The Crafts in Britain in the Twentieth Century

Book Description

From ceramics and silversmithing to calligraphy and textiles, crafts have played a rich and complex role in Britain`s artistic, social, and cultural history during the twentieth century. This all-encompassing book, with more than 500 illustrations, is the first to discuss the full range of craft disciplines and their efforts to define and redefine themselves in Britain.

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A Delightful Presentation of Style, History and Personality
A Must Have for the Serious Student of Rosemaling

Aarseth's Rosemaling Design
Sigmund Aarseth , and Diane Edwards
Manufacturer: Nordic Arts
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Folk Art | Schools, Periods & Styles | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0967458323

Book Description

The beautiful art of Norwegian Rosemaling with step-by-step instructions by world renowned Norwegian Rosemaler, Sigmund Aarseth. The book covers classic design characteristics of Norwegian Rosemaling, traditional color use and placement, how to background wooden pieces so they are historically accurate, information about brushes and stroke work and Sigmund's painting methods. There are 64 color pages of illustrations of Sigmund's paintings and color examples of historical Rosemaling. This book is a great reference for Folk Art painters and teachers. It is an indispensable guide for students and admirers of Norwegian Rosemaling, Telemark Style.

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A Delightful Presentation of Style, History and Personality.......2001-11-13

This is the long-awaited Rosemaling book featuring Sigmund Aarseth, one of Norway's most knowlegeable Rosemalers. He and Diane Edwards (also a very accomplished Rosemaler) have crafted a unique combination of historical reference, how-to instruction and beautiful examples of canvases and unique Rosemaled items.

Sigmund, in his endearing style, presents his technique and thoughts that help guide the serious Rosemaler. He discusses what are traditional vs. non-traditional techniques and gives some of his own tips which he has learned over the many decades of Rosemaling himself. Included are numerous pictures showing Sigmund's painting style. There are also step-by-step pictures of several of his more complex scroll strokes and designs.

A special treat are the many canvases that Sigmund painted especially for this book. In each one, he analyzes his approach and what he was thinking when he produced each scroll. The palette colors for each canvas are given and Sigmund explains his sequence in developing the overall design.

From large rooms -- ceilings and walls -- full of Rosemaled designs, to small unique trunks and smaller Rosemaled pieces, this book covers this unique and historical art form from the perspective of one of the world's greatest Rosemalers.

With over 60 pages of color pictures, this book is a must have for the serious Rosemaler.

A Must Have for the Serious Student of Rosemaling.......2001-11-06

This is a must have for the serious student of rosemaling, especially in the Telemark style. Edwards and Aarseth have done a great job in putting out a quality product.

This book has wonderful pictures from which to study. Aarseth is one of the rosemalers out there and why not study from one of the best?

I really like to "folksy" feel to the book; after reading it, one will feel as though Aarseth is a friend. He shares keen and sometimes poetic insights to the art of rosemaling, the nature of Norway and how the two come together.

Book Description

The underground quarries beneath the city of Paris have been a mirror and memorial of events for over 500 years, with a long tradition of writing and painting on the walls. This book explores the diversity of visual statements that successive generations have left behind in these fantastic (and often phantasmagoric) images and words.

In the 1780s bones from the Cemetery of the Innocents were stored in the old tunnels as the result of cemetery overcrowding. As the city population soared, skeletons from other cemeteries followed the move underground, and with them came formal inscriptions, graffiti and other artifacts. Other images on the walls remind us that during World War II, both the French Resistance and the German forces made use of the underground labyrinths.

Since the 1970s, Paris has experienced a marked increase in illicit underground exploration in these fascinating but off-limit areas of the tunnels. Many of the explorers have left elaborate artworks behind them. All these generations of images, and more, are brought to light together for the first time.

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Subterranean Graffiti: From Lurid to Languorous to Spiritual.......2007-02-11

Caves as a source of civilization sources have long been a part of cultural studies: what men and women do in the dark underground spaces to communicate their feelings, responses, fears, sensual pleasures. political reasons for escaping the world above at times tell us more than the formal written word. Such may just be the case of this excellent monograph on the tunnels and quarries that weave below the cit of Paris (the City of Light!) by journalist, writer, graphic artist Caroline Archer and architect, photographer Alexandre Parre.

While novels and films (such as Les Miserables) have informed us about part of the underground webs beneath Paris, the more than 177 miles of tunnels that have provided sanctuary for anonymous and illicit visitors for some 300 years. Whether the 'artists' of creation were in hiding from danger or political fears or merely graffiti creators on the rampage since the 1970s when the tunnels were 'discovered' more widely, the status of this underground gallery of art and history is a fascinating source of investigation into urban culture and outsider art.

The book is well designed with copious photographs of the many 'treasures' found and described by the authors. The art ranges from sculpture, to human remnants, to written word, stolen signs and tracts imbedded in the walls, to repeated images of 'Corps Blanc' (White Corpse) that appears to be some sort of mask-like signal to distract visitors' attention or summon fear to exit. Here are recreations of famous art done in incredibly expert fashion as well as some very strange gargoyle like carvings, three dimensional human forms emerging from the walls, clips of historical numbers and data, and both fine original art as well as lurid graffiti. It is an endlessly interesting and puzzling trek to follow Archer and Parre through these spaces.

