Kirjahaku

Within the world of Domstria, a young man from a small village has always dreamed of being a hero, someone who protects the weak and aids those in need. Finally his chance has come with the Dragon Guard, an ancient order of warriors from a bygone age, dedicated to holding back a fallen god. Within the borders of an isolationist nation, Daniel Summers and a few of his fellow recruits will be thrust into a war they never could have imagined. In order to protect everything they love and hold dear, they will have to throw away who they were and become everything they were always meant to be.

Women and Art surveys the history of women in art and addresses the effects of feminist art history and art production. This book is among the first to offer a critical assessment of the role of feminism in art history and how it has presented and misrepresented women's roles in art. Seeking to counterbalance overwhelmingly pro-feminist narratives, it relies on evidence from artists, statisticians, and historians to support individual women artists while remaining critical of feminism. Cogent and persuasive, Women and Art stands as a key for students and researchers interested in art history, gender studies, feminism, and cultural studies.

Morgan Davis is a psychology professor. While listening to Porky Chedwick, the legendary Pittsburgh disc jockey, he is catapulted back in time to 1958, when he was a teenager. He now has the body and problems of a teenager, including how to deal with his parents, his teachers, his best friend, his girlfriend, and a couple really tough guys who want to knock his head off.

From Banksy to Extinction Rebellion, artivism (activism through art) is the art of our era. From international biennale to newspaper pages, artivism is everywhere. Both inside museums and on the streets, global artivism spreads political messages and raises social issues, capturing attention with shocking protests and weird stunts. Yet, is this fusion of art and activism all it seems? Are artivist messages as subversive and anti-authoritarian we assume they are? How has the art trade commodified protest and how have activists parasitised art venues? Is artivism actually an arm of the establishment?Using artist statements, theoretical writings, statistical data, historical analysis and insider testimony, British art critic Alexander Adams examines the origins, aims and spread of artivism. He uncovers troubling ethical infractions within public organisations and a culture of complacent self-congratulation in the arts. His findings suggest the perception of artivism – the most influential art practice of the twenty-first century – as a grassroots humanitarian movement could not be more misleading. Adams concludes that artivism erodes the principles underpinning museums, putting their existence at risk.

Why has identity become so central to judging art today? Why are some groups reluctant to defend free speech within culture? Has state support made artists poorer not richer? How does the movement for social justice influence cultural production? Why is post-modernism dominant in the art world? Why are consumers of comic books so bitterly divided?In Culture War: Art, Identity Politics and Cultural Entryism Alexander Adams examines a series of pressing issues in today's culture: censorship, Islamism, Feminism, identity politics, historical reparations and public arts policy. Through a series of linked essays, Culture War exposes connections between seemingly unrelated events and trends in high and popular cultures. From fine art to superhero comics, from political cartoons to museum policy, certain persistent ideas underpin the most contentious issues today. Adams draws on history, philosophy, politics and cultural criticism to explain the reasoning of creators, consumers and critics and to expose some uncomfortable truths.

The English poet T. E. Hulme said that the root of Romanticism is man's "infinite reservoir of possibilities." Between the French Revolution and the two World Wars, that reservoir burst forth into a new world of promise and crisis, and at the headwaters was the Romantic movement.Blood, Soil, Paint is an essay on Romanticism, but it is much more than that. It clarifies the intersection between blood, soil, language, and culture, and shows how each influences the others. What emerges is a deeper understanding of the nationalist currents that arose in the Romantic era and continue to this day. Alexander Adams is an artist and critic who has been featured in The Daily Telegraph and is a regular contributor to Bournbrook Magazine, The Jackdaw, The Critic, and The Salisbury Review.

Filled with brilliant reproductions and engaging new texts and reflecting the latest scholarship, this portable and attractively priced volume is the perfect introduction to the most celebrated painter of the Dutch Golden Age.Highlighted by domestic scenes and witty allegories that fuse the ordinary with the extraordinary, Vermeer’s luminous paintings have captivated and inspired art enthusiasts for centuries. This book spotlights dozens of his works with stunning reproductions that enable readers to appreciate his mastery of light and shadow, meticulous brushwork, his extraordinary gift for capturing human emotion on canvas, and his innovative use of optical devices. An introductory essay provides biographical background, examines Vermeer’s work in the context of the Dutch Golden Age of painting, and explores his enormous influence on modern artists and popular culture.

