Republished unabridged from the final comprehensive edition; this work contains the largest single-volume collection of classical art motifs ever compiled. It reproduces material from Greek and Roman; medieval European; Islamic; Renaissance; baroque; and early nineteenth-century art; architecture; and design mdash; in all; presenting artists; crafters; and students with more than 3;000 designs.Featured design elements include networks; Gothic tracery; geometric designs; akanthos leaves; lotus ornamentation; animal ornamentation; grotesque figures; fret bands; chains; interlacements; rosettes; undulations; spirals; link borders; cresting borders; finials; crockets; gargoyles; foliations; panels; repeated ornaments; and hundreds of other elements. Other plates show decorated pottery vases; religious utensils; weapons; furniture; lamps; jewelry; and other artifacts; in addition to heraldic motifs and ornamental letters.
#1072510 in eBooks 2012-07-12 2012-07-12File Name: B00A73AK1Y
Review
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Illuminating Our EnvironmentBy Karen J. DahoodMoore; a trained architect and former director of the Architecture Foundation in London theorizes about the relationship of buildings to emotions. As a critic; he calls his contemporaries on their mistakes; and is humanistic in doing so; saving his praise for those (too few) who have honored the context of their projects. Most of all; he points to the success of projects that honor the people they serve; that are quietly inserted into the life there is.Highest in his echelon is Lina Bo Bardi; an Italian-born Brazilian who; decades ago; designed an art center that simply blended into Sao Paulo’s Trianon; a public park. Lower down is One Hyde Park; a set of “harsh and assertive†blocks of apartments selling at 15 to 140 millions of pounds to foreign investors; and spoiling the look of Knightsbridge as well as access to park views. Lowest is Dubai where spectacular and fantastic “show-off†towers rise above imported beaches and the nasty “crisis in the drains.â€Moore takes us around the world and across time; to discuss the visions that build pyramids and world fairs; the hope that designs housing to accommodate chronic poverty; the open mind that enables futuristic technology. He comments on the failure of the “big roof†concept (think “airportsâ€); and success of the simplest laundry (think “shaded poolâ€). He observes Manhattan’s contentious rebuilding the World Trade Center simultaneous to the collaborative re-purposing an abandoned railway track as a linear park.Moore is amused by but concerned about starchitect power plays; names that dominate the profession; some who will squash opposition. He recalls his own stumbles in working with the amazing Zaha Hadid; who was commissioned to design new quarters for the Architecture Foundation on a “sliver†of land near the Tate Modern. Her daring idea quadrupled the budget; caved in to practical considerations (such as difficulty getting equipment through traffic); and eventually was canceled when the stock market fell.This 422-page tour through our built and imagined environment is strenuous; but it is led by a likable as well as knowledgeable guide.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Fresh lookBy John Morris DixonOnly a fraction read to date; but impressed.Examines interesting; often offbeat; situations. Comes to strong; convincing conclusions.Brilliant use of English (those Brits!). Sometimes goes overboard with colorful wording.Recommended to anyone with interest in architecture or urban development.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy MistercrispFascinating book!