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  Gustav Klimt

  Patrick Bade, Jane Rogoyska

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  “I am not interested in myself as a subject for painting, but in others, particularly women…”Beautiful, sensuous and above all erotic, Gustav Klimt’s paintings speak of a world of opulence and leisure, which seems aeons away from the harsh, post-modern environment we live in now. The subjects he treats – allegories, portraits, landscapes and erotic figures – contain virtually no reference to external events, but strive rather to create a world where beauty, above everything else, is dominant. His use of colour and pattern was profoundly influenced by the art of Japan, ancient Egypt, and Byzantium. Ravenne, the flat, two-dimensional perspective of his paintings, and the frequently stylised quality of his images form an oeuvre imbued with a profound sensuality and one where the figure of woman, above all, reigns supreme. Klimt’s very first works brought him success at an unusually young age. Gustav, born in 1862, obtained a state grant to study at Kunstgewerbeschule (the Vienna School of Arts and Crafts) at the age of fourteen. His talents as a draughtsman and painter were quickly noticed, and in 1879 he formed the Künstlercompagnie (Artists’ Company) with his brother Ernst and another student, Franz Matsch. The latter part of the nineteenth century was a period of great architectural activity in Vienna. In 1857, the Emperor Franz Joseph had ordered the destruction of the fortifications that had surrounded the medieval city centre. The Ringstrasse was the result, a budding new district with magnificent buildings and beautiful parks, all paid for by public expenses. Therefore the young Klimt and his partners had ample opportunities to show off their talents, and they received early commissions to contribute to the decorations for the pageant organised to celebrate the silver wedding anniversary of the Emperor Franz Joseph and the Empress Elisabeth. In 1894, Matsch moved out of their communal studio, and in 1897 Klimt, together with his closest friends, resigned from the Künstlerhausgenossenschaft (the Cooperative Society of Austrian Artists) to form a new movement known as the Secession, of which he was immediately elected president. The Secession was a great success, holding both a first and second exhibition in 1898. The movement made enough money to commission its very own building, designed for it by the architect Joseph Maria Olbrich. Above the entrance was its motto: “To each age its art, to art its freedom.” From around 1897 onward, Klimt spent almost every summer on the Attersee with the Flöge family. These were periods of peace and tranquillity in which he produced the landscape paintings constituting almost a quarter of his entire oeuvre. Klimt made sketches for virtually everything he did. Sometimes there were over a hundred drawings for one painting, each showing a different detail – a piece of clothing or jewellery, or a simple gesture. Just how exceptional Gustav Klimt was is perhaps reflected in the fact that he had no predecessors and no real followers. He admired Rodin and Whistler without slavishly copying them, and was admired in turn by the younger Viennese painters Egon Schiele and Oskar Kokoschka, both of whom were greatly influenced by Klimt.

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  The World As We Knew It -...

  Amy Brady, Tajja Isen

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  Nineteen leading literary writers from around the globe offer timely, haunting first-person reflections on how climate change has altered their livesIn this riveting anthology, leading literary writers reflect on how climate change has altered their lives, revealing the personal and haunting consequences of this global threat. In the opening essay, National Book Award finalist Lydia Millet mourns the end of the Saguaro cacti in her Arizona backyard due to drought. Later, Omar El Akkad contemplates how the rise of temperatures in the Middle East is destroying his home and the wellspring of his art. Gabrielle Bellot reflects on how a bizarre lionfish invasion devastated the coral reef near her home in the Caribbean—a precursor to even stranger events to come. Traveling through Nebraska, Terese Svoboda witnesses cougars running across highways and showing up in kindergartens. As the stories unfold—from Antarctica to Australia, New Hampshire to New York—an intimate portrait of a climate-changed world emerges, captured by writers whose lives jostle against incongruous memories of familiar places that have been transformed in startling ways.

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  Our Miss Brooks: Babysitting for...

  Al Lewis

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  Miss Brooks babysits, which gives everyone the idea that she's sharing a love nest with Mr. Boynton! Although our Miss Brooks teaches English at Madison High School, her problems like those of any other teacher aren’t always confined to purely scholastics ones. There’s Mr. Philip Boynton for instance, the biology teacher for whom Miss Brooks is extremely fond. “And who in return lavishes his affection on his frogs and guinea pigs.

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  The Changing Blue Ridge...

  Brent Martin

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  Explore this section of the Appalachians in these essays examining its history, its wilderness, and what change means for its future.In the eighteenth century, naturalist and artist William Bartram traveled in the Blue Ridge Mountains and spent time documenting both plant life and the customs of the Middle Town Cherokees. Since that time, men and women like Bartram have journeyed through Western North Carolina’s wildest and most remote places and written about their experiences. The essays in this volume compare the present day to those historical journeys and explore the idea of wilderness and what change means for the future of the people and the species who live in the mountains. Join local writer and guide Brent Martin on a journey through this incredible landscape.“With unflinching candor, Brent Martin celebrates the heartbreaking beauty of Appalachia. He wrings out every sensory and emotional detail in these passionate, probing essays that explore the wild within. These aren’t lyrical paeans to nature; they are gritty, gutsy journeys into the rugged, remote landscapes of the human heart. Immersed in mountain tradition, culture, and community, he wanders deep and alone into the wild to find what remains. Martin’s powerful, masterful writing shines with real, hard-earned hope.” —Will Harlan, author of the New York Times bestseller Untamed: The Wildest Woman in America “If you love the Southern Appalachians and Wendell Berry and Annie Dillard and Gary Snyder, read this beautifully written and deeply thought-provoking book.” —Charles Frazier, author of the New York Times bestseller Cold Mountain“A thoughtful and thought-provoking collection of essays from one of Appalachia’s staunchest proponents of wilderness and one of its most devoted writers. Brent Martin is a preeminent naturalist and a scholar of the history of his place. This book is deeply personal, highly instructive, far-reaching.” —Janisse Ray, author of Ecology of a Cracker Childhood“A loving a troubling portrait of the southern Appalachians—the rich history and complexity of ecosystems alongside the damage we’ve wrought on them.” —Catherine Reid, author of Falling into Place: An Intimate Geography of Home

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  Noted Expert

  Michael Ian Black

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  Veteran of sketch, television, and film, comedian Michael Ian Black has mastered a delivery that's equal parts dapper and deadpan, whether he's discussing the pro-choice debate or the Tilt-A-Whirl.Taped at John Jay College in New York City, Black's special includes his wry take on the human experience, from parenting and gender roles, to guilty pleasures of all shapes and sizes.

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  How To Play Saxophone - Your...

  HowExpert, Kevin McCall

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  If you are looking for a quick, straightforward explanation to the art of playing saxophone, look no further. The How to Play Saxophone guide will give you all of the tools you need to jump into the exciting world of music and performance. This guide will provide you with knowledge of:What the saxophone is and how it worksHow to maintain and care for your instrumentWhat music really is and how to create itHow to read music, in both sheet and "skeleton" versionsHow to interpret the true intent of the composerEvery aspect of playing the saxophone, from mouth position to postureHow to identify and reciprocate style in musicHow to take pieces and put your own life into themHow to play "on the spot" without composed sheet music or memorizationAnd overall musicality 
  This guide is the manual for saxophone playing, taken from its lofty place and brought to words, thoughts, and processes for the ordinary person. The step from listener to musician is a large one and will take a lot of knowledge and work. This guide will give you the knowledge and basis needed to undertake the task; all you have to supply is the practice. 
  HowExpert publishes quick 'how to' guides on all topics from A to Z by everyday experts.

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