Barcelona and Modernity: Picasso, Gaudi, Miro, Dali

Book Description

During the years after the September Revolution of 1868, Barcelona experienced tremendous industrial growth and emerged as the most politically and culturally progressive city in Spain. Barcelona and Modernity examines this remarkable seventy-one-year period, when Barcelona also reigned as one of the most dynamic centers of modernist art and architecture in Europe. Focusing on the Catalan Renaixença, Modernisme, Noucentisme, avant-garde movements of the early 20th century, and artistic reactions to the Spanish Civil War, essays by an extraordinary international team of scholars offer new insights into the work of such Catalan artists as Antoni Gaudí, Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, and Salvador Dalí, among others, by setting them in context with the art of their teachers, colleagues, and rivals.

With approximately 350 works in a variety of media—painting, sculpture, photography, furniture, decorative arts, and architectural design—this intriguing book also explores how Catalan artists derived inspiration from local traditions while contributing their own innovations to international modernism. Broader in scope than any previous treatment of the subject, this book is sure to alter popular perceptions of Catalonia and become a fundamental text for years to come.

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful, but confused.......2007-04-28

The catalogue for an exhibition held at the Cleveland Museum of Art in 2006 and at the Met in NY in 2007, this book is beautifully illustrated and very well written. It is a treasure trove of information on the history of Barcelona and enables the reader to discover some great and overlooked artists like the painters Ramon Casas (a sort of Spanish Manet) and Santiago Rusiñol, or the architect and designer Josep Puig i Cadafalch and many others, responsible for the intellectual growth of this city between 1868 (the September Revolution) and 1939 (the power seizure by Franco), which is the period the exhibition covers. Obviously, the most famous personalities are not forgotten (Picasso, Miro, Dali and Gaudi whose names appear on the front cover).

Now, the organization of the book is somewhat confusing. Divided into 9 chapters, from the Rebirth ("Renaixença")in the late 1860's to Modernism (seen through painting, sculpture, graphic arts, society, architecture and design)and "Noucentisme" (the classical renewal) up to the Avant-Gardes and the Civil War in the late 1930's, it follows a more or less chronological logic. However, the checklist of the artists, at the end of the book, is very confusing: it is very difficult to know the location of the paintings or works of art illustrated and you constantly have to refer to that list to have the dimensions of the works. Instead of a list by artists, I think a list by works displayed in the exhibition and illustrated in the book would have been more suitable.

On the whole, a scholarly publication, but a little difficult to follow.

Average customer rating:

Never been to Barcelona
a disappointment
gaudi book a winner
Great Book!
AWESOME

Gaudi of Barcelona
Lluis Permanyer
Manufacturer: Rizzoli International Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0847820629
Release Date: 1997-08-15

Amazon.com

Since the late 1800s, Spanish architect Antonio Gaudí's (1852-1926) fanciful buildings have defined Barcelona's cityscape. His playful spires and towers, undulating tiled roofs, and writhing chimneys loom like Dr. Suess creatures atop commercial and apartment buildings alike, and his sculptures are an integral component of many of the city's parks and public spaces. As respected for his technical innovations as for his aesthetic boldness, Gaudí was able to achieve unique, organic, fluid--at times even bizarre--architectural forms that paralleled the stylistic development of art nouveau. The artist's greatest works are brought into dramatic relief against the background of the modern metropolis with 178 specially commissioned color photographs and 13 maps of Barcelona locating Gaudí's works and offering explanatory descriptions of the buildings.

Book Description

The work of Antoni Gaudí (1852-1926) defines the city of Barcelona like no other. Its art-nouveau-style spires and visionary eccentricities bestow their unique character on the skyline and make the city a point of pilgrimage for fans of Gaudí's inimitable, playful style. Gaudí of Barcelona presents the architect's work in Barcelona as it has never been seen before. Vibrant, specially commissioned photographs present the wonders of the Sagrada Família, Casa Milà, and 10 other fantastic creations in Gaudí's home city in unprecedented detail.

Tiled landscape architecture in brilliant colors, organic, plantlike pinnacles and towers, undulating tiled roofs with chimneys and ventilators looming like alien creatuers atop seething buildings--these are the features that distinguish the work of Gaudí and speak of his curious relationship with his city. The text investigates this aspect of Gaudí's work, discussing the architect's life and influences, his status as an outsider ahead of his time, and his leading place in Catalan modernism.

With its 178 brilliant photographs of Gaudí's most compelling works, and 13 maps showing their location--as well as an insightful text introducing Gaudí's architectural genius--this is an essential book for anyone who knows and loves Gaudí's work, or for those planning to discover it firsthand in Barcelona.

