Anne Desmet: Italian Journey by Anne Desmet

$45.00 NZD

Category: Art

This jewel-like book evokes unmistakable Italian landscapes and cityscapes. Anne Desmet's pen commits every detail to paper, and the small-scale format emphasises her distinctive flair for capturing the relationship between extreme foreground and distance. This is an opportunity to explore Italy, from A pennines to Veneto, through the eyes of a very particular artist. ...Show more

Botanical Illustration: The first ten lessons by Valerie Price

$43.00 NZD

Category: Art

This practical introduction to botanical illustration is formed of ten graded lessons, where each teaches you new skills to build upon the last. From mushrooms to orchids to hawthorn berries and leaves; once you've completed these lessons in drawing and painting botanical subjects, you will have all the techniques you need in order to tackle far more complex arrangements. An experienced teacher of botanical illustration, Valerie Price shows even the uninitiated illustrator how to produce accurate and beautiful results, with her step-by-step instructions on how to tackle each individual project. With advice on topics including accurate drawing, measuring and recording your subject, right the way through to preparing a well-composed botanical plate, this book covers everything you need to know to get ahead in botanical illustration. ...Show more

Mervyn Williams by Edward Hanfling

$75.00 NZD

Category: Art | Reading Level: Near Fine

From Modernism to the digital age. The title of this book might well have been "The Unknown Mervyn Williams." Its contents will surprise most artlovers who may be familiar with one, perhaps two of the principle phases of this artist's work, but few, if any, will ever have seen all that is laid out here in one place for the first time. His talent was recognised early on by important figures such as R.N. Field, Frank Carpay and Ted Dutch, evidence of it can be clearly seen in the selection of paintings made while he was still in his teens. These are accomplished paintings and entirely abstract, making Williams unique amongst his contemporaries, all of whom worked in a figurative manner before in some cases turning to abstract painting. In the mid 1960s, however, his developing skills and interest in technology led to highly experimental work in Optical Art and also to his nickname "Optic Merv". This direction continued developing throughout the 1970s. Like his colleague and fellow pioneer in this field, Ray Thorburn, he found little response from a local audience dismissive of international directions and hungry for that real "New Zealandness" so evident in the work of the regional painters of the time. The 1980s saw the development of a body of work exploring a different optical effect, textured colour fields which appear to be illuminated from within. Later in that decade came the much admired wooden sculptures and constructions, the legacy of the Tylee Cottage residency. By 1990 Williams had perfected a method of chiaroscuro painting based on Renaissance techniques, giving rise to a powerful illusion of high relief and three dimensionality. This large body of work is unique and original, defining the artist's career and setting it apart from his contemporaries. ...Show more

Charles Rennie Mackintosh in France: Landscape Watercolours by Pamela Robertson; Philip Long; John Sir Leighton (Foreword by)

$55.00 NZD

Category: Art

-The first publication to discuss in depth this period of Mackintosh's work -Written by the leading Mackintosh expert -Includes extracts from Mackintosh's letters written while in France, to friends and family -Revised edition which features a fresh, modern new cover -New, popular flexicover binding - a dds a modern, luxurious feel -Contains a new foreword by the Director General of the National Galleries of Scotland, Sir John Leighton Known worldwide for his architecture and interior designs, Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1868-1928) was also an extremely gifted painter. Towards the end of his life, he gave up his principal career as an architect and moved to the south of France where he devoted himself to painting in watercolor. Meticulously executed and brilliantly colored, these landscape watercolors are conceived with a sense of design and an eye for pattern in nature, which owes much to his brilliance as an architect and designer. This book charts Mackintosh's time in France and explores his career as a landscape painter, placing his work in the context of the modern movement. The forty-four paintings Mackintosh is known to have completed while in France are illustrated, and are supported by documentary photographs of the places he painted as well as extracts from his letters written to his wife and friends. This new, revised edition of an enduringly popular title on one of Scotland's best-loved artists contains a new foreword by the Director General of the National Galleries of Scotland, Sir John Leighton, and will feature a new cover design, updated to feature the popular flexicover binding. ...Show more

Creative Paint Workshop for Mixed-media Artists by Ann Baldwin

$65.00 NZD

Category: Art

Hundertwasser by Pierre Restany; Friedensreich Hundertwasser

$27.00 NZD

Category: Art

Spiraling Ideas Friedensreich Hundertwasser, hero of fluid forms and ecology Vivid color, organic forms, and a loathing of straight lines were just a few stalwart characteristics in the unique practice of Friedensreich Hundertwasser (1928-2000). A non-conformist hero, the artist, architect, and activist left a blazing trail of imagination and ideas in buildings, paintings, manifestos, actions, and more. Hundertwasser's best-known work is considered the Hundertwasserhaus in Vienna, a structural synthesis of the vitality and uniqueness that determined the artist's entire oeuvre. For Hundertwasser, human misery was a result of rational, sterile, monotonous building. He called for a boycott of the modernist paradigm championed by the likes of Adolf Loos, and campaigned instead for an architecture of creative freedom and ecological commitment. A fierce opponent of straight lines, which he called "godless and immoral," Hundertwasser was fascinated by the spiral, drawing also on the Secessionist forms of Klimt and Schiele. This richly illustrated book traces Hundertwasser's style and vision not only for each building, but for society at large. From naked addresses at the end of the 1960s to worldwide architecture projects and alternative blueprints for society, author Pierre Restany explores Hundertwasser's most high-profile and innovative ideas in a thrilling introduction to a pioneering 20th-century mind. ...Show more

