50 Art Movements You Should Know by
The latest volume in this beautifully produced and affordable series introduces readers to the major developments in the history of modern art--from Realism to the New Leipzig School. The story of modern art begins with a revolution--when the realists started rejecting romanticism in favor of depicting life as it really was. Since that movement began in the mid- 19th century, painters have been rebelling, rethinking, deconstructing, and challenging notions of what art is. Filled with stunning reproductions of some of the world's greatest masterpieces, this reference book offers a chronological journey through artistic revolutions. Each movement is presented in a series of informative presentations--a concise definition and description; full-page and smaller detailed color illustrations; and in-depth profiles of the artists crucial to the style's development. Covering a wide range of movements both familiar and obscure, this accessible and informative volume is a perfect introduction for readers interested in art's constantly evolving story.. 100 illustrations
ART by
This reference for instant access to the world's great art, more than just the usual survey of Western art, captures the great artists, art movements, and cultures from all over the world.
The Art of Looking at Art by
A readable guide to the art of looking at art. There's an art to viewing art. A sizable portion of the population regards art with varying degrees of reverence, bewilderment, suspicion, contempt, and intimidation. Most people aren't sure what to do when standing before a work of art, besides gaze at it for what they hope is an acceptable amount of time, and even those who visit galleries and museums regularly aren't always as well versed as they wish they could be. This book will help remedy that situation and answer many of the most frequently asked questions pertaining to the matter of art in general: When was the first art made? Who decides which art is "for the ages"? What is art's purpose? How do paintings get to be worth tens of millions of dollars? Where do artists get their ideas? The Art of Viewing Art addresses these and countless more of the issues surrounding this frequently misunderstood microcosm, in a highly informative, yet conversational tone. History, fascinating and altogether human backstories, and information pertaining to every conceivable aspect of visual art are interwoven in twelve concise chapters, providing all the information the average person needs to comfortably approach, analyze, and appreciate art. Readers with a background in art will learn a few new things as well. This beautiful full-color book includes 45 full-page reproductions.
The Cambridge Illustrated History of Prehistoric Art by
Beautifully illustrated in colour with many rare and unique photographs, prints, and drawings, The Cambridge Illustrated History of Prehistoric Art presents the first balanced and truly world-wide survey of prehistoric art. The book also offers the first detailed account of how the world of scholarship became aware of the existence of prehistoric art, reproducing the very earliest drawings by explorers and surveyors from the 1600s onwards to create a unique pictorial as well as discursive resource. With this powerful combination of illustration and analysis, Paul Bahn describes what prehistoric art is and the different ways in which it can shed light on the lives and preoccupations of our ancestors: sexual, humorous, social, economic, and religious.
A Chronology of Art by
Most surveys of the history of art are divided into historic periods, artistic schools, and movements. In reality, movements and artists' careers overlap and intertwine, reacting to events in the world around them. By prioritizing a purely chronological approach, A Chronology of Art illuminates these relationships from a fresh perspective and places the developments of the art world into context with one another.Structured around a central timeline covering Ancient & Medieval, Renaissance & Baroque, Rococo & Neoclassicism, Romanticism & Beyond, and The Modern Era, the book features lavish illustrations of artworks, together with commentaries, and lively "In Focus" features with information about the social, stylistic, technical, political, and cultural events of each period.This approach reveals little- known connections: the most illustrious Neoclassical painting (David's Oath of the Horatii) was executed just a couple of years after one of the best-known Romantic scenes (Fuseli's The Nightmare); and American artist James Whistler, who had attended West Point Military Academy, was creating his finest work in Europe at the very time when his homeland was being torn apart by civil war.
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists by
Based on the acclaimed Oxford Dictionary of Art, this is an authoritative and up-to-date guide to Western art from ancient Greece to the present day. For this third edition, new entries have been added on younger, contemporary artists such as Damien Hirst, Julian Schnabel, and RachelWhiteread, and many of the existing entries have been thoroughly revised and updated.With over 2,500 entries, arranged in A-Z order for ease of reference, this is an ideal book for students and for anyone who enjoys visiting art galleries and exhibitions. There are entries on artists, painting, sculpture, the graphic arts, leading collectors, dealers, and patrons, museums andgalleries, and materials and techniques, many enlivened by quotations from artists and critics. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists is an engaging and reliable companion for anyone with an interest in the history of art - from Giotto to Gilbert and George.
Global Art by
An essential guide tothe multifaceted andincreasingly connectedglobal art communityfrom 1900 to today. Global Art introduces some of the most significant art movements of the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries that have challenged the status quo. Featuring fifty artistic developments from every continent, this volume covers movements born of decolonization, marginalization, and conflict. Ranging from the Saqqakhaneh artists of Iran to the Stridentists of Mexico, Experimental Workshop of Japan to America's AfriCOBRA, it chronicles groups that have empowered and given voice to their members. Packed with bold and illuminating illustrations, the book demonstrates the distinct but connected roles of global movements in creating cross-cultural dialogues in today's art world. Journalist Jessica Lack provides historical context for each art movement, key cultural events, and interconnections, bringing to life the protagonists in each movement's evolution.
