J. Paul Getty Museum

Pictures and text tell of the Friendship between the boy Juan and Julian, the old bellringer and gardener of the Mission San Juan Capistrano. Julian tells the boy of the coming of the swallows in the spring and their departure in late summer. During the winer Juan makes a small garden in front of his house for the swallows. When the swallows return the children celebrate with games, singing, dancing and little plays and Julian rings the bell. ...

"This catalogue, accompanying an exhibition of the same name at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, examines the type of illuminated manuscript called the bestiary and explores its lasting legacy"-- "Brimming with lively animals both real and fantastic, the bestiary was one of the great illuminated manuscript traditions of the Middle Ages. Encompassing imaginary creatures such as the unicorn, siren, and griffin; exotic beasts including the tiger,...

"The founding of the first Persian Empire by the Achaemenid king Cyrus the Great in the sixth century BC established one of the greatest world powers of antiquity, one that had a profound influence on Greece and Rome. Extending from the borders of Greece to northern India, Persia was seen by the Greeks as a vastly wealthy and powerful rival and often as an existential threat. When the Macedonian king Alexander the Great finally conquered the Achaemenid...

"Born in Mexico City in 1942, Graciela Iturbide wants to be a writer, but her conservative family has a different idea. Although she initially follows their wishes, she soon grows restless. After tragedy strikes, she turns to photography to better understand the world. The photographic journey she embarks on takes her throughout Mexico and around the globe, introducing her to fascinating people and cultures, and eventually bringing her success and...

The story of artist Vincent van Gogh and his art-dealer brother, Theo, who were very close and who wrote long letters to each other after Vincent moved to the countryside to be inspired by and paint nature. Includes drawing and painting activities.

In 1660, at the age of thirteen, Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717) began her study of butterfly metamorphosis years before any other scientist published an accurate description of the process. Later, Merian and her daughter ventured thousands of miles from their home in the Netherlands into the rainforests of South America seeking new and amazing insects to observe and illustrate.

"Features the work of Eliot Porter, known for his innovative techniques in color photography to produce images of birds and wilderness landscapes"--