Masters of Art – serie

The Florentine painter Botticelli personifies the Golden Age of the early Renaissance. Best known for The Birth of Venus and Primavera, Botticelli painted with an expressive poeticism that eschewed formal realism. He used line and colour to gorgeous effect, creating some of the most beloved and familiar images of all time. Overflowing with impeccably reproduced images, this book offers full-page spreads of masterpieces as well as highlights of smaller details-allowing the viewer to appreciate every aspect of the artist's technique and oeuvre. Chronologically arranged, the book covers important biographical and historic events that reflect the latest scholarship. Additional information includes a list of works, timeline and suggestions for further reading.

Tracing the arc of van Gogh's career, this volume presents his portraits and self-portraits, landscapes, and haunting interiors. Readers will learn details of van Gogh's complicated personal life including his struggles with mental illness and his close but difficult relationship with his brother, Theo. Also included here are an anthology of paintings, information on the museums where they reside, a timeline of the painter's personal and artistic highlights, and bibliography. Overflowing with impeccably reproduced images, this book offers full-page spreads of masterpieces as well as highlights of smaller details - allowing the viewer to appreciate every aspect of the artist's technique and oeuvre. Chronologically arranged, the book covers important biographical and historic events that reflect the latest scholarship. Additional information includes a list of works, timeline, and suggestions for further reading.

Arguably the greatest artist of the Baroque period, Peter Paul Rubens was an accomplished painter and draughtsman, as well as a valued diplomat. This accessible examination of his life and work looks at every aspect of Rubens’s oeuvre; from his commissioned portraits of royalty and the nobility to his magnificent representations of ancient myths, Biblical stories, and historical events. This incisive biography traces his life as a student in Venice, where he encountered the works of Titian and Tintoretto, the establishment of his studio in Antwerp, and the lucrative patronages of Marie de Medici and Phillip IV. Full page reproductions of Rubens’s work communicate his energetic and dynamic style, along with his masterful use of color and sensuous depictions of the human body.

Picasso was arguably the most influential artist of the 20th century. Over the course of a career that spanned seven decades—and included thousands of paintings, sculptures, ceramics, drawings, prints, and tapestries—his work continued to evolve in response to his own life and to events in the world around him. This elegant introduction to Picasso offers lively artistic and biographical commentary, as well as beautiful reproductions of key works. Readers will discover why Picasso’s work is often categorised by “periods” and his masterful achievements in the realms of neoclassicism, surrealism, and sculpture—in short, how his tremendous body of work reflected the development of modern art in the 20th century.

Monet's dazzling depictions of flowers, sunsets, fields, and oceans, in which line and shape are suggested through pure colour, changed the way we perceive our natural surroundings. His numerous series, in which he depicts the same object at varying times of the day and in different seasons, pushed the limits of representational art. His final series of water lilies are considered to have ushered in the abstract movement of the twentieth century. Overflowing with images, this book offers full-page spreads of masterpieces as well as highlights of smaller details, allowing every aspect of the artist's technique and oeuvre to be appreciated. Chronologically arranged, the book covers important biographical and historic events that reflect the latest scholarship. Additional information includes a list of works, timeline and suggestions for further reading.

Celebrated for his penetrating portraits, richly detailed landscapes and evocative narrative paintings, the seventeenth century artist Rembrandt is generally considered one of Europe's greatest painters and printmakers, and the master of the Dutch School. His work is distinguished by broad brushwork, luminous palettes, and a sense of order and movement that recalls the finest Renaissance art. Overflowing with impeccably reproduced images, this book offers full-page spreads of masterpieces as well as highlights of smaller details-allowing the viewer to appreciate every aspect of the artist's technique and oeuvre. Chronologically arranged, the book covers important biographical and historic events that reflect the latest scholarship. Additional information includes a list of works, timeline and suggestions for further reading.

Although fewer than eighty of Caravaggio's painted works exist, they represent a critical moment in the development of European painting as the Renaissance style gave way to that of the Baroque. This monograph explores the Italian master's entire life and career by focusing on the most important of his works. Readers will learn about his innovative use of light and shadow, his physical and psychological realism, and his radical technique of omitting initial drawings and creating straight onto the canvas. Along the way readers will learn details of the artist's colourful, and often troubled life, as well as the important role he played in the evolution of Western painting. Overflowing with impeccably reproduced images, this book offers full-page spreads of masterpieces as well as highlights of smaller details - allowing the viewer to appreciate every aspect of the artist's technique and oeuvre. Chronologically arranged, the book covers important biographical and historic events that reflect the latest scholarship. Additional information includes a list of works, timeline, and suggestions for further reading.

