An updated authorized edition of Isabelle Fiemeyer¿s literary biography of Coco Chanel, which demystifies the legendary designer¿s life. Coco Chanel was an emancipated fashion revolutionary. Raised by nuns in an orphanage, and starting out as a café and nightclub singer, she rose to become a star of the world of couture and a byword for stylish elegance. Chanel¿s association with senior Nazi officers in Occupied Paris during the Second World War is well known. As a former friend of British wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill, she was recruited unknowingly, it seems, as a German informer. Chanel used her contacts to secure the release of her beloved nephew from a prison camp. Featuring unpublished and exclusive content based on first-hand interviews with Chanel¿s great-niece and confidante, this meticulously researched biography tells the true story of the twentieth century¿s most celebrated yet enigmatic fashion icon.
A visually stunning, intimate photographic tour of Pompeii¿s spaces, including many that have never been seen by the public. Pompeii, one of the most astonishing and well-preserved sites of classical antiquity, is also one of the world¿s most visited architectural sites. This lavish volume takes readers on a tour of Pompeii through an array of visually compelling and original photographs by Italian artist Luigi Spina. Produced in partnership with the Parco Archeologico di Pompei, readers are expertly guided through the Roman city¿s nine districts, including many hidden corners that are inaccessible to most visitors. Pompeii¿s architecture is a central feature of the images, which were shot at all times of day, in all seasons, and in natural light. Lacy peristyles and rows of column fragments give way to intimate, atmospheric interior spaces. Mosaic floors and beautiful ¿ albeit fragmentary ¿ wall paintings are reproduced with stunning fidelity and sensitivity. The book also includes an essay by Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of the Pompeii archaeological park, and several meditations on the history, architecture and natural beauty of the city. Inside Pompeii provides the wondrous experience of wandering through this remarkable site without ever leaving home.
An elegant presentation of interiors for introverts, placing the memorable work of London architect William Smalley alongside buildings around the world that have inspired his practice.
A career-to-date retrospective of a unique creative talent. A journey to the most inaccessible Arctic regions of Siberia, showing dreamlike encounters with its people, landscapes, and fauna.
From Alisha and Roisin McDonnell, the entrepreneurs behind Sew Botanical, Embroidery: Learn in a Weekend isan easy way to get into this popular craft—with instructions, templates, and contemporary projects that will guide you along the way. The traditional craft of embroidery has become more exciting as a new generation of stitchers bring contemporary style to subjects such as houseplants and modern interiors. This smart little book, written with beginners in mind, perfectly captures that aesthetic and gives readers the skills they need to succeed.Embroidery covers the materials you need to get going, offers simple introductions to the key stitches, and includes ten contemporary projects that evolve in complexity. Each project has a template to be copied, enabling the reader to get started straight away and achieve great results in a short time. Specially commissioned step-by-step photography makes the whole process easy, and after only a couple of days with your needle and thread, you’ll find that you’re making designs to show off.
Twenty art projects inspired by famous artworks for budding mini artists aged 3¿6 years. The benefits of art to young children are well known. Art stimulates curiosity, creativity and the imagination. It also cultivates wellbeing, but being creative with young children can feel surprisingly daunting - and this is where Mini Artists comes in. The twenty projects in Mini Artists are designed to engage children with art through making. Mini artists will discover drip painting with Jackson Pollock, carve soap sculptures with Barbara Hepworth, and create their own obliteration room with Yayoi Kusama. They'll also travel through time and explore art from different periods, from cave painting to Medieval stained-glass, and Chinese ink painting to washable graffiti inspired by Jean-Michel Basquiat. Each project requires minimal set-up so the maximum amount of time is spent creating together, and the step-by-step instructions show photographs of the projects in progress so they can be followed at a glance. The projects use simple materials, from clay to ink to paint. Being grounded in art history, Mini Artists features a range of interesting art techniques that are ideal for teaching new motor skills.
A darkly evocative compendium of images exploring natural, constructed, imaginary and subconscious underworlds, curated by renowned image collector and social media figure Stephen Ellcock. Underworlds takes readers on a captivating visual odyssey to the underbelly of everything, beginning with depictions of life and natural systems existing beneath the surface of the Earth and finishing with imagery that emanates from the depths of our subconscious. Work by world-renowned artists ¿ from Rubens and René Magritte to contemporary artists such as Kyra Walker and Edward Burtynsky ¿ is featured alongside recently unearthed images from archives around the world. Expertly curated, themed and paired by image alchemist Stephen Ellcock, these remarkable depictions evoke the underworlds ¿ both real and imagined ¿ that have fascinated mankind for millennia. From the burrows and secret bunkers beneath our feet to imagined hellscapes and surrealist dreamscapes, the disquieting, alarming and wonderful visuals span natural and constructed subterranea and imagined and subconscious worlds. The works of art featured range from the naturalistic, scientific and photographic to the surreal and visionary. A personal introduction by Stephen together with contextual chapter introductions establish the key themes and illuminate the hidden meanings and symbolism in the artworks while panel texts elucidate key concepts, historical events and figures. Thought-provoking literary, philosophical and spiritual quotations punctuate the intriguing images. Together, the arresting images and authoritative text highlight the interplay between the real and the imagined, revealing how the real has fed our fears and hopes and informed our imagination, and conversely how our imagination has depicted the esoteric, the abject and the unknown.
