Customer Reviews

1,100 Designs and Motifs from Historic Sources (Dover Pictorial Archive)

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This source book of 100 pages of design and motifs from around the world is complemented by 23 pages of descriptions of the elements in each of the "plates" which follow. These elements of design are explained, common and historical names for elements may be given, original colours used, origins of the designs included too. This extra detail gives the book its value, enriching the knowledge of the prospective user, rather than just providing a series of pretty pictures to be copied.

This is a good sourcebook for classic Renaissance style and some Greek style illustrations. Much of the Renaissance art is Greek inspired. Especially noted are the beautiful, and out of the ordinary depictions of Aphrodite. It is intersting to see the Old Pagan influence in these historically accurate depictions.

Historically many of these designs were manufactured in the Chicago, Ill. area and were sold by catalog. This is a great collection of many of these commercial designs that were offered only by mail order at one time.

Looking through this book, I'm surprised there isn't a table of contents, but all of the artwork are neatly organized into genre or regional period. Each page has a title description like "Egyptian," "Roman, "Gothic," etc. Factual description for all the art are compacted into the first 23 pages of the book, which I don't like having to flip back and forth. I rather that each description goes on the same page of the art itself. The descriptions are just basic statements like "Goddess on a winged wheel" (page 5) or "heart-shaped hand screen or fan, containing a dragon vase from which grows a rose" (page 7)

Overall, I use this book without reading the descriptions. Good inspiration for my own art.