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Thames and Hudson
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Window-Shopping through the Iron Curtain presents a selection of more than 100 images of shop windows shot by David Hlynsky during four trips taken between 1986 and 1990 to Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, East Germany, and Moscow. Using a Hasselblad camera, Hlynsky captured the slow, routine moments of daily life on the streets and in the shop windows of crumbling Communist countries. The resulting images could be still-lifes representing the intersection of a Communist ideology and a consumerist, Capitalist tool the shop window with the consumer stuck in the middle. Devoid of overt branding or calculated seduction, the shop windows were typically adorned with traditional yet incongruous symbols of cheer: homey lace curtains, paper flowers, painted butterflies, and pictures of happy children. Some windows were humble in their simple offerings of loaves and tinned fishes; others were zanily artistic, as in the modular display of military shirts in a Moscow storefront; and some illustrated intense professional pride, such as a sign in a Prague beauty salon depicting a pedicurist smiling fiendishly over an imperfect sole. The photographs are accompanied by essays by art historian Martha Langford and cultural studies specialist Jody Berland, as well as Hlynsky s own account of his time as a flaneur in the shopping plazas of the collapsing Soviet empire a vast ad-hoc museum of a failing utopia that in 1989 began to close forever. |
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Like its economy and art scene, Chinese fashion is on the rise, with an increasingly prominent international presence. Spurred by a new generation of creative and ambitious designers, and championed by actresses like Fan Bingbing and Zhang Ziyi, as well as China s First Lady, Peng Liyuan, Chinese fashion now walks the runways, not only in Shanghai and Beijing but also in London, Paris, Tokyo, and New York. Fashion China is an important new survey of the top Chinese fashion designers working today, selected for the book by a jury of experts on Chinese fashion that includes supermodel Liu Wen; Director of Harper s Bazaar China, Lucia Liu; and TV host and fashion writer Hung Huang. Profiles of each designer include a description of their styles and an interview with Gemma Williams, exploring their training, inspiration, and technical approaches. These are accompanied by 450 illustrations offering a rich survey of the looks that make Chinese fashion unique. From the opulent couture of Guo Pei to the minimalist ready-to-wear of Uma Wang and the surreal structuralism of Xiao Li, the designers featured here offer an unexpected and enticing combination of tradition and modernity, of Asian heritage and Western influence. |
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Designers often look to the past to inform their work. In Stencil Type, design gurus Steven Heller and Louise Fili explore the variety and influence of the world s most ubiquitous typographic style, which dates to prehistoric times and has been used on a range of surfaces from street signs, buildings, and bridges to packaging and posters. This expansive sourcebook presents hundreds of international examples of stencil typography from the late nineteenth through the twentieth centuries. The wonderful array of stencil types highlights surprising instances of artistry and ingenuity from a broad range of locations and objects from military, traffic, and transportation to home decoration, mass communication, and street art. And the survey is global, drawing on design from America, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, Great Britain, and Eastern Europe. An introduction surveys the history and applications of stencil typography, and samples of stencil type are presented in order of their geographic origin. |
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Francisco Goya has been widely celebrated as the most important Spanish artist of the late-eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, the last of the old masters and the first of the moderns, and an astute observer of the human condition in all its complexity. The many-layered and shifting meanings of his work have made him one of the most studied artists in the world. Few, however, have made the ambitious attempt to explore his work as a painter, printmaker and draftsman across media and the timeline of his life. This book does just that, presenting a comprehensive and integrated view of Goya's most important paintings, prints, and drawings through the themes and imagery that continually challenged or preoccupied the artist. They reveal how he strove relentlessly to understand and describe human behavior and emotional states, even at their most orderly or disorderly extremes, in elegant and incisive portraits, dramatic and monumental history paintings, and series of prints and drawings of a satirical, disturbing and surreal nature. Derived from the research for the largest Goya art exhibition in North America in a quarter-century, this book takes a fresh look at one of the greatest artists in history by examining the fertile territory between the two poles that defined the range of his boundlessly creative personality. Francisco Jose Goya y Lucientes (1746-1828) was born in Fuendetodos, Aragon, in the northeast of Spain. Goya was court painter to the Spanish Crown, and famously documented the Peninsular War (1807-1814) between France and Spain in his harrowing Disasters of War series. An important bridge to the modernist era, Goya's oeuvre provided a crucial precedent for artists such as Manet, Picasso and Francis Bacon. |