New Zealand on Canvas by Denis Robinson

$33.00 NZD

Category: Art

New Zealand’s remarkable scenery is presented through the work of 30 of the country’s leading contemporary painters working in oils and acrylics.  There are beach, bush and mountain scenes, urban city streets and buildings set in the countryside. The artworks reveal the distinct and diverse styles of New Zealand painters with a strong following in this country and many with impressive international sales. Oils have a long tradition in landscape and portraiture, and while the use of acrylics is relatively recent it is capable of rendering the country’s brilliant light to stunning effect. Former artist, connoisseur and dealer Denis Robinson brought together in this book a gallery on canvas that inspires practitioners in oils and acrylics and continues to delight anyone with a taste for contemporary New Zealand art. ...Show more

Cezanne in Provence by Denis Coutagne

$35.00 NZD

Category: Art

So deep was the link between painter Paul Cezanne and Provence, National Gallery of Art curator Conisbee surmises, that the red pigment in Cezanne's paints came directly from the marne rouge, the region's red soil. In this volume, which accompanies an exhibition of the same name, Conisbee, Musee de Gran et director Coutagne and others explore the painter's relationship with the region in exhaustive detail, offering insight into his methods and motivations. Cezanne eschewed scenes of the region's modernization for scenes of classical evocation and timelessness, and his choice to paint en pleine air was inspired not just by his mentor, the Impressionist Camille Pisarro, but also by an intense desire for isolation. "Isolation, that's what I deserve." he wrote. "At least that way, no one can get their hooks into me." His sojourns in the fishing village L'Estaque marked a turning point-as did his father's death, which freed the artist from the burdens of paternal disapproval. The plates and illustrations offer a remarkable overview of the various Provencal locales Cezanne repeatedly painted: Mount Saint-Victoire, L'Estaque, his father's home (the Jas de Bouffan) and additional sites in the region, allowing the reader to chart Cezanne's development of a technique that "makes it seem as though the paint itself is radiating light." A stellar record of the painter's life and work, this book is a must-have for art enthusiasts. 170 pages of color plates, 145 color and 30 black and white photographs." ...Show more

Rivera by Andrea Kettenmann

$28.00 NZD

Category: Art

It was as a revolutionary and troublemaker that Picasso, Dali and Andre Breton described the husband of Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, but he was also responsible for creating a public art that was both highly advanced and profoundly accessible. From 1910 Rivera lived in Europe where he absorbed the influen ce of Cubism. After the Mexican revolution, however, he returned to his homeland and harnessed the lessons of the European avant-garde to the needs of the Mexican people. His own murals, and those of the Mexican Muralists who followed his example, presented a utopian vision of a post-revolutionary Mexico. Rivera's historical paintings expressed his interpretation of the revolution and its ideals, in a style that showed him returning to the pre-Columbian roots of Mexican culture, re-inventing a colourfully realistic visual idiom that could appeal directly to a largely illiterate people. This is the first study which, independently of the exhibition circuit, coherently presents the work of this extraordinary artist. ...Show more

Frida Kahlo: The Artist in the Blue House by Magdalena Holzhey

$23.00 NZD

Category: Art

This fascinating look into the world of the artist Frida Kahlo introduces children to the themes that infused Kahlo's vibrant paintings, while demonstrating how her life influenced her art. Parrots, trees, deer, family members, friends, flowers, the sun and the moon--Frida Kahlo's use of symbolism and c olor wonderfully lends itself to teaching children about the artistic process. Through illustrations of her work and photographs of Kahlo and her family, children are encouraged to learn about her life, artworks, and important relationships. An engaging text and gorgeous reproductions call attention to Kahlo's use of bold color and natural imagery, as well as her ingenious use of perspective, collage, and varying styles. Children will learn much about creative self-expression through this beautifully designed and insightful book about Kahlo's life and work. ...Show more

50 Art Movements You Should Know - From Impressionism to Performance Art by Rosalind Ormiston

$45.00 NZD

Category: Art

The latest volume in this beautifully produced and affordable series introduces readers to the major developments in the history of modern art--from Realism to the New Leipzig School. The story of modern art begins with a revolution--when the realists started rejecting romanticism in favor of depicting life as it really was. Since that movement began in the mid- 19th century, painters have been rebelling, rethinking, deconstructing, and challenging notions of what art is. Filled with stunning reproductions of some of the world's greatest masterpieces, this reference book offers a chronological journey through artistic revolutions. Each movement is presented in a series of informative presentations--a concise definition and description; full-page and smaller detailed color illustrations; and in-depth profiles of the artists crucial to the style's development. Covering a wide range of movements both familiar and obscure, this accessible and informative volume is a perfect introduction for readers interested in art's constantly evolving story. ...Show more

New Zealand: A Painted Country by Denis Robinson

$33.00 NZD

Category: Art

The intertwined themes of natural beauty and artistic representation of that beauty led Robinson to invite more than thirty New Zealand artists of this generation to contribute works inspired by their chosen region along with a short written piece expressing their thoughts on the region. In Robinson&iqu est;s words, the resultant book reflects a journey that takes the reader from South to North through the eyes of these contemporary artists, who number among this country¿s most popular. The publication also acts as a portfolio, providing insights into the wider spectrum of styles and techniques used to capture colour and light, to illuminate personal connection to landscape. ...Show more