Other books that might interest you

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  101 Amazing Facts About Clowns

  Jack Goldstein

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  From ancient Egypt to the modern-day circus, the role of the clown can be traced throughout history. But how much do you really know about the profession that takes comedy very seriously? This fascinating audiobook takes the reader on a journey through the ages, explaining how clowns such as the whiteface and auguste came to be. You'll hear about history's best-loved performers such as Joseph Grimaldi, the father of modern clowning, and learn about the origin of terms used today such as the ‘clown alley’. If you want to know why blue make-up is supposed to bring bad luck, and who the literary world’s first ever killer clown was, then this is the audiobook for you.

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  Learn Quickly: The Big Book of...

  Hazel Soan

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  A compilation of practical guidance on everything you need to know about painting people and landscapes in watercolour, with simple exercises and step-by-step demonstrations to develop your masterpiece.
  Hazel Soan is a hugely successful painter and an outstanding teacher and author of art books, which have introduced the wonders of art to a generation of amateur artists. Here she collates her vast knowledge on painting in watercolour in easily digested steps that can be achieved in short bursts of time. 
  In this extended compilation edition, Hazel Soan explains everything you need to know about painting people and landscapes in watercolour in an accessible and informative way. She advises on how to master brushstrokes and balance composition as well as dealing with the theories of colour and light. She gives you the tools to create urban streets, woodland forests and rocky coastlines and guides you through ways to insert people into your pre-existing paintings to bring them to life.
  Bursting with easy-to-follow exercises and demonstrations, this comprehensive compendium of watercolour painting is an invaluable companion for beginners as a well as a useful resource for more experienced painters.

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  Canaletto and Guardi - Views of...

  Lelia Packer, Charles Beddington

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  A gorgeous celebration of the beauty of Venice as conveyed in the paintings of Canaletto and his followers.
  Among the renowned Old Master paintings at the Wallace Collection in London is an important group of 27 eighteenth-century views of Venice, known as vedute, by Canaletto and his followers, including Francesco Guardi. They hang together in a dedicated gallery known as the Canaletto Room, but until recently the majority had not been cleaned since the nineteenth century and their original beauty was obscured by multiple layers of discoloured varnish.
  The paintings have now been restored and rephotographed, following a multi-year conservation and research project that has also led to a reappraisal of them. This book presents these pictures in their renewed splendour. It features essays and commentaries by Charles Beddington, the global expert on vedute, and by Wallace Collection curator Lelia Packer. Together they provide fresh insights into the artists' creative processes, the dating of pictures and their authorship.

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  The Courage of Johanna Bonger -...

  Davis Truman

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  The art world was forever changed with Vincent Van Gogh's emergence. His vivid, emotional paintings captured the attention and admiration of many, even as the artist struggled with mental illness and financial instability. But behind every great artist is often an equally great supporter, and for Vincent Van Gogh, that person was Johanna Bonger. 
  Johanna was more than Vincent's sister-in-law. She was a woman fiercely determined to champion Vincent's work, even when critics and collectors misunderstood or dismissed it. Her unwavering support was essential in preserving Vincent's legacy and securing his place in art. 
  "The Courage of Johanna Bonger: The Woman Who Made Vincent Van Gogh Immortal" is a tribute to the woman who played a pivotal role in shaping Vincent's artistic reputation. Through letters, personal accounts, and historical research, this book delves into Johanna's life, her unwavering commitment to Vincent, and the challenges and obstacles she faced. 
  From her liberal-minded upbringing to her eventual marriage to Theo van Gogh, this book explores Johanna's journey to becoming a driving force in preserving Vincent's legacy. The book also delves into Vincent's struggles with mental illness and how this impacted his relationships with others, including Johanna. 
  Through the lens of Johanna's story, "The Courage of Johanna Bonger" offers a fresh perspective on Vincent Van Gogh and the enduring impact of his work. It celebrates the power of dedication and the courage to stand by one's convictions, even in the face of opposition. Ultimately, this book is a tribute to a remarkable woman who played a crucial role in immortalizing Vincent Van Gogh.

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  The Uncanny Muse - Music Art and...

  David Hajdu

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  The Uncanny Muse explores the history of automation in the arts and delves into one of the most momentous and controversial aspects of AI: artificial creativity. The adoption of technology and machinery has long transformed the world, but as the potential for artificial intelligence expands, David Hajdu examines the new, increasingly urgent questions about technology's role in culture. 
   
   
   
  Hajdu traces the fascinating, varied ways in which inventors and artists have sought to emulate mental processes and mechanize creative production. For decades, machines and artists have engaged in expressing the human condition—along with the condition of living with machines—through player pianos, broadcasting technology, electric organs, digital movie effects, synthesizers, and motion capture. By communicating and informing human knowledge, the machines have exerted considerable influence on the history of art—and often more influence than humans have been willing to recognize. As Hajdu proclaims: "before machine learning, there was machine teaching." With thoughtful and surprising turns from Berry Gordy and George Harrison to Andy Warhol and Stevie Wonder, David Hajdu takes a novel and contrarian approach: he sees how machines through the ages have enabled creativity, not stifled it—and The Uncanny Muse sees no reason why this shouldn't be the case with AI today.

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  Louvre and the Hermitage The:...

  Editors Charles River

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  The very name of the Louvre conjures up scenes of art and elegance, and of long halls filled with beauty and people strolling through them whispering quietly among themselves about the glories they are witnessing. Even those who have never been to the Louvre know some of its most prized possessions, from ancient statues to Leonardo Da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa”. As the world’s largest museum, the Louvre is unquestionably the cultural highpoint of Paris, a city that has long been considered the cultural center of Europe. 
  However, life is rarely as simple as one imagines, and the life of the Louvre is no different. While just about everyone is familiar with its history as an art museum, the Louvre’s history goes back over 800 years, and it used to have far different purposes, both as a medieval fortress and a palatial residence for French kings. The Louvre bore witness to mass murder during the French Revolution, and there have been countless accusations of theft and other questionable actions since its opening. 
  Catherine the Great came to power in the midst of the Enlightenment, which was flourishing in France and Britain, and she would rule as an Enlightened ruler. A known correspondent of Voltaire’s, Catherine sought to modernize Russia and turn it into a force in its own right, creating a rich and cultured court at the same time. Over the course of nearly 35 years in power, Catherine ushered in the Russian Enlightenment and presided over a period of time known as the Golden Age of the Russian Empire. 
  Moreover, Catherine had an unmatched passion for the arts, and she began a private art collection that would eventually evolve into galleries upon galleries of historical treasures shipped in from all over the world. This fabled museum was none other than the Hermitage, located in the heart of Saint Petersburg, a city founded by the imperial empire's very own Peter the Great.

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