Though Alfons Mucha (1860-1939) achieved lasting international acclaim as an Art Nouveau painter, graphic designer, and decorator, his outstanding photography is not as well known. His photographic sketchbook and personal visual diary, comprising photographs from the mid-1880s until the end of his life, constitutes a unique and profound artistic statement. This mosaic of captured moments reveals the intimate and personal basis of both Mucha's own life as an artist and the time period in which he lived. The behind-the-scenes glimpses of his studio provided here prove that Mucha--the creator of the ideal of Art Nouveau beauty--was one of the pioneers of the classic nude in Czech photography. This is the first time such a large selection of Mucha's extensive photographic work has been assembled as a book. Many of the photos in this book, never before published, reveal hitherto unknown aspects of Mucha's work, which will be of interest to the general reader and the photographic connoisseur alike. --This text refe

Franz Sclubert's piano pieces for four bands are among the most varied and significant works in the entire repertoire. Schubert wrote more of tbese works than any other major composer, and generations of teachurs, students and con- cert musicians have enjoyed their enduring beauty and vitality. Included in this volume are 15 of Selmbert's best and most popular titles, taken from the definitive Breitkopf g" Hairtel Schubert-Gesamrntausgrtbe. Composed between 1818 and 1828, they include the tremendously popular Military Marcbes, Op. 51 (of which the D Major is a striking and familiar melody); the famed "Grand Duo" Sonata in C Major, Op. 140; the Fantasia in F Minor, Op. 103 (written only a few months before Sclmbert's death, it is one of the most famous and elegantly expressive works in the genre) ; Variations in A-flat Major on an Original Theme, Op. 35; Andantino Varid in B Minor on French Motifs, Op. 84, No. 1; Fugue in E Minor, Op. 152; and a delightful array of landler, polonaises and vari

Vitamin P is an image-heavy book offering an overview of the state of painting today, and documents the most recent concerns and ideas among contemporary painters. In the wake of new media such as installation, video, performance and digital art, the traditional medium of painting has enjoyed a renaissance among a recent generation of artists. Alongside the evergrowing reputation of significant living painters such as Gerhard Richter, Agnes Martin and Peter Halley, many younger artists have chosen painting over any other medium, and are exploring new means to broaden the traditional field of.

This richly illustrated book charts the heady days of Beatlemania, the golden years of the studio band and the solo careers the four pursued following the acrimonious break-up in 1970. These stunning photographs, supported by a detailed commentary, capture our enduring love affair with the group that influenced a generation,rewrote the record books and changed the course of popular music.

"Girl before a Mirror" (1932), one of severalstandouts in MoMA's vast collection of Pablo Picasso's work, takesthe traditional artistic theme of a woman before her mirror andreinvents it in radically modern terms. The girl's profile andblonde hair identify her as Marie-Thérèse Walter, the artist'slover, muse and a profoundly transformative presence in both hislife and art, but the painting is far from a conventional portrait.Its dazzling jewel-like colors, boldly contoured shapes and surfacepatterning transform the girl and her shadowy reflection into adeeply mysterious image that is both captivating and strange. Inher essay, MoMA's Blanchette Hooker Rockefeller Curator of Paintingand Sculpture, Anne Umland, explores this work in depth anddescribes the circumstances of its creation: the artist's privatelife, his practice as a sculptor, his rivalry with other artistsboth living and dead and his concern, at the age of 51, about hiscontemporary relevance and artistic legacy.

For more than 100 years, National Geographic has set thestandard for nature, culture, and wildlife photography. Now, inThrough the Lens, 250 spectacular images—some famous, others rarelyseen—are gathered in one lavish and beautiful volume. Through the Lens is dividedinto geographical regions—Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East,the Americas, and Oceans and Isles—with a special section devotedto space exploration. Each geographical section features anoutstanding array of photographs that exemplifies the area’s uniquepeople, wildlife, archaeology, culture, architecture, andenvironment, accompanied by brief but informative captions. FromBarry Bishop’s heroic Mount Everest climb in the 1950s to theglorious wildlife of Asia and Africa, from ancient Maya culture tothe Afghan girl found 17 years after her piercing green eyescaptivated the world, these are some of the finest and mostimportant photographs ever taken. Featuring master photographers fromthe late 1800s to today, including Fr

A comprehensive and useful sight feast that includes hundredsof original patterns, a fascinating catalog of visual samplesshowing the latest trends in contemporar9 pattern design. Une vision foisonnante, utile et complete, qui comprend descentaines de motifs originaux, un fascinant catalogued'echantillons visuels avec les dernieres tendances de la creationde motifs contemporains.Ein umfassender und nutzlicher uberblickuber Hunderte von Originalmustern, ein faszinierender Katalog vonMusterbeispielen, der die juingsten Trends des aktuellen Designszeigt. Een ware lust voor her oog, een uitgebreid en nuttig boek methonderden originele patronen, een fascinerende Catalogus vanvisuele voorbeelden waarmee de laatste trends in hedendaagspatroonontwerp gezet worden.

