Posted on Jul-27-2009

English Embroidery in the Metropolitan Museum 1580-1700: 'Twixt Art and Nature (Published in Association with the Bard Graduate Centre for Studies in the Decorative Arts, Design and Culture)


This was an expensive book that I ummed and aahed about purchasing. But on receiving it, I could see what the fuss was all about. Many textiley, embroidery people are very visual people, and I was thrilled to see the quantity and quality of colour photos in this book. Some of them are very close-up so that you can see wonderful details in the embroidery. I still haven't actually read the text - but that's not why I bought it! The photos just enthrall me.

English Embroidery in the Metropolitan Museum 1580-1700: \'Twixt Art and Nature (Published in Association with the Bard Graduate Centre for Studies in the Decorative Arts, Design and Culture)

Product Description:

This book centers around the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s preeminent collection of embroidered objects from England’s late Tudor and Stuart eras. These seventeenth-century embroideries, some eighty works in all, include samplers, gloves, headgear, purses, raised work panels, boxes and mirrors, portrait miniatures, lavishly embroidered Bibles, and a spectacular burse made to hold the Great Seal of England. In a series of essays the book explores the important role of embroidery in the history of textiles and decorative arts and also offers new insight into the role of women in the production of decorative arts. Expert scholars discuss embroidered furnishings, fashion accessories, biblical narratives, and pastoral imagery, to create a superb and comprehensive overview of embroidery during this tumultuous period in English history.



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Posted on Jul-24-2009

The Arts and Crafts Movement in Europe and America: Design for the Modern World 1880-1920


The Arts and Crafts Movement in Europe and America: Design for the Modern World 1880-1920



Average Rating:
Author: Wendy Kaplan
ISBN: 0500238154
Number Of Pages: 320
Languages:
Unknown: English
Original Language: English
Published: English

Product Description:
The first assessment of the truly international influence of the Arts and Crafts movement, published to accompany a groundbreaking exhibition.

At the turn of the last century, the Arts and Crafts movement transformed not only how objects looked but also how people looked at objects. It provided a framework for essential issues that are still debated today: the conflict between standardization and individuality, the question of whether a one-of-a-kind handcrafted object is superior to a mass-produced one, and the problem of defining what kind of design most benefits society.

As the most industrialized country, Britain was also the first to generate a movement to counter what was seen as the malevolent effects of mass production. Protagonists such as John Ruskin and William Morris championed "joy in labor"—the moral and spiritual uplift that would come with the revival of making objects by hand. The improvement of working conditions, integration of art into everyday life, and an "honest" aesthetic resulting from the use of indigenous materials and native traditions were also central to the movement's philosophy. At the end of the nineteenth century, these Arts and Crafts ideals were appropriated and adapted by the young avant-garde throughout Europe and the United States.

With 260 objects—furniture, ceramics, metalwork, textiles, and works on paper—from Britain, Ireland, the United States, France, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Scandinavia, and Finland, this is a visually stunning, definitive survey. The book features masterworks by the best-known designers of the period, such as William Morris, M. H. Baillie Scott, Henry Van de Velde, Peter Behrens, Josef Hoffmann, Eliel Saarinen, Gustav Stickley, Greene and Greene, and Frank Lloyd Wright, as well as lesser-known examples that have never been displayed together. 360 illustrations, 300 in color.

With contributions by: Alan Crawford, Rüdiger Joppien, Juliet Kinchin Amy F. Ogata. Elisabet Stavenow-Hidemark, Christian Witt-Dörring.


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Customer Reviews


What a fascinating book!
This is an exhibition catalog and ... I actually read it! Most catalogs are useful only for the pictures, but this one is a fascinating read about the emergence of the arts and crafts movement in England in the nineteenth century and its spread to the countries in Europe and the United States. It's organized by country, and focuses on the social context in each one, particularly how each country's artists and commentators modified the original Ruskin/Morris ideas to meet their own needs and respond to the salient issues in their own societies. Very well done, and lots of beautiful pictures of arts and crafts objects, too.

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Posted on Jul-22-2009

Auto-Opium: A Social History of American Automobile Design


Auto-Opium: A Social History of American Automobile Design

Product Description:
Auto-Opium is the first comprehensive history of the profession and aesthetics of American automobile design. David Gartman reveals how the appearance of vehicles became an integral part of the system of mass production and mass consuption forged in the struggles of American society.

The book traces the development of automobile design, from the first utilitarian cars around the turn of the century to the most modern of symbol-laden cultural icons. The author shows that the aesthetic qualities of vehicles were shaped by the social conflicts generated by the process of mass production. These conflicts became channeled into the realm of mass consumption, where working Americans demanded beautiful,stylish and contantly improving cars to compensate them for the deprevations of mass production. Combining a unique blend of business, social and cultural history, Auto-Opium connects the social struggles of designers within firms and the marketplace struggles between auto firms.


