The Grandest Madison Square Garden


Book Description

November 1891, the heart of Gilded Age Manhattan. Thousands filled the streets surrounding Madison Square, fingers pointing, mouths agape. After countless struggles, Stanford White—the country’s most celebrated architect was about to dedicate America’s tallest tower, the final cap set atop his Madison Square Garden, the country’s grandest new palace of pleasure. Amid a flood of electric light and fireworks, the gilded figure topping the tower was suddenly revealed—an eighteen-foot nude sculpture of Diana, the Roman Virgin Goddess of the Hunt, created by Augustus Saint-Gaudens, the country’s finest sculptor and White’s dearest pal. The Grandest Madison Square Garden tells the remarkable story behind the construction of the second, 1890, Madison Square Garden and the controversial sculpture that crowned it. Set amid the magnificent achievements of nineteenth-century American art and architecture, the book delves into the fascinating private lives of the era’s most prominent architect and sculptor and the nature of their intimate relationship. Hinman shows how both men pushed the boundaries of America’s parochial aesthetic, ushering in an era of art that embraced European styles with American vitality. Situating the Garden’s seminal place in the history of New York City, as well as the entire country, The Grandest Madison Square Garden brings to life a tale of architecture, art, and spectacle amid the elegant yet scandal-ridden culture of Gotham’s decadent era.




Educational Metamorphoses


Book Description

A preeminent philosopher of education in the United States, Jane Roland Martin challenges conventional wisdom that education consists of small, incremental changes. Using case studies of personal transformations, or metamorphoses, Martin examines Malcolm X, Shaw's Eliza Doolittle, Victor of Aveyron and others to demonstrate how education is a fundamental determinant of the human condition.




Discovering Albania


Book Description

Embark on a captivating journey through the hidden gems and vibrant landscapes of the Balkans with "Discovering Albania: A Comprehensive Travel Guide." This meticulously crafted guidebook is your key to unlocking the secrets of one of Europe's most enchanting destinations, where ancient history meets modern charm. Unveiling the Balkan Gem: Albania, often overlooked but never overshadowed, beckons with a tapestry of diverse experiences waiting to be discovered. "Discovering Albania" is your passport to a land of rugged mountains, pristine coastlines, and rich cultural tapestries that weave tales of resilience and authenticity. What Awaits You: In this comprehensive travel guide, immerse yourself in the heart of Tirana, the bustling capital that seamlessly blends tradition with contemporary energy. Traverse the ancient ruins of Butrint and Apollonia, where history whispers through the winds of time. Feel the sun-kissed sand beneath your feet on the Riviera's pristine beaches and explore the historic streets of Gjirokastër, the City of a Thousand Steps. Uncover the lush landscapes of Theth and Valbona, where nature unfolds in all its untamed beauty. Delve into the flavors of Albania with a culinary journey that tantalizes your taste buds with traditional dishes and local delights. Immerse yourself in the vibrant festivals and traditions that breathe life into the country's cultural heritage. Beyond borders, venture into Kosovo and Montenegro, unraveling the interconnected tales that shape this corner of the Balkans. From outdoor adventures that span from peaks to beaches to the commitment to sustainable travel, "Discovering Albania" is not just a guide; it's an invitation to experience the soul of a nation. Key Features: Comprehensive insights into Albania's diverse regions, from the vibrant capital to the tranquil mountain villages. In-depth exploration of historical sites, ancient ruins, and architectural wonders that tell the tales of Albania's past. A guide to the Riviera's sun-soaked beaches, where relaxation meets adventure. Cultural immersion through festivals, traditions, and the warm hospitality of local communities. Outdoor escapades, from hiking in the Accursed Mountains to exploring hidden valleys and pristine national parks. Beyond Albania's borders: a journey into the interconnected cultures of Kosovo and Montenegro. A dedicated chapter on sustainable travel, empowering you to leave a positive footprint on this Balkan gem. Why "Discovering Albania" Is Your Perfect Companion: This travel guide is more than a collection of recommendations; it's an immersive narrative that guides you through the heart and soul of Albania. Whether you're an adventure seeker, a history enthusiast, a foodie, or a culture lover, this guide ensures that every aspect of your journey is met with authenticity, enthusiasm, and practical insights. Join us as we unravel the mysteries and unveil the wonders of Albania. "Discovering Albania" is not just a travel guide; it's an odyssey waiting to be written by every traveler seeking the extraordinary in the landscapes, cultures, and histories of this Balkan gem. Pack your bags, open these pages, and let the adventure begin. Albania awaits.




Public Art and the Fragility of Democracy


Book Description

Public space is political space. When a work of public art is put up or taken down, it is an inherently political statement, and the work’s aesthetics are inextricably entwined with its political valences. Democracy’s openness allows public art to explore its values critically and to suggest new ones. However, it also facilitates artworks that can surreptitiously or fortuitously undermine democratic values. Today, as bigotry and authoritarianism are on the rise and democratic movements seek to combat them, as Confederate monuments fall and sculptures celebrating diversity rise, the struggle over the values enshrined in the public arena has taken on a new urgency. In this book, Fred Evans develops philosophical and political criteria for assessing how public art can respond to the fragility of democracy. He calls for considering such artworks as acts of citizenship, pointing to their capacity to resist autocratic tendencies and reveal new dimensions of democratic society. Through close considerations of Chicago’s Millennium Park and New York’s National September 11 Memorial, Evans shows how a wide range of artworks participate in democratic dialogues. A nuanced consideration of contemporary art, aesthetics, and political theory, this book is a timely and rigorous elucidation of how thoughtful public art can contribute to the flourishing of a democratic way of life.




