Japanese woodblock prints of the Edo period (16151868) were the products of a highly commercialised and competitive publishing industry. Their content was inspired by the vibrant popular culture that flourished in Edo (Tokyo). At any given time scores of publishers competed for the services of the leading artists of the day. Publishers and artists displayed tremendous ingenuity in finding ways to sustain demand for prints and to to circumvent the restrictions placed upon them by government censorship. Japanese woodblock prints have long been appreciated in the West for their graphic qualities but their content has not always been fully understood. In recent years, publications by scholars in Japan, Europe and the United States have made possible a more subtle appreciation of the imagery encountered in them. This book draws upon this recent scholarship to explain how those who first purchased these prints would have read them. Through stunning new photography of both well-known and rarely published work

Claude Monet (1840-1926) was the most typical and the most individual Impressionist painter. His long life he dedicated to a pictorial exploration of the sensations which reality, and in particular landscape, offer the human eye. But while Monet the painter was faithful and persevering in the pursuit of his motifs, his personal life followed a more restless course. Parisian by birth, he discovered plein-air painting as a youth in the provinces, where one of his homes, Argenteuil, has come to represent the artistic flowering and official establishment of Impressionism as a movement, with Monet as its creative leader. In his endeavor to capture the ever-changing face of reality, Monet went beyond Impressionism and thereby beyond the confines of self-contained panel painting: in Giverny he painted the Poplars, Grain Stacks and Rouen Cathedral series in which he addressed one motif in constantly new variations. Here, too, Monet laid out the famous garden with its water-lily pond which he was to paint on huge canv

Features 5 examples of the genre to which Schubert was most devoted — the solo piano sonata. Includes Sonata in C Minor, D. 958; A Major, D. 959; and B-flat Major, D. 960; Sonata in A Major, D. 664 — called the "little" sonata to distinguish it from the later work — the Sonata in A Minor, D. 784.

The music of Gabriel Faure (1845-1924) is an important link between the innovations of late Romanticism and the experimentation of the early 20th century. In his long life, Faure witnessed the achievements of both Richard Wagner and Alban Berg. A student of Saint-Saens, Faure, in turn, taught Ravel and was an influential mentor to the young modernists of Les Six, among them Francis Poulenc, Darius Milhaud and Arthur Honegger. The twenty-four works in this volume-twelve nocturnes and twelve barcarolles composed over a span of forty years-form a splendid musical document of Faure's evolution as a composer. In his first nocturne and first barcarolle, composed in his early thirties, the influences of Romanticism, of Chopin and Saint-Sachs, are felt. In the last nocturne and barcarolle, both composed in 1915, when Faure was 70, we hear the bold, lean musical language of the 20th century. These piano masterworks reveal Faure's distinctive musical gifts: subtle rhythmic fluidity, harmonic daring, free-flowin

The logo bible, this book provides graphic designers with an indispensable reference source for contemporary logo design. More than 1300 logos are grouped according to their focal form, symbol, and graphic associations into 75 categories such as crosses, stars, crowns, animals, people, handwritten, illustrative type, etc. To emphasize the visual form of the logos, they are shown predominantly in black and white. By sorting a vast, international array of current logotypes ranging from those of small, design-led businesses to global brands the book offers design consultancies a ready resource to draw on in the research phase of identity projects. Logos are also indexed alphabetically by name of company/designer and by industrial sector, making it easy to piece together a picture of the state of the identity art in any client's marketplace.

"Contemporary Asian Living Rooms" takes you into the stunningliving rooms in 50 of Southeast Asia's most interesting homes andhotels. Shown on these pages are dozens of beautiful interiors,shown in more than 150 full-colour photographs from internationallyrenowned photographer Luca Invernizzi Tettoni. Created by some ofthe leading talents in contemporary Asian design today, theseinteriors feature creative shapes, contours, materials, and newways of working with the space where family and friends spend mostof their time together in the house.

This book is a study of the figures and landscapes thatSargent painted from 1900 (after he was well established as one ofthe foremost portraitists of the age) through 1914 (and the arrivalof the Second World War).

Great Baroque masterpiece reproduced directly from authoritative Deutsche Handelgesellschaft edition. Gorgeous melodies, inspired orchestration. Complete and unabridged.

