Art
“Art is a necessity – an essential part of our enlightenment process. We cannot, as a civilized society, regard ourselves as being enlightened without the arts.” Ken Danby
Art can move us to tears, it can make us laugh, it can question our beliefs and the way we look at the world. I think art can be more than just a painting it can be an illustration, a building, ceramics, a film, a play, books - in fact it I think it can be all of them.
At Stella and Rose’s books it is one of my favourite sections, we currently have nearly six hundred art books in stock.
Art is such a small word for such a wide-ranging subject which, in a way, defies definition. It is a subject that many have debated and analysed. In my opinion, if you love a piece of art and it moves you in some way, then that is a good thing. So, I am going to highlight a few of the books we have in stock that are my favourites at the moment.
More often than not, when I write an article, I try to include the illustrations of Edward Ardizzonne and this article will be no exception.
I really love his work, it has such a natural feel to it and in this particular illustration I like the fact that the background, the mother playing with her baby, adds warmth to the overall picture.
Russian Kerchiefs and Shawls. This is such a lovely book, the shawls are beautifully made and embroidered, artistry of the intimate and the lives of women.
Gasworks to Gallery the Story of Tate St Ives. I visited the gallery a few years ago and loved it, what a great location on Porthmeor Beach and a beautiful looking building too. Artists often say that the light is different in that part of Cornwall – it is! It is well worth a visit if you are ever in Cornwall.
I couldn’t resist The Furniture Doctor although I think the reason I have chosen it is that I am slightly obsessed with the BBC progamme The Repair Shop. It is a gem of a programme and I think this book might well be one they might want on their shelves.
Bridgescape – The Art of Designing Bridges.
Another of my loves – bridges! The nearest town to Tintern is Chepstow which boasts three bridges - the Old Wye Bridge, which crosses The River Wye linking Gloucestershire and Monmouthshire, the Chepstow Railway Bridge originally built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel and the Severn Bridge, which I think is quite beautiful especially in the morning or late afternoon sun.
There are so many books that I love in our Art section that I have to be careful not to just list them all!
Contributed by Theresa
(Published 3rd Nov 2020)
