Random House New Releases - Art - Sculpture

Creating Lifelike Figures in Polymer Clay by Katherine Dewey

2013-05-29T00:30:00-05:00

Creating Lifelike Figures in Polymer Clay Tools and Techniques for Sculpting Realistic Figures
Written by Katherine Dewey

eBook, 144 pages | Potter Craft | Crafts & Hobbies; Art - Sculpture | $14.99 | 978-0-7704-3465-6 (0-7704-3465-7)

Katherine Dewey's expressive and elegantly detailed sculptures enchant all who see them. With the magical medium of polymer clay and this book, you can follow in her footsteps.

Thorough instructions supported by more than 400 step-by-step color photos and 200 detailed drawings cover the entire process of sculpting realistic figures, from selecting clay and gathering essential tools to the basics of modeling the human figure, to incorporating poses, facial expressions, ethnic and gender subtleties, costumes, and painted finishing touches. Easy-to-read maps of the figure illustrate the landmarks of the body, while scale diagrams indicate the simple shapes hidden within the human form, as well as how to combine and model those shapes.

For anyone who loves fantasy, romance, nature—or sophisticated crafting—this book is a must-have.

Angels of Paris by Rosemary Flannery

2012-11-06T00:30:00-05:00

Angels of Paris An Architectural Tour Through the History of Paris
Written by Rosemary Flannery
Photographed by Rosemary Flannery

Hardcover, 232 pages | Little Bookroom | Travel - Europe - France; Travel - Pictorials; Art - Sculpture | $19.95 | 978-1-936941-01-8 (1-936941-01-5)

Angels are sculpted everywhere in Paris, not just on churches but in unexpected places: holding a lightning rod atop the Théâtre du Châtelet’s roof, adorning a seventeenth-century gilded sundial inside a courtyard at the Sorbonne, hovering above a railroad headquarters where a beautiful stone frieze features young angels flying in to work on the tracks. Subtly, subliminally, the angels are a part of the fanciful and romantic spirit of Paris. Angels of Paris is the first book to explore this intriguing and extraordinary subject.

Angels of Paris features beautiful photographs taken from dawn to dusk, in all seasons, accompanied by text explaining the story behind the creation of each angel and of the location in which it is found. Organized chronologically, the book delves into the artistic trends and historic movements the angels reflect and the stories of the artists who created them and of those who commissioned them. Readers will learn about Paris’s history, buildings, and monuments through the abundant, beautiful, and surprising depictions of angels from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century.

Rosemary Flannery has found angels in friezes, plaques, and free-standing sculpture; on fountains and façades, clocks and sundials, monuments and mansions, rooftops and window frames. Angels of Paris is a unique way for lovers of Paris to learn more about the city in a new and unusual way.

Disarmed by Gregory Curtis

2012-07-18T00:30:00-05:00

Disarmed The Story of the Venus de Milo
Written by Gregory Curtis

eBook, 272 pages | Vintage | Art - History - European; Art - Sculpture | $11.99 | 978-0-307-48383-6 (0-307-48383-5)

In the spring of 1820, on the Aegean island of Melos, an unsuspecting farmer was digging for marble building blocks when he unearthed the statue that would come to be known as the Venus de Milo. From the moment of its discovery a battle for possession ensued and was won, eventually, by the French. Touted by her keepers in the Louvre as the great classical find of the era, the sculpture gained instant celebrity–and yet its origins had yet to be documented or verified.

From the flurry of excitement surrounding her discovery, to the raging disputes over her authenticity, to the politics and personalities that have given rise to her mystique, Gregory Curtis has given us a riveting look at the embattled legacy of a beloved icon and a remarkable tribute to one of the world’s great works of art.

