David Lomas – författare

In this exhaustive book on Hilma af Klint published to date, twenty specialists in Modern Art, Art History, the History of Ideas and Religious Studies use their expertise to explore af Klint s unique artistry. The topics range from early Abstract Art and the impact of Darwin and Goethe s Colour Theory, to the importance of occult religious movements such as Theosophy and Anthroposophy which influenced the early modernists. Some of Hilma af Klint s own diary notes and research are also included.   The book is based on a seminar held in conjunction with the extremely successful exhibition Hilma af Klint A Pioneer of Abstraction in 2013 at Moderna Museet in Stockholm. The book has an epilogue by Daniel Birnbaum. This is a new edition that includes a recent essay by Kurt Almqvist, Hilma af Klint s Secret Teachings, Message and Philosophy , based on previously unpublished material. It investigates parts of Hilma af Klint s story that have not been looked at before: the background of her teachings and philosophy; the developments after her death in 1944 up until the formation of The Hilma af Klint Foundation in 1972; and the only heir to her works: the anthropologist Vice-Admiral Erik af Klint (1901 1981), the Foundation s founder and only donor.

The name which predominates in the development of art throughout the twentieth century, and to which many of the revolutionary changes are ascribed, is that of Pablo Picasso (1881-1973). Not only was he one of the most influential artists, he was also one of the most versatile. This beautifully produced book surveys the whole range of his paintings, from the haunting works of the Blue Period, to the brute power of Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, the lyrical sweetness of his family portraits, the revolutionary developments of Cubism and the later manifold experimentations with form and colour.Roland Penrose’s introductory essay on Picasso was first published in 1971, when the great master was still alive. Penrose was acclaimed in his own right as a painter, and his long friendship with Picasso gave him unique insight into his life and work. David Lomas has written a preface introducing us to the friendship between these two artists. He has also written notes to each full-page colour plate, discussing the picture in detail, making this a perfect introduction to the twentieth century’s most famous artist.

Simulating the marvellous presents important new research on Surrealism and the culture from which it arose. Offering fresh interpretations of Surrealist art and literature based around the theme of simulation, the book shows, in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, that the notion of simulation arose in a number of discrete contexts, in relation to hysteria and war neuroses; more broadly it shadows the emergence of our concept of ‘the unconscious’. Acknowledging simulation’s relevance to Surrealism, this book argues, radically alters our understanding of the Surrealists' project and the terms in which one gauges its success or failure. It leads one to question the naïve assumption that automatic writing or drawing represent an authentic outpouring of the unconscious and gives renewed significance to a figure such as Salvador Dalí who embraced simulation and made it the basis of his art and aesthetic. Resonances are also explored with postmodern theory and art practice, around the themes of simulation and the simulacrum.It also points to one of the ways in which Surrealism chimes with a core preoccupation of contemporary art and theory. Written accessibly, and ranging across many of the core ideas of Surrealism, David Lomas balances coverage of both Surrealist art and literature, looking at such figures as Dalì, Eluard, Masson, Desnos, Brouillet, Picasso, Tanning and Janet, as well as Glenn Brown, Douglas Gordon and Sarah Lucas. The book will interest not only art historians and theorists, but also students and those with a general interest in Surrealism.

Alongside maps and carefully-chosen archive photography, David Lomas explores The British Expeditionary Force's presence during the battle of Mons and thereafter.When the First World War broke out in August 1914 the Imperial German Army mistakenly assumed that the BEF – 'that contemptible little army' – would be easily defeated. They were stopped in their tracks by the numerically inferior British force, whose excellent marksmanship cost the closed packed German ranks dear. Eventually forced to fall back by overwhelming German numbers, the British carried out a masterful fighting retreat across Belgium and northern France. At Mons, nine and a half British battalions held four German divisions at bay for an entire day.This book examines not just the battle of Mons itself but also the ensuing British retreat including the actions at Le Cateau and Villers-Cotterêts.

Featuring maps, archive photography and detailed explanations, this account documents the beginnings of the trench warfare that would define World War 1.In the autumn of 1914 the original British Expeditionary Force faced a heavily reinforced German drive. Field Marshal Sir John French, the British Commander-in-Chief, had sent his men north in an attempt to take the fight into Flanders, so they could fight across open ground. History tells us that this was not to be the case.David Lomas chronicles the first of the trench-warfare battles, where lines that would remain almost static for the rest of the war were established. Although the Germans failed to reach the channel ports, the death knell had rung for the BEF, which was virtually wiped out in this brave defence.

 

Volymen Att se är att inse presenterar sju serier av verk av den framstående konstnären Hilma af Klint. Dessa verk skapades under den första halvan av år 1920 och är de sista målningar af Klint gjorde innan hon övergick till akvarell och började måla i den säregna stil som lärdes ut av Rudolf Steiner och hans lärjungar. Denna antologi baseras på seminariet som hölls vid Goethe-Institut London i samband med utställningen Hilma af Klint: Painting the Unseen, som ägde rum på Serpentine Galleries under våren 2016.