A stylish collection of legendary designer Yves Saint Laurent's maxims on fashion, craft, women and inspiration. Presented in a beautiful package and accessible format, The World According to Yves Saint Laurent is the perfect gift for fashion fans, capturing the essence of a true visionary.
A festival of Indian folk rituals and costumes bursting with colour, captured by renowned photographer Charles Fréger, the creator of a distinctive and powerful new genre of portrait photography. Internationally renowned photographer Charles Fréger continues to explore global traditions and cultures, by celebrating the powerful visual aspects of Indian folk culture and religious ritual. India is the home to a myriad of local traditions, legends and religions, each with their own festivals, rites and rituals. Celebrations burst with vivid colours and often wildly exuberant costumes, some representing gods and goddesses, others legendary heroes from Sanskrit epics such as the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. In Charles Fréger's photographs, those who honour local cultural traditions are represented in single or group portraits, represented against carefully chosen landscapes and backdrops, from the heart of festivals and celebrations. Fréger's unmistakable style of portraiture allows us to admire the complexity of their adornments - masks and headdresses, costumes and body paint - and to consider the abundance of imagination that expresses India's countless stories and characters, both human and divine. This spectacular gathering of warrior figures, deities, musicians, tigers, mahouts, epic characters and their avatars is accompanied by texts setting the huge variety of eclectic costumes in context, and describing the local festivals and rituals. This compelling sequence of new portraits will enthral those with an interest in folk traditions, as well as the followers of this internationally acclaimed photographer.
A stylish and beautifully crafted celebration of Louis Vuitton's Tambour watch, a masterpiece of modern design and technical innovation.
A visual analysis of the colours used in furnishing fabrics and wallpapers from the 15th century to now, providing inspiration for designers. This simply structured and highly original book analyses the palettes that have been used by designers in the creation of furnishing fabrics and wallpapers from the 15th century to the present. The colours used in each pattern are presented in a simple proportional grid, giving a clear understanding of hues that have been expertly combined at different periods to create the designs we continue to admire and emulate. Spectrum opens with a brief introduction by interior design expert Ros Byam Shaw, exploring the history of colour as used in interiors. The fabrics and wallpapers that follow are arranged chronologically. Each is reproduced on its own double-page spread, and is accompanied by a brief narrative-style caption that provides information about each fabric or wallpaper and its significance in the context of interior design. Unique in such a book are the colour grids shown beside each pattern, in which the colours in the original piece are shown in proportion to their use, and with their CMYK references to enable designers to replicate these colours in their own work.
A follow-up to two highly successful monographs (1988 and 1994) on the work of the most important British designer of his generation, showcasing projects from the past twenty-five years of his career. Ever since defining the look of the 1980s music scene as art director of The Face, Neville Brody has been one of the most consistently innovative and shape-shifting graphic designers of the past fifty years. Since his second monograph was published in 1994, he has produced a body of editorial, typographic, information and interface design of unparalleled boldness and sophistication for global clients that include Samsung, Shiseido, Coca-Cola, the UK's Channel 4 and Dom Perignon. The Graphic Language of Neville Brody 3 brings twenty-five years of work together in thematic sections that address the key fields of his vibrant design projects, including typographic experimentation, information graphics, cultural subversion and design systems. Richly illustrated, each project is explored in detail, revealing the work that has defined Brody's recent career across six chapters, from major brands to magazine editorials and features, revealing how Brody's design language has evolved since the 1990s. Many young designers working today, digital natives included, may not yet have been exposed to Brody's design genius at a time when the originality of work from the 1980s and 1990s across many creative disciplines is finding a new generation of fans. This inspirational volume will be essential reading for anyone interested in the evolution of graphic design over the past three decades.
A glamorous tribute to Karl Lagerfeld's highly influential creations for Chanel captured behind the scenes by US Vogue photographer Robert Fairer in beautiful, never-before-seen images. Casting a new light on one of the best-loved chapters in fashion history, Karl Lagerfeld Unseen: The Chanel Years illuminates key Chanel collections and creations from behind the scenes. From discreet client fittings in rue Cambon's immaculate black-and-beige salons to previously unseen backstage moments that show models, hairdressers, stylists, make-up artists and Karl Lagerfeld himself at work, Robert Fairer's stunning and high-energy photographs capture the elegance, glamour and spirit that defined Karl Lagerfeld's shows for Chanel. Texts by Karl Lagerfeld's collaborators and friends provide a fresh perspective on his creative process and reveal the stories behind the now iconic designs. A treasure trove of inspiration, this publication will be a must-have reference for fashion and photography lovers alike, and for dedicated Chanel fans the world over.