Sculpting the Figure in Clay by Dave Brubeck

2010-04-20T00:30:00-05:00

Sculpting the Figure in Clay An Artistic and Technical Journey to Understanding the Creative and Dynamic Forces in Figurative Sculpture
Written by Peter Rubino
Foreword by Dave Brubeck

Trade Paperback, 192 pages | Watson-Guptill | Art - Techniques; Art - Sculpture | $32.50 | 978-0-8230-9924-5 (0-8230-9924-5)

A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO SCULPTING THE HUMAN FIGURE IN CLAY

In Sculpting the Figure in Clay,acclaimed portrait bust sculptor and author Peter Rubino teaches a master class in the essentials of figurative sculpture. In this intensive, all-inclusive guide, he introduces students to a natural, straightforward geometry that will help them become masters at forming figures in clay. Rubino’s unique approach utilizes a geometric system consisting of blocks, simple shapes, and guidelines that instruct students in a new and instinctive sculptural style. With these easy-to-follow instructions and informative concepts, students will see figures as the basic shapes beneath the form as well as learn vital approaches such as BLT: Bend, Lean, and Turn, to create evocative expression, and the Three Ps: Position, Proportion, and Planes, for accurate representation. This unparalleled resource is the definitive guide to figurative sculpture.

TOPICS INCLUDE:
• The Fundamentals of the Clay Torso
• Observing the Model
• Essential Materials and Tools
• Sculpting the Female Torso from the Live Model
• Sculpting the Reclining Figure from the Live Model
• Sculpting the Hand, Foot, and Lower Arm
• Plus Many Photographic Reference Poses for continued Study

Creating Lifelike Figures in Polymer Clay by Katherine Dewey

2008-04-29T00:30:00-05:00

Creating Lifelike Figures in Polymer Clay Tools and Techniques for Sculpting Realistic Figures
Written by Katherine Dewey

Trade Paperback, 144 pages | Potter Craft | Crafts & Hobbies; Art - Sculpture | $21.99 | 978-0-8230-1503-0 (0-8230-1503-3)

Bears by Kent Rogowski

2007-04-01T00:30:00-05:00

Bears
Written by Kent Rogowski

Hardcover, 72 pages | powerHouse Books | Photography - Subjects & Themes; Art - Sculpture | $24.95 | 978-1-57687-373-1 (1-57687-373-0)

“What kind of inhuman, paranoid, and selfish human being would do such a cruel thing to these once soft to the touch creatures? These ‘teddy bears’ or at least that's what they were, look like nothing I have ever seen. And yet, as all the horror and disbelief fade by, you see the true meaning behind this scheme. These things look more adorable then before. You think to yourself, ‘Wow this bear has gone through a 360-degree life change, literally, and yet he still has a smile on.’ Now that's what you call a man's best friend.”
—Matthew Stefanski, 14, Student at Bayonne High School, Bayonne, NJ

Bears, the first book by Kent Rogowski, is a series of portraits of the most unusual sort: ordinary teddy bears that have been turned inside out and restuffed. Each animal’s appearance is determined by the necessities of the manufacturing process. Simple patterns and devices never meant to be seen are now prominent physical characteristics, giving each one a distinctly quirky personality: their fasteners become eyes, their seams become scars, and their stuffing creeps out in the most unexpected places. Together these images form a topology of strange yet oddly familiar creatures. They are at once hideous yet cuddly, disturbing yet endearing, absurd yet adorable, while offering a metaphor for us all to consider. These bears, which have lived and loved and lost as much as their owners, have suffered and endured through it all. It is by virtue of revealing their inner core might we better understand our own.

Axial Stones by Carter Ratcliff

2006-07-24T00:30:00-05:00

Axial Stones An Art of Precarious Balance
Written by George Quasha
Foreword by Carter Ratcliff

Trade Paperback, 160 pages | North Atlantic Books | Art - Sculpture | $30.00 | 978-1-55643-575-1 (1-55643-575-4)

George Quasha’s extraordinary sculptures unite natural stones in a state of breathtakingly improbable balance. The stones are not altered physically or bonded in any way; rather, Quasha discovers an unknown axis that brings them into radical alignment. The stones "learn" this state of levity in contrast to their ordinary state of gravity, resulting in a new art form that feels alive with its own individual energy and personality. Here, 37 axial stones are displayed in dazzling full-page color photos. The accompanying text explains not only how the stones were found and eventually came together, but explores the aesthetic, philosophical, spiritual, and practical implications of an art of danger and impermanence. "Action pages" document the process—the repeated setting up, balancing, losing balance, and falling—until the full axial stone is born: a whole being greater and more real than the sum of its parts.