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Posted on Jul-16-2009

Art Nouveau Designs (Design Source Books)


Art Nouveau Designs (Design Source Books)


Judy Balchin's "Art Nouveau Designs" uses simple, but elegantly rendered, line drawings to give the beginning user a real sense of the flow and curve of the Art Nouveau style. The patterns are uncluttered enough for easy tracing and transfer, with plenty of room for the more advanced artist to add their own embellishments. Black and white illustrations are ideal for photocopying, and can be scaled using a modern copy machine that does it automatically.

My only caveats are that the book is heavily skewed towards floral designs (about 15 pages out of the 32 page total), and that the human figures are rendered in a flatter style (see simple) than you'll find in similar motifs elsewhere, especially in reproductions of period references. That being said, this book is an excellent resource for those new to the exuberant Art Nouveau style, and a good way to get a feel for the structure underlying the works of Mucha, Mackintosh, Lalique, and many others.

Recommended for: needleworkers (embroidery and crewel), paper artists, graphic designers

Less helpful to: jewelry designers, stained glass artists, beadworkers

Average Rating:
Author: Judy Balchin
ISBN: 0855329734
Number Of Pages: 32
Languages:
Unknown: English
Original Language: English
Published: English

Product Description:
Packed with beautiful Art Nouveau designs—flowers and leaves, birds and animals, figures, borders, frames, and more.


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Customer Reviews


excellent for good deeds
I purchase print books for the Comfort Blanket Ministry of St. Ferdinand Church. We use the pictures for painting and marker coloring which ultimately become squares in our ministry's beautiful blankets. Keep selling these kinds of books, we'll keep buying them!

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Posted on Jul-13-2009

A History of Interior Design


A History of Interior Design


The third updated edition of A HISTORY OF INTERIOR DESIGN comes packed with the latest examples throughout and offers a synthesis of some 6,000 years of domestic and public interiors. Topics range from furniture and decoration to cave dwellings and temples, cathedrals and palaces, and provide a blend of architectural survey and political and social analysis to consider the extent of how interior style evolves. An accompanying CD-ROM with over 100 illustrations provides a timeline of this history. Perfect for college-level collections strong in interior design history.


Average Rating:
Author: John Pile
Edition: 3
ISBN: 0470228881
Number Of Pages: 432
Languages:
Unknown: English
Original Language: English
Published: English

Product Description:
The first edition of this major survey on interior design by John Pile won the 2001 ASID (American Society of Interior Designers) Educational Foundation/Joel Polsky Prize. Now this standard history has been updated to reflect greater coverage of non-Western design, as well as vernacular and residential interiors. A deeper exploration of sustainable design and a CD-ROM with an interactive presentation of periods and styles makes this the most relevant text available. Includes more than 500 photographs and drawings in color and black and white.

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Customer Reviews


A History og Interior Design
A Text book on Interior design History deliverd at my door in an excellent condition for a second hand textbook. I got it at a very great deal. I am highly recommend this site for a second hand textbook. You can save a big buck!.

Samantha W. Seeboonruang


amazing resource!
WOW! beautifully organized and articulated. thoughtful and well-rounded discussion of the variation and evolution of interior design. it was purchased to use as a course resource (on 20th century American consumer culture), but am now tempted to buy my OWN copy.


Usefull For designers
It's a very interesting book, it offers a vew over design from ancient times to ower days. We can follow the developement of design over time. The book is recomended especialy for professional designers.


A History of Interior Design
I really do enjoy the book except that on some important topics in the class I am taking with this book there is little information. Nonetheless on the topics it greatly expands upon the book shows impressive and accurate knowledge. The pictures also aid in examples and are for the msot part the best picture examples that any book could offer.

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Posted on Jul-06-2009

The First Hundred Years: A History of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design


The First Hundred Years: A History of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design


Author:
  • Donald Soucy
  • Harold Pearse
ISBN: 092011427X
Number Of Pages: 182
Languages:
Published: English

Product Description:
Once a twinkle in Oscar Wilde s eye, NSCAD University has long been an internationally-renowned centre for advancing the visual arts. This text offers a comprehensive look back at the school s evolution since its 1887 founding by adventurer Anna Leonowens. Authors Donald Soucy and Harold Pearse undertook this centennial project in 1985 upon the discovery of two full boxes of archival material, including photos, newspaper clippings, minute books, reports and memos. Recurring themes in the book are the ongoing quest for suitable space in downtown Halifax, the struggle for growth amid financial and political challenges, and the central role played by women in the college's administration. Known as the Victoria School of Art and Design until 1925, the college was founded to commemorate Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee and became an integral part of Nova Scotia's cultural life. At first it offered instruction in the fine and industrial arts, art education training to public school teachers and Saturday morning children's art classes, traditions that continue today. It was renamed the Nova Scotia College of Art in 1925, with Design added in 1969 to reflect the college's expanding curriculum. An impressive cast of characters in NSCAD's first century includes principals Arthur Lismer, member of the influential Group of Seven painting movement, Elizabeth Styring Nutt (1919-43), and Garry Neill Kennedy (1967-1990), who brought global attention to the college during his tenure as president. NSCAD alumni are among Canada's most esteemed artists, designers, curators, art educators and arts administrators. Published in 1993, The First Hundred Years has a useful appendix listing names and dates of administrative staff and officers, faculty, and honorary diploma and degree recipients dating back to the early years.

