In 40 extraordinary posters, surprise, witty tricks, and sexual content create a visual pun, and capture the grandeur of the costumes, the music, and the tragedy in beautifully crafted paintings, classical in appearance. ILLUSTRATIONS: 86 colour & 40 b/w

This is the first full-scale publication to celebrate Olbinski and his exceptional ability to depict the world of performing arts and entertainment in his own unique form. Olbinski's posters dare the viewer to explore beyond the surface and seek out the often overlooked surrounding scene.

At once both controversial and classical, Rafal Olbinski has built a career around examining the mystery of women. In this first publication of his paintings, Olbinski creates a world that seeks to celebrate the secrets of women without destroying their mystery.

Created for Vendome Studio New York for opening of exhibition. Full Color with texts by Robert Morgan and Isabela Gabrielson

Robert le Diable by Giacomo Meyerbeer is regarded as a musical milestone, a definitive statement in the 19th-century development of French grand opéra from the tragédie lyrique of Lully, Rameau, Gluck and Spontini. The libretto by Eugène Scribe and Germain Delavigne was derived from the medieval legend of “Robert the Devil”. First performed on 21 November 1831 at the Paris Opéra, the work brought Meyerbeer international celebrity. Robert le Diable remains a legend in the annals of opera. The fascinating story reveals a complex imagery and symbolism that touches on the deepest intuitions of human experience and personal development, and exercises an archetypal unconscious appeal akin to the nature of fairy tales. The musical language, richly melodic and theatrically powerful, looks back to Rossini and the traditions of bel canto, and yet forges a new formal pliancy and dramatic urgency. The harmony and orchestration, the melodramatic plot, and overwhelming stage effects (especially the famous act 3 Ballet of the Nuns, a touchstone of dark Romanticism) confirmed Meyerbeer as the leading opera composer of his age. His style fuses German counterpoint, Italian melody, French grandeur, and unprecedented orchestral riches in a unique and overwhelming artistic blend. Robert became one of the greatest successes in the history of opera. In the first two years of its history it was given in 69 different theatres, and was performed 754 times at the Paris Opéra until 1893. This huge success was reflected in more than 160 transcriptions, arrangements, paraphrases and fantasias for the orchestra, military band, dance band, piano and other solo instruments written between 1832 and 1955. After many years of neglect, there is a resurgence of interest in this work with its fascinating appeal. This book is devoted to the story of this exceptional opera. It traces the origins, the première, the performance history, and also considers the special characteristics of both the libretto and the music. One of the most intriguing aspects of Robert le Diable was the nature of the iconography generated by its most famous scenes. Artists and illustrators responded in many different ways to the Gambling Scene, the Scene at the Cross, the Cloister Scene for the legendary Ballet of the Nuns, and the great trio in act 5. All of these are examined in terms of the the many different pictorial and plastic responses they inspired over some 60 years.

Illustration practice is not judged purely by visual literacy and technical qualities, but also requires intellectual engagement with its subject matter. Illustration: A Theoretical & Contextual Perspective, 2nd Edition examines the breadth and many uses of this diverse discipline, through nearly 300 colour examples. From developing a brief, conducting research and analysing visual language, the book goes on to explore the role of illustration in documentation, commentary, storytelling, persuasion and identity. It concludes with an overview of current professional practice, demonstrating that the ability to communicate meaningfully and effectively for a global audience is key to navigating today's creative industries. Examples of work from award-winning illustrators showcase a huge range of applications, from the author's own collaboration with the British Museum of Natural History and Olivier Kugler's Portraits of Syrian Refugees in Iraqi Kurdistan, to Levi Pinfold's fictional picture book Black Dog and Malika Favre's promotional images for the BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) Film Awards.