Customer Reviews:

Never been to Barcelona.......2007-10-02

I purchased this book with the idea that I'll eventually get to Barcelona. I wanted to see a few things before planning a trip so I would know where to go. This book just makes me want to start planning the trip now. Or maybe just getting a ticket and saying the heck with it all and going. Today.
The architecture is lovely and fantastical. I would love living in such a place. Now I'll have to work on my Catalan (the language they speak there). But that's another book altogether.
I'm also a mosaic artist and Barcelona is one of the epicenters of mosaic work. I've been to Ravenna, Italy and Barcelona's probably the Spanish equivalent.
This book inspires me to look at my house with an eye for doing amazing mosaic work here.

a disappointment.......2007-09-07

This book has some very nice photos, but on the whole it wasn't what I wanted. I intended this to be my first and only book on Gaudi, but it won't serve that purpose. The photos don't include any of the usual angles -- for example, there are far too few shots of the wonderful roof of Casa Battlo, and none that adequately show the sinuous serpent-back tiles. The text explains the symbolism of the roof features, but the photos fail to show the features described in the text. Some of the wide angle shots looking up at ceilings are hard to interpret. The book is best as a complement if one already has a book with shots taken from the standard angles. In that respect, it would be excellent. I won't buy a book like this again without looking at it first.

gaudi book a winner.......2007-07-08

I bought this book as a gift for friends who were about to travel to Barcelona and who did not fully understand the impact of Gaudi's work on this city and the world. The book helped them to rearrange their travel plans and will be wonderful momento of their trip. Beautiful images of all his work.

Great Book!.......2007-05-13

Having just returned from a trip to Spain that included several days in Barcelona I was delighted to find this book available to purchase. The pictures are beautiful and very representative of the architecture you will see if you spend a few days in the lovely city of Barcelona. I definitely recommend the book.

AWESOME.......2007-01-12

The Best Book ever to capture the infinate beauty of Gaudi. Just glacing at this book I realize how much I miss Barcelona! The pages just pour over with amazing images of this magical place, I looked through at least a dozen other books while I was in Spain & none came close to the quality of this one by Lluis Permanyer.

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In Detail: Barcelona Art Nouveau

Manufacturer: Poligrafa
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 8434310627
Release Date: 2005-08-15

Book Description

London is famous for Big Ben, Paris for the Eiffel Tower, and Rome for the Colosseum. Barcelona, on the other hand, is associated not with one or two buildings but with the blossoming of an entire movement in art history called Modernism. In Germany it was called Jugendstil; in Austria, Sezession; in Italy, Stile Liberty; and in France it was Art Nouveau. An extraordinary period straddling the 19th and 20th centuries, Barcelona's brand of Art Nouveau was characterized by organic shapes and patterns integrated by all aspects of art and design. The movement, along with its high craftsmanship, was interpreted to be a spontaneous reaction to the Industrial Revolution's trend of mass production. Besides being a survey of the most significant buildings by Domenech i Montaner, Antoni Gaud', Josep Maria Jujol, and Puig i Cadafalch, this book also provides a detailed analysis of the forms created by the most important craftsmen of the period, many of whom have been relegated to anonymity for decades.

Art and History of Barcelona: The City of Gaudi

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Art and History of Barcelona: The City of Gaudi

Manufacturer: Bonechi Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 887009846X

Sagrada Familia (Architecture in Detail)

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A thorough description of Gaudi's design methods.

Sagrada Familia (Architecture in Detail)
Mark Burry
Manufacturer: Phaidon Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Customer Reviews:

A thorough description of Gaudi's design methods........2000-04-06

If you are reading this, you are either an architect, an aficionado of architecture, or you are fascinated by Gaudi. Sure you already know that Gaudi used hanging weights and strings to design his structures. But did you ever notice that of each set of towers of the transept, two are closer together than the other two? Do you know what a hyperbolic parabaloid is? Have you ever seen computer drawn cross sections of the columns of the nave? Did you know that the column surfaces are made of interfering geometric shapes? Mr. Burry, an architect on the Sagrada Familia staff, describes this, the history behind the construction, and more about this magnificent church-to-be. The book includes sections with detailed photographs and drawings of the nave and the two facades of the transept.

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Barcelona: Gaudi and Modernism
Hugo Kliczkowski
Manufacturer: Asppan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 8489439516

Barcelona: a Pictorial Book of Gaudi's City English Edition

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Barcelona: a Pictorial Book of Gaudi's City English Edition
No Author Identified
Manufacturer: Bonechi Editore
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000JC7R82

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Antoni Gaudi

Manufacturer: H. Kliczkowski
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 8496241637

Book Description

The work of the brilliant architect with locations maps.

