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- The Soul of a Tree: A Master Woodworkers Reflections
The Soul of a Tree: A Master Woodworkers Reflections
*corner slight damage
by George Nakashima
"From [Nakashima’s] tables and chairs flows the unadorned beauty of the rhythms of nature." --Smithsonian
"Today’s increasing reverence for nature, truth, simplicity, and the independent spirit makes the life, work, and philosophy of George Nakashima especially meaningful." --Town & Country
"Today’s increasing reverence for nature, truth, simplicity and the independent spirit makes the life, work and philosophy of George Nakashima especially meaningful." --Town & Country
On a farmlike compound near New Hope, Pennsylvania, George Nakashima, his family, and fellow wood-workers create exquisite furniture from richly grained, rare timber. Tables, desks, chairs, and cabinets from this simple workshop grace the homes and mansions and executive boardrooms of people who prize such excellence.
In this lavishly illustrated volume, George Nakashima allows us in intimate look at his artistry, his philosophy, his life. It is the portrait of an artisan who strives to find the ideal use for each plank in order to "create an object of utility to man and, if nature smiles, an object of lasting beauty."
The author's search for the meaning of life took him as a young man to Paris, Tokyo, and Pondicherry, India. In India, he found the inner peace for which he had been searching and began to find ways to work with timber.
He writes movingly about the grandeur of ancient trees and stunning figured woods and explains how he selects and prepares his materials. Above all, he impresses us with his devotion to discovering the inherent beauty of wood so that noble trees might have a second life as furniture.
The Soul of a Tree looks at the world through the eyes of an artist and evokes the joy of living in harmony with nature.
George Nakashima (1905-1990) was an American master woodworker, architectural designer, MIT graduate, and native of Seattle, Washington. In addition to numerous other projects, he designed Golconda, the primary disciples' residence at the Sri Aurobindo Ashram; furnishings for the country home of the Nelson A. Rockefeller; and interiors for Columbia University. His work was exhibited at many institutions including the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Renwick Gallery, Washington, D.C.; and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. He was awarded the Gold Medal for craftsmanship by the American Institute of Architects, named a Fellow of the American Craft Council, and received the first major retrospective in the "America's Living National Treasures" series at the American Craft Museum.
Kodansha USA
paperback
English
January 1, 2012
First edition
224 pages
8.8 x 0.7 x 11.7 inches