In celebration of 365 days of performance, architecture, painting, photography, street art and more, here a list of the top art-related publications worth your time. Whether you want to cast a reading list for 2015 already, or you're looking to buy the perfect present for your art loving, bookworm buddy, these art books span the wonders of the creative world.
1. The Brilliant History of Color in Art by Victoria Finlay
Manganese black. Yellow ocher. Vermilion. Ultramarine. These pigments sound delicious. Their names are so sharp and elegant, it's as if the terms emote more meaning than just colour. The uniqueness of the names undoubtedly prompts us to wonder where the terms come from. This books tells us the origin stories of famous paintings in art history course after art history course.
2. A Separate Cinema: The First 100 Years of Black Poster Art by John Duke Kisch
Since 1973, cinephile John Duke Kisch has been documenting the evolution of African American film through a beloved, but sometimes overlooked medium -- movie posters. From "Siren of the Tropics," starring the inimitable Josephine Baker, to "Cotton Comes to Harlem," an Ossie Davis favourite, Kisch meticulously found and saved the stunning visual advertisements for films that adorned city streets and theater halls. Eventually, he amassed over 38,000 posters from 30 different countries, amounting to a massive visual history of Hollywood's relationship to race and representation.
3. Banksy in New York by Ray Mock
Filled with photos of the various installations of his "Better Out Than In" show, as well as the scenes that popped up around them, Mock finds that the personal experience is a fitting voice for description when it comes to how you see art on the street. With humor and a bit of sarcasm not unlike the subject of the book, Mock leads the reader along the path of the near-daily occurrences of new aerosol stencils, paintings, sculptures, mobile performances, and even a bucolic diorama in the back of a box truck.
4. Leonardo's Brain by Leonard Schlain
Shlain's most recent publication, Leonardo's Brain, posthumously released by Lyons Press this month, explores the ins and outs of Leonardo's creative mind, focusing on the great artist's ability to utilize both the left and right sides of his brain. Using "The Mona Lisa" master as his focal point, the author delves into the intersection of art and science, attempting to illuminate why and how humans make art. Below is an excerpt from that book, taken from a chapter entitled "Fear, Lust and Beauty."
5. The Art of Pin-Up by Dian Hanson, Sarahjane Blum, Louis Meisel
In "The Art of Pin-up," Dian Hanson describes a pin-up simply as a "provocative but never explicit image of an attractive woman created specifically for public display in a male environment." But this imaginary female isn't just attractive. Since they skyrocketed to popularity in the World War II era, pin-up images have occupied a variety of roles -- military inspiration, commercial photography, kitsch nostalgia and cult aesthetic. But the images of buxom hips and red lips rarely fall into the category of fine art. Which is rather unfortunate. Taschen's newest work of bound eye candy, titled "The Art of Pin-up," explores the work of ten major pin-up artists, delving into the histories that inspired their salacious artwork.
6. Typographic Universe by Steven Heller and Gail Anderson
Pareidolia is that curious phenomenon in which humans see faces in the most mundane places. Typographic Universe, by Steven Heller and Gail Anderson, proves pareidolia can apply to typefaces too. The 352-page tome makes it its mission to locate and explore the typographical potential of the natural and built world, collecting together image after image of handmade and digitally rendered homages to letterforms.
7. Animal Kingdom by Millie Marotta
Animal Kingdom is a colouring and doodle book for grown-ups as much as it is for children, published by Batsford. Each page provides not only an opportunity for you to add colour, but also to embellish the intricate illustrations with your own patterns and drawings. The book is available from Batsford as well as other online retailers and lots of great independent book shops.
8. Outdoor Gallery by Yoav Litvin
From Bushwick to Red Hook, the late 5 Pointz to Welling Court, the Meatpacking District to Spanish Harlem, Pelham Parkway to Hunts Point, and hidden bits of Staten Island in between, street art is everywhere. The book is both a guide for those unfamiliar with the tags of the Big Apple and a homage to the heroes street art admirers are more than familiar with. Though he is the professional photographer behind the camera, Litvin's lens is modest, giving each project its due.
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