Although less than twenty of Leonardo da Vinci's paintings are known to exist today, some of them - the Mona Lisa, The Last Supper, along with his drawing of the Vitruvian Man - are among the most identifiable, reproduced, and popular works in the world. This monograph explores Leonardo as not just a painter but also a scientist, naturalist, architect, and engineer, showing how the artist's oeuvre reflected his boundless curiosity and imagination. Overflowing with impeccably reproduced images, this book offers full-page spreads of masterpieces as well as highlights of smaller details - allowing the viewer to appreciate every aspect of the artist's technique and oeuvre. Chronologically arranged, the book covers important biographical and historic events that reflect the latest scholarship. Additional information includes a list of works, timeline, and suggestions for further reading.

A fifteenth-century Flemish painter who spent most of his life in Bruges, van Eyck was revered for his innovative manipulation of oil paint. Overflowing with impeccably reproduced images, this book offers full-page spreads of masterpieces as well as highlights of smaller details - allowing the viewer to appreciate every aspect of the artist's technique and oeuvre.

Considered one of the most important figures in German art ofthe nineteenth century, Caspar David Friedrich is best knownfor his dramatic and emotional paintings, which often featurecontemplative figures, sweeping landscapes, and an emphasison the sublime and the spiritual. This book takes a chronologicalapproach to Friedrich’s career, beginning with his early yearsproducing traditional religious and historical scenes. It exploreshis innovative use of light and color, and his unprecedentedtreatment of the landscape as a living, dynamic entity, rather thansimply as a backdrop or setting for other subjects.The beautifully reproduced works and details in this volume helpreaders appreciate the astounding qualities of Friedrich’s works:his palette of muted, atmospheric colors; swirling clouds, dramaticmountains, and turbulent seas; and subtle changes in light andshadow that occur throughout the day. Readers will come awaywith a renewed appreciation for Friedrich’s portrayals of thenatural world and the unique and provocatively emotive qualitiesof his work.

Although Bosch’s known works amount to no more than two dozen paintings and a handful of drawings, the artist had an enormous impact on religious imagery during his lifetime and for centuries afterward. His enigmatic and mind-bending depictions of humans, animals, and nature undoubtedly influenced the surrealist movement of the 20th century. This book explores Bosch’s works in terms of medieval morality, the religious beliefs of his time, and the Northern Renaissance in general. This elegant volume offers exquisite, full-colour reproductions that afford readers the opportunity to linger over the works’ amazing details. The accompanying text examines Bosch’s singular place in the canon of Western art, as a revolutionary portrayer of the imagination, and as a pioneer in the depiction of heaven and hell.

Egon Schiele left an enormous artistic legacy that is all the more powerful for the brevity of his career. Isabel Kuhl’s lively text follows Schiele’s trajectory from an artist in the Art Nouveau style to a powerful interpreter of human sexuality and considers the many hardships, including exile and even imprisonment, faced by Schiele as a young and rebellious artist with a singular vision. Gorgeous reproductions of his most emblematic works are presented chronologically, allowing readers to appreciate the evolution of Schiele’s radical style, his uncanny use of colour and line, and his willingness to confront an oppressive society. From unflinching portraits to precisely detailed landscapes, Schiele’s artistry shines through on every page.

Lucian Freud dedicated his life to portraying the people in his world without flattery or refinement. Although his technique and style evolved tremendously over the decades, Freud never wavered in his uncompromising standards or unsentimental approach to his subjects. This introduction to Freud’s life and oeuvre opens with an illuminating essay that explores how Freud’s adherence to realism and focus on the human figure moved him in and out of the spotlight until the 1980s when renewed international interest in painting and figuration gave his work a new significance. Stunning reproductions of key works are presented chronologically, allowing readers to see how Freud’s brushwork, composition, and use of light evolved over the decades. Whether he was painting members of the royal family or the cashier at a London nightclub, Freud imbued his portraits with psychological tension, humanity, and a profound interest in the relationship between painter and model.

Although her body of work is relatively small, Frida Kahlo has inspired adoration and admiration that few other artists have attained. This accessible and elegant book offers full page reproductions of a selection of her works, allowing for a broad appreciation of Kahlo’s use of color, composition, and texture. The biographical text informs readers of her early career, when a bus accident left her bedridden and plagued by pain, but also afforded her the chance to discover herself through painting. It follows her life, her personal relationships, and her years in America. Eckhard Hollmann explores the many themes and images of Kahlo’s work, from physical and emotional pain, to Mexican and indigenous folklore, to the flora and fauna of her beloved home. Never shying away from expressing her deepest fears and desires, championing the downtrodden with dignity and passion, Frida Kahlo remains an inspiration to any artist aiming to be true to herself while struggling against personal and political limitation.

