Big Art Small Art

Beautiful book! Inspires my art student daughter! Useful in research for projects.Has international perspective. Big photos. Modern. Fun to read

Très très beau livre aussi bien sur le fond que sur la forme.Des projets pas toujours vus et revus sur internet, je conseille!

Yes this could just be a book that sits on my coffee table as a talking point but as a family that enjoys art of various styles I was intrigued by this Big/Small idea it ranges from the bizarre to the staggering with some works that I would love to see in the flesh but obviously as with all art our views are subjective and some people will struggle with some pieces but I think there are some beautiful, challenging and very creative pieces.With works from 24 artists in the Big Art section and 21 in the Small Art section we have an introduction to the concept of scale at the start then I think it takes an interesting choice to have an introduction to Big Art then all the Big Art pictures, artist by artist, this is followed by profiles on all the artists [Big Art on yellow pages then Small Art on muted purple pages] and finally the Small Art introduction and pictures again, artist by artist.My Big Art highlights include: Brent Christensen's Ice Castle; Janet Echelman's lighting installations; Choi Jeong-Hwa's flowers; Fujiko Nakaya's fogfalls; Jaune Plensa's heads; Jason deCaires Taylor's underwater work; and the fun of Kurt Perschke's Red Ball series. The Small Art highlights: Diem Chaus's carved pencils and wax crayons are stunning; Nguyen Hung Cuong's paper creations take paper work to a new level; the quirky art of Brock Davis has great wit; Lorenzo Manuel Duran's leaf art is stunning, Maria being particularly amazing; Klari Reis mixes science and art with the Petri dish selection; and Guy Laramee's book transformations manage not to offend this book lover!!I have found this book inspiring and am amazed by the talent out there. It would make a beautiful gift but you might find you don't want to give it away.

Big Art and Small Art by Tristan Manco and published by Thames & Hudson is a LARGE book, not so much for the coffee table but a dining table may be more appropriate as it is both large and heavy. Of the 45 artists represented in the book, you will probably not recognise any unless you are a follower of some of the wider ranging, and atypical artforms that are not normally the subject of exhibitions or, necessarily, often seen. Its two categories are separated, each having its own pages.The book's author/editor is himself a graphic and illustrative designer with some major corporate clients and is the author of several books on design and related topics. This is his most recent.The book concentrates on two extremes; the large (sometimes to be read as HUGE) and the small which does not always mean the ultra tiny, but objects mostly within the centimetric scale. Within the 'large', you will find objects or locations that are completely natural, buildings, constructions and installations of several types including light installations.The 'small' group also includes natural objects including leaves and other plant forms of which some have been arranged and others cut or carved, other biological or mineral specimens, and tribal art. There is also an element of cross-over in that constructions and installations are also included in this group, too, although of a lesser scale. There are examples of a form not previously or personally seen anywhere, Petri dish mini-installations, that use the glassware normally seen in microbiological laboratories as their canvas and frame and which appear to have something in common with Baccarat glass paperweights. Dimensions are given for each object in both sections where they apply.In addition to the full-colour illustrations in the two sections, as lavish as any you will find in any art book and expected from T&H, are profiles of all the represented artists also divided into their respective sections and separating the two main areas. They are truly an international group with no single country, or world region, over-represented. There are a few additional monochrome illustrations within that group of pages.With its illustrations covering such a wide variety of subjects, it will be of interest to any other artist whose own work may parallel one or more of those represented here. Equally, it may interest students or recent graduates in the arts and design. It is primarily a book of entertainment and reference but there is an unfortunate omission of credit to the photographer(s) responsible for the high quality camera- and studio-work centric to the book. It is missing from the data associated with each image and the artists' pages, from the Profile pages and there is no Acknowledgements or similar page that would usually provide such information. Nevertheless, the book will probably find a home within any library or book collection that is design or illustration oriented, and also art studios, universities and art colleges. It is interesting and eye-opening.

This large and lavishly illustrated hardback from Thames and Hudson showcases contemporary artists in whose works scale, whether large or small, is a key element. The first half of the book consists of 'big art'. Photographs of works, grouped by artist, are followed by a section containing profiles of the artists in question. The second half follows the same format, but the subject is 'small art'.I could easily imagine this being two separate books, but the juxtaposition of large- and small-scale art allows the reader to make connections and think more deeply about how scale affects the work's context and reception. Big art, for example, because of its size is often in public spaces, it encourages public engagement, with the audience often being able to touch it or be enclosed in it. The art will change depending on where the viewer is situated and sometimes the whole picture can only be seen from a great distance or from the air. Small art, by contrast, can be encompassed by one look but its detail demands close attention and it lends itself to reproduction in books such as this. More of the small artists created their works as a hobby or side project, whereas art on a large scale is harder to achieve in this way. Sometimes the large and small collide, for example in the work of David DiMichele where large imaginary art installations are recreated on a small scale and then photographed."Big Art Small Art" profiles 46 contemporary artists from across the world. Of the large works, I particularly enjoyed the community murals of the Boa Mistura collective, Leandro Erlich's installations, such as 'Dalston House', which use mirrors to create the illusion that members of the public are hanging from windows and scaling the walls of a house in their neighbourhood. Highlights of the small art, included Diem Chau's pencil and crayon carvings, the playful objects created by Brock Davis, and Nicolás Labadia's beautiful, funny, and Kafkaesque creatures made from found objects.