商品簡介
Karl Bollmann has written a book on the work of Elisabeth J. Gu. Defner, a leading Austrian art jeweler. Several other writers have contributed minor portions of the text, including an interview with the artist. The text appears in German with facing-page English translation by Joan Clough. It describes the artist's development, interests, and career. Defner's work is technically accomplished, beautifully designed, and presented here in a well-produced book focused on the best-quality photography of jewelry that readers are likely to see. The photographs are often full-page and always in exceptional detail with true colors. Most of the work is wearable jewelry, both cast and fabricated (a few ventures into conceptual work around the idea of acupuncture meridians are documented). Styles vary from cool modernist to deco-inflected, often using organic forms (insects, feathers, skulls, shells, leaves), frequently in matte gold and oxidized silver with precious stones. Though some of these forms have become mass-production cliches in jewelry, the work here is notable for its quality and distinctive idiom. Some unusual decorative objects appear: a bowl of lapis lazuli, a series of magic wands ("Devotional figure of saint with staff and scroll, gold plinth, forged staff, gold plinth set with pink sapphires, mounted on pebble"). A few of Defner's drawings also appear. They are skillful and closely observed, justifying the excellent quality of reproduction. Appendices provide a biography, awards, works in public collections, exhibitions, and a bibliography. A strikingly beautiful book from Arnoldsche Art Publishers. Annotation c2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