The Oxford History of Western Art by
The Oxford History of Western Art is the new authority on the development of visual culture in the West over the last 2700 years, from the classical period to the end of the twentieth century.OHWA is an innovative and challenging reappraisal of how the history of art can be presented and understood. None of the currently available general histories of art offers the wealth of perspectives and cross-media references of this book. Through a carefully devised modular structure, readersare given insights not only into how and why works of art were created, but also how works in different media relate to each other across time. Here - uniquely - is not the simple, linear 'story' of art, but a rich series of stories, told from varying viewpoints.The founding principle of the book has been to use carefully selected groupings of pictures to give readers a sense of the visual 'texture' of the various periods and episodes covered. The 167 illustration groups, supported by explanatory text and picture captions, create a sequence of 'visualtours' - not merely a procession of individually 'great' works viewed in isolation, but juxtapositions of significant images that powerfully convey a sense of the visual environments in which works of art need to be viewed in order to be understood and appreciated. The aim throughout has been tomake the shape and nature of these visual presentations a stimulating and rewarding experience, allowing readers to become active participants in the process of interpretation and synthesis.Another key feature of the narrative is the re-definition of traditional period boundaries. Rather than relying on conventional labels such as Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, etc., five major phases of significant historical change are established that unlock longer and more meaningfulcontinuities:* The art of classical antiquity, from c.600 BC to the fall of Rome in AD 410* The establishment of visual culture in Europe from 410 to 1527 (the sack of papal Rome)* European visual regimes from 1527 to 1770* The era of revolutions 1770 to 1914* Modernism and after, 1914 to 2000This new framework shows how the major religious and secular functions of art have been forged, sustained, transformed, revived, and revolutionized over the ages; how the institutions of Church and State have consistently aspired to make art in their own image; and how the rise of art historyitself has come to provide the dominant conceptual framework within which artists create, patrons patronize, collectors collect, galleries exhibit, dealers deal, and art historians write.The text has been written by a team of 50 specialist authors working under the direction of Professor Martin Kemp, one of the UK's most distinguished art historians. Whilst bringing their own expertise and vision to their sections, each author was also asked to relate their text to a number ofunifying themes and issues, including written evidence, physical contexts, patronage, viewing and reception, techniques, gender and racial issues, centres and peripheries, media and condition, the notion of 'art', and current presentations.Though the coverage of topics focuses on European notions of art and their transplantation and transformation in North America, space is also given to cross-fertilizations with other traditions - including the art of Latin America, the Soviet Union, India, Africa (and Afro-Caribbean), Australia,and Canada. Professor Kemp and his team similarly deal generously with the applied arts and reproductive media such as photography and prints.The result is a vibrant, vigorous, and revolutionary account of Western art serving both as an inspirational introduction for the general reader and an authoritative source of reference and guidance for students.
Understanding Art by
UNDERSTANDING ART provides a balanced approach to appreciating art, incorporating coverage of masterworks from the past and present. Author Lois Fichner-Rathus combines a conversational writing style with rich images, all designed to inspire understanding of the art that surrounds you in everyday life.
Black Artists in America: from the Great Depression to Civil Rights by
Exploring how artists at midcentury addressed the social issues of their day--from Jacob Lawrence to Elizabeth Catlett, Rose Piper to Charles White This timely book surveys the varied ways in which Black American artists responded to the political, social, and economic climate of the United States from the time of the Great Depression through the landmark Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka decision. Featuring paintings, sculptures, and works on paper by artists including Jacob Lawrence, Horace Pippin, Augusta Savage, Charles White, Elizabeth Catlett, Norman Lewis, Walter Augustus Simon, Loïs Mailou Jones, and more, the book recognizes the contributions Black artists made to Social Realism and abstraction as they debated the role of art in society and community. Black artists played a vital part in midcentury art movements, and the inclusive policies of government programs like the Works Progress Administration brought more of these artists into mainstream circles. In three chapters, Earnestine Jenkins discusses the work of Black artists during this period; the perspective of Black women artists with a focus on the sculpture of Augusta Savage; and the pedagogy of Black American art through the art and teaching of Walter Augustus Simon.
The Art and Architecture of Ancient Egypt by
The civilization of Ancient Egypt extended from the fourth millennium BC to the conquest of Alexander. The Egyptians in their tombs recreated life for the dead in a naturalistic way, often against the background of the landscape in which they lived. They also left revealing portraits ranging from the civil servants of the kings to the kings and queens themselves who built the pyramids at Giza and Saqqara; the tombs at Thebes, including the treasure-filled burial-place of Tut-ankh-amon; the temples of Luxor and Karnak and the palaces of Akhenaten at Tell el Amarna and of Amenhotep III at Thebes.
The Royal Tombs of Egypt: the Art of Thebes Revealed by
The Valley of the Kings is famous throughout the world as the burial place of the great New Kingdom pharaohs. Many of the royal tombs contain astonishing wall paintings of the king with various gods and goddesses, as well as papyri, mummies, decorated coffins and other artifacts. Here now is the first ever book to reproduce the wall paintings and murals in full. Beautifully illustrated in colour throughout, this volume allows the reader to join the pharaohs of the New Kingdom on their journey to immortality.
Women in the Picture: What Culture Does with Female Bodies by
Art historian Catherine McCormack challenges how culture teaches us to see and value women, their bodies, and their lives. Venus, maiden, wife, mother, monster--women have been bound so long by these restrictive roles, codified by patriarchal culture, that we scarcely see them. Catherine McCormack illuminates the assumptions behind these stereotypes whether writ large or subtly hidden. She ranges through Western art--think Titian, Botticelli, and Millais--and the image-saturated world of fashion photographs, advertisements, and social media, and boldly counters these depictions by turning to the work of women artists like Morisot, Ringgold, Lacy, and Walker, who offer alternative images for exploring women's identity, sexuality, race, and power in more complex ways.
100 Years, 100 Artworks by
This dazzling book showcases the history of modern and contemporary art using one hundred of the most significant art works--one per year--of the past 100 years. Starting with Marcel Duchamp's 1919 whimsical, brilliant L.H.O.O.Q., this compendium offers a year-by-year tour of iconic paintings, photographs, sculptures, installations, and performance pieces from all over the world. The works are carefully selected to showcase a diverse range of artists. Read from cover to cover, this volume offers an evocative summary of stylistic trends, historic events, and technological innovations that changed art over the past 100 years. Opening the book to any random page will illuminate a singular perspective and aesthetic delight. Each work is impeccably reproduced and presented in double-page spreads alongside informative and engaging texts. From Georgia O'Keeffe and Man Ray to Kara Walker and Ai Weiwei, this unique survey will both satisfy and surprise art lovers everywhere.
