Come on, you know you've thought it--while viewing a "masterpiece" of abstract art, you mutter, "A kid could do that." Here Susie Hodge, author of How to Survive Modern Art, explains why the best examples of modern art are actually the result of sophisticated thought and serious talent. From Marcel Duchamp's notorious Fountain and the scribbles of Cy Twombly to Mark Rothko's multiforms and Carl Andre's uncarved blocks, Hodge addresses critical outrage with a revealing insight into the technical skill, layering of ideas, and sheer inspiration behind each work. In cleverly organized chapters such as "Objects/ Toys," "Provocations/Tantrums," and "People/Monsters," Hodges thoughtfully and definitively lays bare the perception that modern art is mere child's play.
The first truly comprehensive analysis of the history, practice, and conservation of painting on canvas. Throughout its long history in Western art, canvas has played an influential role in the creative process. From the Renaissance development of oil painting on canvas to the present day—through Impressionism, Abstract Expressionism, and other art historical movements—the use of canvas has enhanced the scale of painting, freedom of brushwork, and spontaneity in technique. This book recounts some of that rich history in relation to corresponding developments in conservation practice. Rather than concentrating on the familiar concerns of cleaning and varnish removal, this volume considers the preservation of a painting’s structure. By focusing on recent studies on the fundamental nature of canvas and its mechanisms of deterioration, the book explains new approaches to the conservation of both contemporary and historical art—including reversible, passive, and preventive treatments, particularly with respect to lining. Written by Stephen Hackney, a conservation practitioner and leader in conservation research, On Canvas is the first book to take a comprehensive look at this important subject and is destined to become an invaluable resource for the field.
Lucio Fontana (1899-1968) is widely regarded as one of the most influential and innovative post-World War II Italian artists. This title presents a technical study in English of this important painter and an informative overview of Fontana's life and work.
Lucio Fontana (1899–1968), a major figure of postwar European art, blurred numerous boundaries in his life and his work. Moving beyond the slashed canvases for which he is renowned, this book takes a fresh look at Fontana’s innovations in painting, drawing, ceramics, sculpture, and installation art. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Verdana} Fontana was an important figure in both Italy and his native Argentina, where he pushed the painterly into the sculptural and redefined the relationship between mediums. Archival images of environments, public commissions, installations, and now-destroyed pieces accompany lavish illustrations of his work from 1930 to the late 1960s, providing a new approach to an artist who helped define the political, cultural, and technological thresholds of the mid-twentieth century.
Pulitzer Prize–winning art critic Sebastian Smee tells the fascinating story of four pairs of artists—Manet and Degas, Picasso and Matisse, Pollock and de Kooning, Freud and Bacon—whose fraught, competitive friendships spurred them to new creative heights. Rivalry is at the heart of some of the most famous and fruitful relationships in history. The Art of Rivalry follows eight celebrated artists, each linked to a counterpart by friendship, admiration, envy, and ambition. All eight are household names today. But to achieve what they did, each needed the influence of a contemporary—one who was equally ambitious but possessed sharply contrasting strengths and weaknesses. Edouard Manet and Edgar Degas were close associates whose personal bond frayed after Degas painted a portrait of Manet and his wife. Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso swapped paintings, ideas, and influences as they jostled for the support of collectors like Leo and Gertrude Stein and vied for the leadership of a new avant-garde. Jackson Pollock’s uninhibited style of “action painting” triggered a breakthrough in the work of his older rival, Willem de Kooning. After Pollock’s sudden death in a car crash, de Kooning assumed Pollock's mantle and became romantically involved with his late friend’s mistress. Lucian Freud and Francis Bacon met in the early 1950s, when Bacon was being hailed as Britain’s most exciting new painter and Freud was working in relative obscurity. Their intense but asymmetrical friendship came to a head when Freud painted a portrait of Bacon, which was later stolen. Each of these relationships culminated in an early flashpoint, a rupture in a budding intimacy that was both a betrayal and a trigger for great innovation. Writing with the same exuberant wit and psychological insight that earned him a Pulitzer Prize for art criticism, Sebastian Smee explores here the way that coming into one’s own as an artist—finding one’s voice—almost always involves willfully breaking away from some intimate’s expectations of who you are or ought to be. Praise for The Art of Rivalry “Gripping . . . Mr. Smee’s skills as a critic are evident throughout. He is persuasive and vivid. . . . You leave this book both nourished and hungry for more about the art, its creators and patrons, and the relationships that seed the ground for moments spent at the canvas.”—The New York Times “With novella-like detail and incisiveness [Sebastian Smee] opens up the worlds of four pairs of renowned artists. . . . Each of his portraits is a biographical gem. . . . The Art of Rivalry is a pure, informative delight, written with canny authority.”—The Boston Globe
