Art Masters – serie

Widely revered for as a feminist icon and as a ground-breaking Mexican artist, Frida Kahlo led a fascinating life. In this insightful guide, the author takes a look at the influences on Kahlo's work: her early childhood; the fascination with the mythology of earlier Mexican civilisations and Mexicanidad; surrealism; and portraiture as well as exploring the works for which she became so renowned. Showcasing her full-color artwork throughout, this is a great introduction to one of the 20th century's most popular female artists.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Art Masters series brings together beautiful hardback monographs of some of the most significant artists in history, looking at their lives, techniques and inspirations, as well as presenting a lavish selection of their best work.

Step into the bold, brilliant world of Henri Matisse - the colour revolutionary who reshaped modern art.Celebrated for his daring palette and fearless reinvention, Matisse helped ignite the Fauvist movement and left an artistic legacy that still dazzles today.This vibrant, full-colour introduction charts Matisse's journey from his childhood in northern France to his student days in Paris, where he discovered the magic of Poussin, Watteau, Manet and Pissarro. Along the way, readers meet Matisse the rule-breaker: the "wild beast" whose Fauvist works scandalised critics; the friend and rival whose long, electric relationship with Picasso defined an era; and the visionary who swapped the paintbrush for scissors to pioneer his radiant découpage.Richly illustrated throughout, the book reveals how Matisse honed his mastery of colour, line and form, and closes with a thoughtful look at the artists who followed in his footsteps and continue to draw inspiration from his work.ABOUT THE SERIES: Art Masters showcases beautifully produced hardback monographs on the world's most influential artists. Each volume explores the artist's life, techniques and spark of inspiration-paired with lavish reproductions that celebrate their finest creations.

He did not paint his pictures; it was like he exhaled them in a gasping, boiling breath - Julius Meier-GraefVan Gogh's distinctive style of expressive brushstrokes and bold colors is now world famous, but during his lifetime the artist was met with cold disinterest from his contemporaries. This book explores the fascinating life story of this tortured soul, who came late to art and suffered throughout his life from anxiety and depression. It unravels the influences behind his artworks, from the luminous landscapes of the south of France to the Japanese woodblock prints he so admired, and explores how he developed his own unique style. This detailed monograph features Van Gogh's major works and examines the light they shed on this enigmatic character, serving as a wonderful introduction to one of the best artists of all time.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Art Masters series brings together beautiful hardback monographs of some of the most significant artists in history, looking at their lives, techniques and inspirations, as well as presenting a lavish selection of their best work.

This lavishly illustrated full-colour hardback explores the life and work of French impressionist painter Claude Monet, alongside a selection of his best work.Claude Monet's tranquil water-lily paintings and rural landscape scenes are among some of the most treasured artworks of the 19th and 20th centuries. Hailed as the 'Prince of Impressionism' for his pioneering role in the French artistic movement, Monet is widely recognised for his free brushstroke and experimentation with colour and natural light. In this beautifully illustrated book, Ann Sumner explores the life of this prodigious painter and the subjects that obsessed him: the cliffs of the Normandy coastline, the palazzos of Venice, the railway stations of Paris, the great edifice of Rouen Cathedral, and his beloved garden at Giverny. Showcasing a selection of his best-loved and lesser-known paintings alongside fascinating biographic detail, this guide serves as a perfect introduction to Monet and the evolution of his iconic style. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Art Masters series brings together beautiful hardback monographs of some of the most significant artists in history, looking at their lives, techniques and inspirations, as well as presenting a lavish selection of their best work.

This beautifully illustrated hardback is a guide to the life and work of Gustav Klimt, featuring a spectacular selection of his artwork throughout.Klimt is one of the most influential artists of the Art Nouveau movement, first achieving fame as a decorative painter before turning to portraiture and erotic art. The decorative style persisted in his work, leading to abstract compositions with flattened, glowing surfaces embellished with gold and silver leaf. This technique is perhaps best identified in Klimt's two portraits of Adele Bloch Bauer.The book serves as a perfect introduction to Klimt's work, showcasing a selection of his paintings as well as providing fascinating biographical detail.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Art Masters series brings together beautiful hardback monographs of some of the most significant artists in history, looking at their lives, techniques and inspirations, as well as presenting a lavish selection of their best work.

