It’s hard to fathom how the gargantuan new book “Ars Sacra” even came to exist in this day and age. Who would have the inclination to publish an oversized, 800-page survey of sacred art and architecture in an era when readers can Google the same scenes for free on their shiny, new Apple laptop?
A miracle? Not really.
This is the time of year when publishers go big with the gift market in mind. As the holidays approach, the best books are judged not by convenience but by the pound.
So consider: “Ars Sacra” weighs in at 20 pounds, 10 ounces and costs $200. That’s less than $10 a pound.
And that shiny, new MacBook Air? At about 3 pounds, and $999, it’s about $330 a pound.
We’re kidding, of course, but making a point. The weighty titles that appear this time of year can actually be great values — powerful publications that entertain their owners for years. As a survey of cultural history, “Ars Sacra, Christian Art & Architecture from the Early Beginnings to the Present Day” is a considerable accomplishment and a solid deal for anyone who appreciates art.
So are the other books presented on this carefully cultivated list, chosen from the scores of large hardcover offerings that come through the door each year.
Monumental Paris, by Herve Champollion and Aude de Tocqueville (Vendome Press) $150. Weight: 8.9 pounds
“Monumental Paris” makes the best argument for the printed book this season. Your computer can’t touch it, especially when double gatefolds expand to stunning vistas, 72 inches wide, of the world’s most beautiful city.
In all, photographer Herve Champollion presents 227 views of Paris, spread over 227 pages. Rich and colorful facades of old and familiar places, like the Louvre and Notre Dame, unfold alongside newer treasures, like the national library and the Cinematheque Francaise, both from the 1990s.
Champollion’s specialty is the panoramic view, and his compositional values are clear: He wants you to see it all, all at once. And you do, as if you were a bird flying over the city, sometimes soaring high above, other times swooping in for a more intimate look.
Two memorable things happen along the journey. First, you see the details — not just statues of biblical kings, but the expressions on their faces.
Second, you see the ages come together. A shot of the 1572 carved-marble scrim in the Saint-Ettienne-du-Mont church leads to a broad exterior shot of the very modern Foundation Cartier, designed in 1994. Both are structures for the ages, and both define Paris’ monumental point of view.
The Louvre: All the Paintings, by Erich Lessing and Vincent Pomarede (Black Dog and Lenthal) $75. Weight: 10.1 pounds
Neither images on a computer monitor nor photographs in a printed book can quite capture the depth of a great painting, but this assemblage of works from the holdings of the Louvre — 3,022 paintings — remains a wonder. Eleven inches square, the book is a nostalgic, fill-in-the-blanks trip back for anyone who has visited and an inspiring primer for those who have never been.
“The Louvre” accomplishes a lot in 754 pages. It presents the works themselves, of course, but also brief and well-edited bios of such painters as Nicolas Poussin and Caravaggio. By positioning itself as a comprehensive survey rather than a critical sampling, it is forced to reduce many masterpieces to thumbnails. But the authors know when to pick their shots, and the best attractions get their due.
Plus, this book feels just right for the Internet age. Images flash by as if they were being presented on a web slide show. Text is concise in that shortattentionspan kind of way.
That sounds wrong, but it’s actually a terrific convenience, and this book is a lovely indulgence.
Ars Sacra, Christian Art & Architecture from the Early Beginnings to the Present Day various authors (H.F. Ullman) $199. Weight: 20 pounds, 10 ounces
What would it take to capture 2,000 years of Christian art and architecture in one book? It would take ambition, and this heavyweight tome of text and photos has that in abundance. It would take heft, and it has that, too: 795 pages, 11 by 17 inches.
And, finally, it would take a battalion of authors, in this case eight, from across Europe, all contributing to this exploration of the Western society’s greatest cultural influence.
“Ars Sacra” covers the development of Christian cultural relics in detail, from the stone-carved statuary of Late Antiquity right up to the cast concrete cathedrals of the recent 20th century. It’s a full-color tour of the great churches of Europe, stretching from Spain to France, across Italy, Austria and Russia and passing through sacred arts definitive periods: Romanesque, Gothic, Baroque, Expressionist.
This book’s strength is its photographs, taken by Achim Bednorz. Its weakness is its text; the short takes on Christianity’s icons can get lost in translation. But somehow that’s a small matter. This book is an accomplishment worthy of endless page turning. And your $199.
