Description

Immediate dispatch from Somerset. Book in excellent unread/unused condition. Softcover. English. See images for condition.

About the book >.>.> Artists have always turned to the plant world for inspiration and it has been a constant element in all the decorative arts. Throughout the brightest moments of the history of art flowers were omnipresent. Papyrus was often to be found in the freizes of Ancient Egypt while the Assyrians honored palms and pine cones in their ornamental designs. The motifs of Ancient Greece for example those of leaf forms (ivy palmettes) and especially the inven- tion of the Corinthian column continued to influence artists through the 19th century. In the Middle Ages laurel oak sycomore and holly were recurrent themes while during the Renaissance decorations inspired by Antiquity were the fashion with their arabesque-filled floral garlands and festoons. Flora reigned supreme during the 19th century. Wallpaper tapestries textiles art objects in architecture home furnishings and jewelry: flowers were everywhere. Floral ornamentation can be abstract a complete creation by the artist as it can be a faithful copy from nature. Accordingly stylization is a fanciful exercise with infi- nite variations: the artist interprets the forms of the model accentuating certain curves exaggerating some details while eliminating others. The stem becomes the central axis of the composition. A geometrical stylization can transform the entire plant in such a manner that its silhouette is inscribed in basic plane figures such as squares rectangles and circles. The general aspects are defined as well as the distinguishing characteristics of the species. Finally plant details are stylized: flowers and leaves are ?qually inscribed in geometric shapes. (MP)