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This vibrant new survey sets the agenda both for fashion photography and inspirational and innovative image-making in the decade ahead. Leading curator and writer Magdalene Keaney has selected over thirty photographers the emerging talents that hold the prospect of creating enduring fashion images and influencing the cultural and style trends of tomorrow. The world of fashion is obsessed with freshness and youth, and Fashion Photography Next embraces that obsession, looks beyond what is now. From Axel Hoedt s bold graphic experimentation to color-saturated, hyperreal images by Daniel Jackson or the cool, neutral aesthetic of Hanna Putz, the work is diverse, sometimes shocking, utterly memorable. Profiles and critiques of thirty of the hottest careers in fashion photography, an Introduction that considers the evolution of the art form, and provocative images that speak for themselves, make Fashion Photography Next the roster of rising stars for the industry to watch and aspiring photographers to emulate. |
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Shipping containers are the most conspicuous symbol of the globalized world economy 20 or 40 feet of pure steel reduced to the essentials. They are robust, standardized, inexpensive, universally available, and quickly assembled. Whether as single units, piled on top of each other, or placed in a row, covered or cut open contemporary architecture uses containers as extremely versatile elements for a great variety of contexts. Their aesthetic of practicality accommodates minimalistic temporary solutions, experimental design concepts, as well as highly demanding and complex building structures. The contemporary projects presented in this volume showcase the many functional and creative faces of the utilization of containers. Almost everything seems possible in the developing field of container architecture. |
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This is the first volume to consider comprehensively the role of architectural education in the 21st century. Many students come to architecture relatively late in their education, so it is in college where they come into contact with those who will influence their entire careers. Many top schools are run by leading global practitioners, who, some might argue, have more lasting influence as educators than as architects. The wide range of pedagogical philosophies and practical lessons, set out in specially commissioned essays, creates a fascinating picture of how our ideas and practices of architecture are formed, nurtured and ultimately built for the world to see. Through both the professional and educational experience of the contributors, we discover many unexpected and unorthodox methods for teaching those who will build our world. |
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Architecture on the water has changed from a fringe niche market into an increasingly popular sector. Catalyst is the risk of rising water levels accompanied by storms and floods as part of the climate change and the unforeseen effects of urbanization. Expanding the habitable areas to beyond the waterfront is an efficient and exciting way to bring extra flexibility to the planet s inhabited spaces. Floating constructions enlarge the built environment while making it more livable and sustainable. Apart from the long tradition of floating residential architecture, buildings of all types are being erected on water today. The selection of projects in this volume provides an insightful overview of the multitude of concepts in this new field of design. |
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Fanny is an extended portrait of a young girl's transition from child to woman. Made over a period of 23 years, the images are at once beautiful in their detail of light and identity and also frankly anthropological in their descriptive effect. A naturist since birth, Fanny's comfort with nudity and her natural self has allowed Sturges to draw an engaging portrait of the evolution of a human being with few social distractions. His access to the girl's and woman's character is direct and fascinating. Long known for his extended portraits of children and adolescents, this work is strong evidence of Sturges' permanent commitment to the people in his work. |
