PORTRAITS OF FLIGHT Vol. 1 : An Art History of Aviation (VERY LARGE SIZE 42 cm x 35 cm x 3 cm - PERFECT FOR AN AMAZING GIFT)

This large and magnificent book, which contains such an amount of paintings, shows the History of aviation through two artist's perspectives : Paul Lengellé and Dan Murphy.

Aviation is not yet a century old, but it has behind it a remarkably rich history - a blend of explosive technological development and pioneering bravery in the exploration of the new world of the air. 
( … ) Aviation Week & Space Technology began to recognize this heritage when the publication decided in 1977 to commission a series of original paintings of milestones in the development of aviation. We were impressed with a painting by Paul Lengellé of the final phase of the crossing, in 1909, of the English Channel by Louis Blériot in the monoplace of his own design. ( ... ) After crossing the channel, the pioneering aviator had to fly along the coast until he could find a rift low enough to allow a turn inland and a search for a hospitable field. Lengellé's painting captures this operational dilemma. Lengellé's first series of paintings covered the era from the first flights of the Wright Brothers before a skeptical crowd in France to the eve of World War I and the development of the graceful, and advanced for its times, S - 6 - B biplane by Igor Sikorsky in Russia. In subsequent commissions, Lengellé dealt with the aircraft of World War I,... 
( ... ) In more recent years, Aviation Week has commissioned a series of World War II aircraft paintings by Dan Murphy, a Wisconsin artist whose works have been displayed at the Experimental Aircraft Association Museum and as limited edition prints at various galleries and at the Air Force Museum. 
( ... ) ... Aviation Week combines in one volume, Portraits of Flight, this collection of aviation art that so well reflects the trials and the triumphs of the founding years of aerospace technology. It is essential to look back at the past to see where the technology has been to gain a full measure of understanding of where the technology is going. These paintings convey a spirit of that former element, where aviation has been, that no photograph can capture.
William H. Gregory.