A visual journey from the minute to the infinite, exploring the relationships and harmonies between all parts of the universe and inspiring personal contemplation regarding our own place within it. In The Cosmic Dance, renowned image alchemist Stephen Ellcock presents a pan-global collection of remarkable, arresting and surprising images drawn from the entire history of art to explore the ancient belief that the cosmos is reflected in all living things. Organized thematically, the visual journey begins with the microscopic, the particulate and the elemental; then explores the human body as a cosmos in miniature, the beauty of divine proportions and our search for spiritual enlightenment; before finally revelling in the colossal, the celestial and the infinite. An eloquent introduction provides an overview of the central themes and expert commentaries introduce each section. Detailed panels provide bitesize information on key concepts and key thinkers - from the four elements to Cosmic Man and from the möbius strip to the Mandelbrot set - while thought-provoking quotations from philosophers, writers, artists and scientists interspersed throughout the artworks prompt a closer, more personal engagement with the images. This stunning treasury of artworks provides the perfect guide to a deeper contemplation of the world around us, allowing readers, in the words of William Blake, to 'see a world in a grain of sand, and a heaven in a wild flower, hold infinity in the palm of your hand, and eternity in an hour'.
A stimulating narrative and reference resource that guides the reader through the most significant symbols from worldwide art history. The Hidden Language of Symbols covers a wide-ranging selection of visual culture under one unified theme: symbols. Often not immediately apparent, our day-to-day lives abound with symbols of various kinds from national emblems to emojis, allegories to logos, all of which exert a strong hold in the image-saturated, globalized world of the 21st century and have a fascinating story. Organized across four all-encompassing themes - power, faith, hope and uncertainty - this stimulating illustrated account of forty-eight key symbols from global art history is aimed at gallery-goers, armchair art sleuths or anyone who wants to understand the history of their visual environment from an unusual and creative angle. Drawing on examples from the imaginary, natural, physical and religious worlds; from dragons to eagles, butterflies to labyrinths and rainbows to wheels; author and art historian Matthew Wilson discusses the different types of symbols from their creation, their development and why they evolved, to the various ways they have been interpreted. He also explains in what way symbols are markers of identity that have the power to unite and divide societies and looks at how they have shaped the world beyond the gallery, revealing their impact on the appearance of our cities, the language of advertising and blockbuster films and even the design of corporate logos.
A beautiful showcase of Johann Doppelmayr's magnificent Atlas Coelestis that deconstructs its intricately drawn plates and explores its influential ideas. Showcasing Johann Doppelmayr's magnificent 1742 map of the cosmos, Atlas Coelestis, this spectacular guide to the heavens is also a superb introduction to the fundamentals and history of astronomy. Charting constellations, planets, comets and moons, Doppelmayr's Atlas presents the ideas and discoveries of many famous and influential astronomers, including Copernicus, Riccioli, Kepler, Newton and Halley, in intricate colour plates that interweave annotated diagrams and tables with figurative drawings and ornamental features. Here, you can appreciate the beauty of those exquisite astronomical and cosmographical plates and comprehend the details, which are also presented in step-by-step deconstructed form. Astronomer Giles Sparrow elucidates the scientific ideas inherent in each plate, expertly decoding and analysing the complex information contained in them and placing Doppelmayr's sumptuous Atlas in the context of the ground-breaking discoveries made during the Renaissance and Enlightenment periods. A spectacular, revelatory celestial compendium to the cosmos, Phaenomena expands on and explains Doppelmayr's original, awe-inspiring Atlas and reflects upon its influence on the development of the science of astronomy to the present day.
THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'A burst of springtime joy' Daily Telegraph 'A springboard for ideas about art, space, time and light' The Times 'Lavishly illustrated' Guardian David Hockney reflects upon life and art as he experiences lockdown in rural Normandy On turning eighty, David Hockney sought out rustic tranquility for the first time: a place to watch the sunset and the change of the seasons; a place to keep the madness of the world at bay. So when Covid-19 and lockdown struck, it made little difference to life at La Grande Cour, the centuries-old Normandy farmhouse where Hockney set up a studio a year before, in time to paint the arrival of spring. In fact, he relished the enforced isolation as an opportunity for even greater devotion to his art. Spring Cannot be Cancelled is an uplifting manifesto that affirms art's capacity to divert and inspire. It is based on a wealth of new conversations and correspondence between Hockney and the art critic Martin Gayford, his long-time friend and collaborator. Their exchanges are illustrated by a selection of Hockney's new, unpublished Normandy iPad drawings and paintings alongside works by van Gogh, Monet, Bruegel, and others. We see how Hockney is propelled ever forward by his infectious enthusiasms and sense of wonder. A lifelong contrarian, he has been in the public eye for sixty years yet remains entirely unconcerned by the view of critics or even history. He is utterly absorbed by his four acres of northern France and by the themes that have fascinated him for decades: light, colour, space, perception, water, trees. He has much to teach us, not only about how to see... but about how to live.
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