Antoni Gaudi: The Architecture in Barcelona

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Antoni Gaudi: The Architecture in Barcelona
Gabriele Sterner
Manufacturer: Barrons Educational Series Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0812022939

Barcelona and Gaudi: Examples of Modernist Architecture

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Barcelona and Gaudi: Examples of Modernist Architecture
Raul Garcia
Manufacturer: Asppan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Customer Reviews:

Excellent Choice.......2000-10-27

This book is part of a great drawing series. It shows complete idiots (me) how to draw great, realistic animals. It also helps the accomplished younger artist (my daughter) to improve their work. Great animals, excellent advice, in a format that doesn't talk down to anyone. I have given several of these books as birthday gifts many times to anyone who likes to draw.

Amazon.com

Opportunities for sensationalism abound in a book about Arbus, who already had a history of severe depressions and a crumbling marriage by the time she began to take the controversial, technically innovative pictures of dwarfs, nudists and drag queens that won her a reputation as "a photographer of freaks." Bosworth balances the lurid details -- rumors that Arbus had sex with her subjects, that she photographed her own suicide in 1971 -- with a nuanced appraisal of an artist whose images captured the uneasy mood of the 1960s by expressing her personal obsessions.

Book Description

The inspiration for the new major motion picture Fur starring Nicole Kidman and Robert Downey Jr.

"Haunted, disturbing….Bosworth has brought us tantalizingly close to her subject." So said Christopher Lehman-Haupt in the New York Times about this biography of the photographer. Diane Arbus exerts a fascination rooted in both her art and her life. Her startling photographic images of dwarves, twins, transvestites, and freaks seemed from the first to redefine both the normal and the abnormal in our lives. Now Steven Shainberg, the highly praised director of Secretary, has directed a film that draws on Arbus's life, work, and obsessions. Nicole Kidman stars as Arbus and Robert Downey Jr. plays her lover. Premiering at Cannes in May 2006, it will draw lavish attention and discussion when it opens in the fall.

Customer Reviews:

Diane Arbus: A Biography.......2007-09-28

After watching the movie "Fur" which is a fictionalized biography, I wanted to know more about this artist. The book is fascinating, but sometimes dreary as the author relates the severe depression that pervades many of the artists who were associated with Diane Arbus, as well as Diane herself. Full of famous names and families of $$ in the NY and New England.

Silence, cunning, and exile.......2007-07-20

Diane Arbus as a photographer is linked to Walker Evans and Robert Frank. She believed a photograph is a secret about a secret. David Nemerov, her father, was a creative spirit, an enterprising retailer. He expanded the family-owned Russek fur business. He knew fashion was theater, ephemeral. Both Diane and her brother Howard were gifted. A friend felt that Diane and others grew up in an emotional desert of shame, not affirmation, as they received training to become accomplished in the various cultured disciplines. Diane came to believe her circumstances were irrational. She complained that throughout her upbringing of Ethical Culture schools and summer camps she had never felt adversity. Diane met and fell in love with Allan Arbus when she was fourteen. At Fieldston School in Elbert Lenrow's Great Books class, Diane wrote essays on Flaubert and Sophocles, preoccupied with ambiguity, with contradictions. Diane told her friends she was not going to apply to college, she was going to marry Allan Arbus. Her talent set her apart from others; it frightened her.

During World War II Howard joined the Canadian Air Force and Allan the Army Signal Corps. When Allan was sent to photography school at Fort Monmouth, Diane moved to Red Bank. Daughter Doon was born in 1945. For a time Diane studied with Berenice Abbott. Allan and Diane worked closely together as a husband and wife fashion photography team. They were creative and perfectionists. In 1951 Allan, Diane, and Doon went to Europe. The sights were a revelation to Diane. All of her experiences were sensory. Another child, Amy, was born in 1954. Allan and Diane were successful, they were 'comers', but they hated the fast-paced trendy world of commercial photography. Howard Nemerov felt the couple was living an unreal but glittering life. NYC was a mecca for photographers. Diane's younger sister Renee was a sculptor. Her husband was a magazine writer. All of the Nemerovs had depressive illnesses, but Diane's were deeper and longer-lasting.

It was felt fashion photography, the artifice and the monotony, contributed to Diane's depression, and so she stopped. Allan continued the business. Diane took a course at the New School with Lisette Model. Under Model she began documenting fearsome persons and places. She went to Coney Island. Diane drifted into downtown Bohemia. She developed a friendship with many artists including Mary Frank. Allan and Diane moved their studio to Washington Place. The couple became estranged. Diane and the two girls moved to Charles Street. Silence, cunning, and exile were emblematic of Diane's work according to Emile de Antonio, using a Joycean formulation. During the summer of 1959 Diane photographed circuses. At sideshows she felt shame and awe.

Diane acquired a mentor, Marvin Israel, who believed she was an original talent who needed to be pushed. Her snap-shot style and subject matter were perfect for ESQUIRE. On assignment, photography for Diane became contemporary anthropology. When Marvin Israel went to HARPER'S BAZAAR, Diane had another outlet for her work. Walker Evans was impressed with Diane's work. Diane was awarded a Guggenheim to explore American rites and customs. When Howard published JOURNAL OF THE FICTIVE LIFE, Diane realized that she and Howard had the same family memories and the same lexicon.