Kiki Smith by Christopher Lyon

2005-11-17T00:30:00-05:00

Kiki Smith
Written by Helaine Posner
Contribution by Christopher Lyon

Hardcover, 256 pages | The Monacelli Press | Art - History - Contemporary (1945-); Art - Individual Artist; Art - Sculpture | $65.00 | 978-1-58093-161-8 (1-58093-161-8)

Through her explorations of the human body and the natural world, internationally acclaimed artist Kiki Smith has confronted the most urgent social and spiritual issues of our day. Direct and accessible, Smith's expressive art engages social and cultural issues in a sometimes viscerally disturbing way. In her recent work, Smith has extended these themes, incorporating rites of passage and cycles of life, death, and rebirth through an iconography of animal, human, and fairy tale imagery.

Helaine Posner's monograph is a comprehensive survey of Smith's work in installation, sculpture, and graphic media. She discusses its origins and proposes an interpretive framework, locating it with the artistic traditions that have nourished Smith and tracing its development from the 1980s to present. An interview with Smith adds the artist's own perspective on the work.

Disarmed by Gregory Curtis

2004-11-09T00:30:00-05:00

Disarmed The Story of the Venus de Milo
Written by Gregory Curtis

Trade Paperback, 272 pages | Vintage | Art - History - European; Art - Sculpture | $16.00 | 978-1-4000-3133-7 (1-4000-3133-8)

Monuments and Memory by Martha Norkunas

2002-09-17T00:30:00-05:00

Monuments and Memory History and Representation in Lowell, Massachusetts
Written by Martha Norkunas

Trade Paperback, 258 pages | Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press | History - United States - State & Local - New England (Ct, Ma, Me, Nh, Ri, Vt); Art - Sculpture; Biography & Autobiography - Personal Memoirs | $29.95 | 978-1-58834-030-6 (1-58834-030-9)

In 1989 Martha Norkunas relocated to Lowell, Massachusetts, the center of America's Industrial Revolution, a National Historical Park, and her family's home for 150 years. As cultural affairs director for the federally funded Lowell Historic Preservation Commission, she worked with artists from around the country to interpret the city's past. Traveling throughout Lowell, she found that the city had more than 250 locally constructed monuments memorializing ethnic communities, local men and boys, and many other groups. Realizing the rich potential for exploring issues of memory and history through both the local monuments and the federally funded public art, she began this in-depth study, approaching it in a very personal way.

At the center of Martha Norkunas's narrative is her intimate connection to the city through her family's rich history. She looks for the interplay of the personal and public, singular and collective memory and history through Lowell's public spaces, always examining where her personal memory converges with the history of the city. A recurring theme is the notion of the insider versus the outsider--who has the authority to speak in public and construct history? Lowell has few monuments to women, and Norkunas explores the question of where female and male memory intersect in public spaces, if they do at all, and how women remember and are remembered. This unique combination of personal memoir and professional inquiry allows Norkunas to explore the dynamics of memory and history in an original and engaging way.

Public Sculpture and the Civic Ideal in New York City, 1890-1930 by Michele H. Bogart

1997-05-17T00:30:00-05:00

Public Sculpture and the Civic Ideal in New York City, 1890-1930
Written by Michele H. Bogart

Trade Paperback, 390 pages | Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press | Art - History; Art - Sculpture; Art - Art & Politics | $29.95 | 978-1-56098-766-6 (1-56098-766-9)

Bogart's groundbreaking consideration of public art as a topic for serious scholarly consideration examines the sustained and organized effort to create in New York a body of municipal sculpture that would express the civic ideal: an urban vision of patriotism, civilization, and good government. It follows the brief movement through its rise and fall, attempting to explain why sponsorship for such civic projects lasted only for a limited time. Dozens of carefully selected photographs and drawings illustrate key aspects of the sculptures and architecture discussed. Delving deeply into the art itself and the political and cultural forces that spurred its creation, Public Sculpture and the Civic Ideal in New York City, 1890-1930 is an invaluable resource for both art historians and serious students of New York City's history.