Psychoanalytic Perspectives on Art, V. 3


Book Description

This new hardcover annual offers a unique scholarly format, an interdisciplinary dialogue that, it is hoped, will foster the development of a sound, useful methodology for applying psychoanalytic insight to art and artists. The series provides a medium for those who study art, those who interpret it, and occasionally those who create it, formally to explore the meaning of an artistic work as the direct reflection of the inner world of its creator. Within each volume, individual topics are addressed by either an art historian or a psychoanalyst, with a response frequently tendered by an expert from the other field. Reviews of important books of cross-disciplinary interest are treated in a similar manner, and include rebuttals by the authors themselves. It is precisely this exchange of ideas among scholars with difference perspectives on the meaning of a work of art that sets PPA apart from the standard art history publication. Its depth of scholarship, coupled with its innovative format, make it a fascinating addition to the burgeoning field of psychoanalytic studies of art history.




Ovid on Screen


Book Description

The first study of Ovid, especially his Metamorphoses, as inherently visual literature, explaining his pervasive importance in our visual media.




Petersburg/Petersburg


Book Description

Since its founding three hundred years ago, the city of Saint Petersburg has captured the imaginations of the most celebrated Russian writers, whose characters map the city by navigating its streets from the aristocratic center to the gritty outskirts. While Tsar Peter the Great planned the streetscapes of Russia’s northern capital as a contrast to the muddy and crooked streets of Moscow, Andrei Bely’s novel Petersburg (1916), a cornerstone of Russian modernism and the culmination of the “Petersburg myth” in Russian culture, takes issue with the city’s premeditated and supposedly rational character in the early twentieth century. “Petersburg”/Petersburg studies the book and the city against and through each other. It begins with new readings of the novel—as a detective story inspired by bomb-throwing terrorists, as a representation of the aversive emotion of disgust, and as a painterly avant-garde text—stressing the novel’s phantasmagoric and apocalyptic vision of the city. Taking a cue from Petersburg’s narrator, the rest of this volume (and the companion Web site, stpetersburg.berkeley.edu/) explores the city from vantage points that have not been considered before—from its streetcars and iconic art-nouveau office buildings to the slaughterhouse on the city fringes. From poetry and terrorist memoirs, photographs and artwork, maps and guidebooks of that period, the city emerges as a living organism, a dreamworld in flux, and a junction of modernity and modernism.




Vittorio De Sica


Book Description

Recognized as a master of Italian cinema, Vittorio De Sica is perhaps best known and most respected for his critically acclaimed neorealist films of the period 1946-55. As this anthology reveals, however, his production was remarkably multifaceted. The essays included here - some newly commissioned, some reprinted, and others in translation - look at De Sica's varied career from many perspecives. Structured chronologically, the volume begins by introducing readers to De Sica's early popularity as an actor and singer during the years of Italian Fascism, and to his initial directorial efforts before the end of World War II. It was not until the postwar era, however, that De Sica made his mark in film history. Special attention is given to this critical phase of his career, which encompasses the neorealist films that made him famous: "Shoeshine", "Bicycle Thieves", "Miracle in Milan", and "Umberto D." When the neorealist movement waned after 1955, De Sica returned to his roots in Neapolitan comedy for a series of commercially successful films starring Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni. Memorable works from this period include "Two Women" and "Marriage Italian Style" as well as "Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow", which won De Sica an Academy Award in 1965. In one of his final films, "The Garden of the Finzi Continis", he returned to the subject of World War II and to the human tragedy characteristic of his best neorealist productions. This fine anthology offers a comprehensive critical survey that covers the entire scope of De Sica's career, and is an excellent resource for students, critics and film enthusiasts.




The Works of John Dryden, Volume XX


Book Description

For the first time since 1695, a complete text of De Arte Graphica as Dryden himself wrote it is available to readers. In all, Volume XX presents six pieces written during Dryden's final decade, each of them either requested by a friend or commissioned by a publisher. Two are translations, three introduce translations made by others, and the sixth introduces an original work by one of Dryden's friends. The most recent version of De Arte Graphica, Saintsbury's late nineteenth-century reissue of Scott's edition, based the text of the translated matter on an edition that was heavily revised by someone other than Dryden. In fact, only one of the pieces offered here, the brief Character of Saint-Evremond, has appeared complete in a twentieth-century edition. The commentary in this volume supplies biographical and bibliographical contexts for these pieces and draws attention to the views on history and historians, poetry and painting, Virgil and translation, which Dryden expresses in them. Many other volumes of prose, poetry, and plays are available in the California Edition of The Works of John Dryden.




Hong Kong


Book Description

In its last days under British rule, the Crown Colony of Hong Kong is the world's most exciting city, at once fascinating and exasperating, a tangle of contradictions. It is a dazzling amalgam of conspicuous consumption and primitive poverty, the most architecturally incongruous yet undeniably beautiful urban panorama of all. World-renowned travel writer Jan Morris offers the most insightful and comprehensive study of the enigma of Hong Kong thus far.