Ancient Art from the Barbier-Mueller Museum by 
Art in History by
Art in History provides an illuminating overview of humanity's long tradition of creation, from the earliest cave paintings to contemporary installations.By relating works of art -- primarily painting, sculpture, and graphics, but also major architectural monuments -- to the societies in which they were created, Dr. Silver intensifies the reader's understanding of humanity's most famous and enduring images. Each chapter surveys a historical era, presenting its major figures against a background of social forces that helped shape their creativity. Non-Western cultures are included as counterpoints, and a careful balance is established between long-acknowledged masters and those whose achievements have been recognized only recently.
Art Past, Art Present by
"Art Past Art Present brings to life the history of art, from prehistoric times to the present day, with analyses of works of art, artists, patrons, and techniques from around the world." "With a new design and many new illustrations, this edition retains the elements that have been justly praised in earlier editions: introductory overviews offering a Brief Insight into each major period; Timelines which further enhance our understanding of the historical, geographical and cultural context of artworks; over twenty color maps; boxed essays on Techniques in art and architecture; Art Past Art Present boxes, illuminating the relationship between the art being discussed and our modern world; a series of Theme Spreads presenting groups of works from different periods and locations that can be more fully understood when seen in the context of other works representing the same theme. The authors have made liberal use of quotation from historical documents, and key terms are highlighted and defined in the Glossary."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Arts and Ideas by 
A History of Western Art by
From the earliest cave paintings to the contemporary art scene, this illustrated volume explains the art of the west in its context.
Baroque Art by
The Baroque period lasted from the beginning of the seventeenth century to the middle of the eighteenth century. Rich in images encompassing the arts of painting, sculpture and architecture, this work offers a complete and didactic insight into this passionate period in the history of art, and will thus appeal to a large audience
The Master Painters of the Dutch Golden Age by 
Masters of Italian Baroque Painting by
The range and scope of the works presented in this volume is truly impressive, from the ruggedness of Salvator Rosa’s landscapes and sweeping gestures and visual richness of Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo to the dramatic shadows and relief of Gentileschi. The volume features signature works by Canaletto, Caravaggio, Carlo Dolci, Artemisia Gentileschi, Guercino, Sebastiano Ricci, Salvator Rosa and Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo. To this day the works by Caravaggio, Gentileschi and Tiepolo in particular are recognized as masterpieces in which Italian baroque painting reached the pinnacle of its development in terms of visual excitement and movement.Works by lesser-known artists such as Gioacchino Assereto, Alessandro Turchi, Lorenzo de Caro and Filippo Falciatore also find their featured place as well alongside those of their great masters.
Rembrandt - His Life and Works in 500 Images by
The renowned Dutch artist Rembrandt van Rijn was born in the 17th century at a time known as the Golden Age of Dutch Art. After leaving university to study painting, he worked on scenes of contemporary life in Amsterdam that soon demonstrated his mastery of light and shade, as well as his rich sense of colour. Quickly becoming established as a giant in the art world, he was equally skilled at producing etchings, portraits, self-portraits, landscapes and drawings. Although successful in his work, Rembrandt's personal life was marred by sadness; three of his four children died young, as did his wife, in 1642. In the same year, he painted The Night Watch, a brilliant work depicting city guardsmen and capturing the vitality, movement and personality of each person. Despite his enormous success, Rembrandt lived beyond his means and had to resort to auctioning his house at 4 Jodenbreestraat and its contents to pay his debts. However, he continued painting, and to this day still inspires younger artists and admirers all over the world. The first part of this richly illustrated volume explores Rembrandt's early life in Leiden in The Netherlands, his friends and family, his education and relationships, and his attempt at bringing up his own family. From his birth in 1606, it details the progression of his prodigious talent, his mastery of chiaroscuro and his amazing artistic skill. This volume presents shows many drawings and etchings, including some that illustrated stories in the Bible; several were large, dramatic canvases in the elaborate Baroque style.Rembrandt was fascinated by the work of many Italian artists, especially Caravaggio, whose new Baroque style inspired and influenced many young painters. Caravaggio's disciples became known as the "Caravaggisti". Some hint of this style is seen in Rembrandt's grand Biblical scenes, such as Moses Smashes the Tablets of the Law or Return of the Prodigal Son. Rembrandt's achievements and influences are traced through his life story, through archive and contemporary images and through examples of his paintings. In the second part of the book, a comprehensive gallery shows more than 300 significant works of Rembrandt, from The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp, 1632 and The Holy Family, c.1645, to Self Portrait with Two Circles, c.1665-9 and The Storm on the Sea of Galilee, 1633. These wonderful paintings are accompanied by an informed description of each painting or drawing, the techniques used, and their context in the artist s life and body of work as a whole.This beautiful volume is indispensable for anyone who wants to learn more about this intriguing artist and to enjoy looking at hundreds of his most iconic works in one glorious collection. An expert and in-depth reference book on the life and works of the influential Dutch painter and etcher, Rembrandt van RijnA fascinating biography explores his early years, his personal life and the historical context of the early 17th century Describes his creative progress and the artistic influences that led him to develop his art from the grand Baroque to a less exuberant style Includes a stunning gallery of all his greatest and most significant works, with expert analysis of his style and techniqueBeautifully illustrated with 500 reproductions of paintings and drawings
Rubens - His Life and Works in 500 Images by
Peter Paul Rubens was one of the most productive and exciting painters of his time, noted for his expressive, emotive and sensual paintings which are now instantly recognizable. Indeed, his voluptuous female figures have given rise to the word 'Rubenesque'. This book explores the life and times of Rubens, from his early studies in Italy through to his apprenticeship in Antwerp and his subsequent outstanding accomplishments as 'the prince of painters and the painter of princes'. It also contains a gallery of 300 of his paintings and drawings, revealing his unparalleled position as an artist, diplomat, scholar, linguist, teacher, art collector and devoted family man.