You think you have troubles? When Sammy Kidman, Dallas Police Department detective, takes a special undercover assignment as chauffeur to an old-money Dallas family, he tangles with three generations of troublesome women: the matriarch, Dolly Threlkeld, made of steel and made over by plastic surgery; her ex-daughter-in-law Linda Threlkeld-Rains, who deals in suspicious art and con men; and her daughter Jessica Threlkeld, who'll do anything for a little attention. Thank goodness Sammy has his level-headed, sensible wife Marni with him on assignment. But when she gets all hormonal and weird on him-poor Sammy's in for nothing but trouble. Sammy: Women Troubles, the sequel to Sammy: Dallas Detective, is the second in a series starring the most sweetly obnoxious cop that was never on the Dallas police force
Applying the insights of neuroscience to architecture has the potential to deliver buildings and spaces that measurably promote well-being and create healthier or more effective environments for specific activities. There is, however, a risk that neuroarchitecture will become just another buzzword, a passing architectural fashion or a marketing exercise just as 'eco', 'green' and 'sustainable' have become. This issue of AD offers the reader an alternative to 'neuro' sound-bites and exposes them to the thinking which led to the design of the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour (SWC), a pioneering medical research facility designed to foster collaboration between researchers. Multi award winning, the SWC was one of the first buildings in the world designed to take into account what has been learned about how the work space affects behaviour and is a highly effective building in which to work. Readers will gain a richer, deeper insight into the complex mental and existential aspects of architecture, design, and our many senses, how they interact and might interact in the future, and how that knowledge can be used to design more effective buildings and built environments.
Join Jefferson Bethke, New York Times bestselling author of Jesus > Religion, as he challenges the accepted view of contemporary Christianity with the world-changing message that Jesus actually brought. Jesus was most upset at people for seeing but not seeing. For succumbing to the danger and idolatry of forcing God into preconceived human ideals. But what if there were a better way? What if Jesus came not to help people escape the world but instead to restore it? It's Not What You Think tells the familiar stories of the scripture in a radically new light, presenting God’s unchanging truths from the Old and New Testaments as the challenging story that it is: a mysterious, compelling narrative with God at the center. Along the way, Bethke reminds us of the life-changing message of Jesus that turned the world upside-down--a world that God is putting back together--teaching us how to: Uncover our true purpose and satisfy our longing for significance Find the kingdom of God wherever we are Embrace the gifts of fellowship and community Praise for It's Not What You Think: "With a deep discernment of the times we're living in, Jefferson spotlights many misinterpreted truths in the Bible and puts a voice to the true heart of God's Word. His desire to bring us into a more intimate encounter with God jumps off of each page. Christians need this book--now more than ever!" --Lysa TerKeurst, New York Times bestselling author of Forgiving What You Can't Forget and president of Proverbs 31 Ministries "It's easy to get stuck in life. To let our faith grow stagnant, our walk grow weary, and our hope grow silent. Jefferson isn't okay with that and has created a book that turns what we think we know upside down. Creative, honest, refreshing. I'm a huge fan of the heart that explodes from this book." --Jon Acuff, New York Times bestselling author of Do Over: Rescue Monday, Reinvent Your Work & Never Get Stuck
From celebrated comic artist Mike Mignola and award-winning novelist Christopher Golden comes a work of gothic storytelling like no other. Reminiscent of the illustrated tales of old, here is a lyrical, atmospheric novel of the paranormal—and a chilling allegory for the nature of war. “Why do dead men rise up to torment the living?” Captain Henry Baltimore asks the malevolent winged creature. The vampire shakes its head. “It was you called us. All of you, with your war. The roar of your cannons shook us from our quiet graves…. You killers. You berserkers…. You will never be rid of us now.” When Lord Henry Baltimore awakens the wrath of a vampire on the hellish battlefields of World War I, the world is forever changed. For a virulent plague has been unleashed—a plague that even death cannot end. Now the lone soldier in an eternal struggle against darkness, Baltimore summons three old friends to a lonely inn—men whose travels and fantastical experiences incline them to fully believe in the evil that is devouring the soul of mankind. As the men await their old friend, they share their tales of terror and misadventure, and contemplate what part they will play in Baltimore’s timeless battle. Before the night is through, they will learn what is required to banish the plague—and the creature who named Baltimore his nemesis—once and for all.