Amedeo Modigliani experimented with sculpture and drawing, but is primarily known for his paintings of nudes and portraits characterized by elongated figures, faces, and necks. He began painting in his youth in Italy before moving to Paris in 1906, during the height of the avant-garde movement. Influenced by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Paul Cézanne, Modigliani developed his own unique, uncharacterizable style. His nudes upended traditions at the time due to their immodesty, candid sexuality, and ability to convey the subject’s personality. Because of the works’ scandalous nature, Modigliani had very little success with his paintings while he was alive. This volume features stunning full-page illustrations of Modigliani’s works, along with information about his life, including his bohemian, over-the-top lifestyle and his untimely, tragic death. Featuring some of Modigliani’s best-known works, this book gives an insightful and comprehensive overview on the artist known for modernizing figurative painting.

Marc Chagall’s remarkable oeuvre spans a variety of media; from painting, ceramics, and stained glass to illustration, tapestry, and stage sets. Regardless of the format, his singular narrative style embraced the memories of his happy childhood in Vitebsk, Russia and his roots in Jewish culture. This engaging examination of the artist and his life features stunning full- page illustrations of Chagall’s works, along with illuminating biographical details. On every page, Chagall’s genius with color and composition spring to life. Comparisons and contrasts are made to the works of other Fauve and Cubist artists among whom he lived and worked, as well as to the poetry of the era. Although he depicted the harsh anti-Semitism that his countrymen faced, Chagall nevertheless embraced a vision of humanism and tolerance that remains refreshingly poignant decades after his death.

Best known for his depictions of young dancers on the stage and in the studio, Degas was an accomplished draughtsman and portraitist of superb emotional depth. Much of his work eschewed bright colors and spontaneity for carefully studied interiors and scenes of daily life. This book explores the full range of Degas's work, from his celebrated paintings of dancers and depictions of cafe life to his pencil sketches and wax and bronze sculptures. Stunning reproductions help readers understand many aspects of Degas's oeuvre, such as his gift for capturing movement, the ways he drew inspiration from Japanese prints and Old Masters, and his experiments with color and form. A biographical text traces Degas's life from his studies at the École des Beaux-Arts and his early history paintings to his friendships with Cassatt and Manet, his reliance on painting dancers to keep him financially afloat, and his lonely, final days in Paris. Accessible and engaging, this exploration of Degas's life and art looks beyond his well-known works to reveal a talented and complicated genius.

Although Salvador Dalí’s characteristically provocative behavior and bizarre pictorial language made him an outlier in high society, his body of work reflects his century’s most important innovations and concerns. This introduction to Dalí’s work features dozens of exquisite reproductions as it traces the artist’s development, life and career. Readers will learn how he was influenced by contemporaries Miró, Ernst, and de Chirico as well as by Raphael and Gaudí. It explores his early adoption of Surrealism, his fascination with the subconscious, and his antipathy toward war. It illustrates how Dalí’s return to the Catholic church and his interest in nuclear and atomic physics was manifested in his paintings; how he experimented in film and, later, even created holograms. By making Dalí’s often perplexing art accessible to audiences of every level, this engaging introduction helps readers understand why he remains one of the most influential—and imitated—artists of all time.

16th-century Europe was a time of unprecedented economic expansion, cross-cultural trade, religious upheaval, warring empires, and scientific advancement. With unfettered access to the court of Henry VIII, Hans Holbein had a front-row seat to the royal drama and intrigue, and his detailed, highly narrative portaits tell us much about aristocracy. This volume features dozens of full-page reproductions of Holbein's key works accompanied by extensive commentary that explores his masterful portraits of prominent European figures such as Thomas More, Erasmus, and Thomas Cromwell. It also reveals the artist's talent in other media, such as woodcuts, frescoes, jewelry, and metalwork. Reproductions of these items, as well as Holbein's exquisite, palm-sized miniatures and his highly detailed studies in pencil, chalk, and ink illuminate an artist of unparalleled versatility and impressive commercial acumen.

From his earliest pointillist-influenced paintings to this mature and playful paper cut-outs; from enormous, ebullient murals to reverent stained glass--Henri Matisse was renowned for his dramatic use of color and fluid draftsmanship. Thirty of Matisse's most beloved works are given close attention in this introduction that explores the varying tensions of the artist's oeuvre--his embrace of pure color, patterns, and texture; the languorous pleasures of the Cote d'Azur; primitive displays of human ecstasy; tranquil scenes of domestic life and soaring monuments to religious life. An engaging biography takes readers through every phase of Matisse's career and reveals how his aversion to troubling or depressing subject matter was in direct opposition to the radical spirit of his work.

