquered by the Arabs, its people embraced the coming of 
Islam but strove also to retain their own language and culture, celebrating their history in works of literature such as the epic Shahnama. This merging of influences resulted in a distinctive artistic style that spread through the Middle East, reflected in monumental architecture and in art forms that range from expressive miniature paintings to sumptuous carpets and ceramics.

The book follows a historical path across the Iranian world and examines the artistic legacies of great rulers and their dynasties, from the rebirth of Persian art under the Seljuqs, to the magnificent structures built by Timur-i Lang in Samarqand, to the cultural flowering that occurred under the Safavid dynasty through the patronage of Shah Abbas and his descendants, and beyond.

Palaces, mosques, madrasas and mausoleums display a mesmerizing decorative complexity, with form and ornament combining to create an indivisible whole. Spectacular polychrome tiles, intricate brickwork, curling arabesque motifs and calligraphic inscriptions attain a transcendent beauty, designed to reflect both the temporal power of the rulers who commissioned these works and the heavenly glory of creation

Culled from the archives of Magnum Photos, the world’s preeminent photo agency, Pop 60s celebrates the visionaries, icons, and memorable moments of the decade that transformed the fabric of American life. From Andy Warhol, Twiggy, and James Bond to Beatlemania, biker culture, and geodesic domes, the reverberations of the Swinging Sixties are felt in today’s art, music, design, and fashion.

This phenomenal collection of photographs spans the globe, including images of Tokyo nightlife, Brazilian Carnaval, and art happenings in New York City. Renowned photographers such as Dennis Stock, Eve Arnold, Danny Lyon, Thomas Hoepker, David Hurn, and many others contribute both their best-loved and their seldom-seen photographs. From naked spectators at the Isle of Wight Festival to literati at Truman Capote’s Black and White Ball, Pop 60s captures the spirit, style, and attitude of an unforgettable era.

Pop Art, an abbreviation of Popular Art, is a movement that found its origins in England in the 1950s but realised its full potential in New York in the 60s.

The name referred to the interest of a number of artists, such as Robert Rauschenberg (born 1925) and Jasper Johns (born 1930), in the imagery and techniques of consumerism and popular culture. Pop Art, led by the cult figure of Andy Warhol, was probably the most extraordinary innovation of 20th-century art. It put art into everyday terms and so helped close the gap between “high art" and “low art". The British artist Richard Hamilton defined Pop Art as: “popular, transient, expendable, low-cost, mass-produced, young, witty, sexy, glamorous, and Big Business".

Richly documented and clearly structured, this book provides an overall view as well as a new and insightful perspective on Pop Art and the works of the artists who were at the forefront of this movement

This book offers a radically new perspective on the so-called ‘Pop Art’ creative dynamic that has been around since the 1950s.

It does so by enhancing the term ‘Pop Art’ which has always been recognised as a misnomer, for it obscures far more than it clarifies. Instead, the book connects all the art in question to mass-culture which has always provided its core inspiration. Above all, the book suggests that this Mass-Culture Art has created a new Modernist tradition which is still flourishing. The book traces that tradition through the forty or more years since Pop/Mass-Culture Art first came into being in the 1950s, and locates it within its larger historical context.

Naturally the book discusses the major contributors to the Pop/Mass-Culture Art tradition right up to the present, in the process including a number of artists who have never previously been connected with so-called ‘Pop Art’ but who have always been primarily interested in mass-culture, and who are therefore partially or totally connected with Pop/Mass-Culture Art. The book reproduces in colour and discusses in great detail over 150 of the key works of the Pop/Mass-Culture Art tradition. Often this involves the close reading of images whose meaning has largely escaped understanding previously. The result is a book that qualitatively is fully on a level with Eric Shanes’s other best-selling and award-winning writings.

