He spent a large part of his life on the run, leaving a trail of illuminated chaos wherever he passed, most of it recorded in criminal justice records. When he did settle for long enough to paint, he produced works of staggering creativity and technical innovation. He was famous throughout Italy for his fulminating temper, but also for his radical and sensitive humanization of biblical stories, and in particular his decision to include the brutal and dirty life of the street in his paintings. Caravaggio was a rebel and a violent man, but he eyed the world with deep empathy, realism, and an unrelenting honesty.

    And rightly so: in our increasingly visual culture, it is an omnipresent form of creativity, something we are all influenced by whether we like it or not. Every logo, every poster, every CD cover confronts us with graphic design in some shape or form. It is the basis of all visual communication and arguably the most pervasive creative discipline of our times. designers arranged in an A to Z order. Each of the designers is featured over two double-page spreads, which are extensively illustrated with examples of their work. Alongside these examples, a 400 word text by the selecting curator explains his/her choice and illuminates the depicted work. The reproductions are further complemented with extended captions and biographical information on the designer. designers. Showcasing talents from Minneapolis to Macao, Area opens the door to the work of emerging designers practising in more than 25 countries around the world. It reflects a unique multitude of styles, ideas, and influences: an endless range of creativity from the playful, digital graphics of Eboy in Berlin, to the regional aesthetics of Chaz Mavyanne Davies of Zimbabwe or Ahn Sang-Soo of Korea; from the political awareness of Iran's Reza Abedini, to the more sober and traditional designs of the Italy's Leonardo Sonnoli. were also asked to choose what they consider a design 'classic, ' i.e. a piece of printed design from any era that is of particular significance to them. These 'classic' pieces are showcased in the shorter, second part of the book, each accompanied by a brief text explaining how the 'classic' piece fits into the selecting curator's general view and philosophy of graphic design. design, Area promises to be unique in its exciting design, its clear and interesting concept, its truly global scope, and its fresh and unconventional content

    Today, more and more graphic designers, advertising agencies, motion designers, and artists work in this area. New techniques and forms of expression are being developed. Consequently, the demand for information on this topic has grown enormously. Data Flow 2 expands the definition of contemporary information graphics. The book features new possibilities for diagrams, maps, and charts. It investigates the visual and intuitive presentation of processes, data, and information. Concrete examples of research and art projects as well as commercial work illuminate how techniques such as simplification, abstraction, metaphor, and dramatization function. The book also includes interviews with experts such as The New York Times s Steve Duenes, Infosthetics's Andrew Vande Moere, Visualcomplexity's Manuel Lima, ART+COM's Joachim Sauter, and passionate cartographer Menno-Jan Kraak as well as text features by Johannes Schardt about the challenges in creating effective information graphics and about the relationship between complexity, clarity, content, and innovation. Offering practical advice, background information, case studies, and inspiration, Data Flow 2 is a valuable reference for anyone working with or interested in information graphics.

    Among filmmakers and film buffs, Cassavetes is revered, almost as a god. A major star of live television and a serious actor, he stumbled into making his first film, Shadows, and created a template for working outside the Hollywood system that would produce some of the most piercing and human films of the last thirty years including A Woman Under the Influence and Husbands. He became the prototypical outsider fighting the system for much of his career. Film critic Marshall Fine had unprecendented access to Cassavetes' wife, Gena Rowlands, and other members of their inner circle, as well as industry insiders who worked with Cassavetes -- some speaking publicly for the first time. Together, they tell his daring, tumultuous, and compelling story.

    Includes a black, velvet-like drawstring bag to hold the cards.

    Here is the dramatic - and tragic - story of Versailles and the men and women who made it their home.

    Esther is a story of God's faithfulness to those obedient to His highest purposes; it is a moving monument to faith.

    Rick Gekoski tells the very human stories that lie behind some of the greatest losses to artistic culture - and addresses the questions such disappearances raise. Some of the items are stolen (the Mona Lisa), some destroyed (like Philip Larkin's diaries, shredded, then burnt, on his dying request) and some were lost before they even existed, like the career of the brilliant art deco architect, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, which foundered amid a lack of cash - but behind all of them lies an often surprising story which reveals a lot about what art means to us. Gekoski explores in depth the greater questions these tremendous losses raise - such as the rights artists and authors have over their own work, the importance of the search for perfection in creativity, and what motivated people to queue to see the empty space where the Mona Lisa once hung in the Louvre.

    This spectacular book brings together the most beautiful, memorable and evocative pictures of Steve McCurry's extraordinary career.

    With record-collector zeal, Cook analyzes everything from Sidney Bechet's 78s to Norah Jones' recent chart-topper.

    Pieced together, they form a revealing mosaic of the creative mind. It's like viewing an exhibit from the therapist's couch as each entry delves into the mental anguish that afflicts the artist and affects their art.The scope of the artists covered is as varied as their afflictions. Inside, you will find not just the creators of the darkest of dark literature, music, and art. While it does reveal what everyday problem kept Poe's pen to paper and the childhood catastrophe that kept Picasso on edge, it also uncovers surprising secrets of more unexpectedly tormented artists. From Charles Schultz's unrequited love to J.K. Rowling's fear of death, it's amazing the deep-seeded troubles that lie just beneath the surface of our favorite art.As much an appreciation of artistic genius as an accessible study of the creative psyche, Tortured Artists illustrates the fact that inner turmoil fuels the finest work.

    What could possibly be so valuable about the picture? As friends and clients are slaughtered around her, Luciana turns to the one man who has never desired her beauty, novice librarian Brother Guido. Fleeing Venice together, Luciana and Guido race through the nine cities of Renaissance Italy, pursued by ruthless foes who are determined to keep them from decoding the painting's secrets.Gloriously fresh and vivid, with a deliciously irreverent heroine, The Botticelli Secret is an irresistible blend of history, wit, and suspense.

    Who is the culprit? This tale will keep you guessing!

    Considering Indian art within a chronological framework, Vidya Dehejia analyses the great cities of the Indus civilization, the serene Buddha image, the intriguing art of cave sites, the sophisticated temple-building traditions, the luxurious art of the Mughal court, the palaces and pavilions of Rajasthan, the churches of Portuguese Goa, the various forms of art in the British Raj and the issues related to taking Indian art into the twenty-first century.

     Jump into this epic adventure against zombies, skeletons, creepers, and a surprise enemy at the end. Will Steve and Piggy have the courage to defeat the Swamp Witch of Endor? Buy your copy today and find out! Buy your copy now!