Restless; protean; fluid; evanescent ndash; despite being hugely challenging to represent visually; water has gained a peculiar significance in the art of the twentieth century. This may be due to the fact that it allows for a range of metaphorical meanings; many of which are particularly appropriate to the modern age. Not only a subject of contemporary art; but also a material increasingly used in art-making; waterrsquo;s double presence can be detected as much in the marine-themed watercolours of Turner as in the more recent works of performance and installation art in which it is directly employed as a medium.Water and Art probes the ways in which water has gained an unprecedented prominence in modern Western art; as well as seeking to illuminate its depiction in earlier periods. David Clarke employs a cross-cultural approach; finding parallels within Chinese art; which draws on a cultural tradition in which water has a marked presence as both subject and medium.Featuring a wealth of images by artists from East and West including Leonardo da Vinci; Bernini; Turner; Gericault; Klee; Matisse; Monet; Picasso; Mondrian; Kandinsky; Fu Baoshi; Shi Tao; Wei Zixi and Fang Rending; Water and Art helps to promote a new and less culturally narrow approach to the understanding of art. Fast-paced; accessible; and comprehensive; it will appeal to the specialist and the general reader alike; offering fresh perspectives on familiar artists as well as an introduction to others who are much less recognised in the literature of art history.
#293359 in eBooks 2012-12-11 2012-12-11File Name: B009JU6SP8
Review
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful. Highly Recommend this oneBy Goingto1I have many. many. many watercolor books and this one is one that is worth your money as it has some real instruction and not just beautiful pictures and basics about supplies. brushes and paper. which seems to be repeated in just about every single watercolor book. endlessly. I do highly recommend. Deb in texas72 of 72 people found the following review helpful. Full of Little Gold NuggetsBy Carole PI bought this book somewhat reluctantly because while the description and other reviews sounded good. the preview of the feature paintings didnt thrill me that much. To be honest. Im not all that keen on the authors artistic style. And being an artist. I am nothing if not particular when it comes to visual things.However. I went ahead and bought it. And dont you know--once I dug in. I was compelled to read it cover to cover. Hoffman distills the craft of making good watercolor paintings to its fine essence. with concepts that are easy to wrap your brain around and easy to imagine applying in your own work. Every page offers some important little insight or key pointer that is presented in a way that Ive not seen in other books--often delivered with some gently acerbic humor which I enjoyed. As I progressed through the book. Hoffmans paintings grew on me a bit because they were so illustrative of the concepts he covers. Of course. there is work by artists other than Hoffman. and I appreciated that because it helps to see works in different styles which all demonstrate a particular concept effectively but in different ways. It is a thinking book though...if you are looking for simple formulas for how to paint a good picture. you wont find them here. This book asks questions. explores possible answers. and expects you to consider its questions yourself to find your own answers. It doesnt lead you by the hand but it does provide an excellent framework for an approach to producing well planned and well thought out watercolors. The language and examples are simple. supported by narrative that cuts right to the chase with a minimum of fuss.I think this is a must-have book for every serious watercolorist who wants to improve their work through careful consideration of what they are doing with each brushstroke. It has earned a place as a top ten favorite in my extensive library of watercolor instruction books and has already informed my painting process.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Reference BookBy William- Kindle CustomerPedagogically it is set out very nicely- I wish that I had read this 40 years ago!! It not only presents things in a logical way- it explains the reasoning behind. No hard and fast rules- just common sense really. However. it takes years of experience to learn all this. It may be too concentrated for an absolute beginner but for someone who has dabbled and wishes to improve then I recommend it highly.
