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  James McNeill Whistler

  Patrick Chaleyssin

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  Whistler suddenly shot to fame like a meteor at a crucial moment in the history of art, a field in which he was a pioneer. Like the impressionists, with whom he sided, he wanted to impose his own ideas. Whistler’s work can be divided into four periods. The first may be called a period of research in which he was influenced by the Realism of Gustave Courbet and by Japanese art. Whistler then discovered his own originality in the Nocturnes and the Cremorne Gardens series, thereby coming into conflict with the academics who wanted a work of art to tell a story. When he painted the portrait of his mother, Whistler entitled it Arrangement in Grey and Black and this is symbolic of his aesthetic theories. When painting the Cremorne Pleasure Gardens it was not to depict identifiable figures, as did Renoir in his work on similar themes, but to capture an atmosphere. He loved the mists that hovered over the banks of the Thames, the pale light, and the factory chimneys which at night turned into magical minarets. Night redrew landscapes, effacing the details. This was the period in which he became an adventurer in art; his work, which verged on abstraction, shocked his contemporaries. The third period is dominated by the full-length portraits that brought him his fame. He was able to imbue this traditional genre with his profound originality. He tried to capture part of the souls of his models and placed the characters in their natural habitats. This gave his models a strange presence so that they seem about to walk out of the picture to physically encounter the viewer. By extracting the poetic substance from individuals he created portraits described as “mediums” by his contemporaries, and which were the inspiration for Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray. Towards the end of his life, the artist began painting landscapes and portraits in the classical tradition, strongly influenced by Velázquez. Whistler proved to be extremely rigorous in ensuring his paintings coincided with his theories. He never hesitated in crossing swords with the most famous art theoreticians of his day. His personality, his outbursts, and his elegance were a perfect focus for curiosity and admiration. He was a close friend of Stéphane Mallarmé, and admired by Marcel Proust, who rendered homage to him in A La Recherche du Temps Perdu. He was also a provocative dandy, a prickly socialite, a demanding artist, and a daring innovator.

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  Hidden Paris - Discovering and...

  Caroline Clifton-Mogg

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  A peek behind closed doors in the City of Light, Hidden Paris reveals the capital city’s unique architecture and fabulous interiors in a range of styles, from classic French to retro, contemporary, bohemian, industrial and more.

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  Jane Packer's Guide to Flower...

  Jane Packer

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  Jane Packer is one of London's most sought-after florists and also runs celebrated flower schools in London, New York, and Tokyo. In this irresistible book, Jane covers the same ground as in her four-week career course, here divided into three sections. Flowers to Give teaches all the techniques needed to make a variety of floral gifts. Flowers for the Home covers vase arrangements of all shapes and sizes. Flowers for Celebrations offers all the necessary know-how for party flowers, festive wreaths, table arrangements, and beautiful wedding flowers. Lovely photographs of the finished creations are accompanied by step-by-step photographs and easy-to-follow instructions. This book distils all Jane Packer's expertise and style into one volume, and imparts the secrets of successful flower arranging to every reader, novice and expert alike. Jane Packer is one of Britain's best-known floral artists. She established Jane Packer Flowers in 1982 and now has outlets in London, New York, Seoul, Tokyo and Kuwait City.

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  Flying to Extremes

  Dominique Prinet

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  Recalling some of the most memorable escapades ever conducted in the Canadian Arctic with bush planes, Flying to Extremes takes place in the late ’60s and early ’70s from a base at Yellowknife, in the heart of the Northwest Territories.Beyond recounting so many near-mishaps, this book is also about colourful people: the trappers, prospectors, miners, adventurers and gold-ingot thieves who constituted the fauna at the main bar in Yellowknife in those days. For Arctic dreamers, there was always the flight to the Nahanni River, with its Deadman’s Valley, hot springs, tales of lost or dead prospectors, the many airplanes crashed in pursuit of gold, and much more Nahanni lore.This entertaining book recollects Prinet’s adventures as a young man while capturing the humour, beauty, danger and unique culture of northern communities, in the dramatic landscape of the Canadian Arctic. Readers familiar with the region and those who can only dream of visiting it will both find this title a nostalgic and captivating read.

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  Catalog of Your Young Sister

  رأفت علام

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  Dear Big Sister friend, If you are waiting for the birth of your younger sister, or you have a younger sister and you want to know how to deal with it, this book is for you... When the mother says: The little sister is a precious gift, she means it is a gift for YOU... not a gift to give to your friend at the earliest birthday party ... My advice is: Bear your little sister from birth until she becomes a cute lady, because then, you will be forced to bear her for the rest of your life, and forever... Your little sister will wear your clothes and shoes, play with your toys, rip your magazines and books, lose your tools, pens, and books... But you will forget it all when you look at your photo together while she embraces your waist smiling in cuteness. Or, when you wake up at night, finding her sleeping right next to you, and will often hug you with one of her limbs... Do not be surprised when you wake up in one morning finding her toes in your mouth.

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  First Time Tunisian Crochet -...

  international Creative Publishing

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  If you’re a fan of both knitting and crocheting, then Tunisian crochet is for you! Tunisian crochet is a needlework technique that borrows elements from both knitting and crocheting and is often referred to as “Afghan crochet” or “Afghan stitch”. A special hook called an Afghan hook is used for this method of crochet.First Time Tunisian Crochet is an informative crochet booklet that teaches different stitches, from easy (Tunisian simple stitch) to intermediate (seed stitch, knit stitch, and purl stitch) to experienced (rib stitch, clusters stitch, cable stitch). The booklet includes five fun projects: a throw, bag, wristlet, blanket, and vest.

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