What exactly is Neo-Expressionism? The part of a city known as the acropolis? Or the painting technique called gouache? In this authoritative and concise dictionary, more than 2000 entries and 375 illustrations embrace the vast vocabulary of painting and sculpture, architecture and photography, the decorative, applied and graphic arts. The geographical spread is global; the chronological range takes in both Helladic art from Bronze Age Greece and holography, one of the newest means of expression provided by modern technology. 375 illus.
"Excellent, concise . . . highly recommended." —Choice This extensively illustrated dictionary provides information on over 2,500 artists, paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, schools and movements throughout the world, including entries on contemporary art and artists, techniques, materials, terms, and writers who have influenced artists.
Here is a comprehensive, accessible and authoritative illustrated reference to the history, art and science of photography. In one single, elegant volume, it features over 300 iconic photographs and contains more than 1,200 concise yet fully detailed entries on all aspects of the subject. Though much information can today be found online, locating it takes time and sources can have questionable provenance and uncertain academic credentials. All previous dictionaries of photography are now outdated, as well, focusing either on the famous and influential practitioners of the genre or presented as mere glossaries of technical terms. This landmark publication, newly available in paperback, is the culmination of ten years of development and research. Working with an international expert panel of 150 consultants and 79 researchers, Nathalie Herschdorfer has triumphed in creating the first source of information for all scholars, practitioners and collectors of photography to turn to in the future.
“Girst elegantly unravels the skeins of Duchamp’s thinking. . . . An essential compendium for puzzling out an essential artist.” —Richard Armstrong, Director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation Among the most influential artists of the last hundred years, Marcel Duchamp holds great allure for many contemporary artists worldwide and is largely considered to be one of the founding fathers of modern art. Despite this popularity, books on Duchamp are often hyper-theoretical, rarely presenting the artist in an accessible way. This new book explores the artist’s life and work through short, alphabetical dictionary entries that introduce his legacy in a clear and engaging way. From alchemy and anatomy to Warhol and windows, The Duchamp Dictionary offers a pithy and readable text that draws on in-depth scholarship and the very latest research. Thomas Girst includes close to 200 entries on the most interesting and important artworks, relationships, people, and ideas in Duchamp’s life—from The Bicycle Wheel and Fountain to Walter and Louise Arensberg, Peggy Guggenheim, Katherine Dreier, and Arturo Schwarz. Delightful, newly commissioned illustrations introduce each letter of the alphabet and accompany select entries, capturing the irreverent spirit of the artist himself.
“Covers everything from airbrush to Hermann Zapf.” —Communication Arts The interaction of words and images and the visual communication of ideas are an essential part of daily life, and these concepts are at the heart of graphic design. With over 200 new and updated entries, this indispensable book provides information about typographers, journals, movements and styles, organizations and schools, printers and private presses, art directors, technological advances, design studios, graphic illustrators, and poster artists from the mid-nineteenth century to the present day. More than 550 illustrations, extensive cross-references, and a chronological chart outlining the relationship between movements, technology, and individual designers make this an invaluable reference for students and professionals alike.
This extensively illustrated and copiously cross-referenced dictionary provides concise information on over 2,500 artists, paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, schools and movements, including essential information on contemporary art and artists that is not available elsewhere. It also includes entries on techniques, materials, terms, and writers who have influenced artists.
There has been much scaremongering about the 'death of the book', and how, as words find new ways and means of transmission, young people might gradually begin to shun writing. In the digital age, text becomes information, and information strives to become free. But what value can text hold in the sphere of visual art? How is such text different from poetry? Can the poetic itself be visual art, or is text in this context consigned to the realms of gimmick and catchphrase? Looking at the work of a broad range of artists including Bruce Nauman, Julien Breton, Jeremy Deller, Takashi Murakami, Tracey Emin, Christian Boltanski and many more, The Word is Art examines each of these questions, contending above all that in the digital and online age, words have become more important than ever. With the advent of texting and social media, many predicted the debasement of language, and some have pointed to evidence of this in our so-called 'post-truth' culture. Artist Michael Petry demonstrates that, on the contrary, words remain critical, powerful and central to art practice. Digital communication has seen the word as text permeate life in ways that the poets and artists of yesterday could never have imagined. Presenting a brief history of word- and book-based art, and examining major areas where the word has dominated artistic practice, this book takes us on a fascinating and richly illustrated global tour of diverse contemporary art forms. With 250 illustrations in colour
The emergence of the powerful work - until recently considered 'peripheral' - of African-American and regional American artists, and new trends in Latin American, Russian, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, modern African, Caribbean and Aboriginal art are all introduced and discussed, providing a world panorama of art at the end of the century.