When the final tally of key movers in the plastic arts of this century is compiled, there is no doubt that maestro of movement Alexander Calder (1898-1976), the man who put the swing into sculpture, will be near numero uno. Calder took it off the plinth, gave it to the wind, and left us kinetic playgrounds of the spirit. He operated at the point where Modernity and nature Fused, developing an environmental art that changed the medium Forever. Visiting his Paris atelier in 1932, Duchamp coined the term "Mobiles" For Calder's delicate wire and disc pieces, constructions that would soon become immensely popular. But he didn't rest on his innovations. Friends with Miro, Mondrian and Leger, Calder also turned his hand to painting, drawing, gouaches, toys, textiles and utensil design. A graphic master who sketched as much in air as in ink, the Sixties and Seventies saw Calder take on the monumental, translating the dynamics of cities into both his Mobiles and "Stabiles". At a time when sculpture was perceived to be

In this compelling book, Robert Coles, the celebrated Harvardprofessor and Pulitzer Prize–winning author, turns his attention topopular music legend Bruce Springsteen, and to the powerful impactSpringsteen’s work has had both on the lives of his audience and onthis country’s literary tradition. Coles places Springsteen in thepantheon of American artists—Walt Whitman, William Carlos Williams,Dorothea Lange, and Walker Percy, among others—who understood andwere inspired by their “traveling companions in time,” the ordinarypeople of their eras. With wisdom and a unique personal perspective, Coles exploresSpringsteen’s words as contemporary American poetry, and offersfirsthand accounts of how people interact with them: A truckerlistens to “Blinded by the Light” during long, lonely nights andreminisces about his mother; a schoolteacher is astonished when ausually silent student offers a comparison between “Nebraska” andConrad’s Heart of Darkness; a policeman responds to “Am

The great German Romantic was also a master pianist, and this affordable edition collects tran*ions of his symphonies for piano. Features Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 68; Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 73; Symphony No. 3 in F Major, Op. 90; and Symphony No. 4 in E Minor, Op. 98.

The art of the tattoo (TASCHEN's 25th anniversary special edition) Whether you're thinking of getting a tattoo or just want to see to what lengths others have gone in decorating their bodies, this is the book to check out. This special 25th anniversary edition of Tattoos explores the history of the art worldwide via designs and photos?from 19th century engravings to tribal body art, from circus ladies of the 20s to classic biker designs?giving a fascinating insight into the art of tattooing. 作者简介： Henk Schiffmacher has been recognized as one of the stars of the tattoo scene.His Amsterdam srudio attracts countless tattoo pilgrims,and he also runs the Amsterdam Tattoo Museum,which exhibits material form Schoffmacher's own vast historical and contemporary collection.

Beethoven said of Handel that he of all composers knew best how to achieve grand effects with simple means. Those magnificent moments are nowhere more evident than in Handel's great oratorios, perennial favorites with audiences and musicians alike. Grove's Diictionary of Music and Musicians says of Handel: "... in oratorio he brought the level of artistry to a higher plane than his contemporaries." Judas Maccabaeus was first performed in London at Covent Garden in 1747 and was an instant success. The subject of the oratorio--the triumph of the Jewish warrior-hero Judas Maccabaeus over the invading enemies of the Israelites--was deliberately chosen to appeal to the patriotic sympathies of 18th-century Londoners immediately after the crushing of the Jacobite rebellion in April of 1746. Although political overtones had some role in the oratorio's initial success, it is the beauty, dramatic power and brilliant originality of the arias, duets and choruses that have kept this work constantly in th

These free-wheeling, often exhilarating dialogues—which grewout of the acclaimed Carnegie Hall Talks—are an exchange betweentwo of the most prominent figures in contemporary culture: DanielBarenboim, internationally renowned conductor and pianist, andEdward W. Said, eminent literary critic and impassioned commentatoron the Middle East. Barenboim is an Argentinian-Israeli and Said aPalestinian-American; they are also close friends. As they range across music, literature, and society, they openup many fields of inquiry: the importance of a sense of place;music as a defiance of silence; the legacies of artists from Mozartand Beethoven to Dickens and Adorno; Wagner’s anti-Semitism; andthe need for “artistic solutions” to the predicament of the MiddleEast—something they both witnessed when they brought young Arab andIsraeli musicians together. Erudite, intimate, thoughtful andspontaneous, Parallels and Paradoxes is a virtuosiccollaboration.

