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The Art of Utamaro
The text below is the excerpt from the book Utamaro (ASIN: B016XN18LC), written by Edmond de Goncourt, published by Parkstone International. To leaf through albums of Japanese prints is truly to experience a new awakening, during which one is struck in particular by the splendour of Utamaro. His sumptuous plates seize the imagination through his love of women, whom he wraps so voluptuously in grand Japanese fabrics, in folds, contours, cascades and colours so finely chosen that the heart grows faint looking at them, imagining what exquisite thrills they represented for the artist. For women’s clothing reveals a nation’s concept of love, and this love itself is but a form of lofty thought crystallised…
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Art of Vietnam
The text below is the excerpt from the book Art of Vietnam (ASIN: B07C2JLY7X), written by Catherine Noppe and Jean-François Hubert, published by Parkstone International. Situated on the eastern extremity of what is known as Southeast Asia, Vietnam finds itself at the confluence of two worlds. With China to the north and Laos and Combodia to the west, Vietnam has long been subject to a double-influence; one nicely captured by the French term, first introduced in the 1840s , “Indochine” (Indo—China). Endowed with a coastline more than two thousand kilometers long, Vietnam’s eastern seaboard gives it access not only to the Philippines and Indonesia, but also to China and Japan, commercial opportunities that were…
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Epiphany – Three Kings’ Day Celebration
The text below is the excerpt from the book Christ in Art, written by Ernest Renan, published by Parkstone International. Jesus was born in Nazareth, a small town in Galilee, which before him was unknown. All his life he was designated by the name of “Nazarene,” and it is only by an awkward detour that the legend succeeds in fixing his birth at Bethlehem. We shall further on see the motive of this supposition and how it was the necessary consequence of the Messianic character attributed to Jesus. The precise date of his birth is unknown. It occurred under the reign of Augustus, towards the year 750 of Rome, probably sometime in the…
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Shelley’s Art Musings – Spotlight on Auguste Rodin
There are many historical events that have happened in November, on the 12th November 1944, 32 British Lancaster bombers finally sank the German battleship, the Tirpitz after 2 years of trying. On the same day in 1946 the first drive through bank was opened in the USA. Also, on this day in 1840 Auguste Rodin was born and would change the face of sculpture for those who would be set to follow. The founder of modern sculpture was born in Paris and was largely self-educated until he attended the Petite Ecole at the 14. He had started to teach himself to draw at the age of 10, which held him…
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Paul Gauguin and the Impressionists (part 2)
You can read part 1 here. The text below is the excerpt from the book Paul Gauguin, written by Anna Barskaya, published by Parkstone International. Gauguin’s deviation from Impressionism first manifested itself during his stay in Rouen. It is particularly evident in his plastic works, a case in point being the carving of a small wooden jewellery box. The decor of the external sides ornamented with theatrical masks and ballet dancers in tutus (a design borrowed from Degas) is in striking contrast with the corpse-like figure in the bottom of the box, which is reminiscent of a Peruvian mummy. This clash of motifs – worldly amusements and death – leaves no doubt as…
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Happy Birthday to Alphonse Mucha
This month Mucha would have been 160 years old.
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Gaudí and the Sagrada Família
The text below is the excerpt from the book Antoni Gaudí, written by Jeremy Roe, published by Parkstone International. In order to understand the real significance of Gaudí’s architecture it is necessary to take into account various factors which influenced his thinking. His family background, childhood, place of birth and schooling, the historical context of Catalonia and Spain during his lifetime, his friends and relations, all form the framework for the very special and very distinct architecture of Antoni Gaudí Cornet. However, his personality is hard to capture for various reasons. In the first place, Gaudí’s shy and retiring nature meant that there are virtually no original documents in existence that show…
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English Painting
The text below is the excerpt from the book English Painting, written by Ernest Chesneau , published by Parkstone International. Is there an English school of painting at all? Strictly speaking, the word school applies only in a very imperfect manner to the growth of painting in England. Generally it is used to designate a special collection of traditions and processes, a particular method, a peculiar style in design, and an equally peculiar taste in colouring – all contributing to the representation of a national ideal existing in the minds of the artists of the same country at the same time. In this sense, we speak of the Flemish school, the Dutch school, the…
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India and its Art
The text below is the excerpt from the book Art of India, written by Vincent A. Smith, published by Parkstone International. In discussing Indian studies I am forced to acknowledge considerable diffidence arising from a survey of the huge bulk of material to be dealt with. In the face of this complexity I find myself inclined to rely on evidence that is subjective and therefore more or less unscientific, in which personal experience and interpretation is increasingly stressed. In speaking of India, a country that in its wide extent offers more beauty to the eyes than many others in the world, a descriptive vein may well be excused. India is multiple; neither geographically,…
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Paul Gauguin and the Impressionists
The text below is the excerpt from the book Paul Gauguin, written by Nathalia Brodskaya, published by Parkstone International. The only thing that set Gauguin apart from others of his circle was his unorthodox interest in art. It might have been stimulated by the atmosphere in Arosa’s house as the owner loved painting and photography and kept a splendid collection of pictures. A friend of Arosa’s, Nadar was a cartoonist and photographer and it was in his studio that the first exhibition of the Impressionists took place. Gauguin’s passion for art might also have been inherited from his relatives, as there were two artists on his mother’s side: a teacher…
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