Librarian
Introduction
The art of the book is a wide-ranging category that includes meticulous fine printings, books about art and illustration, artist's books (or books-as-art-objects), and more. Whether they’re one-of-a-kind or mass produced, whether printed digitally or by hand, and whether they describe other artwork or they themselves are the art, these books succeed by forefronting imagery and design. Though these books aren’t themselves collections of poetry, understanding the broader French tradition of visual and illustrated books can be a useful way of understanding French visual poetics.
Books at Booth
- The Art of the French Illustrated Book
This two-volume English-language exhibition catalog from 1982 covers more than two centuries of customs, trends, and techniques in French illustration. Sketches, engravings, lithographs, and more are cleanly photographed and described in detail. The included books span many genres, and each chapter is broken down both by era and artist, often with helpful biographical and technical information. - Le Livre Romantique
This 1968 history of the “Romantic book” breaks down the anatomy of 19th century books, focusing on covers, frontispieces, and other illustrations. The index is organized by books, authors, illustrators and publishers, making it easy to find references for any particular piece of history, and the detailed prose chapters provide an insight into how the French understand their own artistic tradition. - Chagall
This short biography of Marc Chagall opens with two poems by the artist himself and includes more than 90 facsimiles of his paintings. The gentle integration of text and image and the omnipresent hand of the artist make the book itself an object of beauty, not just the artwork that it contains. Georgetown's Art Collection owns several items by or related to Chagall, which you can view online here. - Blanche-Neige
This 1974 retelling of Snow White belongs to a nebulous genre known as artists' books, which can be understood as books that push the boundaries of “book-ness,” through form, content, or a combination of the two, and are often handmade in some capacity and created in limited editions. Here, the artist has created a system of symbols that allow for a wordless but perfectly readable rendition of the fairy tale.
