SCULPTURE: FROM THE RENAISSANCE TO THE PRESENT DAY BY GEORGES DUBY AND JEAN-LUC DAVAL. HARDCOVER, FULLY INTACT DUST JACKET, NO INSCRIPTIONS OR NAMES, 607 PAGES, IN EXCELLENT CONDITION.
This book follows on from Sculpture: From Antiquity to the Middle Ages, already published by Benedikt Taschen Verlag. It traces the crucial stages in the development of sculpture from the Renaissance to the present day. The Renaissance was a period of transition from the Middle Ages to a new era, when the human condition was coming to be seen in a new light. It also marked a turning point in artistic creativity, as demonstrated by the works of such major sculptors as Donatello and Michelangelo, in which the new humanistic ideals were convincingly expressed. Between the 15th and 18th centuries, sculpture usually formed part of the grand overall design of palaces, parks, gardens and churches. However, in the 19th century, in the wake of the French Revolution, it made its triumphant way into towns and cities. Freed from its theological and metaphysical limitations, it was now placed at the service of urban architecture, providing a backdrop to the celebration of bourgeois values. In the zoth century, too, dramatic social change has turned the sculptor's art into a manifestation of a new perception of reality. The concept of art has been redefined as never before, literally breaking all the rules. The spectrum extends from Cubo-Expressionism, through Futurism, to Constructivism and Surrealism, from Picasso and Matisse to Brancusi and Giacometti. While sculpture in the 195OS, notably the works of Alexander Calder and Henry Moore, was once more intended for display in public spaces, at the end of the century, well-known names like Joseph Beuys and Jeff Koons, and members of the rising generation of artists, present us with an array of styles and "isms", as diverse as they are international. With over 1000 large-format colour illustrations, this comprehensive collection offers a fascinating overview of how sculpture has developed and responded to different influences throughout the centuries. It clearly explains how this artform has evolved to reflect the intellectual and spiritual attitudes of its times, as well as producing great masterpieces whose fascination is timeless.
