Degas By Himself Handbook

DEGAS BY HIMSELF is a milestone in published approaches to the work of this remarkable figure. No other book has illustrated so many of Degas' works in colour, including his best-known paintings and sketches, as well as many works that will be unfamiliar to most people. The book draws on a range of sources - the artist's own notebooks and letters, as well as anecdotes and memoirs from his intimate circle - to trace a vivid portrait of Degas and reveal intimate aspects of his life and personality. His notebooks and letters show him as a forceful and expressive writer; there are letters to friends and customers, urgent messages to exhibitors at the Impressionist exhibition and, finally, a number of short and sad letters from his last years. Degas was also known as a wit and conversationalist, provoking a number of his friends to write down his words for posterity. For the first time, reminiscences and reported remarks have been brought together, conjuring up an unexpected picture of the artist as a man of wisdom and good humour.

Degas by himself is a collection of the words and the art of Edgar Degas (1834-1917). The intention of the book is to present a full, rounded and, in places, unfamiliar view of the artist and his achievements, with particular emphasis on his views and intentions as revealed in his use of the written and spoken word.

The two authors, who are both knowledgable writers with extensive background in the study of art and art history, write engagingly about the history of impressionism and the life and works of Pissarro, Manet, Degas, Monet, Renoir, and Sisley. At 7x8.5", the book is compact, but the format is large enough to accommodate decent reproductions of many of the paintings under consideration. This is a thoughtfully prepared, well written treatment of the subject, with none of the ponderousness that "handbook" might imply. It was originally published in 1991 by Bookmart Ltd., UK. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR.

In distinction to many extant histories of ballet, The Oxford Handbook of Contemporary Ballet prioritizes connections between ballet communities as it interweaves chapters by scholars, critics, choreographers, and working professional dancers. The book looks at the many ways ballet functions as a global practice in the 21st century, providing new perspectives on ballet's past, present, and future. As an effort to dismantle the linearity of academic canons, the fifty-three chapters within provide multiple entry points for readers to engage in balletic discourse. With an emphasis on composition and process alongside dances created, and the assertion that contemporary ballet is a definitive era, the book carves out space for critical inquiry. Many of the chapters consider whether or not ballet can reconcile its past and actually become present, while others see ballet as flexible and willing to be remolded at the hands of those with tools to do so.

This handbook showcases studies on art theft, fraud and forgeries, cultural heritage offences and related legal and ethical challenges. It has been authored by prominent scholars, practitioners and journalists in the field and includes both overviews of particular art crime issues as well as regional and national case studies. It is one of the first scholarly books in the current art crime literature that can be utilised as an immediate authoritative reference source or teaching tool. It also includes a bibliographic guide to the current literature across interdisciplinary boundaries. Apart from legal, criminological, archeological and historical perspectives on theft, fraud and looting, this volume contains chapters on iconoclasm and graffiti, underwater cultural heritage, the trade in human remains and the trade, theft and forgery of papyri. The book thereby hopes to encourage scholars from a wider variety of disciplines to contribute their valuable knowledge to art crime research.

"This stunning publication is published to accompany the exhibition of works by the French artist Edgar Degas at the National Gallery of Australia 12 Dec 2008 - 22 March 2009."... Provided by publisher.