Diana Vreeland: The Eye has to Travel
By Lisa Immordino Vreeland (Abrams, $55). Weight: 4.5 pounds, 256 pages
This glossy behemoth chronicles 50 years in the life of the legendary fashion editor, from her roles at Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue through her travels around the globe and her leadership of costume exhibits at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Vreeland had a passion for style and prescience about her subject that was unrivaled. Hundreds of photographs — many of them portraits of Vreeland, with her slicked-back hair and ever-present cigarette — help tell the story of the Parisian-born fashion diva and her relationships with photographers, models and celebrities of the day. She “discovered” Lauren Bacall and put her on Bazaar’s cover in 1943; she had the first photos of Jackie Kennedy in the White House; and she dubbed Richard Avedon “Aberdeen” upon first meeting him.
Today, Vogue is all about the September issue (with its many ads and fall-fashion layouts), but in Vreeland’s era, the December edition was the most lauded. The year’s final issue had a fantasy theme, and the editor slaved over its pages. “I do remember everything attractive that I could think of in the world we would put into that magazine for December,” she’s quoted as saying. From portraits of the Beatles to fashion travelogues shot in Turkey and nude photos of Rudolf Nureyev, the layouts were exotic and adventurous.
The author, who never got to meet her subject, is married to Vreeland’s grandson Alexander. She pays tribute to a subject equally as fascinating as those to whom Vreeland devoted her many issues.
100 Unforgettable Dresses by Hal Rubenstein (Harper Design, $35) 2.5 pounds, 208 pages
Doubt the ability of a woman in an alluring dress to stop people in their tracks? Flip a few pages of this book to be convinced otherwise. From Ginger Rogers dancing with Fred Astaire in her ostrich-feathered “Top Hat” gown to Elizabeth Hurley in the famed black safety-pinned Versace, the right frock is all about romance and seduction. The fashion director of InStyle magazine, Rubenstein has studied a dress or two in his career and acknowledges the winners that have starred on screen, runways and red carpets. The book is in no discernible order, which makes turning the pages a surprise.
Take, for example, the “Starlett” O’Hara entry, a frock “unforgettable” for its ability to make you laugh out loud. TV comedian Carol Burnett’s famous “Went With the Wind” dress parodied Scarlett O’Hara’s gown fashioned from the green velvet curtains at Tara in “Gone With the Wind.” Designer Bob Mackie dropped a set of drapes on Burnett’s shoulders — rod and all — and brought the house down in 1976.
Rubenstein also recognizes such iconic fashion-house dresses as Halston’s Ultrasuede shirtwaist, Diane von Furstenberg’s signature wrap and Hervé Legér’s “bandage” dress.
Some women wear dress after dress with success — six of the 100 dresses featured in the book were donned by Audrey Hepburn and six by Grace Kelly. Four of the memorable dresses were worn by Sarah Jessica Parker, including the Versace couture gown the actress wears in the “Sex and the City” episode in which she moves to Paris to be with her artist boyfriend.
Vogue: The Covers By Dodie Kazanjian (Abrams, $50) 4.4 pounds, 272 pages
The fashion industry is always one to judge a book by its cover, so it had to be tough deciding what to put on the front of this volume depicting the top covers from the magazine’s 120 years. The winning image is of model Lisa Fonssagrives in a stunning red gown, photographed by Irving Penn for the Nov. 1, 1949, issue.
Author Dodie Kazanjian has long covered art for the magazine and provides insightful tidbits about Vogue’s history. The first photograph was used on the cover in 1932 — an image by Edward Steichen — and they never went back to illustrations. Until the mid-1940s, the logo’s cover script changed regularly. After Alexander Liberman became art director, the logo was changed to a bold Franklin Gothic typeface so it would look more like a news magazine. “I wanted to involve women in the life of the moment,” he said. Flipping through the pages, the reader sees the evolution of American style from images of haughty glamour to the anything-goes 1960s, the wholesome “look at me” ’70s and the rise of the supermodel in the 1990s.
A bonus: Book owners might not be as tempted to rip out one of the 500 color illustrations for framing after realizing that there are five ready-to-frame prints in a wax envelope attached to the inside back cover of the book.
Ray Mark Rinaldi: 303-954-1540 or rrinaldi@denverpost.com. Twitter @dparchitecture
Suzanne S. Brown: 303-954-1697 or sbrown@denverpost.com; ; Twitter @suzannebro