Traces of Vermeer by
Johannes Vermeer's luminous paintings are loved and admired around the world, yet we do not understand how they were made. We see sunlit spaces; the glimmer of satin, silver, and linen; we see the softness of a hand on a lute string or letter. We recognise the distilled impression of a momentof time; and we feel it to be real.We might hope for some answers from the experts, but they are confounded too. Even with the modern technology available, they do not know why there is no evidence of any preliminary drawing; why there are shifts in focus; and why his pictures are unusually blurred. Some wonder if he might possiblyhave used a camera obscura to capture what he saw before him. The few traces Vermeer has left behind tell us little: there are no letters or diaries; and no reports of him at work.Jane Jelley has taken a new path in this detective story. A painter herself, she has worked with the materials of his time: the cochineal insect and lapis lazuli; the sheep bones, soot, earth, and rust. She shows us how painters made their pictures layer by layer; she investigates old secrets; andhears travellers' tales. She explores how Vermeer could have used a lens in the creation of his masterpieces.The clues were there all along. After all this time, now we can unlock the studio door, and catch a glimpse of Vermeer inside, painting light.
Byzantine Art by
The opulence of Byzantine art, with its extravagant use of gold and silver, is well known. Highly skilled artists created powerful representations reflecting and promoting this society and its values in icons, illuminated manuscripts, and mosaics and wallpaintings placed in domed churches andpublic buildings. This complete introduction to the whole period and range of Byzantine art combines immense breadth with interesting historical detail.Robin Cormack overturns the myth that Byzantine art remained constant from the inauguration of Constantinople, its artistic centre, in the year 330 until the fall of the city to the Ottomans in 1453. He shows how the many political and religious upheavals of this period produced a wide range ofstyles and developments in art. This updated, colour edition includes new discoveries, a revised bibliography, and, in a new epilogue, a rethinking of Byzantine Art for the present day.
The Arts in Prehistoric Greece by
Originally published in 1978 by Penguin Books.
Greek & Roman Art by
For more than two thousand years the art of Greece and Rome has been hugely influential throughout the Western world. This book recaptures the passion and inspiration that first drove ancient artists to create the art that continues to captivate us to this day. It traces the daring innovations of those who, defying traditional wisdom, explored new ideas; it describes the noble struggles of sculptors and painters to portray both the complexities of the human form and the richness of human emotions.In Greek and Roman Art, classical art expert Susan Woodford illuminates the achievements of classical art and architecture in a concise, coherent breakdown of styles from Archaic Greece to the Roman Empire. Intelligent, clear, and compelling, this indispensable guide gives readers all the information they need to approach ancient art with confidence.
Greek Art by
First published in the early 1960s, this history of Greek art has beenenlarged and rewritten. It takes into account new finds as well as newideas and attitudes to the subject, and emphasizes that Greek artshould be seen in its proper context, not that of galleries andmuseums.
An Introduction to Greek Art: Sculpture and Vase Painting in the Archaic and Classical Periods by 
Classicisms by
As an aesthetic ideal, classicism is often associated with a conventional set of rules founded on supposedly timeless notions such as order, reason, and decorum. As a result, it is sometimes viewed as rigid, outdated, or stodgy. But in actuality, classicism is far from a stable concept--throughout history, it has given rise to more debate than consensus, and at times has been put to use for subversive ends. With contributions from an interdisciplinary group of scholars, this volume explodes the idea of classicism as an unchanging ideal. The essays trace the shifting parameters of classicism from antiquity to the twentieth century, documenting an exhibition of seventy objects in various media from the collection of the Smart Museum of Art and other American and international institutions. With its impressive historical and conceptual reach--from ancient literature to contemporary race relations and beyond--this colorfully illustrated book is a dynamic exploration of classicism as a fluctuating stylistic and ideological category.
Art Deco by 
Contemporary art and feminism by
"This important new book examines contemporary art while understanding the key role feminism has played in enabling current modes of artmaking, spectatorship and theoretical discourse. Contemporary Art and Feminism carefully argues the links between feminist theory and practice of the last four decades and contemporary art and provides a radical re-reading of the contemporary movement. Rather than focus on filling in the gaps of accepted histories by 'adding' the 'missing' female and queer artists, the authors seek to revise broader understandings of contemporary practice providing case studies contextualised in a robust art historical and theoretical basis. Readers are encouraged to see where art ideas come from and evaluate past and present art strategies. What strategies, materials or tropes no longer work in today's networked, event-driven art economies? What strategies and themes should we keep hold of, or develop in new ways? This is an important new intervention ideal for students studying courses on women and contemporary art within Visual Studies, History of Art, Gender Studies and Queer Studies"--Provided by publisher.
The Story of Contemporary Art by
A lively introduction to contemporary art that stretches from Andy Warhol's Brillo boxes to Marina Abramović's performance art to today's biennale circuit and million-dollar auctions. Encountering a work of contemporary art, a viewer might ask, "What does it mean?" "Is it really art?" and "Why does it cost so much?" These are not the questions that E. H. Gombrich set out to answer in his magisterial The Story of Art. Contemporary art seems totally unlike what came before it, departing from the road map supplied by Raphael, Dürer, Rembrandt, and other European masters. In The Story of Contemporary Art, Tony Godfrey picks up where Gombrich left off, offering a lively introduction to contemporary art that stretches from Andy Warhol's Brillo boxes to Marina Abramović's performance art to today's biennale circuit and million-dollar auctions. Godfrey, a curator and writer on contemporary art, chronicles important developments in pop art, minimalism, conceptualism, installation art, performance art, and beyond. Godfrey's narrative, lavishly illustrated, traces a series of debates over what art is or should be: object versus sculpture, painting versus conceptual, local versus global, gallery versus wider world. He presents multiple voices--not only critics, theorists, curators, and collectors but also artists and audiences. Key to Godfrey's account is the upending of the once widespread perception that art is made almost exclusively by white men from North America and Europe. The Story of Contemporary Art is an essential guide to this radical transformation.