Jean-Jacques Sempé is one of the most successful and best-loved cartoonists in the world, best known from his cartoons that have graced the covers and pages of the New Yorker for decades. Sempé has published numerous collections of his work in his native France, but never before have they been translated into English. Phaidon Press is delighted to present the first English translated publication of MIXED MESSAGES by Jean-Jacques Sempé, one of four witty and beautifully illustrated collections from this notorious and widely adored cartoonist. The most recent collection of Sempé's work, MIXED MESSAGES was originally published in France in 2003. Here Sempé turns his attention to the trappings of modern life, from cell phones to designer water, and revisits some of his favorite subjects, such as struggling artists, a look psychiatrists and unhappy couples. One image portrays two business men in conversation, traveling down a cit street aboard personal scooters, ironically wondering about the kin

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

LeaRN HOW to DRaW aND paint tHe fantastical CHaRacteRS, Beasts aND LaNDSCapes of OtHeR WORLDS Wizards, goblins and heroines come to life in step-by-step demonstrations and case studies, along with mythical creatures, dragons and demons, landscapes and castles How to choose suitable tools and materials, including paper, pencils, inks, oils and watercolours, and learn to use a computer to design and create special effects Create realistic skin and hair textures and colours, learn how to give fabrics and costumes drape and movement, add life and character to expressions, and accomplish further special techniques to improve your artwork By artist, designer and animation director Finlay Cowan, who has worked as a designer for Pink Floyd since 1993 and is currently working in the film industry

As minimalism in interior design becomes more prevalent, a newcounter-movement has arisen.Eschewing the clean, precise, emptyspaces minimalist themes promote, some homeowners and designers areadopting a resplendent, grand, baroque, look to their spaces. As areaction against minimalism, this movement could only have onename: maximalism. This new movement is explored throughexquisite photography of lush projects drawn from across theworld.

An intimate look at one of the most creative artists at work today. When it comes to making music, Bj rk needs no introduction. She has always been at the vanguard, exploding convention and leading her listeners down the uncharted paths of a haunting and harmonic trip through sound. Last year, she starred in Lars von Trier's acclaimed Dancer in the Dark, and took home the coveted Best Actress award at Cannes. A true artist whose work has consistently transcended creative and geographic borders, Bj rk turns every medium she touches to gold. Her next project is a gorgeously produced, stunningly beautiful collection of photographs and text that is being published simultaneously around the world. Designed by Bj rk and m/m, the celebrated Paris design firm that has already collaborated Balenciaga, Visionaire, and Yohji Yamamoto, the book boasts contributions from the world's top photographers, fashion designers and video makers as well as original writing and artwork by Bj rk herself. A breathtaking

Die Entfuehrung aus dem Serail--the Abduction from the Seraglio-- was one of Mozart's first operatic hits, and received performances all over Europe, even if the emperor did think it contained too many notes. Too many tenors is closer to the mark (the male roles include two tenors, one bass, and one character who only speaks), but this singspiel is a bright and bubbly work, endearing in its comic scenes and impressive in its serious moments. This score is one of Dover's reprints of other publishers. That means that it's not the most up-to-date edition available, that the words appear in German only, and that it's not as suitable for singers to use as a plain piano- vocal score would be. But this is a reasonably priced version that gives the student or enthusiast the opportunity to check out just how Mozart achieved that great "Turkish" instrumental color.

The global exchange of design and taste is at its most fertilebetween Asia and the West. Leading Asian designers and architectshave reprocessed international ideas and functionality into theidiom of varied Asian cultures, from India to China, Japan andSoutheast Asia. Asia Home is a wide-ranging look at contemporarydesign from across the region, featuring more than 100 homes andmore than 50 top designers. Michael Freeman, arenowned author-photographer, illustrates his forays into some ofAsia's loveliest homes, spaces that showcase what contemporaryAsian design truly is.