Best known for his depictions of young dancers on the stage and in the studio, Degas was an accomplished draughtsman and portraitist of superb emotional depth. Much of his work eschewed bright colors and spontaneity for carefully studied interiors and scenes of daily life. This book explores the full range of Degas's work, from his celebrated paintings of dancers and depictions of cafe life to his pencil sketches and wax and bronze sculptures. Stunning reproductions help readers understand many aspects of Degas's oeuvre, such as his gift for capturing movement, the ways he drew inspiration from Japanese prints and Old Masters, and his experiments with color and form. A biographical text traces Degas's life from his studies at the École des Beaux-Arts and his early history paintings to his friendships with Cassatt and Manet, his reliance on painting dancers to keep him financially afloat, and his lonely, final days in Paris. Accessible and engaging, this exploration of Degas's life and art looks beyond his well-known works to reveal a talented and complicated genius.

Although Salvador Dalí’s characteristically provocative behavior and bizarre pictorial language made him an outlier in high society, his body of work reflects his century’s most important innovations and concerns. This introduction to Dalí’s work features dozens of exquisite reproductions as it traces the artist’s development, life and career. Readers will learn how he was influenced by contemporaries Miró, Ernst, and de Chirico as well as by Raphael and Gaudí. It explores his early adoption of Surrealism, his fascination with the subconscious, and his antipathy toward war. It illustrates how Dalí’s return to the Catholic church and his interest in nuclear and atomic physics was manifested in his paintings; how he experimented in film and, later, even created holograms. By making Dalí’s often perplexing art accessible to audiences of every level, this engaging introduction helps readers understand why he remains one of the most influential—and imitated—artists of all time.

Throughout his career, Magritte subverted expectations about artists in the world by disguising himself as an unremarkable member of the bourgeoisie. While the public mined his work for symbolism and deep meaning, the truth is, that with Magritte, what you see is what you get. What readers will get with this gorgeous volume is a deeply engaging overview of Magritte’s entire career, and an eloquent argument that his Surrealist masterpieces were simply an extension of the Romantic tradition. Chronologically arranged, this volume features full- page reproductions of thirty-five works, each paired with a concise text that highlights its significance in Magritte’s catalog. In addition to greatest hits, such as Time Transfixed, 1938; The Treachery of Images, 1929; and The Lovers, 1928, the inclusion of several lesser-known works provides an overview of the range and character of Magritte’s art. Readers will become acquainted with the main figures in the artist’s life, including relatives, colleagues, rivals, and they will see how Magritte’s relationships with collectors and dealers led to the production of particular works, as well as how his theories about painting evolved over the years. Across this compact but utterly satisfying book, Magritte’s exquisite use of color, his grasp of collage and composition, and his superb gifts for invention and mood are luminously and thrillingly in evidence.

This accessible and beautifully produced volume honours the extraordinary legacy of Leonardo da Vinci, whose genius shaped the Renaissance and continues to inspire the modern world. Through stunning reproductions of his most iconic works, including The Last Supper, Mona Lisa, and The Virgin and Child with St. Anne, readers can experience the depth and brilliance of Leonardo’s artistry. These masterpieces, alongside his intricate sketches and studies, are paired with commentary that illuminates the innovative techniques, symbolism, and groundbreaking ideas that define his legacy. A concise and engaging biography traces Leonardo’s journey from his early years in Vinci to his influential career in Florence, Milan, and beyond, exploring the boundless curiosity and intellect that fueled his pursuits in art, science, and engineering. Rich contextual details highlight the cultural and historical influences on his work, offering readers a deeper understanding of his enduring impact. Compact, elegantly designed, and affordably priced, this book is ideal for both devoted admirers of Renaissance creativity and those discovering Leonardo da Vinci for the first time. Offering a compelling exploration of his life and achievements, it is an essential addition to any art lover’s collection.

Filled with brilliant reproductions and engaging texts reflecting the latest scholarship, this portable and attractively priced volume is the perfect introduction to one of the most important pioneers of modernism in Britain and beyond. Joseph Mallord William Turner is considered a trailblazer of modernism in Europe. More than almost any other artist in the first half of the nineteenth century, he succeeded in making atmosphere and color the defining elements of his paintings. His world-famous landscapes, seascapes and vedute bear witness to his virtuoso use of light; the figurative seems to dissolve in favor of mood. This book cements Turner's reputation as a role model for the Impressionists and a forerunner of abstraction. An introductory essay sheds light on Turner's life and work within a historical context, while selected paintings and watercolors are examined in detail.

Filled with brilliant reproductions and engaging texts reflecting the latest scholarship, this portable and attractively priced volume is the perfect introduction to the renowned Spanish Baroque painter. Celebrated for his masterful realism and innovative techniques, Diego Velázquez profoundly influenced art history through his use of light, perspective, and portraiture. Opening with an introductory essay, Velázquez's life and work are explored within their historical context, and in stunning reproductions of thirty-five of his significant works. Readers will discover how Velázquez’s role as court painter to King Philip IV of Spain allowed him to experiment with new techniques, and how masterpieces such as Las Meninas, and The Triumph of Bacchus showcase his genius for composition and psychological depth.