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From furniture and frames to traditional fabrics and from ceramics and glassware to garden furniture, this new, compact edition of a best-selling classic describes how to create a home that is quintessentially Provencal. In this volume, we are shown the exteriors of some of the most beautiful houses in Provence, including French designer Edith Mezard's home and British designer Terence Conran's former French residence. Images of gold-hued walls, iron balustrades, leafy terraces, and painted shutters inspire in the reader's mind thoughts of balmy days in the Provencal sunshine. Aromatic lavender in terra-cotta pots and almond trees casting shade over cobbled courtyards evoke the magic of Provence-style living. From plain, rustic-style benches and beds to delicate walnut armchairs and elaborate dressers, all the painted and polished accoutrements of a Provencal home are featured. A section on ceramics and glassware explores the world of the Provencal potter and glassmaker: the materials they use, their techniques, and the distinctive styles of decoration are all described and illustrated in detail. And from tableware to what lies beneath, we trace the exotic history of Provencal textiles and explore a variety of traditional flower-print fabrics and intricate quilted and furnishing textiles. The final section of the book provides extensive source details for decorating the home in Provencal style. |
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After the success of Architectural Visions, with its focus on German speaking countries, this follow-up volume is devoted to the individual handwriting of architects and designers from around the world. As computer aided design becomes ever more prevalent, the handmade drawing is going through a Renaissance. In its characteristic touch it often shows much more clearly which aesthetic impression the planned building finally leaves behind than any number of computer aided visualisation techniques. What is striking here is the concentration on the main characteristics of the buildings, which in turn mark the appearance. In contrast, in the rendering, the love of detail and alleged approximation of reality often overshadows those characteristics. This volume unifies the most varied painting and drawing techniques, counterposing realized drafts to photos of the execution, so that the viewers can recreate for themselves the connection between architectural will and effect. |
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The delicate beauty of the cashmere shawl was first brought to Europe by the East India Companies and Napoleon's campaigns. Woven in Kashmir, its fabric was so light that, according to legend, a whole shawl could be passed through a finger ring. Exquisite and expensive, by the nineteenth century these shawls were highly sought-after in France; enterprising French manufacturers soon saw that there was a market for more accessibly priced versions and started to create their own. Here is the story of French cashmere shawls of the nineteenth century. At first, the shawl-makers strove to imitate the traditional hand-made designs using modern techniques of mass production, but then they began to explore and innovate. As weaving technology evolved, motifs grew increasingly complex, expanding from the decorative borders and extending across the whole surface of the shawl and filling it with jewel-like colors. |
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Graphic design is the creation of visual contents in various media, whose presentation conveys information to other people. The field is interdisciplinary and subject to constantly changing conditions and different interpretations. This unusual book presents 130 young as well as established graphic designers, each on a double page spread designed by him or her. All artists were given the same sample page and the same specified font sizes and number of key strokes. They were free to design the contents of the pages themselves, arrange the text and individual pictures. Minimalist pages are juxtaposed to overloaded compositions, limited colors to expressive shapes and colors. This resulted in a comprehensive cornucopia of graphic possibilities and trends of the early second decade of the 21st century. |
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«The premise of this book couldn't be simpler: 130 photographs of British bad boy artist Damien Hirst by the great British fashion photographer David Bailey, taken during a single shoot lasting eight minutes. Famed as the inspiration for the swinging 60s photographer character in Michelangelo Antonioni's film «Blow Up» (1966), Bailey was one of the first fashion photographers to merge with rock coterie and the international jet set. In this series of portraits, each pose is spontaneous and determined not by Bailey but by Hirst, who sticks his tongue out, mocking the camera. These photos are unrehearsed, in the spirit of Bailey's recent work, which is characterized by an easy relationship with composition and lighting and no digital manipulation. With no text or even a title page, «8 Minutes» resists the familiar, formulaic style of the usual coffee table book. Always the rogue, Bailey's message is «what you see is what you get.» |
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With characters like Coraline and the Sandman to hos, Neil Gaiman is one of the best-loved authors in the world today, a creative force in comics, fiction and the movies and TV, a serial award-winner, and a social media phenomenon whose every work is a guaranteed number 1 bestseller. His active engagement with his fans on twitter — has built an intimate relationship with millions, yet few know the story of how he became the worldwide star he is today, or the private side of the many creative collaborations that have consistently yielded amazing work. The Art of Neil Gaiman changes this, in Neils own words and enriched with visuals from his own archive. Author Hayley Campbell brilliantly evokes the literary and comics scene of 1980s London, and places pop-culture milestones in the context of a busy, multi-stranded creative life — making sense of Gaimans diverse career and relating it to his amazing talent for being in the right place at the right time to — as he himself has put it — Make Good Art. |
