A photo illustrated step by step instructional manual for violin retouching. This is the second edition of what may be the first book of its kind to clearly & informatively lay out the intriguing process of violin retouching, the book reads as if its title should be "Zen and the Art of Violin Retouching." Brian Epp has created a beautifully illustrated instructional manual, while simultaneously weaving his own crisp philosophy and heartwarming reminiscences throughout its pages. This is truly a gem for the lay person or for the professional artisan.
The two volumes are an in-depth examination of a lost painting tradition. The books examine how the physical properties of natural and mineral pigments such as azurite, lapis lazuli, malachite, or cinnabar used by artists of the European Renaissance shaped a painting process in which each painting required a thorough plan or composition which began with the geometry of the format (i.e. the proportion of height to width of a rectangle). Volume 1 presents the artist as a painter-craftsman with the preparation of natural colour from rocks and crystals and their application in appropriate binding mediums. The difference in colour quality between natural mineral pigments and modern synthetic paint is examined. Chapters include comprehensive step-by-step instruction for the contemporary artist and conservation scientist on how to prepare and paint with the incomparably luminous colours of the Renaissance palette, as well as the preparation of historical painting supports and grounds. Volume 2, the artist as a creative intellectual, links the painter's craft with the creative process and elucidates the degree of compositional planning starting with the painting's rectangular format. The demonstrated evidence for the application of Euclidean geometry is based upon exact measurements of painted surfaces on panels, X-radiographs, and infrared images from paintings. The final chapter concludes with the reasons for the demise of this painting tradition and how industrialization and the standardization of art materials led to a new painting tradition from the nineteenth century.
The Art of Violin Making is the major work for the craftsman, bringing into one volume a summary of essential information for the violin maker and player, as well as providing a historical reference. This book is essential reading for the violin maker, repairer and historian, providing a unique record of the history, social background, lives and work of the great violin makers of the past, combined with a clear practical guide to making violins. It includes: "Part One: The Violin Makers," "Part Two: The Workshop, Tools and Materials," and "Part Three: Violin Construction."
Available for the first time in English, this book has been considered the best single encyclopedia of the violin for 20 years. All aspects of the violin are covered: construction, history, and literature; violin playing and teaching; and violin virtuosos through the ages.
This book contains 41 chapters of detailed repair description, 125 photographs, 60 technical illustrations, & a pattern pocket with 18 patterns. Limited edition of 2000 numbered copies. A review in the international magazine THE STRAD begins, "This is an impressive looking & important book for violin makers. Produced by two of the world's leading practitioners of the craft of violin restoration, it sets out to describe the techniques used in their workshops & to make these techniques available to the violin maker who lacks easy access to training in restoration workshops." The bulletin of the Violin Society of America states, "This long-awaited text presents the art & science of violin repair in a manner so clear in its concept & so unambiguous in its language that it is as enjoyable to read as it is informative. This book should rapidly become a vital reference work for violin makers everywhere." Published & distributed by the authors, 627 North Larchmont Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90004.
This book contributes significantly to the selection of appropriate and controllable cleaning methods for varnished and unvarnished paint surfaces. It is a distillation of many years' experience of formulating a cleaning treatment for any given object. The general principles of the chemistry and the practical applications are described. The methods are applicable to the surface cleaning of both traditional and modern paint media found on sculptures, ethnographic materials, paintings, gilded surfaces and furniture. Aqueous methods are certainly worth considering for those surfaces which cannot be cleaned safely by methods based on solvents.