World War I and American Art by
The first major account of how American artists responded to World War I World War I had a profound impact on American art and culture. Nearly every major artist responded to events, whether as official war artists, impassioned observers, or participants on the battlefields. It was the moment when American artists, designers, and illustrators began to consider the importance of their contributions to the wider world and to visually represent the United States' emergent role in modern global politics. World War I and American Art provides an unprecedented consideration of the impact of the conflict on American artists and the myriad ways they reacted to it. Artists took a leading role in chronicling the war, crafting images that influenced public opinion, supported mobilization efforts, and helped to shape how the appalling human toll was mourned and memorialized. World War I and American Art features some eighty artists--including Ivan Albright, George Bellows, Marsden Hartley, Childe Hassam, Violet Oakley, Georgia O'Keeffe, Man Ray, John Singer Sargent, and Claggett Wilson--whose paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, photographs, posters, and ephemera span the diverse visual culture of the period to tell the story of a crucial turning point in the history of American art. Taking readers from the home front to the battlefront, this landmark book will remain the definitive reference on a pivotal moment in American modern art for years to come. Published in association with the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Cubism by
Les Demoiselles d'Avignon: five young women that changed modern art forever. Faces seen simultaneously from the front and in profile, angular bodies whose once voluptuous feminine forms disappear behind asymmetric lines-with this painting, Picasso revolutionised the entire history of painting. Cubism was thus born in 1907. Transforming natural forms into cylinders and cubes, painters like Juan Gris and Robert Delaunay, driven by Braque and Picasso, imposed a new vision upon the world, in total opposition to the principles of the Impressionists. Largely diffused in Europe, Cubism developed rapidly in successive phases that brought art history to all the richness of the 20th century: from the futurism of Boccioni to the abstraction of Kandinsky, from the suprematism of Malevich to the constructivism of Tatlin. Linking the core text of Guillaume Apollinaire with the studies of Dr. Dorothea Eimert, this work offers a new interpretation of modernity's crucial moment, and permits the reader to rediscover, through their biographies, the principal representatives of the movement.
Altarpieces and Their Viewers in the Churches of Rome from Caravaggio to Guido Reni by
A social history of reception, this study focuses on sacred art and Catholicism in Rome during the late sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The five altarpieces examined here were painted by artists who are admired today - Caravaggio, Guercino, and Guido Reni - and by the less renowned but once influential Tommaso Laureti and Andrea Commodi. By shifting attention from artistic intentionality to reception, Pamela Jones reintegrates these altarpieces into the urban fabric of early modern Rome, allowing us to see the five paintings anew through the eyes of their original audiences, both women and men, rich and poor, pious and impious. Because Italian churchmen relied, after the Council of Trent, on public altarpieces more than any other type of contemporary painting in their attempts to reform and inspire Catholic society, it is on altarpieces that Pamela Jones centers her inquiry. Through detailed study of evidence in many genres - including not only painting, prints, and art criticism, but also cheap pamphlets, drama, sermons, devotional tracts, rules of religious orders, pilgrimages, rituals, diaries, and letters - Jones shows how various beholders made meaning of the altarpieces in their aesthetic, devotional, social, and charitable dimensions. This study presents early modern Catholicism and its art in an entirely new light by addressing the responses of members of all social classes - not just elites - to art created for the public. It also provides a more accurate view of the range of religious ideas that circulated in early modern Rome by bringing to bear both officially sanctioned religious art and literature and unauthorized but widely disseminated cheap pamphlets and prints that were published without the mandatory religious permission. On this basis, Jones helps to illuminate further the insurmountable problems churchmen faced when attempting to channel the power of sacred art to elicit orthodox responses.
The Art of the Bible by 
Early Christian and Byzantine Art by
The appreciation of early Christian and Byzantine Art as a sublime expression of religious thought and feeling is a comparatively modern phenomenon. Byzantine art is both static and dynamic: static in the sense that once an image was established it was felt that no improvement was necessary; dynamic in the sense that there was never one style and these styles or modes were constantly changing. The story is not only complex in its unravelling but ranges widely over various media: mosaic, wall painting and painted panels, sculpture in marble and ivory, manuscript illumination, gold, silver, and precious stones, jewellery, silk and rich vestments. This is an account by a medieval art-historian.
Early Medieval Architecture by
The early middle ages were an exciting period in the history of European architecture, culminating in the development of the Romanesque style. Major architectural innovations were made during this time including the medieval castle, the church spire, and the monastic cloister. By avoiding the traditional emphasis on chronological development, Roger Stalley provides a radically new approach to the subject, exploring issues and themes rather than sequences and dates. In addition to analysing the language of the Romanesque, the book examines the engineering achievements of the builders, focusing on how the great monuments of the age were designed and constructed. Ranging from Gotland to Apulia, Stalley explores the richness and variety of European architecture in terms of the social and religious aspirations of the time. Symbolic meanings associated with architecture are also thoroughly investigated. Written with style and humour, the lively text includes many quotations from ancient sources, providing fascinating insight into the way that medieval buildings were created, and in the process enlivening study of this period.
Understanding Illuminated Manuscripts by 
The Greek Vase: Art of the Storyteller by
Presents a beautifully illustrated account of Ancient Greek vases and their role in human culture. This richly illustrated volume offers a fascinating introduction to ancient Greek vases for the general reader. It presents vases not merely as beautiful vessels to hold water and wine, but also as instruments of storytelling and bearers of meaning. The first two chapters analyze the development of different shapes of pottery and relate those shapes to function, the evolution in vase production techniques and decoration, and the roles of potters, painters, and their workshops. Subsequent chapters focus on vases as the primary source of imagery from ancient Greece, offering unique information about mythology, religion, theater, and daily life. The author discusses how to identify the figures and scenes depicted in vase paintings, what these narratives would have meant to the people who lived with them and used them, and how they therefore reflect the cultural values of their time. Also examined is the impact Greek vases had on the art, architecture, and literature of subsequent generations. Based on the rich collections of the British Museum and the J. Paul Getty Museum, the exquisite details of the works offer the reader the opportunity for an intimate interaction with the graphic beauty and narrative power of ancient vases often not available in a gallery setting.