Mendelssohn’s Lieder Ohne Worte, or "Songs without Words," is among the most loved, most played collections in the Romantic piano repertoire. Reproduced from the authoritative Breitkopf & Hartel edition, this volume contains all of these popular compositions more than 40 pieces, including such favorites as Spinning Song, Spring Song, and Venetian Gondola Song. Composed at various points throughout his life, Mendelssohn compiled this collection of short works for the amateur pianist looking for high quality, yet not-too-difficult music. Still practiced and performed today, "Songs without Words" is often considered to be Mendelssohn’s greatest legacy as a composer. For study or play, this work represents an admirable addition to any music library.

This solo piano edition of Tchaikovsky's masterful Christmas ballet offers pianists a chance to enjoy favorites such as "The Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy" and "The Waltz of the Flowers." Entirely faithful to Tchaikovsky's brilliant orchestral score, this delightful arrangement by Sergey Taneyev and the com- poser himself renders the complete ballet in a style both idiomatic to the piano and specially designed to be relatively easy to play. Here are all the movements of the beloved Suite, along with the rest of this hol-iday favorite, in which a brave and loyal little girl's toy is transformed into aprince who accompanies her into a magical world. Suitable for performers,rehearsal pianists, and all admirers of Tchaikovsky's art, this inexpensive edi-tion of a perennial favorite will enchant players and listeners alike. Dover (2005) unabridged republication of the edition published byP. Jurgenson, Moscow, 1892. viii+168pp. 9×12. Paperbound.

Memorable tribute from one musical genius to another, reproduced from authoritative editions, reveals Liszt's remarkable capacity for translating orchestral effects into pianistic terms. An astonishing, brilliant and sensitive tribute to the master by the 19th-century's greatest piano virtuoso.

Long a vibrant and thriving area of visual art, fantasy painting has gained added impetus in recent years as both traditional and new fantasy artists have moved into the digital arena. With such a dizzying array of media and methods to choose from, both real-world and digital, creating spectacular fantasy art can seem to both the novice and the experienced painter a daunting prospect. 101 Top Tips from Professional Fantasy Painters aims to demystify the process of making fantasy art. Written by an acclaimed fantasy painter, and with input from a select band of fellow professionals, 101 Top Tips from Professional Fantasy Painters offers 101 revealing techniques to help the aspiring artist on their way. From preparation through to working up fiery females and otherworldly landscapes, the book is full of insider secrets from seasoned practitioners of the art form. With tips exploring the differences between traditional and digital methods, and even combining the two, 101 Top Tips from Professional Fantasy

When it was originally published in 1970, "How to Draw What YouSee" zoomed to the top of Watson-Guptill's best-seller list--and ithas remained there ever since. "I believe that you must be able todraw things as you see them--realistically," wrote Rudy de Reyna inhis introduction. Today, generations of artists have learned todraw what they see, to truly capture the world around them, usingde Reyna's methods. "How to Draw What You See" shows artists how torecognize the basic shape of an object--cube, cylinder, cone, orsphere--and use that shape to draw the object, no matter how muchdetail it contains.

Famed for his focused observation of nature, Flemish painterJan van Eyck (c. 1395–1441) studied fauna and flora in theirnatural environment and under carefully chosen lighting conditions,and then achieved a breathtaking and convincing realism in hispaintings. Each panel is a collection of minuscule details renderedwith superb clarity from foreground to background—or at least thatis the impression at first glance. As this book reveals, that isprecisely where Van Eyck’s exceptional talent lay: He understoodthat the human brain is able to supplement visual perception wherenecessary. Here, details from Van Eyck’s paintings are organized bysuch themes as nature, architecture, daily life, fabrics, glass,jewelry and mirrors, and portraits. This is an unprecedented lookat the work of a popular master.

Jean-Jacques Sempes witty drawings and keen eye for the finer points of the human condition have delighted readers in France and beyond for over forty years. Now, his sharply observed and beautifully drawn cartoons are available in English for the first time. 'Nothing is Simple' is classic Sempe a timeless mix of tender moments and absurd situations. Sempes world is populated by nosy neighbours, mischievous schoolboys and thwarted lovers, by snooty holidaymakers and crowds of frustrated commuters in the big city. Sempes inimitable drawings are as fresh, engaging and funny today as when they were first published in 1962. The captions were translated by Anthea Bell, who also helped to bring Asterix the Gaul to the English-speaking world.