This lavishly illustrated full-colour hardback explores the life and work of French modernist painter Eduard Manet, alongside a selection of his best work.Manet was one of the first artists in the 19th century to paint modern life and everyday subjects, including the then scandalous Le dejeuner sur l'herbe. Recognized for his paintings of bars and other everyday meeting places, Manet marked the transition from realism to the looser, freer style that signaled the beginnings of modern art.Art historian Ann Sumner explores the contribution he made to the art world, particularly his embracing of ordinary people as appropriate artistic subjects. She also analyses his technique, the materials he used, and showcases his most iconic paintings - including Olympia, A Bar at the Folies-Bergere and Corner of a Café-Concert - alongside fascinating biographical detail. Featuring timelines and information boxes, this addition to the Art Masters series provides a wonderful introduction to this influential modernist painter.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Art Masters series brings together beautiful hardback monographs of some of the most significant artists in history, looking at their lives, techniques and inspirations, as well as presenting a lavish selection of their best work.

This beautifully illustrated full-colour hardback explores the life and work of Pierre-Auguste Renoir, alongside a selection of his best artwork.Pierre-Auguste Renoir was one of the foremost Impressionist artists, known for his en plein air scenes of middle-class leisure. But Renoir's primary interest lay indoors, in depictions of sensuous female nudes and intimate domestic scenes, painted in a warm, bright palette. This book explores the life and work of this leading light of Impressionism, showcasing his best-loved artwork alongside fascinating biographical detail. It also examines the development of his artistic practices, which began to diverge from many other Impressionist painters as he incorporated some elements of a classical style into his work.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Art Masters series brings together beautiful hardback monographs of some of the most significant artists in history, looking at their lives, techniques and inspirations, as well as presenting a lavish selection of their best work.

This beautifully illustrated full-colour hardback explores the life and work of one of the leading lights of Post-Impressionism, Paul Gauguin, alongside a selection of his incredible artwork.Paul Gauguin's mature oil paintings, with their brilliant hues and strong outlines, are among the most beautiful and groundbreaking works of nineteenth-century art. His vision of a tropical arcadia in the South Seas has beguiled generations of gallery goers, but a close look at his life and art reveals a complex man in constant search for an elusive paradise. Caroline Bugler explores Gauguin's extensive travels and artistic experiments, many of them driven by a strong desire to explore the unknown, and to discover what he saw as the 'savage' aspect of his own nature. Examples of his work are included, such as Tahitian Women on the Beach and Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?. These are featured alongside timelines and feature spreads on key themes, including Gauguin's tumultuous time living with Van Gogh in Arles. This new addition to Art Masters series tells the story of this astonishingly original artist, who bent the rules in art and life.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Art Masters series brings together beautiful hardback monographs of some of the most significant artists in history, looking at their lives, techniques and inspirations, as well as presenting a lavish selection of their best work.

This lavishly illustrated full-colour hardback explores the life and work of Renaissance master Michelangelo, alongside a selection of his best work.Michelangelo (1475-1564) was the ultimate Renaissance man: not just a painter, but a sculptor, architect and poet besides. He began his career as a sculptor, creating his famous works Pieta and David in his twenties. A master of the human figure, his understanding of its expressive possibilities remains striking, perhaps unparalleled, to this day. Art historian Susan Hodge charts his remarkable life, from his training with the painter Ghirlandaio and at the Medici family's Humanist academy, to the high-stakes, high profile commissions of Pope Julius II, including the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, the Last Judgement on the altar wall, and Julius II's own tomb.Featuring timelines, textboxes and accessible analysis of his major works, this beautifully illustrated hardback makes a wonderful introduction to this incredible artist master.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Art Masters series brings together beautiful hardback monographs of some of the most significant artists in history, looking at their lives, techniques and inspirations, as well as presenting a lavish selection of their best work.

It is with justice that they call Rembrandt - magician - that's no easy occupation. - Vincent Van Gogh This beautifully illustrated full-colour hardback explores the life and career of Rembrandt alongside a selection of his celebrated artwork.From his breath-taking Biblical scenes to his sombre self-portraits, Rembrandt's artwork flourished in the Dutch Golden Age. Art historian Beth McIntyre examines the highs and lows of his artistic career as he became a society painter with a renowned studio in Amsterdam, showing how he strived to innovate, and find new ways of painting and printmaking. And finally, she explores his impact on thosewho succeeded him, including van Gogh and Manet.Packed with timelines, information boxes and a selection of his best paintings, this installment of the Art Masters series explores the legacy of this renowned Dutch Baroque artist.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Art Masters series brings together beautiful hardback monographs of some of the most significant artists in history, looking at their lives, techniques and inspirations, as well as presenting a lavish selection of their best work.