Gothic: Architecture, Sculpture, Painting by 
An Audience of Artists: Dada, Neo-Dada, and the emergence of abstract expressionism by
The term Neo-Dada surfaced in New York in the late 1950s and was used to characterize young artists like Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns whose art appeared at odds with the serious emotional and painterly interests of the then-dominant movement, Abstract Expressionism. Neo-Dada quickly became the word of choice in the early 1960s to designate experimental art, including assemblage, performance, Pop art, and nascent forms of minimal and conceptual art. An Audience of Artists turns this time line for the postwar New York art world on its head, presenting a new pedigree for these artistic movements. Drawing on an array of previously unpublished material, Catherine A. Craft reveals that Neo-Dada, far from being a reaction to Abstract Expressionism, actually originated at the heart of that movement's concerns about viewers, originality, and artists' debts to the past and one another. Furthermore, she argues, the original Dada movement was not incompatible with Abstract Expressionism. In fact, Dada provided a vital historical reference for artists and critics seeking to come to terms with the radical departure from tradition that Abstract Expressionism seemed to represent. Tracing the activities of artists such as Robert Motherwell, Barnett Newman, and Jackson Pollock alongside Marcel Duchamp's renewed embrace of Dada in the late 1940s, Craft composes a subtle exploration of the challenges facing artists trying to work in the wake of a destructive world war and the paintings, objects, writings, and installations that resulted from their efforts. Providing the first examination of the roots of the Neo-Dada phenomenon, this groundbreaking study significantly reassesses the histories of these three movements and offers new ways of understanding the broader issues related to the development of modern art.
When Memory Speaks: the Holocaust in Art by
Although the Holocaust represents one of the worst atrocities in the history of mankind, it is thought of by many only in terms of statistics--the brutal slaughter of over 6 million lives. The art of those who suffered under the most unspeakable conditions and the art of those who reflect on the genocide remind us that statistics cannot tell the entire story. This important and diverse collection focuses on the art expression from the inferno, documenting the Holocaust through sketches of camp life drawn surreptitiously by victims on scraps of paper, and through contemporary paintings, sculpture, and personal reflections. From an informative and comprehensive perspective, this book evokes a powerful response to the 20th-century catastrophe.
America's Impressionism: Echoes of a Revolution by
A beautifully illustrated account of the Impressionist experiment in the United States--showing how the French style was put to distinctly American use From the late 19th century to the Second World War, American painters adapted Impressionism to their own ends, shaping one of the most enduring, complex, and contradictory styles of art ever produced in the United States. This comprehensive book presents an original and nuanced history of the American engagement with the French style, one that was both richer and more ambivalent than mere imitation. Showcasing key works from public and private collections across the United States, this expansive catalogue contextualizes celebrated figures, such as Claude Monet (1840-1926) and William Merritt Chase (1849-1916), among their unduly overlooked--and often female--counterparts, such as Lilla Cabot Perry (1848-1933), Emma Richardson Cherry (1859-1954), and Evelyn McCormick (1862-1948). Essays from leading scholars of the movement expand upon the geography and chronology of Impressionism in America, investigating regional variants and new avenues opened by the experiment. Beautifully illustrated, this volume is a landmark event in the understanding of an important era in American art.
Claude Monet: The Truth of Nature by
Spanning the artist's entire career, this new paperback edition explores Claude Monet's enduring relationship with nature and the landscapes he returned to again and again. Capturing fleeting natural impressions played a central role in the art of Claude Monet. He deeply engaged with the landscape and light of different places, from the metropolis of Paris to the Seine villages of Argenteuil and Giverny. This lavishly illustrated new paperback edition explores the development of Monet's art from the 1850s to the 1920s, focusing on the places, both at home and on his frequent travel, from which he drew inspiration for his painting. In addition, the book traces the critical shift in Monet's art that occurred when he began to focus on series of the same subjects such as grainstacks, poplars, and the water-lily pond at his meticulously designed garden in Giverny. Insightful and revealing, the book deepens our appreciation of Monet's art and allows us to experience anew his gift for bringing the natural world to life.
The Great Book of French Impressionism by 
Impressionism and Post-Impressionism: Highlights from the Philadelphia Museum of Art by 
Neo-Impressionism and Anarchism in Fin-De-Siècle France by
In Neo-Impressionism and Anarchism in Fin-de-Siècle France, Robyn Roslak examines for the first time the close relationship between neo-impressionist landscapes and cityscapes and the anarchist sympathies of the movement's artists. She focuses in particular on paintings produced between 1886 and 1905 by Paul Signac and Maximilien Luce, the neo-impressionists whose fidelity to anarchism, to the art of landscape and to a belief in the social potential of art was strongest. Although the neo-impressionists are best known for their rational and scientific technique, they also heeded the era's call for art surpassing the mundane realities of everyday life. By tempering their modern subjects with a decorative style, they hoped to lead their viewers toward moral and social improvement. Roslak's ground-breaking analysis shows how the anarchist theories of Elisée Reclus, Pierre Kropotkin and Jean Grave both inspired and coincided with these ideals. Anarchism attracted the neo-impressionists because its standards for social justice were grounded, like neo-impressionism itself, in scientific exactitude and aesthetic idealism. Anarchists claimed humanity would reach its highest level of social and moral development only in the presence of a decorative variety of nature, and called upon progressive thinkers to help create and maintain such environments. The neo-impressionists, who primarily painted decorative landscapes, therefore discovered in anarchism a political theory consistent with their belief that decorative harmony should be the basis for socially responsible art.
Hudson River School: Masterworks from the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art by
A breathtaking selection of works from the largest and finest collection of Hudson River paintings in the world Hudson River School paintings are among America's most admired and well-loved artworks. Such artists as Thomas Cole, Frederic Church, and Albert Bierstadt left a powerful legacy to American art, embodying in their epic works the reverence for nature and the national idealism that prevailed during the middle of the nineteenth century. This book features fifty-seven major Hudson River School paintings from the collection of the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, recognized as the most extensive and finest in the world. Gorgeously and amply illustrated, the book includes paintings by all the major figures of the Hudson River School. Each work is beautifully reproduced in full color and is accompanied by a concise description of its significance and historical background. The book also includes artists' biographies and a brief introduction to American nineteenth-century landscape painting and the Wadsworth Atheneum's unique role in collecting Hudson River pictures.
