Books in Great Artists series

Its strange to think that when Paul Czanne began his work as an artist, people laughed at him! In 1874, Czannes work appeared in the very first exhibition of Impressionist art. Today, hes viewed as one of the artists to shape modern art as it is today. Readers discover this incredible artist through his biography and full-color examples of his paintings, including The Card Players. Tiny details are revealed through palette samples and close-up images of small parts of his work, like the signature at the bottom of The House of the Hanged Man.

Italian artist Raphael created paintings and frescoes and also worked as an architect during the Renaissance. This biography discusses Raphael's childhood, early artwork, commissions, patrons such as the Catholic Church and the Medici family, frescoes for the Vatican, work as an architect of St. Peter's Basilica, tapestry designs for the Sistine Chapel, workshop, and artistic rivalries and competitions. Sidebars, a glossary, an index, and a phonetics section accompany easy-to-read text and full-color reproductions of Raphael's artwork, including Madonna del Granduca, Marriage of the Virgin, The Entombment, School of Athens, and Sistine Madonna.

Mexican artist Frida Kahlo became famous through her autobiographical paintings, self-portraits, traditional Mexican clothing, and connection with surrealism. This biography discusses her childhood and the polio and the bus accident that led to her chronic illnesses, as well as her marriages to and divorce from muralist Diego Rivera, exhibitions, travels to the United States and France, and work as an educator. Sidebars, a glossary, an index, and a phonetics section accompany easy-to-read text and full-color reproductions of Kahlo's artwork, including Self-Portrait on the Border Line Between Mexico and the United States, Memory, The Dream, The Two Fridas, and Viva la Vida.

Starry Night is one of the most famous paintings known today. Vincent Van Gohs Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear is also very recognizable, partly because of the story behind it. Readers are introduced to Van Gogh through biography and many of his works. Each of the featured paintings is shown in full color and details are brought to the readers attention, such as the small signature Van Gogh put on the vase in Sunflowers. Readers learn all about Van Goghs signature style of thick, paint-filled brushstrokes built upon each other in uneven layers. Then, they can learn to imitate him!

Impressionism created illusion by capturing the effects of light on form. Of all the Impressionists, Monet carried this concept to its most extreme expression. He painted sixteen views of Waterloo Bridge in London, and twenty-six views of the Rouen Cathedral at different hours of the day in order to capture the effects of changing light. Monet therefore is considered the archetypal Impressionist and it was his painting, Impression: Sunrise (1872) that gave the Impressionists their name. Monet‘s influence on the painting of the 19th Century was tremendous. Interestingly enough, it only has been since the 1950s that Monet has been recognized for his immense importance to modern art. Of particular value to artists of the 20th Century were the steps that led Monet from realism in the 1850s into a profound struggle to represent even the most evanescent effects of nature. At his death at the age of 86, Monet’s paintings had reached the point of near abstraction.In this book, the full-range and variety of Monet’s work is explained as well as represented by a key selection of color reproductions.

When one thinks of Georges Seurat, one artistic technique should come to mind: pointillism. Through Seurats study of color and light, he came to use tiny dots to create gorgeous, unique colors. Readers see full-color photographs of some of his most famous pieces, such as A Sunday Afternoon on La Grande Jatte. Close-up images of small parts of the works call readers attention to interesting details, like the child in this painting whos looking straight out of the canvas. Through clear instructions, readers can learn how to do a pointillist painting, tooif they have the patience!