In the mid sixties Diane seemed to be at every spectacle, every parade in NYC. She taught at Parsons in 1965. Her students said she was a terrific teacher. Her photographs appeared in the 'New Documents' show at the Museum of Modern Art, 1967. Later her use of a square format with direct flash was copied widely. Friends tried to tell her not to take the neagative comments to heart, that all original work was irritating at first, (Gertrude Stein). Diane revered the photography of August Sander, Weegee, and Lewis Hine. In 1969 Allan and Diane were divorced. Their studio was closed. Allan moved to Hollywood. In 1970 Diane moved to Westbeth. She taught a photography class at Westbeth to raise money to purchase a Pentax camera. In the end Diane felt her work was being noticed for the wrong reasons. Friends ignored Diane's allusions to suicide.

Patricia Bosworth has done a smashingly successful job of capturing the essence of the life and work of this photography pioneer. Readers of the book feel compelled to follow-up every name and every work mentioned.

excellent read.......2007-01-03

This book, although not authorized by the estate of Diane Arbus, was very insightful to her life and her process as an artist. Arbus was fascinating and the book was illuminating. It is a sad fact that her life ended too early, as do too many fantastic artists like her. One can only imagine what else her legacy might have added with another 30-40 years.

You don't have to be a photographer to appreciate..........2006-08-16

...the life of this woman. In fact, this book isn't so much about photographer or the photographer's life as it is about exploration. Arbus told a teacher that she wanted to capture "evil," while her daughter thinks she meant "the forbidden." Hidden within the life is a multitude of meanings about what is evil, what is identity, the fringes of consciousness and society, and how some can incorporate what they encounter into themselves, and some can't.

Diane Arbus: A Biography.......2006-08-14

Great! Anyone who truly appreciates Arbus' photography and has been exposed to it (for example, the excellent show which the Metropolitan had a few years ago) will love this book. It was especially interesting to me since you really get an inside feel and idea of how Arbus composed and executed her photographs, and what prompted her to photograph her subjects. It also, of course, makes clear how deeply disturbed she was psychologically.

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Diane Arbus: The Libraries
Doon Arbus
Manufacturer: Fraenkel Gallery
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1881337197

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Very Informative Insight into Arbus' World

Diane Arbus
Patricia Bosworth
Manufacturer: Avon Books (P)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0380699273

Customer Reviews:

Very Informative Insight into Arbus' World.......2004-05-26

This book takes you on a journey through the complex life of Diane Arbus and shows how a sensitive and fierce photographer developed her own style. Arbus grew up wealthy, but married against her parent's wishes. She struggled with her husband to make money and raise their daughter. Both worked in fashion photography before they split and Arbus began to pursue her own interests in photography. The book captures her psychological yearning to both explore with her camera and be accepted as a professional artist who happened to be a single mother. Arbus also battled depressions that seemed to run in her family, and her career was ultimately impacted by these despressions and her suicide. She wanted to photograph every face in the world, and she tried to capture something unique that only she saw behind her lens.

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Diane Arbus A Biography
PATRICIA BOSWORTH
Manufacturer: Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000K08QHY

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Diane Arbus a Biography
Patricia Bosworth
Manufacturer: KNOPF, ALFRED A
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000W7ZS62

Diane Arbus, ou, Le reve du naufrage (Texte / Chene)

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Diane Arbus, ou, Le reve du naufrage (Texte / Chene)
Patrick Roegiers
Manufacturer: Chene
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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ASIN: 2851083740

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Diane Arbus: A Biography

Manufacturer: Avon Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000H2IO1S

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Diane Arbus: A Biography
Diane] Bosworth, Patricia [Arbus
Manufacturer: Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000KV0VBW

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Diane Arbus: A Biography.
Patricia BOSWORTH
Manufacturer: see notes for publisher info
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000RJKFAE

Biography - Arbus, Diane (1923-1971): An article from: Contemporary Authors Online

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Biography - Arbus, Diane (1923-1971): An article from: Contemporary Authors Online
Gale Reference Team
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B0007SHXNM
Release Date: 2007-06-13

Book Description

Word count: 2025.

Customer Reviews:

Rina Piccolo is hysterically funny.......2002-07-11

This book is one of the ignored classics of the cartoon world. Rina's book starts with a cartoon of a wide-eyed innocent young couple kneeling at the side of their bed, praying: "Thank you, Lord for the hot spicy sex we are about to receive." Rina's most hilarious cartoons are those that utilize the contrast between her innocent-looking drawings and the bizarre content of the captions. She enjoys taking cliched comments and drawing them literally. She is a one-of-a-kind classic, and the fact that this book is out of print is absolutely CRAZY!!

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