Peacock & Vine: On William Morris and Mariano Fortuny

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Peacock & Vine: On William Morris and Mariano Fortuny

From the winner of the Booker Prize: A ravishing book thatÂ opens a window into the lives, designs, and passions of Mariano Fortuny and William Morris, two remarkable artists who themselves are passions of the writer A. S. Byatt.

Born a generation apart in the mid-1800s, Fortuny and Morris were seeming opposites: Fortuny a Spanish aristocrat thrilled by the sun-baked cultures of Crete and Knossos; Morris a member of the British bourgeoisie, enthralled by Nordic myths. Through their revolutionary inventions and textiles, both men inspired a new variety of art that is as striking today as when it was first conceived. In this elegant meditation, Byatt traces their genius right to the source.

Fortunyâ€™s Palazzo Pesaro Orfei in Venice is a warren of dark spaces imbued with the rich hues of Asia. In his attic workshop, Fortuny created intricate designs from glowing silks and velvets; in the palazzo he found â€œhappiness in a glittering cavernâ€ alongside the French model who became his wife and collaborator, including on the famous â€œDelphosâ€ dressâ€”a flowing, pleated gown that evoked the era of classical Greece.

Morrisâ€™s Red House outside London, with its Gothic turrets and secret gardens, helped inspire his stunning floral and geometric patterns; it likewise represented a coming together of life and art. But it was a â€œsweet simple old placeâ€ called Kelmscott Manor in the countryside that he loved bestâ€”even when it became the setting for his wifeâ€™s love affair with the artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti.

Generously illustrated with the artistsâ€™ beautiful designsâ€”pomegranates and acanthus, peacock and vineâ€”among other aspects of their worlds, this marvel-filled book brings the visions and ideas of Fortuny and Morris to vivid life.

From the Hardcover edition.
Country USA
Author A. S. Byatt
Binding Kindle Edition
EISBN 9781101947487
Format Kindle eBook
Label Knopf
Manufacturer Knopf
NumberOfPages 192
PublicationDate 2016-08-02
Publisher Knopf
ReleaseDate 2016-08-02
Studio Knopf

Country	USA
Author	A. S. Byatt
Binding	Kindle Edition
EISBN	9781101947487
Format	Kindle eBook
Label	Knopf
Manufacturer	Knopf
NumberOfPages	192
PublicationDate	2016-08-02
Publisher	Knopf
ReleaseDate	2016-08-02
Studio	Knopf

Peacock & Vine: On William Morris and Mariano Fortuny

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