Originally published in 1845 as The Principles & Practice of Art: With Illustrations Drawn and Engraved by the Author, this enduring guide is the work of an English painter and lithographer. J. D. Harding wrote several popular books on art instruction, and this volume constitutes one of his finest. A comprehensive manual geared toward practicing artists, the book features 24 black-and-white plates of illustrations by Harding that... more...

Whether you own or rent, designing and decorating small spaces can be a challenge. Where do you start? How much should you budget? Is DIY decorating an option, or is working with a professional the best way to achieve results? An Insider's Guide to Interior Design for Small Spaces answers all these questions and more, welcoming you to the world of small space design and helping you transform your home quickly-and without breaking the bank. Drawing on... more...

Undesign brings together leading artists, designers and theorists working at the intersection of art and design. The text focuses on design practices, and conceptual approaches, which challenge the traditional notion that design should emphasise its utility over aesthetic or other non-functional considerations. This publication brings to light emerging practices that consider the social, political and aesthetic potential of... more...

Provides a broad view of the history and current state of scholarship on the art of the ancient Near East This book covers the aesthetic traditions of Mesopotamia, Iran, Anatolia, and the Levant, from Neolithic times to the end of the Achaemenid Persian Empire around 330 BCE.  It describes and examines the field from a variety of critical perspectives: across approaches and interpretive frameworks, key explanatory concepts,... more...

The Spy Museum, the Vacuum Cleaner Museum, the National Mustard Museum—not to mention the Art Institute, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Getty Center: museums have never been more robust, curating just about everything there is and assuming a new prominence in public life. The Return of Curiosity explores museums in the modern age, offering a fresh perspective on some of our most important cultural institutions and the vital... more...

The purpose of Seeing and Knowing is to demonstrate the depth and wide geographical impact of David Lewis-Williams’ contribution to rock art research by emphasizing theory and methodology drawn from ethnography. Contributors explore what it means to understand and learn from rock art, and a contrast is drawn between those sites where it is possible to provide a modern, ethnographic context, and those sites where it is not. This is the definitive... more...

Back's journal is particularly valuable because it is the only one that records the entire expedition; Franklin himself relied on it for his own published account of the journey. Both the journal and Back's earlier notes have been edited by Houston, who provides an introduction and extensive annotations, as well as synopses of the frank comments regarding the expedition recorded in the various journals of the Hudson's Bay fur trade... more...

In The Work of Art, Anthea Callen analyzes the self-portraits, portraits of fellow artists, photographs, prints, and studio images of prominent nineteenth-century French Impressionist painters, exploring the emergence of modern artistic identity and its relation to the idea of creative work. Landscape painting in general, she argues, and the “plein air” oil sketch in particular were the key drivers of change in artistic practice in... more...

Paint Pouring is a form of abstract art that uses acrylic paints with a runny (fluid) consistency. The acrylic paints react with each other when combined to make interesting and visually organic motifs. Fluid acrylics can be used on many types of substrates through various techniques such as pouring, dripping, swirling, glazing, dipping, and more to create dazzling and masterful effects. This book provides everything you will need to become a paint... more...

The sleek, exciting geometric motifs seen everywhere in today's decorative arts reflect the continuing Art Deco revival. Textiles, wallpaper, upholstery, and graphics abound with the dynamic, distinctive patterns associated with this influential and popular style. Now artists, designers, and craftspeople can have a treasury of original Art deco compositions at their fingertips — ready for use... more...