"The writing is beautiful, the ideas persuasive, and the picture it paints of the process of careful observation is one that every writer should read. . . . A rich and wonderful book." —American Journal of Education A landmark contribution to the field of research methodology, this remarkable book illuminates the origins, purposes, and features of portraiture—placing it within the larger discourse on social science inquiry and mapping it onto the broader terrain of qualitative research.
The intent of this volume is to provide an enticing review, for a general audience, of the very broad topic of connections between art and science; and the writing is deliberately casual and narrative rather than scholarly or encyclopedic. The scope is narrowed somewhat by emphasis on Western culture (with some examples from other civilizations) and by exclusion of literature. After overview chapters, the author delves into some specifics of architecture, decoration, painting and cognition, graphic design, and the performing arts, before concluding with a chapter on art and science symbiosis. The text is attractively produced and illustrated with some 200 (small) diagrams, photos, and reproductions. Strosberg is co-founder of Recontres Art et Science, an association in Paris that sponsors conferences and other events in collaboration with UNESCO. This work was originally published in French, in Paris, in 1999 by UNESCO (although its connection with that agency's mission is not entirely clear). c. Book News Inc.
There is so much detail to be captured in a face. Cicero (106-43 BC) said: "The face is a picture of the mind as the eyes are its interpreter." To capture a person's personality, there are many things to keep in mind, and the authors of FACES show us how to match up a personality with lighting, posing, and composition. Portraiture is truly an art, and this book dives deep into the details so that you end up with a gorgeous portrait that both you and your subject love. Not only is this book the most comprehensive title available on portraiture, but it contains stunning images. Each image is paired with a lighting diagram, a description of why the type of image was chosen, and then takes you through postproduction to put the finishing touches on. The authors also showcase a gallery of portraits by renowned photographers.
Is science the new art? Scientists weave incredible stories, invent wild hypotheses and ask difficult questions about the meaning of life. They have insights into the workings of our bodies and minds which challenge the myths we make about our identities and selves. They create visual images, models and scenarios that are gruesome, baffling or beguiling. They say and do things that are ethically and politically shocking. Contemporary scientists frequently talk about 'beauty' and 'elegance'; artists hardly ever do. While demonstrating how science is affecting the creation and interpretation of contemporary art, this book proposes that artistic insights are as important on their own terms as those in science and that we can and should accommodate both forms of knowledge. Featuring the work of artists such as Damien Hirst, Christine Borland, Bill Viola and Helen Chadwick, and art-science collaborative ventures involving Dorothy Cross, Eduardo Kac and Stelarc, it looks at the way new scientific explanations for the nature of human consciousness can influence our interpretation of art, at the squeamish interventions being produced by artists relishing in new technologies and at art which takes on the dangers facing the fragile environment. Seeing the world from the other point of view can inform the practice of both sides - this book will provide new insights to artists, scientists and the wider public.
We are surrounded with portraits: from the cipher-like portrait of a president on a bank note to security pass photos; from images of politicians in the media to Facebook; from galleries exhibiting Titian or Leonardo to contemporary art deploying the self-image, as with Jeff Koons or Cindy Sherman. In antiquity portraiture was of major importance in the exercise of power. Today it remains not only a part of everyday life, but also a crucial way for artists to define themselves in relation to their environment and their contemporaries. In Portrayal and the Search for Identity, Marcia Pointon investigates how we view and understand portraiture as a genre and how portraits function as artworks within social and political networks. Likeness is never a straightforward matter, as we rarely have the subject of a portrait as a point of comparison. Featuring familiar canonical works and little-known portraits, Portrayal seeks to unsettle notions of portraiture as an art of convention, a reassuring reflection of social realities. Pointon invites readers to consider how identity is produced pictorially and where likeness is registered apart from in a face. In exploring these issues, she addresses wide-ranging problems such as the construction of masculinity in dress, representations of slaves, and self-portraiture in relation to mortality.
