Art Nouveau

First, the good, and there's a great deal of that. This is a heavy, well-made volume. Images are wonderfully rendered on heavy paper, often large and always given space to breathe. Fonts are appropriate to the subject matter. Art Nouveau is surveyed in its various manifestations and disciplines (architecture and painting predominant), mainly in Europe, as is appropriate, but also touching on developments in the United States.For me and perhaps some other American readers as well, downsides relate to the fact that art historian Norbert Wolf's originally German text amounts to a survey course concerned with who produced what and when, finer points of the extent to which each titan of the field pioneered or arguably modified definitive techniques or points of view that some critics have identified with Art Nouveau, its predecessors and/or descendants, and eventually culminates with a nod to contemporary relevance. The translation into English might well have pleased Wolf better than the average American reader, retaining as it does what feels like a lot of German convolution in sentences that often remind me of excursions on a cross-town bus.Still, the net result is a steal at this price for anyone interested in Art Nouveau.

This book.....it's beautiful!!! The pictures are amazing and the information provided is very well-written and educational. Would definitely recommend!

Beautiful pictures. Looking forward to seeing if anything new had been said on Art Nouveau and felt I was reading someone's doctoral thesis drawing together data on the subject. NO well centered paragraphs with clear ideas supported by the examples. Felt the lack of simple language was to hide the fact that he really had NOTHING new to say on the subject. When a simple word will do he finds complex ones. Reading it is like asking a friend about a new outfit and being treated to details of the life of the person who sold it to her, the experience driving to the store, how she parked etc., rather than getting to any point.

He comprado varios libros sobre el Art Noveau y este es uno de los mejores. El tamaño del libro le permite al lector examinar cada detalle de la pieza arquitectónica o artística que se presenta a través de fotos de buena calidad. Me hubiese gustado, sin embargo, que incluyeran a Latvia entre los países exponentes del mejor Art Noveau del mundo. Lo recomiendo.

There are some great pieces in here. It is truly a MASSIVE book, I can't even put it on a book shelf, so it's a coffee table starter piece.

This book not only has big pictures of the paintings. One page has a little photograph showing a desk facing the painting so someone working at the desk is sure to study the picture, which is likely to be far more interesting than anything people are likely to be shuffling paper while they try to make up a fictive collective mind about something important. The art in this book might be compared to the devil shuffling cards on a slow day.

Absolutely beautiful and stylish, just like that epoch was. Just can’t put I’d down...

Fabulous book. Comprehensive, great photos. The text is a little turgid, but its a wonderfully comprehensive look at the subject and very covetable.

A beautiful book with plenty of first class illustrations and very informative . Bought as a present for an art lover and it was a perfect gift .

Beautiful reference book if you like Art Nouveau.

Love it.xx