The 2022 "World's Most Beautiful Book" awards were unveiled today in Leipzig, Germany. Although still affected by the global COVID-19 pandemic, the German Book Art Foundation, the organizing committee of the "World's Most Beautiful Book", received more than 500 book entries from nearly 30 countries and regions this year. After careful selection, the international jury selected 14 works to be awarded the title of "World's Most Beautiful Book" in 2022. Jiangsu Phoenix Fine Arts Publishing House's "Water: Wang Muyu's Works" won this year's "World's Most Beautiful Book" honorary award.
The "World's Most Beautiful Book" judges commented on "Water: Wang Muyu's Portfolio" as follows: The book focuses on a high level of pictorial reproduction, without any text or even page numbers. The books are opened layer by layer, and the information and paintings are divided into two separate books without interfering with each other. Although the layout of each page is different, once the folded pages are expanded, they present a flowing picture. The different surfaces of the water seem to be connected together, but not only are the waters connected, the book is fully unfolded, and the length and thickness of the pages form the undulating of the sea surface, with a sense of flow. On the other hand, the structure and content of the index provides a good guide and explanation for the subject, and it is obvious that they all face the sea. The exquisite printing of this book is a good restoration of the artist's original work. The indecoded waves at the edges of the green envelope are like calm streaks of water, quietly waiting to be opened.
The reporter learned that this book is a collection of works by artist Wang Muyu, the book designer is Qu Minmin, Jiang Qian, the creative inspiration comes from the Southern Song Dynasty Ma Yuan's "Water Map" volume, the artist re-read and reconstructed it, all the works only paint the water pattern part, other mountain stone trees and houses, boat people, are presented in a blank manner, the album is so named "Water".
The reporter learned that in the design of the book, the designer hopes to echo the artist's thinking about the work, through the improvement of the traditional binding form, so that the whole book presents a contemporary sense. The indecoded waves at the edges of the green envelope are like calm streaks of water, quietly waiting to be opened.
The green paper wrapped in the envelope is vaguely printed with the word "water" Chinese lines.
The layers are opened, and the information of the works and the paintings are divided into two volumes without interfering with each other. Among them, the first volume of work information is line-bound, spot color printing; a volume of painting works is traditional Chinese warp folding, hoping that through such an opening method, the reader's perspective can become more diverse and open.
The folding not only links the water surface of each work together, but at the same time, when the whole book is infinitely elongated, the rise and fall of the paper is like a horizontal plane.
Founded in 1963, "The World's Most Beautiful Book" is an annual global book design selection event sponsored by the German Book Art Foundation, which is dedicated to judging the unique charm of books from the perspective of professional design, and the works of books must first receive the national and regional awards of which they are published, or can be recommended by a team of professional experts.
This year, China, Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Japan, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, South Korea, Sweden, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine, Venezuela and other countries and regions have selected and sent books to participate in the selection. Entries from Luxembourg, Russia and Switzerland, which were received more than the deadline due to transportation, etc., were not shortlisted on the basis of impartiality.
At the beginning of February this year, five judges screened the shortlisted works from nearly 30 countries and regions at the German National Library in Leipzig, and then through online discussion and online final evaluation, 14 winning books were selected, which were from China, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Japan, Austria and Ukraine. This year's Golden Character Award and one Gold Medal were won by the Netherlands.
Yangzi Evening News/Purple Cow News reporter Huang Yanwen