Not only is the design of the book of the highest quality, the photographs and the writing are first rate - intelligent, informed, and entertaining. This is a book to return to whenever the urge for discovery of the hidden treasures of civilization arises. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, February 07

An important survey of the history leading to the evolution of an 'underground alternative gallery'.......2005-10-05

There are over 177 miles of man-made tunnels and old quarries under the streets of Paris - and they aren't completely abandoned in modern times, but have become a focus for urban culture and art. For over 300 years visitors have chosen these tunnels to comment on events above ground: Caroline Archer & Alexandre Parre's Paris Underground charts both old and new material over the decades, providing an important survey of the history leading to the evolution of an 'underground alternative gallery'. Packed with images and examples, Paris Underground is an essential guide for any who would fully understand ALL the art of Paris.

An important survey of the history leading to the evolution of an 'underground alternative gallery'.......2005-10-05

Great conversation piece for your coffee table.......2005-09-01

Paris Underground By Caroline Archer with photos by Alexandre Parre is a book I wish had been published before my most recent trip to Paris, France. Little known to the average citizen of or visitor to Paris, the city was built over the quarries from which stone for the buildings was cut. As the city grew, so did the caverns beneath it until on one fateful day during the reign of King Louis XVI on Dec. 17, 1774, an entire street (near today's Place Denfert-Rochereau )collapsed into the abyss. The King's council to investigate was formed and the finding were so alarming that within three years architects and inspectors set about building reinforcements in the form of inspection galleries, which ultimately (by the mid 1930's) resulted in 177 miles of underground tunnels within these quarries to make the city safe. Although entering these underground passages is forbidden except with express permission, for three centuries artists, musicians, writers, performers, and curious, daring cataphyles have found the lure into the depths irresistable and have made their way through clandestined passages. Through the centuries, because everyone needed to mark his or her way in order not to be lost, and because the bare walls beckoned to be decorated, the passages and quarries became an underground, daring art gallery. This book incorporates a remarkable attempt to catalogue the surreptitious art found beneath one of Europe's most thriving cities of the arts. The historic events, since the earliest graffiti in 1671, have been charted or commemorated, pictured, or commented upon, with drawings, writings, paintings, sculpture, and music created within the labyrinth. While most is primitive art "just for the fun of it," some is quite skilled and reveals great talent. For three centuries the underground has been the location for secret love affairs, hiding criminals, storing beer and champagne, and many other illegal activities, while also providing the stone canvas and dark inspiration for hundreds of artists and performers of all kinds. You'll want to read and study the photographs in this fascinating book.

A city that's as beautiful underneath as it is above.......2005-08-10

Some people here may remember the news about the La Mexicaine de la Perforation's underground cinema in Paris last year (http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1299444,00.html). This story has never really been far from my mind since reading about it. Truly fascinating stuff. When I found out that a book was being released about the world below the great city I had to get a copy just to see what's actually under Paris.

Paris Underground by Caroline Archer & Alexandre Parre (published by Mark Batty) is a great new book dedicated to the Parisian underground art. A history lesson - Quarries started to be dug under the streets of Paris during the twelfth century to provide the raw materials needed to build the city above. At the time no attention was paid to the amount of rock being removed so when one quarry was depleted the workers moved on to dig another. This practise continued on and off till December 17th 1774 when the inevitable happened. The space left by the removal of the stones that built places such as Notre Dame finally gave was as one of the city's streets collapsed into underground darkness. More collapses followed so digging was stopped and task-forces were then set up to check, chart and reinforce the abandoned quarries and the tunnels, of which there are a staggering 177 miles worth, till they were made safe.

The first third of Paris Underground is dedicated to the history of the quarries (La Mexicaine de la Perforation gets a mention) and the official inscriptions that were created by the surveyors & builders. These are most made up of letters and numbers representing dates, depths, relevant engineer's initials and road signs indicating their actual whereabouts in relation to the Paris streets above. However, even this simple text and lettering is really interesting. No two appear to be the same due to the fact that the artists involved in their creation were not artists at all, they were just the builders and each individual writer had a different style. It actually makes for some really interesting studying of the letter forms and their accompanying text. Once the official parts are taken care of we are led to the underground world of the "clandestine visitors" art. Out of the original 276 entrances only a few remain but this hasn't stopped thousands of artists from illegally going underground and working in those inhospitable subterranean world. Over the years there have been innumerable pieces of art created inside the tunnels. These range from scribbles, sketches and tags to huge painted pieces, stone sculptures and mosaics, collectively known as Kata Art. The rest of this book is dedicated to their work. Perhaps the most interesting of these are the "tracts." These are hand written or printed documents that are hidden around the different sites. Some are used for communication between the cataphiles while others are just there for people to view their opinions, poems, short stories etc. These are considered the real treasures of the quarries as they don't last very long in the hot and damp atmosphere.

