The four arts books you need to read this month: July

Flying Too Close to the Sun

Introduction by James Cahill

The stories of Odysseus and the Cyclops, Pandora’s box, and Icarus and his waxen wings are engrained in our cultural psyche.

For over 3,500 years, writers and artists have adapted and imbued these stories with multiple meanings, whether drawing upon them to reinforce the values of a specific era, or interpreting them as allegorical representations of human emotions.
 
In this work – the first major survey of its kind – classicist James Cahill and Phaidon editors examine how artists from antiquity to the present have responded to these mythological characters. From 1st-century frescos to polystyrene statues, Tracey Emin to Botticelli, this book features paintings, photography, video art and installation as part of a comprehensive chronology of art. Artworks include Narcissus, Caravaggio’s 16th-century portrait of the young man who fell in love with his own reflection; and Richard Deacon’s sculpture Laocoön, which depicts the eponymous Trojan priest’s attack by two sea serpents.
 
A fusion of old and new, this title draws on our global fascination with classical mythology – and its enduring legacy.
 
Published by Phaidon; uk.phaidon.com; £39.95

Fifty Treasures of the North West

The Arts Society North West

Discover the hidden gems of northwest England in this work by The Arts Society North West Area. Published to coincide with The Arts Society’s golden anniversary, the book reveals treasures including the 8th-century Loki Stone in the parish church of Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria, which depicts the god of Norse mythology.
 
To purchase a copy, contact The Arts Society House (enquiries@theartssociety.org or 020 7430 0730) or The Arts Society North West Area team.
 
Published by ZPQ Designs; £5

On Color

David Scott Kastan with Stephen Farthing

From associations with emotional states to self-expression, colour shapes our psychological and social existence. Yet, despite its role in our lives, the phenomenon of colour is often elusive. In this work, scholar David Scott Kastan and artist Stephen Farthing discuss subjects from Homer to the Iranian Revolution to explore this aspect of everyday experience.
 
Published by Yale University Press; yalebooks.yale.edu; £25

Modernists & Mavericks: Bacon, Freud, Hockney & the London Painters

Martin Gayford

The post-war era in London saw a transformational period of innovation in painting. Artists including David Hockney, Bridget Riley, Lucian Freud and Francis Bacon moved from traditional forms to experiment with new possibilities. Featuring enlightening interview material and compelling analysis, art critic Martin Gayford’s book brings this vibrant period in UK art history to life for 21st-century readers.
           
Thames & Hudson; thamesandhudson.com; £24.95