Landscape and Religion from Van Eyck to Rembrandt by
Offering a corrective to the common scholarly characterization of seventeenth-century Dutch landscape painting as modern, realistic and secularized, Boudewijn Bakker here explores the long history and purpose of landscape in Netherlandish painting. In Bakker's view, early Netherlandish as well as seventeenth-century Dutch painting can be understood only in the context of the intellectual climate of the day. Concentrating on landscape painting as the careful depiction of the visible world, Bakker's analysis takes in the thought of figures seldom consulted by traditional art historians, such as the fifteenth-century philosopher Dionysius the Carthusian, the sixteenth-century religious reformer John Calvin, the geographer Abraham Ortelius and the seventeenth-century poet Constantijn Huygens. Probing their conception of nature as 'the first Book of God' and art as its representation, Bakker identifies a world view that has its roots in the traditional Christian perceptions of God and creation. Landscape and Religion from Van Eyck to Rembrandt imposes a new layer of interpretation on the richly varied landscapes of the great masters. In so doing it adds a new dimension to the insights offered by modern art-historical research. Further, Bakker's explorations of early modern art and literature provide essential background for any student of European intellectual history.
The Art of Illusion by 
Van Gogh and the Artists He Loved by
The compelling story of how Vincent van Gogh developed his audacious, iconic style by immersing himself in the work of others, featuring hundreds of paintings by Van Gogh as well as the artists who inspired him--from the New York Times bestselling co-author of Van Gogh: The Life "Important . . . inspires us to look at Van Gogh and his art afresh."--Dr. Chris Stolwijk, general director, RKD-Netherlands Institute for Art History Vincent van Gogh's paintings look utterly unique--his vivid palette and boldly interpretive portraits are unmistakably his. Yet however revolutionary his style may have been, it was actually built on a strong foundation of paintings by other artists, both his contemporaries and those who came before him. Now, drawing on Van Gogh's own thoughtful and often profound comments about the painters he venerated, Steven Naifeh gives a gripping account of the artist's deep engagement with their work. We see Van Gogh's gradual discovery of the subjects he would make famous, from wheat fields to sunflowers. We watch him experimenting with the loose brushwork and bright colors used by Édouard Manet, studying the Pointillist dots used by Georges Seurat, and emulating the powerful depictions of the peasant farmers painted by Jean-François Millet, all vividly illustrated in nearly three hundred full-color images of works by Van Gogh and a variety of other major artists, including Claude Monet, Paul Gauguin, and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, positioned side by side. Thanks to the vast correspondence from Van Gogh to his beloved brother, Theo, Naifeh, a Pulitzer Prize winner, is able to reconstruct Van Gogh's artistic world from within. Observed in eloquent prose that is as compelling as it is authoritative, Van Gogh and the Artists He Loved enables us to share the artist's journey as he created his own daring, influential, and widely beloved body of work.
Vincent Van Gogh - His Life in Art by
A magnificently illustrated overview of Van Gogh's life, legacy, and art, from early drawings through later, iconic paintings Vincent van Gogh: His Life in Art surveys the artist's creative evolution across his short but influential career. The narrative begins with Van Gogh's drawings, which were the foundation of his early practice, and describes how he transitioned into painting by consulting instructional handbooks and copying images. Written by a team of international experts, the book follows his moves from the landscapes and peasant life of his native Holland to Antwerp, Paris, Provence, and finally the countryside north of Paris. In the brilliant light of southern France, he began painting portraits and landscapes while refining his characteristic style of rhythmic brushstrokes and expressive impasto in vivid colors. In addition to the main essay with its overview of Van Gogh's shifting techniques and artistic concerns, the publication features a pair of essays highlighting two museums with exceptional collections of the artist's work: the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, and the Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo. Beautifully reproduced images showcase approximately 50 outstanding pieces from these and other institutions, from rough drawings to vibrant late-career canvases.
Postmodern Art by
This colorful survey provides a thorough introduction to postmodern art, including the roots of Postmodernism. Readers will learn about conceptual, installation, and appropriation art. Neo-expressionism, a reaction against conceptual art and minimal art of the 1970s, is also explored.
Realism in the Age of Impressionism by
The late 1870s and early 1880s were watershed years in the history of French painting. As outgoing economic and social structures were being replaced by a capitalist, measured time, Impressionist artists sought to create works that could be perceived in an instant, capturing the sensations of rapidly transforming modern life. Yet a generation of artists pushed back against these changes, spearheading a short-lived revival of the Realist practices that had dominated at mid-century and advocating slowness in practice, subject matter, and beholding. In this illuminating book, Marnin Young looks closely at five works by Jules Bastien-Lepage, Gustave Caillebotte, Alfred-Philippe Roll, Jean-François Raffaëlli, and James Ensor, artists who shared a concern with painting and temporality that is all but forgotten today, having been eclipsed by the ideals of Impressionism. Young's highly original study situates later Realism for the first time within the larger social, political, and economic framework and argues for its centrality in understanding the development of modern art.
Art of the Northern Renaissance: Courts, Commerce and Devotion by 
Renaissance Art by
The Renaissance began at the end of the 14th century in Italy and by the second half of the 16th century has extended across the whole of Europe. The rediscovery of the splendour of ancient Greece and Rome marked the beginning of the rebirth of the arts following the break-down of the dogmatic certitude of the Middle Ages. A number of artists began to innovate in the domains of painting, as well as sculpture and architecture. Depicting the ideal and the actual, the sacred and the profane, the movement provided a frame of reference which influenced European art over the next four centuries.
The Secret Language of the Renaissance: Decoding the Hidden Symbolism of Italian Art by
An illustrated key to unlocking the mysteries of paintings, sculpture and architecture by the great Italian masters, this book also provides fresh insight into the currents of Renaissance thought, from humanism to myticism to religious reform. We may never know what the Mona Lisa is really smiling about, but we do know that there's much more to the masterpieces of Renaissance art than the beauty that meets the eye. There are layers of significance hidden below the surface of the works of Leonardo da Vinci, Fra Angelico, Donatello, Michelangelo and many others. This magnificently illustrated guide by expert art historian, Richard Stemp, gives you the key to unlock those secrets for yourself. Split into three parts, Part One is a vivid immersion into the culture of this remarkable period, tracing the profusion of innovations in literature, painting, sculpture and the decorative arts that date to this time. Part Two offers a wide-ranging guide to the essential elements of symbolic language in Renaissance art, including colour, geometry, light and shade, proportion, perspective and body language. In Part Three, the heart of the book, Richard Stemp analyzes more than 40 works grouped around a dozen themes, including mythology, war and peace, and death and eternity. Each work is shown in full colour and each is then deconstructed to reveal the symbols it contains and the enigmatic meanings behind them.
