Mona Lisa Reimagined

Over eight million people from all over the world flock to the Louvre every year for the opportunity to gaze upon Leonardo da Vinci's beguiling Renaissance masterpiece, "La Gioconda", more popularly known as "Mona Lisa". What is it about this iconic portrait that continues to mesmerize century after century? For centuries civilizations have exhaustively attempted to examine all facets of the famous artwork's creation, influence, mythology, heritage, and mystique. But perhaps one of the most fascinating aspects of Mona Lisa's enduring legacy is the frequency with which this painting has been reinterpreted, parodied, appropriated, and imitated by other artists. No other painting in history has been reproduced as often as Mona Lisa, and yet there has never before been published a comprehensive collection of Mona Lisa recreations. This oversight has finally been remedied with "MONA LISA REIMAGINED", a lavishly illustrated and captivating anthology of hundreds of pieces of art that have been inspired by this priceless world treasure. Featuring both established and emerging artists from over fifty different countries, this book is destined to become an essential addition to any bookshelf, coffee table, or library.

A history of modern painting, presented through the story of the Mona Lisa, features an artist who serves as a museum tour guide introducing famous movements while sharing creative images of how the Mona Lisa may have appeared if painted by other master artists.

Revered today as perhaps the greatest of Renaissance painters, Leonardo da Vinci was a scientist at heart. The artist who created the Mona Lisa also designed functioning robots and digital computers, constructed flying machines, and built the first heart valve. His intuitive, ingenious approach—a new mode of thinking—linked highly diverse areas of inquiry in startlingly original ways, ushering in a whole new era. In Leonardo's Legacy, award-winning science journalist Stefan Klein provides “an illuminating new look at Leonardo's unique genius” (Publishers Weekly), which delves into the brilliant, complex mind of this quintessential Renaissance man.

Hokusai’s “Great Wave,” as it is commonly known today, is arguably one of Japan’s most successful exports, its commanding cresting profile instantly recognizable no matter how different its representations in media and style. In this richly illustrated and highly original study, Christine Guth examines the iconic wave from its first publication in 1831 through the remarkable range of its articulations, arguing that it has been a site where the tensions, contradictions, and, especially, the productive creativities of the local and the global have been negotiated and expressed. She follows the wave’s trajectory across geographies, linking its movements with larger political, economic, technological, and sociocultural developments. Adopting a case study approach, Guth explores issues that map the social life of the iconic wave across time and place, from the initial reception of the woodblock print in Japan, to the image’s adaptations as part of “international nationalism,” its place in American perceptions of Japan, its commercial adoption for lifestyle branding, and finally to its identification as a tsunami, bringing not culture but disaster in its wake. Wide ranging in scope yet grounded in close readings of disparate iterations of the wave, multidisciplinary and theoretically informed in its approach, Hokusai’s Great Wave will change both how we look at this global icon and the way we study the circulation of Japanese prints. This accessible and engagingly written work moves beyond the standard hagiographical approach to recognize, as categories of analysis, historical and geographic contingency as well as visual and technical brilliance. It is a book that will interest students of Japan and its culture and more generally those seeking fresh perspectives on the dynamics of cultural globalization.

Imagine stepping inside Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring or Hopper's Nighthawks. That's the effect achieved by modern-day photographers, artists, students, and creatives within the pages of this one-of-a-kind book. Started as an online collaborative project by founder of art blog Booooooom Jeff Hamada, Remake gathers fantastic reinterpretations of 50 fine art masterpieces. Side-by-side presentations of canonical artworks and their contemporary re-dos highlight the striking similarities between the works as well as the entertaining creative choices that make each version unique. A crowdsourced send-up of the art history canon, this quirky collection of before-and-after pairings is filled with surprises of wit and whimsy.

A social-emotional concept picture book that teaches readers the power of setting intentions and embracing mindfulness in our everyday. Appreciate art, become brave, and choose compassion. Pairing big ideas like generosity, respect, and joy with the letters of the alphabet, Letters to Live By is a beautiful picture book that encourages children to make the most of each day and leave their mark on the world.

What would the same paintings everyone is so familiar with look like drawn by Renée Françoise Magritte, Fiona Bacon, Davina Hockney, Leona Da Vinci, Gertrude Klimt, Henrietta Matisse, Francesca Goya, Paola Picasso, Fernanda Victoria Eugenia Delacroix, Wilhelmina Ottilia Dix, and over 50 other artists (let us not forget Vincenza Van Gogh)? Another History is your chance to find out. Included, on each page opposite the painting, is a single paragraph biography of each woman artist. Another History of Art is a brilliantly satirical, and, yes, feminist, counterfactual history of art conceived, written, and painted by one of our most accomplished contemporary artists.

Revered today as, perhaps, the greatest of Renaissance painters, Leonardo da Vinci was a scientist at heart. The artist who created the Mona Lisa also designed functioning robots and digital computers, constructed flying machines and built the first heart valve. His intuitive and ingenious approach--a new mode of thinking--linked highly diverse areas of inquiry in startling new ways and ushered in a new era. In Leonardo's Legacy, award-winning science journalist Stefan Klein deciphers the forgotten legacy of this universal genius and persuasively demonstrates that today we have much to learn from Leonardo's way of thinking. Klein sheds light on the mystery behind Leonardo's paintings, takes us through the many facets of his fascination with water, and explains the true significance of his dream of flying. It is a unique glimpse into the complex and brilliant mind of this inventor, scientist, and pioneer of a new world view, with profound consequences for our times.