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Posted on Jul-06-2009

Design: The History, Theory and Practice of Product Design


Design: The History, Theory and Practice of Product Design

Product Description:
Design today is a global instrument. Bernhard Burdek traces the progress of design from its beginnings in the late 19th century, through the most significant movements of the 20th century up to those recent developments in biological engineering which will shape the 21st century. Design is now a discipline in its own right and its expertise can be incorporated within interdisciplinary processes. The most important fundamental principles of design theory and methodology are presented, looking in particular at the communicative function of products and highlighting aspects such as corporate and service design, design management, strategic design, interface/interaction design and human design.

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Posted on Jun-30-2009

Graphic Design History


Graphic Design History



Average Rating:
Author:
  • Steven Heller
  • Georgette Ballance
Edition: 1st
ISBN: 1581150946
Number Of Pages: 288
Release Date: 2001-06-01
Languages:
Unknown: English
Original Language: English
Published: English

Product Description:
Covering the history of the industry from its birth at the turn of the twentieth century to its place in the new millennium, Graphic Design History is the only reference that assembles long-lost essays defining the history and spirit of the graphic designer into one fascinating resource.

In this groundbreaking anthology, nearly 30 legendary writers explore and characterize the unique developments, notable people, and memorable events that shaped the world of graphic design. Taken in many cases from hard-to-find sources, these essays provide a unique scope and array of provocative viewpoints that are not found anywhere else. Readers will be taken on a fascinating journey through the trends that shaped the industry for the past 100-plus years, written by the people who helped define it.


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Customer Reviews


Another from Heller
Steven Heller, is at the helm of yet another book. He has editied this volume of contributions, which contains many interesting takes and stories on Design History. You will find this book of value if you did not sleep during your history classes, and if you enjoy exploring in depth, the topics and people mentioned in the various articles.

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Posted on Jun-24-2009

The Essential Art of African Textiles: Design Without End (Metropolitan Museum of Art)


The Essential Art of African Textiles: Design Without End (Metropolitan Museum of Art)


Author:
  • Alisa LaGamma
  • Christine Giuntini
ISBN: 030014962X
Number Of Pages: 72
Languages:
Unknown: English
Original Language: English
Published: English

Product Description:

This informative and beautiful volume sheds light on the enduring significance of textiles as a major form of aesthetic expression across Africa, relating long-standing cultural practices to recent creative developments. Some of the finest and oldest preserved examples of West African textile traditions are presented, and both their artistic and technical qualities are examined. Wrapped around the body, fashioned into garments, or displayed as hangings, these magnificent textiles include bold strip weavings and intricately patterned indigo resist-dyed cloths.

The influence of African textiles on contemporary artists is also explored, featuring artworks by eight individuals who work in media as far-ranging as sculpture, painting, photography, video, and installation art. A monumental metal tapestry by the Ghanaian El Anatsui that pays tribute to traditional kente prestige cloth while constituting an inventive new genre is discussed in detail.



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Posted on Jun-23-2009

Moore College of Art & Design (Campus History: Pennsylvania)


Moore College of Art & Design (Campus History: Pennsylvania)


Author:
  • Sharon G. Hoffman
  • Amanda M. Mott
ISBN: 0738556599
Number Of Pages: 128
Release Date: 2008-06-16
Languages:
Unknown: English
Original Language: English
Published: English

Product Description:
For more than 160 years, Moore College of Art & Design, the nation's first and only visual arts college for women, has led the way in educating women for careers in art and design. Moore began in 1848 as the Philadelphia School of Design for Women when philanthropist Sarah Peter founded the school to educate women in the design arts and provide opportunities for employment. The first students worked in the textile, wallpaper, and other factories of Philadelphia's industrial boom. The school's influence on early-American art and design was realized by members of the Red Rose Girls and the Philadelphia Ten. Other Moore graduates include the first women to design a United States postage stamp, to master the art of mezzotype, to serve as art director of an American advertising agency, and to design fabric for an automobile interior. This innovation and influence continues today through Moore's bachelor of fine arts degree for women, graduate and continuing education programs, and the Galleries at Moore.

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