安塞姆.基弗（Anselm Kiefer）,德国新表现主义代表画家之一。基弗曾有“成长于第三帝国废墟之中的画界诗人”之称谓，其画无论创作手法还是呈现面貌均极为现代，但往往主题晦涩而富含诗意，隐含一种饱含痛苦与追索意味的历史感。八十年代之后，物料的使用和复杂的视觉效果成为基弗的画面中心，基弗应用拼贴与集积的创作技法来组织他的基层画面，几乎任何东西都有可能被他运用在画面上，如油彩、照片、木刻画、沙、金属、稻草、柏油等，画面的巨大和复杂的肌理使作品呈现无比的震撼力量。这本专论展示了基弗迄今为止所有的作品，采用全彩页印刷。

In an historical overview, this book first tells the legendaryhistory of the Bavarian automobile firm and goes back to itsbeginning, the traces of which are lost in the darkness of theFirst World War. Following this, the new creations of the firm areintroduced along with the old models by means of articles andexcellent color photography.

Mahler's third and fourth symphonies mark a turning point in his development as a composer. Symphony No. 3 （1896） predominantly follows the musical style of the earlier two symphonies, which tended to emphasize a single melodic line with subordinate harmonies. Symphony No. 4 （1900） embodies the more contrapuntal style that characterizes his later symphonic works. At the same time, these works bring Mahler to the end of his "Wunderhorn years," when his inspiration derived strongly from Des Knaben Wunderhorn （The Youth's Magic Horn）, an early 19th-century collection of folklike poetry that celebrated themes of nature. The Third Symphony, scored for a massive orchestra, was conceived as a vast nature cycle in six movements. These include the great opening march, the moving setting for alto of Nietzsche's "O Mensch！ Gib Acht！" and the scintillating bell song for women's and boys' choirs "Es sungen drei Engel." The Fourth Symphony, more restrained in expression yet filled with affecting melody,

In the autumn of 1819, refreshed from a three-month stay in the Austrian countryside, Franz Schubert returned to Vienna to begin one of his major choral works, the great Mass in A-fiat Major. Completed three years later, this work has been praised as a grand harmonic adventure with deeply affecting moments of rare poignance. Along with the Mass No. 6 in E-flat Maior, it is the most performed of Schubert's masses. The latter work--composed in 1828, the year of his death was among the final musical achievements of Schubert's brief life. It is especially memorable for its touching commemoration of the birth of Christ in a haunting lullaby, and its powerful evocation of the cruel spectacle of the crucifixion. Both masterworks of church music have been reprinted from the definitive Breitkopf & Hartel Critical Edition of 1884-1897. Separate English translations of the Latin texts are provided.

This book gives a new analysis of the intersections betweengraffiti art and the work of Basquiat. Not only are there fewexistent writings on the subject, but the book will also appeal toa very large public.

A Tribe Called Quest - Beastie Boys - De La Soul - Eric B. andRakim - The Fugees - KRS-One - Pete Rock and CL Smooth - PublicEnemy - The Roots - Run-DMC - Wu-Tang Clan - and twenty-five morehip-hop immortals It's a sad fact: hip-hop album liners have alwaysbeen reduced to a list of producer and sample credits, a publicityphoto or two, and some hastily composed shout-outs. That's a damnshame, because few outside the game know about the true creativeforces behind influential masterpieces like PE's It Takes a Nationof Millions. . ., De La's 3 Feet High and Rising, and Wu-Tang'sEnter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). A longtime scribe for the hip-hopnation, Brian Coleman fills this void, and delivers a thrilling,knockout oral history of the albums that define this dynamic andiconoclastic art form. The format: One chapter, one artist, onealbum, blow-by-blow and track-by-track, delivered straight from theoriginal sources. Performers, producers, DJs, and b-boys-includingBig Daddy Kane, Muggs and B-Real, Biz Markie, RZA, I

Aston martin plays a very special role in the exclusive world ofthe luxury sports car.the name of the noble marque from NewportPagnell has a fine ring to it,and it is not only for its dedicatedcircle of devotees that the British Racing Green of as Astonprovides the perfect answer to the racing red of its illustriousItalian rivals

Everyone, it seems, is a fan of Audrey's. She was Gigi, a princess, Holly Golightly, a nun, Maid Marian, even an angel. And we believed her in every role. But Audrey Hepburn was also one of the most admired and emulated women of the twentieth century, who encouraged women to discover and highlight their own strength. By example, she not only changed the way women dress--she forever altered the way they viewed themselves. But Audrey Hepburn's beauty was more than skin deep. "You know the Audrey you saw onscreen? Audrey was like that in real life, only a million times better," says designer Jeffrey Banks. For the first time, this style biography reveals the details--fashion and otherwise--that contributed so greatly to Audrey's appeal. Drawing on original interviews with Hubert de Givenchy, Gregory Peck, Nancy Reagan, Doris Brynner, and Audrey Wilder, as well as reminiscences of professional friends like Steven Spielberg, Ralph Lauren, noted Hollywood photographer Bob Willoughby, Steven Meisel, and Kev