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A chronicle of the key ideas that have shaped the adverts we see everyday, 100 Ideas That Changed Advertising offers a fascinating insight into an ever- changing and fast-moving industry. Arranged broadly chronologically, the book looks at the overnight revolutions, the flashes of inspiration and the long-term evolutions that advertisers have wrought upon their industry. Author Simon Veksner guides us through the key ideas behind these changes, from the development of the first advertising formats and the history of branding, to the creative revolutions of the 1960s and the digital age. Looking forward, the book considers the most recent thinking in reaching new audiences, including the rise of neuromarketing and the latest behavioural economics. Illustrated with hundreds of examples of adverts and explaining their power to inspire, delight and annoy, but above all, to make us buy, the book is an absorbing guide to a turbulent, highly-creative industry. |
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Creative Space looks at the studios, apartments, and homes of the designers, directors, stylists, artists, graffiti writers, curators, novelists and innovators who are pushing the boundaries of contemporary culture. These are interiors created by people who shop in Colette in Paris, live on the Lower East Side in New York and travel to Tokyo. The domestic spaces are often DIY and strongly reflect pop culture. Filled with post-modern pop collectables, vintage junk finds, camouflage and graffiti, clothing and toy collections, contemporary art resting in bookshelves and crammed onto walls, these homes are an antidote to the sterility of minimalism. Among the 30 homes featured in the book are those of artist Julie Verhoeven and Maharishi founder Hardy Blechmann in London, graffiti artist Fafi in Paris, artists Ryan McGinness and Wes Lang in New York, innovative creatives Jaybo and Lucio Auri in Berlin, Barcelona filmmaker Roger Gual, and in Tokyo cult photographer Yasumasa Yonehara and artist Aya Takano. In a new compact format and at a very special price, this book will provide ideas and inspiration to all those who want to make their own creative space. |
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In 1779 the family of Sir Robert Walpole, Britain's first prime minister, sold his remarkable art collection to Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia. More than two centuries later, these masterpieces, rarely seen outside Russia since that time, are returning to Houghton Hall, the great house built by Walpole. This handsome book illustrates these superlative works hanging once again in William Kent's magnificent interiors. Thierry Morel uncovers the wonders of Walpole's collection, which includes paintings by Van Dyck, Poussin, Rubens and Rembrandt, and traces its journey to the State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, to which most of the works now belong. Other essays explore Walpole's artistic tastes and collecting habits, and his beautiful house, one of the finest Palladian buildings in England. |
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The prestigious new volume by Skira devoted to international contemporary photography is focused on some of the greatest American masters of the twentieth-century. This will be the first of two books (with the second coming in 2014) that seek to illustrate the outstanding quality and variety of the works which have marked American photography from the mid-twentieth-century to the present day. This first volume presents a detailed and annotated selection of works executed between the 1940s and 1970s by twenty photographers of undisputed importance — from Edward Weston and Robert Adams to Minor White and Garry Winogrand, from Lee Friedlander down to Stephen Shore — whose pursuits represent benchmarks in the history of contemporary photography. As in the case of other titles in the series, the reproductions of all the works are accompanied by a critical apparatus with texts discussing the area, artists, and research explored. |
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Paul Gauguin created some of the most advanced art in a brilliant generation of artists all of whom struggled against the stifling conformity of the late 19th century's artistic mainstream. He created paintings whose radically simplified lines and colours echoed the unschooled art of the rustic and native cultures he loved. After his famously disastrous stay with Vincent van Gogh in southern France, Gauguin escaped European civilization for the Polynesian islands. Immersing himself in the culture, he produced a series of radiant canvases and powerful sculptures his last great works. From his childhood in Peru to his experiences in Tahiti, the story of Gauguin's life is recounted in authoritative text by an expert on the Post-Impressionists and powerful imagery by an award-winning illustrator. |
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