It's a really great book. I love it for so many reasons; it's not just because it's a beautifully bound and formatted book with fantastic text and photos, I love the art, I love Paris, and I am so much more than just intrigued by the tunnels them selves. The book weighs in at 192 pages, 8" x 91/2", case bound with dust jacket. Seeing as it's illegal for us to go underground in Paris and that the authors and photographer have done all the work legally I guess it'll be the only way that the majority of us will see what's down there so if this kind of thing interests you you could do a lot worse that hooking yourself up with a copy.

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Empire
Madeleine Deschamps
Manufacturer: Abbeville Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1558590323

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On Beauty

Luxury Arts of the Renaissance
Marina Belozerskaya
Manufacturer: Getty Trust Publications: J. Paul Getty Museum
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | History & Criticism | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0892367857

Book Description

Today we associate Renaissance arts with painting, sculpture, and architecture. Yet gem-studded goldwork and richly embellished armor; splendid tapestries, embroideries, and textiles; ephemeral multimedia spectacles; and other opulent creations were consistently more celebrated by
contemporaries. Thus, Isabella d'Este, Marchesa of Mantua, bequeathed to her children vases of semiprecious stones mounted in gold, engraved gems, ivories, antique bronzes, and marbles. Her favorite ladies-in-waiting, by contrast, received mere paintings! This distribution underscores Renaissance
aesthetic preferences and cultural values: finely-wrought luxury artifacts were extolled for their exquisite craftsmanship and the symbolic capital of their components, while paintings and sculptures in modest materials were considered of lesser consequence.
Luxury Arts of the Renaissance endeavors to return to the mainstream materials long overlooked due to historical and ideological biases. The author traces luxury arts from their status as markers of ascendancy and discernment in the Renaissance to their subsequent marginalization as extravagant
trinkets unworthy of the status of art. By re-examining the objects themselves and their uses in their day, Belozerskaya demonstrates how sumptuous creations constructed both the world and taste of Renaissance elites. Without these art forms the study of Renaissance arts is impoverished and history
misrepresented.

Customer Reviews:

On Beauty.......2006-01-24

The Times of London/Sunday Times picked this beauty as one of its top 5 for Christmas 2005, and it is a gem. "Flat art" can't hold a candle to the candle holders and other precious objects Marina B. so meticulously describes.

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A Pleasure !!!

Irish Country Style
Bill Laws
Manufacturer: Aurum Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 185410523X

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A Pleasure !!!.......2006-06-11

Celebrate the Emerald Isle's lush green fields, distinctive architecture, charming homes, and exquisite handmade crafts. With more than 150 striking color photographs, this gorgeous volume showcases the breathtaking designs and whimsical style of the Irish countryside.

The Afro-American Tradition in Decorative Arts

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Important Scholarship on African-American Folklore
interesting book

The Afro-American Tradition in Decorative Arts
John Michael Vlach
Manufacturer: University of Georgia Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0820312320

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Important Scholarship on African-American Folklore.......2001-10-23

John Vlach's book is one of the most important contributions to the study of African-American folklore. Prior to Vlach's study, there had been well-documented and interesting studies of folklore within African-American communities. But Vlach's work is the first thorough study of material folk culture that any folklore researcher had completed on African-American folk culture. It's an in-depth and interesting study, and Vlach paved the way for additional research, some of which offers perspectives and interpretations that critique Vlach's findings. The book is essential reading for anyone interested in black history and culture, and it is filled with excellent documentation and intriguing insights that set the stage a range of important issues that are worth further examination.

interesting book.......2000-02-22

i was only vaguely familiar with the subject of african american decorative arts before reading this book a number of years ago. i have since become very familiar with the material, not only as a reader, but as a collector as well. i continue to go back to this book often. it is very informative, and very detailed. it is a must for anyone interested in the decorative arts. two other books i can recommend are signs and symbols: african american quilts by maude s.wahlman, and especially souls grown deep: african american vernacular art of the south, volume one (tinwood books, 2000) by multiple authors. the latter book is, i believe, an essential reader and study guide for anyone interested in art.

Gifts to the Tzars 1500-1700: Treasures from the Kremlin

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Gifts to the Tzars 1500-1700: Treasures from the Kremlin
Barry Shifman , and Guy Walton
Manufacturer: Harry N. Abrams
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0810906007

Book Description

From 1547, when Ivan the Terrible declared himself tsar of Russia, to 1712, when Peter the Great moved the capital to St. Petersburg, one of the highlights of Moscow court life was the formal presentation of diplomatic gifts to the tsar. These fabulous offerings have been preserved intact in the Moscow Kremlin Armory, in a collection that cannot be matched by any other royal treasury in the world.

Now many of these objects are published in this gloriously illustrated volume-the first in English on the subject-that accompanies a major exhibition at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. Ranging from arms and armor and exquisite textiles to spectacular works in gold and silver, gifts received by the tsars are masterpieces of the decorative arts-and afford a fascinating glimpse of international relations during a period when Russia emerged as a world power.

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