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Or you can call your closest Unity Books store: \nWellington 04 499 4245\nAuckland 09 307 0731",[987],{"_8":980,"_10":148,"_149":981},"I have faulty products, who should I contact?",{"_8":990,"_10":948,"_933":991,"_219":1008},"70ac585fe889",[992,1000],{"_8":993,"_10":63,"_64":994,"_72":999,"_16":160},"aee5732c0b84",[995],{"_8":996,"_10":68,"_69":997,"_37":998},"999161abc3530",[],"We offer a range of shipping options covering delivery within New Zealand and internationally. Plus pick-up in store. Shipping is calculated at checkout. \n\nFor estimated delivery times please contact the store. 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\"James Payne's YouTube Channel \"Great Art Explained\" gained a huge and appreciative worldwide audience. This beautifully put-together book is simply the best introduction to the lifelong pleasure and rewards of looking at pictures since Gombrich. An instant classic.\" -- Stephen Fry

Based on the popular and enormously successful YouTube channel of the same name, Great Art Explained unveils the fascinating stories behind some of the world's most iconic paintings and sculptures, proving that there's more to art than just watching paint dry.

Art can be thrilling, and resonate on a deep personal level. It is how you view the work, place it in context and understand its history that makes an artwork truly come alive.

A fresh approach to a classic subject, James Payne's no-nonsense analysis sheds new light on 30 masterpieces from around the globe and reveals what makes them truly timeless works of art.

Each chapter delves into not only the art itself but also the artist's life, as well as the work's place in their wider oeuvre; in other words, what makes it \"great.\"

From Hilma af Klint's occult altarpieces to Claude Monet's Water Lilies, Botticelli's The Birth of Venus to Georgia O'Keeffe's Jimson Weed, each artwork is explored with clarity and passion.

Whether a seasoned art enthusiast or a curious newcomer, this book promises to deepen your appreciation and enrich your understanding of some of the world's greatest treasures.

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Unpack the powerful visual symbols artists have used throughout history.

From a single flower to a carefully placed skull, works of art across history are filled with symbols that carry powerful meanings. The Symbols of Art reveals how artists use these symbols to communicate ideas without relying on words.

Why is there a lily in that religious painting? Why does a still life include an hourglass, a mirror, or a piece of fruit? In some cases, these symbols would have been immediately understood by contemporary viewers but now need decoding for a modern audience. In other instances, symbolism is more deliberately elusive, inviting viewers to look closer and think deeper.

This richly illustrated visual reference includes:

Over 100 key symbols drawn from art history
Symbols from the natural world, the manmade world, the supernatural, and colors and shapes
Famous artworks used as case studies to show symbolism in context
How meanings change across cultures, movements, and centuries
An easy-to-navigate, fully indexed structure designed for quick consultation as well as browsing

Bringing together examples from across periods, cultures, and artistic movements, art historian Susie Hodge explains how symbolic meanings can shift depending on time, place, and intention, revealing layers of interpretation that radically deepen our understanding of artworks.

Clearly organized and expertly written, The Symbols of Art is both an authoritative reference and an inviting guide for curious readers.

Whether you're visiting a gallery, studying art history, or simply want to see artworks with fresh eyes, this book gives you the tools to decode visual meaning and experience art more deeply.

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A NEW STATESMAN BOOK OF THE YEAR

AN OBSERVER BEST ART BOOK OF 2021

SHORTLISTED FOR THE RATHBONES FOLIO PRIZE 2022

'This is a wonderful book. A lyrical journey into the natural and unnatural world' Patti Smith

'Everything Philip Hoare writes is bewitching' Olivia Laing

An illuminating exploration of the intersection between life, art and the sea from the award-winning author of Leviathan.

Albrecht Dürer changed the way we saw nature through art. From his prints in 1498 of the plague ridden Apocalypse - the first works mass produced by any artist - to his hyper-real images of animals and plants, his art was a revelation: it showed us who we are but it also foresaw our future. It is a vision that remains startlingly powerful and seductive, even now.

In Albert & the Whale, Philip Hoare sets out to discover why Dürer's art endures. He encounters medieval alchemists and modernist poets, eccentric emperors and queer soul rebels, ambassadorial whales and enigmatic pop artists. He witnesses the miraculous birth of Dürer's fantastical rhinoceros and his hermaphroditic hare, and he traces the fate of the star-crossed leviathan that the artist pursued. And as the author swims from Europe to America and beyond, these prophetic artists and downed angels provoke awkward questions. What is natural or unnatural? Is art a fatal contract? Or does it in fact have the power to save us?

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No other art movement in history has contained two artists as different as Magritte and Miró. This is because Surrealism was not in origin an art movement, but a philosophical strategy. It was a way of life - a rebellion against the establishment that had given the world the hideous slaughter of the First World War. Instead of trying to analyse the work of the Surrealists, bestselling author and Surrealist artist Desmond Morris concentrates on them as people - as remarkable individuals. What were their personalities, their predilections, their character strengths and flaws? Did they enjoy a social life or were they loners? Were they bold eccentrics or timid recluses?

Drawing on the author's personal knowledge of the Surrealists, this book captures their life histories, idiosyncrasies and often-complex love lives, vividly illustrated with images of the artists and their works. The arts of Surrealism were both spectacular and international, shaped by the darkest, most irrational workings of the unconscious. Shocking, witty and always entertaining, Morris's tales illuminate the striking variation in approaches to the Surrealist philosophy, both in the artists' work and in their lives.

With 72 illustrations

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Wild Thing

A Life of Paul Gauguin

by Sue Prideaux