by Judy Balchin (2012)
With 100 expertly drawn original black & white line drawings, this book is brimming over with ideas for all crafters and artists.
Matthew Kavaler
Late Gothic architecture is recognized for its sensuous and abundant ornament. Its visually rich surfaces signify wealth and magnificence, and its flamboyant geometric designs portray a system of perfect and essential forms that convey spiritual authority, while often serving as signs of personal or corporate identity. Renaissance Gothic presents a groundbreaking and detailed study of the Gothic architecture of the late 15th and 16th centuries across Europe.
Gottfried Semper
"The enduring influence of the architect Gottfried Semper (1803-79) derives less from his monumental buildings in Dresden, Zurich, and Vienna than from his Style in the Technical and Tectonic Arts (1860-63). Semper's landmark survey of the motives giving rise to the technical arts (textiles, ceramics, carpentry, masonry) explores the symbolic and material preconditions of style. An extended inquiry into the inner principles of artistic form, this work radically altered the intellectual field for aesthetics and art history and stands as a vital document in the consolidation of modern architectural theory."--BOOK JACKET.
Tim McCreight
Design Language brings fresh insight to students and practicing designers by examining the words they use. This compact volume presents 100 keywords with background, etymology and commentary. Whether the word is as familiar as edge or perhaps new to you, like synesthesia, you'll find yourself moving easily from one entry to the next, intrigued by the rich layers of meaning you discover. Teachers of design will appreciate the brief, clear, and inclusive presentation. The dynamic layout invites notation, making the book a starting point for personal vocabulary, both visual and literal. The sewn binding is tough enough for years of studio use, and the compact size will fit into a toolbox or pocket. Design Language understands that a book can't teach design. Instead, it helps people learn design, by using vocabulary to explore style, form, and composition.
Dorothea Tanning
Imagine walking through a garden full of never-before-seen flowers. Then open this book and you will find twelve of them waiting to charm you, beckon to you, and whisper their messages like perfume in the air. Dorothea Tanning has painted these twelve imaginary blooms on twelve canvases--one for each month, or for each hour of the day or night. To speak for them, twelve contemporary poets have chosen a flower and given it its voice, creating, in these pages, a dazzling collaboration that has resulted in a new "language of flowers." With Poems by: James Merrill, Harry Mathews, Rosanna Warren, Debora Greger, Adrienne Rich, Anthony Hecht, Richard Howard,J. D. McClatchy, W S.Merwin, John Ashbery, Stephen Yenser, and Brenda Shaughnessy.