Modeling the Figure in Clay, 30th Anniversary Edition by Margit Malmstrom

1996-04-01T00:30:00-05:00

Modeling the Figure in Clay, 30th Anniversary Edition A Sculptor's Guide to Anatomy
Written by Bruno Lucchesi
Text by Margit Malmstrom

Trade Paperback, 144 pages | Watson-Guptill | Art - Sculpture; Art - Techniques | $21.99 | 978-0-8230-3096-5 (0-8230-3096-2)

For thirty years, Modeling the Figure in Clay has been an indispensable anatomical resource for people who think, see, and understand form best in the round: sculptors. In the thirtieth anniversary edition of this classic work, master sculptor Bruno Lucchesi invites you on a guided tour of the human form. Follow him as he creates a figure in clay—literally from the inside out—starting with the skeleton, laying on the muscles to show male and female anatomy, and finishing with a complete figure sculpture with every detail of face and hair carefully modeled.

BRUNO LUCCHESI’s work has been added to the collections of the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Dallas Museum, among many others. Lucchesi has received awards from the National Academy, the National Arts Club, and the Architectural League. He was a Guggenheim Fellow in 1962-1963, he won a Gold Medal award from the National Academy of Design in 1990, and was awarded the Polich Tallix Foundry Prize from the National Sculpture Society in 2009.

Random House New Releases - Art - Sculpture

Creating Lifelike Figures in Polymer Clay by Katherine Dewey

Creating Lifelike Figures in Polymer Clay Tools and Techniques for Sculpting Realistic FiguresWritten by Katherine Dewey

Angels of Paris by Rosemary Flannery

Angels of Paris An Architectural Tour Through the History of ParisWritten by Rosemary Flannery Photographed by Rosemary Flannery

Disarmed by Gregory Curtis

Disarmed The Story of the Venus de MiloWritten by Gregory Curtis

Sculpting the Figure in Clay by Dave Brubeck

Sculpting the Figure in Clay An Artistic and Technical Journey to Understanding the Creative and Dynamic Forces in Figurative SculptureWritten by Peter Rubino Foreword by Dave Brubeck

Creating Lifelike Figures in Polymer Clay by Katherine Dewey

Creating Lifelike Figures in Polymer Clay Tools and Techniques for Sculpting Realistic FiguresWritten by Katherine Dewey

Bears by Kent Rogowski

Bears Written by Kent Rogowski

Axial Stones by Carter Ratcliff

Axial Stones An Art of Precarious BalanceWritten by George Quasha Foreword by Carter Ratcliff

Kiki Smith by Christopher Lyon

Kiki Smith Written by Helaine Posner Contribution by Christopher Lyon

Disarmed by Gregory Curtis

Disarmed The Story of the Venus de MiloWritten by Gregory Curtis

Monuments and Memory by Martha Norkunas

Monuments and Memory History and Representation in Lowell, MassachusettsWritten by Martha Norkunas

Public Sculpture and the Civic Ideal in New York City, 1890-1930 by Michele H. Bogart

Public Sculpture and the Civic Ideal in New York City, 1890-1930 Written by Michele H. Bogart

Modeling the Figure in Clay, 30th Anniversary Edition by Margit Malmstrom

Modeling the Figure in Clay, 30th Anniversary Edition A Sculptor's Guide to AnatomyWritten by Bruno Lucchesi Text by Margit Malmstrom

Creating Lifelike Figures in Polymer Clay Tools and Techniques for Sculpting Realistic Figures
Written by Katherine Dewey

Angels of Paris An Architectural Tour Through the History of Paris
Written by Rosemary Flannery
Photographed by Rosemary Flannery

Disarmed The Story of the Venus de Milo
Written by Gregory Curtis

Sculpting the Figure in Clay An Artistic and Technical Journey to Understanding the Creative and Dynamic Forces in Figurative Sculpture
Written by Peter Rubino
Foreword by Dave Brubeck

Creating Lifelike Figures in Polymer Clay Tools and Techniques for Sculpting Realistic Figures
Written by Katherine Dewey

Bears
Written by Kent Rogowski

Axial Stones An Art of Precarious Balance
Written by George Quasha
Foreword by Carter Ratcliff

Kiki Smith
Written by Helaine Posner
Contribution by Christopher Lyon

Disarmed The Story of the Venus de Milo
Written by Gregory Curtis

Monuments and Memory History and Representation in Lowell, Massachusetts
Written by Martha Norkunas

Public Sculpture and the Civic Ideal in New York City, 1890-1930
Written by Michele H. Bogart

Modeling the Figure in Clay, 30th Anniversary Edition A Sculptor's Guide to Anatomy
Written by Bruno Lucchesi
Text by Margit Malmstrom