The Painter's Touch: Boucher, Chardin, Fragonard by
A new interpretation of the development of artistic modernity in eighteenth-century France What can be gained from considering a painting not only as an image but also a material object? How does the painter's own experience of the process of making matter for our understanding of both the painting and its maker? The Painter's Touch addresses these questions to offer a radical reinterpretation of three paradigmatic French painters of the eighteenth century. In this beautifully illustrated book, Ewa Lajer-Burcharth provides close readings of the works of François Boucher, Jean-Siméon Chardin, and Jean-Honoré Fragonard, entirely recasting our understanding of these painters' practice. Using the notion of touch, she examines the implications of their strategic investment in materiality and sheds light on the distinct contribution of painting to the culture of the Enlightenment. Lajer-Burcharth traces how the distinct logic of these painters' work--the operation of surface in Boucher, the deep materiality of Chardin, and the dynamic morphological structure in Fragonard--contributed to the formation of artistic identity. Through the notion of touch, she repositions these painters in the artistic culture of their time, shifting attention from institutions such as the academy and the Salon to the realms of the market, the medium, and the body. Lajer-Burcharth analyzes Boucher's commercial tact, Chardin's interiorized craft, and Fragonard's materialization of eros. Foregrounding the question of experience--that of the painters and of the people they represent--she shows how painting as a medium contributed to the Enlightenment's discourse on the self in both its individual and social functions. By examining what paintings actually "say" in brushstrokes, texture, and paint, The Painter's Touch transforms our understanding of the role of painting in the emergence of modernity and provides new readings of some of the most important and beloved works of art of the era.
The Spiritual Rococo: Decor and Divinity from the Salons of Paris to the Missions of Patagonia by
A groundbreaking approach to Rococo religious décor and spirituality in Europe and South America, The Spiritual Rococo addresses three basic conundrums that impede our understanding of eighteenth-century aesthetics and culture. Why did the Rococo, ostensibly the least spiritual style in the pre-Modern canon, transform into one of the world's most important modes for adorning sacred spaces? And why is Rococo still treated as a decadent nemesis of the Enlightenment when the two had fundamental characteristics in common? This book seeks to answer these questions by treating Rococo as a global phenomenon for the first time and by exploring its moral and spiritual dimensions through the lens of populist French religious literature of the day-a body of work the author calls the 'Spiritual Rococo' and which has never been applied directly to the arts. The book traces Rococo's development from France through Central Europe, Portugal, Brazil, and South America by following a chain of interlocking case studies, whether artistic, literary, or ideological, and it also considers the parallel diffusion of the literature of the Spiritual Rococo in these same regions, placing particular emphasis on unpublished primary sources such as inventories. One of the ultimate goals of this study is to move beyond the cliché of Rococo's frivolity and acknowledge its essential modernity. Thoroughly interdisciplinary, The Spiritual Rococo not only integrates different art historical fields in novel ways but also interacts with church and social history, literary and post-colonial studies, and anthropology, opening up new horizons in these fields.
Romantic Art in Practice: Cultural Work and the Sister Arts, 1760-1820 by
Exploring the relationship between visual art and literature in the Romantic period, this book makes a claim for a sister-arts 'moment' when the relationship between painting, sculpture, pottery and poetry held special potential for visual artists, engravers and artisans. Elaborating these cultural tensions and associations through a number of case studies, Thora Brylowe sheds light on often untold narratives of English labouring craftsmen and artists as they translated the literary into the visual. Brylowe investigates examples from across the visual spectrum including artefacts, such as Wedgwood's Portland Vase, antiquarianism through the work of William Blake, the career of engraver John Landseer, and the growing influence of libraries and galleries in the period, particularly Boydell's Shakespeare Gallery. Brylowe artfully traces the shifting cultural connections between the imaginative word and the image in a period that saw new print technologies deluge Britain with its first mass media.
The Enchanted World of German Romantic Prints, 1770-1850 by
From the 1770s through the 1840s, German, Austrian, and Swiss artists used the medium of printmaking to create works that synthesized poetry, literature, music, and the visual arts in new and captivating ways. Finding an eager audience in the growing number of educated middle-class collectors, printmakers experimented with modern technologies, such as lithography, and drew on the contemporary interest in regional folklore and traditional fairy tales to produce innovative compositions that both contributed to and reflected the dramatic cultural and political upheavals of the Romantic era. Featuring the work of more than 120 artists, including Casper David Friedrich, Ludwig Emil Grimm, Joseph Anton Koch, Philipp Otto Runge, and Johann Gottfried Schadow, this authoritative book contains many unique and never-before-published examples of prints from the Philadelphia Museum of Art's unrivaled collection.
Surrealism by
This book examines the salient ideas and practices that have shaped Surrealism as a protean intellectual and cultural concept that fundamentally shifted our understanding of the nexus between art, culture, and politics. By bringing a diverse set of artistic forms and practices such as literature, manifestos, collage, photography, film, fashion, display, and collecting into conversation with newly emerging intellectual traditions (ethnography, modern science, anthropology, and psychoanalysis), the essays in this volume reveal Surrealism's enduring influence on contemporary thought and culture alongside its anti-colonial political position and international reach. Surrealism's fascination with novel forms of cultural production and experimental methods contributed to its conceptual malleability and temporal durability, making it one of the most significant avant-garde movements of the twentieth century. The book traces how Surrealism's urgent political and aesthetic provocations have bequeathed an important legacy for recent scholarly interest in thing theory, critical vitalism, new materialism, ontology, and animal/human studies.