Born in 1912, in a small town in Wyoming, Jackson Pollock embodied the American dream as the country found itself confronted with the realities of a modern era replacing the fading nineteenth century. Pollock left home in search of fame and fortune in New York City. Thanks to the Federal Art Project he quickly won acclaim, and after the Second World War became the biggest art celebrity in America. For De Kooning, Pollock was the “icebreaker”. For Max Ernst and Masson, Pollock was a fellow member of the European Surrealist movement. And for Motherwell, Pollock was a legitimate candidate for …
This book presents a selection of oceanic charts dating from the 13th to the 17th century. Though to us they may appear rudimentary, they bear excellent witness to the achievements of the early European navigators, and to their determination to explore the very ends of the Earth. What the charts may lack in geographical accuracy they undoubtedly make up for in charm. And of course they are priceless historical records. Recounting the epic voyages of maritime exploration, from Erik the Red to Robert Peary, author Donald Wigal leads us on an exciting journey from Terra Incognita to the World As …
In his works, Hopper poetically expressed the solitude of man confronted to the American way of life as it developed in the 1920s. Inspired by the movies and particularly by the various camera angles and attitudes of characters, his paintings expose the alienation of mass culture. Created using cold colours and inhabited by anonymous characters, Hopper’s paintings also symbolically reflect the Great Depression. Through a series of different reproductions (etchings, watercolours, and oil-on-canvas paintings), as well as thematic and artistic analysis, the author sheds new light on the enigmatic and tortured world of this outstanding figure.
Arriving with a bang on the post-World War I scene, the Surrealists proclaimed a revolution of thought and creation, insisting on breaking away from the past and a world that had been left in ruins. This refusal to integrate into bourgeois society was also a leitmotiv of the Dada movement, a rebellious trait that led André Breton to say that Dadaism was “a machine had not thought to come up with new perspectives. It was this comment that gave birth to Surrealism. The Surrealists frequently collaborated with Dada artists on intellectual levels for which exclusivity had often become the general …
To draw a horse is to capture a moment of grace in motion — strength, balance, and lightness united in a single line. This book invites you to rediscover the pleasure of observation and the simplicity of form. Starting from geometric shapes, you will learn how to build the body, head, and movement of the horse with clarity and precision, transforming simple sketches into expressive drawings. Step by step, page by page, your hand will learn to follow the rhythm of this noble animal — until your lines run as freely as the horses you draw. This book is the …
La guitarra es un instrumento muy conocido por su gran difusión popular, pero no es monos importante por su origen, tan antiguo que precede en tres siglos al nacimiento del piano. Extensas y variadas son las composiciones que a lo largo de los siglos exaltan las peculiaridades de este instrumento y en particular su variedad tímbrica. ¿Ha decidido a aprender a tocar la guitarra? Estas páginas le conducirán para que sepa escoger el tipo más adecuado, y aprenda a dominar la posición correcta, etc. Poco a poco, al adentrarse en el arte de la guitarra, Irá progresando hasta llegar a …
Un atles sentimental del jazz de Haruki Murakami.Haruki Murakami va gestionar un club de jazz durant molts anys abans de dedicar-se a temps complet a l'escriptura. I llegint Retrats en jazz, us semblarà que seieu en una de les taules del local per prendre alguna cosa mentre ell mateix comenta el que sona i n'explica curiositats, anècdotes i troballes inesperades. El jazz és una passió que es troba al moll de l'obra creativa de Murakami. Les seves novel·les estan plenes de jazz, d'al·lusions a discos i músics, i en aquests Retrats en jazz hi ha abocat tot el seu entusiasme. …
At the beginning of the XXth century, there was an unprecedented explosion of creativity in all artistic fields. Overwhelming both Europe and North America, the Russian Ballet revolutionized theatrical design with their stage sets and their costumes that were ablaze with colour yet refind in effect, bearing much of the mystic of the Orient yet also visually influenced by the work of the Persian miniaturists. Together with Diaghilev, Léon Bakst showed himself to be the most talented of the theatre group designers of his time. The costumes he devised with exclusive art seemed to shimmer with a thousand colours. Dazzled …
