NOVEDADES

As sensitive to human suffering as to the simple pleasures of life, Robert Doisneau is one of the most celebrated exponents of the Photographie humaniste that swept through the 1950s. Cherished in particular for his soulful portraits of Paris, Doisneau demonstrated a unique ability to find – and perfectly frame – charismatic characters, entertaining episodes, and fleeting moments of humor and affection.

En el año 1600, Jacob Böhme tuvo su más famosa iluminación al ver en un instante, según refiere, todos los secretos del universo reflejados en la concavidad iluminada por un rayo de sol de una vasija de estaño que tenía colgada en la pared, tras lo cual estuvo «rodeado de luz divina» durante siete días. Para Böhme, Dios es el todo, «el gran abismo sin fondo que hay en todas partes», la nada que anhela llegar a ser engendrándose y engulléndose eternamente. Su obra es un continuo intento de descifrar el sentido de sus experiencias místicas, que no cesaron de crecer en interés y fama, porque nunca la mística y la magia se han tratado de una manera tan lógica. Para Friedrich Schelling, Böhme es una aparición milagrosa en la historia del espíritu humano, y en particular del alemán, por su notable influencia en Tieck, Novalis, Goethe y otros románticos. Schopenhauer toma de él su noción de voluntad, y para Heidegger es, junto a Meister Eckhart, el primer autor metafísico de la filosofía alemana. Newton, Unamuno y otros muchos lo leyeron asimismo con atención.

A highly anticipated monograph of recent houses by a leading California architecture and landscape firm that celebrates sophisticated modern living and represents the pinnacle of the California Dream. Residing with Nature features one-of-a-kind homes, crafted in sensuous materials and dramatically sited to enhance views, sunlight, and nature in California, Nevada, and Colorado. Grant Kirkpatrick and Duan Tran of KAA Design share their process for creating personal environments that are tailor-made to each client’s unique lifestyle and setting. All the designs inform a dynamic connection to nature that links indoors and outdoors, an extraordinary attention to craftsmanship, an enduring use of local materials, a striking balance between geometry and whimsy, and an exhilarating sense of levitation.

In Sri Lanka, Palinda Kannangara created the Frame Holiday Structure on a budget of $ 40,000. Built from steel scaffolding, exposed brick, and wood floors, the house can be easily disassembled and moved, adapting to the reality of the nearby floodplain. Luciano Lerner Basso’s Fortunata House in Brazil accommodates the surrounding nature: it was built around a tree of an endangered species and sits upon stilts so as not to disturb the forest floor. Miller Hull’s Loom House near Seattle has been called “the world’s most environmentally ambitious home renovation” because of its reliance on recycled materials and its efficient energy use.

Regarded as perhaps the greatest of the stately homes and the finest example of baroque architecture in Great Britain, Blenheim is a treasure of English heritage. In this stunning volume, Lady Henrietta Spencer-Churchill, the twelfth generation of the family, takes us on a privileged tour of the palace. Designed by John Vanbrugh and Nicholas Hawksmoor (a protégé of Christopher Wren) in the early 1700s; with stonework, furniture, and tapestries crafted by the best talents of the age; and art and statuary by such notable artists as John Singer Sargent and Joshua Reynolds, Blenheim is filled with artistic commissions that provide a window into the history of England.

For Ashe and Leandro, creativity is a way of life that is reflected in everything they design. They have built a star-studded portfolio (clients include Liev Schreiber, Seth Meyers, Naomi Watts, and Rashid Johnson) with their fresh approach to unfussy, high-design spaces. Their interiors favor a quiet beauty, based on simple shapes, asymmetrical details, and a fine patina.