Gustav Klimt’s career straddled the last gasps of Vienna’s golden age and the birth of modernism. When seen through this bifurcated lens, it is easy to understand why his relatively small oeuvre created such a lasting impact. This gorgeously illustrated biography explores the unique environment in which Klimt worked—a society in which the schooling of artists was both appreciated and encouraged; a city that was pouring money into magnificently ornate architecture and portraiture; a population that was both experimenting with and suppressing freedom of thought. The full breadth of Klimt’s accomplishments is represented here—history and symbolist paintings, building decorations, murals, posters, magazine illustrations, portraits, and landscapes. Readers will learn how Klimt navigated the complex architecture of fin-de-siècle Vienna and helped found the Vienna Secession and they will see how Klimt’s style and motifs changed extensively through the years. Dozens of key works allow for close inspection of Klimt's dazzling artistry, his profound appreciation of female sensuality and his brilliant application of color and mosaic. The author draws out the importance of the relation between the plane surfaces of Klimt’s paintings and the spaces they represent, thereby raising surprising connections between his painting and his skills in the applied arts. Compact and satisfying, this book traces a singular artist’s trajectory across an ever-changing cultural landscape.

Throughout his career, Magritte subverted expectations about artists in the world by disguising himself as an unremarkable member of the bourgeoisie. While the public mined his work for symbolism and deep meaning, the truth is, that with Magritte, what you see is what you get. What readers will get with this gorgeous volume is a deeply engaging overview of Magritte’s entire career, and an eloquent argument that his Surrealist masterpieces were simply an extension of the Romantic tradition. Chronologically arranged, this volume features full- page reproductions of thirty-five works, each paired with a concise text that highlights its significance in Magritte’s catalog. In addition to greatest hits, such as Time Transfixed, 1938; The Treachery of Images, 1929; and The Lovers, 1928, the inclusion of several lesser-known works provides an overview of the range and character of Magritte’s art. Readers will become acquainted with the main figures in the artist’s life, including relatives, colleagues, rivals, and they will see how Magritte’s relationships with collectors and dealers led to the production of particular works, as well as how his theories about painting evolved over the years. Across this compact but utterly satisfying book, Magritte’s exquisite use of color, his grasp of collage and composition, and his superb gifts for invention and mood are luminously and thrillingly in evidence.

Arguably the most important movement in the history of modern art, Impressionism changed the way audiences perceived painting. This elegant and portable book overflows with images and information about the movement’s leading figures, tracing its development as different artists took up the challenge of redefining light and space in two dimensions, revealing the role of recent scientific discoveries, the changing landscape of Paris, and how audiences reacted to this seismic shift.The work of Manet, Monet, Renoir, Pissarro, Sisley, Caillebotte, Degas, Morisot, Seurat and others are given special attention, with generous, full-page illustrations of their masterpieces. Chronologically arranged, the book provides important biographical detail on the aritsts and describes historic events in the context of the latest scholarship. It also includes suggestions for further reading.

This accessible and beautifully produced volume honours the extraordinary legacy of Leonardo da Vinci, whose genius shaped the Renaissance and continues to inspire the modern world.Through stunning reproductions of his most iconic works, including The Last Supper, Mona Lisa, and The Virgin and Child with St. Anne, readers can experience the depth and brilliance of Leonardo’s artistry. These masterpieces, alongside his intricate sketches and studies, are paired with commentary that illuminates the innovative techniques, symbolism, and groundbreaking ideas that define his legacy.A concise and engaging biography traces Leonardo’s journey from his early years in Vinci to his influential career in Florence, Milan, and beyond, exploring the boundless curiosity and intellect that fueled his pursuits in art, science, and engineering. Rich contextual details highlight the cultural and historical influences on his work, offering readers a deeper understanding of his enduring impact.Compact, elegantly designed, and affordably priced, this book is ideal for both devoted admirers of Renaissance creativity and those discovering Leonardo da Vinci for the first time. Offering a compelling exploration of his life and achievements, it is an essential addition to any art lover’s collection.

One of the most influential painters of the Baroque era, Caravaggio transformed art history with his dramatic use of light and shadow and his raw, emotional realism. This beautifully produced, affordably priced book offers rich insights into his life and work in a compact, convenient format.From the striking intensity of The Calling of Saint Matthew to the poignant vulnerability of David with the Head of Goliath, Caravaggio’s masterpieces are brought to life in vivid reproductions that allow readers to appreciate every detail of his artistry.Accompanying these images are insightful explorations of his works, uncovering the groundbreaking techniques and personal turmoil that defined his style. A comprehensive biography traces Caravaggio’s meteoric rise in Rome, his volatile temperament, and the dramatic twists of his short life, offering a compelling portrait of an artist who was as passionate and unpredictable as the works he created.Perfect for both seasoned art connoisseurs and those newly discovering the wonders of early Baroque painting, this book invites readers to experience the genius of an artist whose bold vision continues to captivate audiences centuries later.