Arts Design

10 BOOKS THAT SHINE NOW

Courtesy of Edition Axel Menges. Wolfgang Rang. Light Space.

This week we kick off an exploration of Beautiful Shine with a curated collection of new books, ranging from those that feature the beautiful shine of light to that of jewelry to that of spirit. Check them out below.

1. WOLFGANG RANG. LIGHT SPACE

German architect and artist Wolfgang Rang is a master of lighting spaces, making them shine in the most beautiful and powerful way. Wolfgang Rang. Light Space, by Max Bächer and Christian Bartenbach, features temporary lighting designed by Rang that re-interpret the urban landscape, cyclically, following the seasons, over several years.

The book includes essays and documentation about these lighted spaces, written over the course of 30 years.

Publisher: Edition Axel Menges; Bilingual edition (2014)

2. NOW I SHINE LIKE A STAR IN A GOLDEN BATH

Now I Shine Like a Star in a Golden Bath, by Valoree Skiles, is a beautiful life perspective, presented as a visual journey, expressed through photography and poetic text.

Blurb (2015)

3. VALLEY OF LIGHT

Photographer Leland Dirks’ new book, Valley of Light, showcases the beautiful light shining on Colorado’s San Luis Valley. Magnificent sunrises, sunsets, and rainbows all have a special glow here.

Each image is taken far away from civilization, where the artist lived as a hermit, with only his two dogs and cat for company.

Enjoy 58 pages of incredible photographs.

Blurb (2014)

3. THE LADY IN GOLD

Gustav Klimt made his painting shine, using real gold, often in rendering the Art Deco patterns in his subjects’ clothing.

The Lady in Gold: The Extraordinary Tale of Gustav Klimt's Masterpiece, Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer, by Anne-Marie O’Connor, tells the thrilling story of how Klimt’s most famous painting was stolen by the Nazi’s in World War II, the subsequent lawsuit filed against the Austrian government by Bloch-Bauer’s heirs, and the US Supreme Court landmark ruling on the matter.

This story was recently turned into a film, Woman in Gold, starring Helen Mirren and Ryan Reynolds.

One of the Best Books of the Year: The Huffington Post, The Christian Science Monitor.

Winner of the Marfield National Award for Arts Writing. Winner of a California Book Award.

Vintage ( 2015)

4. DRAWING IN SILVER AND GOLD

Precious metals delight us because they shine like nothing else. Artists and craftsmen have devised many ways to show off their shiny charm. In the Middle Ages, one metal technique, called metalpoint, became popular. It is the art of etching a prepared metal surface with a stylus -- essentially drawing on the metal.

Drawing in Silver and Gold: Leonardo to Jasper Johns, by Stacey Sell and Hugo Chapman, explores six centuries of metalpoint, from renaissance masterpieces and the Victorian silverpoint revival to modern interpretations by contemporary artists like Jasper Johns.

The book combines scientific analysis and skillful art criticism and pairs well with an exhibition that runs from May 3 to July 26 in the National Gallery of Art and September 10 - December 6 at the British Museum.

Princeton University Press (May 26, 2015)

5. PETALA AUREA: GOLD SHEET WORK OF BYZANTINE & LOMBARD ORIGIN

Throughout history every culture who has had access to it has taken a shine to gold. Petala aurea: Gold Sheet-work of Byzantine and Lombard Origin from the Rovati Collection, by Marco Sannazaro and Caterina Giostra, present 47 examples of incredible gold sheet work from the sixth and seventh centuries, curated from the collection of Professor Rovati.

Johan & Levi Editore (2015)

6. WOMEN JEWELLERY DESIGNERS

Jewelry is mostly designed with shine in mind, among other things.

With a release date in November of 2015, we have only a tease to share with you. But keep a look out for Juliet Weir-de la Rochefoucauld's upcoming book, Women Jewelry Designers.

which presents a beautiful collection of assorted jewelry designed by women.

Antique Collectors Club Dist ( 2015)

7. JEWELS OF THE RENAISSANCE

In Jewels of the Renaissance, Yvonne Hackenbroch does a masterful job exploring the shiny beauty of Renaissance jewels, using their beauty as a symbol of the transformation of the world from old to new. Complete with stunning imagery, historical background, and Hackenbroch’s specialized knowledge, this book is a must read for all art lovers.

Assouline Publishing (April 7, 2015)

8. GEORG JENSEN: REFLECTIONS

Founded in 1904, the design house Georg Jensen creates shiny silver masterpieces, made with the highest level of Danish craftsmanship.

Georg Jensen: Reflections, by design aficionado Murray Moss, features a selection of the best pieces, with both modern and historic photographs and drawings from the original Georg Jensen archive.

Rizzoli; Artisan deluxe edition edition (2014)

9. SAO PAULO MIRRORS

Jussara Nunes Pereira de Souza shows us the beauty hidden deep in the city of Sao Paulo in Sao Paulo Mirrors. Hidden beauty of a concrete jungle, revealing the inner soul of the city through its shiny reflections in the mirrored windows of its buildings.

Blurb (2014)

10. PARIS CITY OF LIGHT

Imagine how Paris, the “City of Light,” might shine if you could see it without any people in it.

Christopher Thomas has captured this concept, as presented in Paris City of Light, a new book by Ira Stehmann. Using old-school Polaroid film and a large format camera, Thomas takes to the streets of Paris in the late night and early morning, when they are at their emptiest.

Landscapes and architecture become more important and noticeable without people around. And the lights seem to shine more brightly.

Thomas’s photographs are beautifully reproduced, framed by the ragged edges of a Polaroid print, printed on heavy paper, all bound in a linen cover.

Prestel (2014)

Read more about Beautiful Shine, as they relate to Arts/Design, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Place/Time, Mind/Body, and Soul/Impact.

Do you have amazing photos? Enter them in this week’s BN Photo Competition. We run new creative competitions every week!

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IMAGE CREDITS:

Image: Courtesy of Edition Axel Menges. Wolfgang Rang. Light Space.
Image: Courtesy of Edition Axel Menges. Wolfgang Rang. Light Space.
Image: Courtesy of Blurb. Now I Shine Like a Star in a Golden Bath.
Image: Courtesy of Blurb. Valley of Light.
Image: Courtesy of Vintage. The Lady in Gold: The Extraordinary Tale of Gustav Klimt's Masterpiece, Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer.
Image: Courtesy of Princeton University Press. Drawing in Silver and Gold: Leonardo to Jasper Johns.
Image: Courtesy of Johan & Levi Editore. Petala aurea: Gold Sheet-work of Byzantine and Lombard Origin from the Rovati Collection.
Image: Courtesy of Antique Collectors Club Dist. Women Jewellery Designers.
Image: Courtesy of Assouline Publishing. Jewels of the Renaissance.
Image: Courtesy of Rizzoli. Georg Jensen: Reflections.
Image: Courtesy of Blurb. Sao Paulo Mirrors. Hidden beauty of a concrete jungle.
Image: Courtesy of Prestel. Paris City of Light: Christopher Thomas.
Image: Courtesy of Rizzoli. Georg Jensen: Reflections.
Image: Courtesy of Prestel. Paris City of Light: Christopher Thomas.