About the author

Eric Shanes is primarily a painter who has exhibited many times in London and elsewhere. He is one of the world’s leading authorities on Britain’s greatest visual artist, J.M.W. Turner, and the author of ten bestselling books and catalogues on the life and work of that major European figure. Additionally, Shanes has also written bestselling books and catalogues on Brancusi, Warhol, Hockney, The Golden Age of British Watercolours, and on the Impressionists in London. Parkstone International has published two books by Eric Shanes, one on J.M.W. Turner, the other on Andy Warhol. Shanes is a Vice-President of the Turner Society and its current Chairman, as well as the Founding Editor of Turner Studies, a scholarly journal published by the Tate Gallery. He has also frequently contributed articles on Turner, Brancusi and other artists to specialist and popular journals and newspapers. In 2000-2001 he curated the major exhibition entitled ‘Turner: The Great Watercolours’ that was held at the Royal Academy of Arts in London to mark the 150th anniversary of Turner’s death. Shanes lectures on traditional, modern and contemporary art all over the world

While Impressionism marked the first steps toward modern painting by revolutionising an artistic medium stifled by academic conventions, Post-Impressionism, even more revolutionary, completely liberated colour and opened it to new, unknown horizons. Anchored in his epoch, relying on the new chromatic studies of Michel Eugène Chevreul, Georges Seurat transcribed the chemist’s theory of colours into tiny points that created an entire image. With his heavy strokes,Van Gogh illustrated the midday sun, while Cézanne renounced perspective. Rich in its variety and in the singularity of its artists, Post-Impressionism was a passage taken by all the well-known figures of 20th century painting, and which is here presented, for the great pleasure of the reader, by Nathalia Brodskaïa.

About the author:
Nathalia Brodskaïa is a curator at the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg. She has published monographs on Rousseau, Renoir, Derain, Vlaminck, and Van Dongen, as well as many books on the Fauves and Naïve Art. She is currently working on a study of French painters at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century.

From crowded dance halls to smoky cabarets, this vibrant collection of posters from the Belle Époque explores the birth, development, and continued popularity of a graphic genre.

Thanks to innovations in color lithography, the streets of fin-de-siècle Paris were punctuated with brightly hued posters featuring bold typography and playful imagery. Many of these posters were torn down almost as soon as they were pastedup, finding their way into private homes and, eventually, museums and collections all over the world. Although many artists contributed to the affichomanie, or “poster craze,” one of the most famous among them was Henri de Toulouse- Lautrec. This gorgeous book offers exquisite reproductions of more than one hundred posters, including those by Lautrec and his contemporaries Bonnard, Picasso, Chéret and Mucha. Advertising everything from tony theater productions to the licentious cancan, bicycles to biscuits, these posters range from cheerfully exuberant to slyly decadent. In her essay, Mary Weaver Chapin captures the voices of the artists, collectors, and critics who fueled the poster craze of the 1890s. The result is a visual spectacle, a lively discourse on the value and purpose of art, and a celebration of a historically and creatively dynamic era.

The radical ideas associated with Postmodernism swept through the arts in the 1970s, but have always been hard to summarise.

Postmodernism: Style and Subversion presents the movement as not merely an aesthetic vocabulary, but also as a subversive attitude a new way of looking at the world. Bringing together practitioners, theorists and critics, this groundbreaking book assesses the impact of the phenomenon on all areas of art and design. It covers architecture, interiors and urban planning; product, graphic and furniture design; the fashion and style industries; and photography, film, television and video everything from MTV and Grace Jones, to White Noise and Bladerunner, Thierry Mugler and Commes des Garcons.

143 illustrations

In Victorian England, with the country swept up in the Industrial Revolution, the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, close to William Morris’ Arts and Crafts movement, yearned for a return to bygone values. Wishing to revive the pure and noble forms of the Italian Renaissance, the major painters of the circle such as John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Edward Burne-Jones, in opposition to the academicism of the time, favoured realism and biblical themes over the affected canons of the nineteenth century. This work, with its captivating text and rich illustrations, describes with enthusiasm this singular movement which notably inspired the followers of Art Nouveau and Symbolism.