Books in Masters of Art series

Master painter, architect and sculptor, Giotto revolutionized the medieval art world. The late 13th and early 14th centuries was a time of magnificent architectural and artistic expression and Giotto played a pivotal role during this exciting era. Experimenting with new techniques in panel painting and fresco, his work became highly influential in his own day, as well as a source of inspiration to the artists of the Italian Renaissance. This book follows Giotto’s entire career, beginning with his training in Florence in the workshop of Cimabue, and introduces and illustrates the artists, works and creative techniques of 14th century Italy.

This graphic biography documents the brief and intense period of creativity Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890) spent in Arles, Provence, in southern France. Here van Gogh dreams of setting up an artists’ studio—a haven where he and his friends can paint together. But attacks of mental illness leave the painter confused and disoriented. When his friend and fellow artist Paul Gauguin refuses to reside permanently at the Yellow House, a distraught van Gogh cuts off part of his own ear. Throughout this period of intense emotion and hardship, Vincent’s brother Theo stands by him, offering constant and unconditional support. Writer and illustrator Barbara Stok breathes riveting new life into a fascinating episode of art history, creating a vivid portrait of one of the world’s most beloved and legendary artists. Praise for Vincent: "Stylistically, Stok is almost faultless... [Vincent] leaves us aware of a small breath of fresh air blown into the world of art history" The Times Literary Supplement "Stok does a brilliant, sympathetic job of picturing the artist, whether jagged with madness or sitting amid the wheat fields and sunflowers of Arles" The Guardian

Rembrandt van Rihn defines an entire era of remarkable painting both for his innovation in interpretation and his adventurous technique. His many portraits, self-portraits, landscapes, and historical pieces demonstrate his singular talent as a painter and engraver, and reveal much about the man himself. This book looks at Rembrandt's life and art during a great period of culture and enlightenment that produced fellow artists Hals and Vermeer, and the philosopher Spinoza. Rembrandt lived during a "Golden Age" in seventeenth-century Holland. Travel back in time and discover the fascinating history of the period and the masterworks that have awed generations.

This book explores the story of architecture from prehistoric pile dwellings to the Millennium Dome. It shows how the buildings of each historical period and culture are an expression of the spirit of their time, and how styles of architecture result from the materials that are available and the techniques that are understood. Representative buildings of each period are studied in fine, detailed illustrations: for example, Stonehenge, the Parthenon, the Colosseum, Chartres Cathedral, the Rialto Bridge, Versailles, the University of Virginia, the Crystal Palace, the Flatiron Building, the Sydney Opera House, and the converted Gare d'Orsay. The pyramids of Giza, Hindu temples in Khajuraho, the Badshahi mosque in Lahore, the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan, a Japanese imperial villa, and the Chinese emperor's Forbidden City are the focus of chapters on the architecture of other cultures.

Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries was a period of unsurpassed splendor in the history of art. this extraordinary era saw the revival of interest in classical culture and philosophical attitudes, as well as new technical advances in oil painting, architecture and sculpture. It was the age of great artistic geniuses such as Masaccio, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, Van Eyck, Durer and Titian. This book takes the reader on a fascinating journey through Europe in the age of the Renaissance, from Italian courts, Flemish tapestry workshops and German printworks to English universities, French castles and Spanish ports.

This is the story of sculpture through the ages and around the world. It illustrates and explains materials, tools, techniques, and features the brilliant work of the great sculptors through history. Included are the Stone Age figures, ancient Egyptian reliefs, Greek statues and sculptures from Roman history, images of Indian deities, and the great terracotta army discovered in China. Discover Bronze-casting through the centuries, the woodcarver’s workshop, terracotta, and Michelangelo’s marble technique and the impact of modern technology. China, Japan, India, Africa, pre-Columbian America and Oceania – sculpture from these great world cultures emerge in high quality reproductions. Influences are traced through history, from the Romanesque, Renaissance and the Baroque to the movements of the 20th Century.

Klee's art appeals to our primary instincts and makes us look beyond the ordinary. A natural draughtsman, master of colour and hugely influential artist, Klee eludes classification, having been variously linked with Expressionism, Cubism, Futurism, Surrealism and Abstraction. Part of a new series of beautiful gift art books, Paul Klee Masterpieces of Art brims with the subtle warmth and humour of a unique artist. With a fresh and thoughtful introduction to Klee's life and art, the book goes on to showcase his key works in all their glory.

The art world of the nineteenth century Paris was thrown into turmoil when a group of young painters first exhibited their work. The "Impressionists", as they have came to be known, revolutionized painting, portraying contemporary city life and depicting nature in a completely new way. The Impressionists caused controversy with their revolt against traditional painting methods, their extraordinary new techniques and styles, and their way of life in the cafes of Paris and in the French countryside.This book presents their stories and the work that made them famous. It describes their personal life and their relationships with each other, and their difficulties with official institutions and the conservative art world of the time. It also analyses their techniques, materials and subjects which ushered in a whole new way of looking at the world. Featuring the life and work of Manet, Monet, Renoir, Degas, Cezanne, Pissaro, Sisley, Morisot, Cassatt, Guillaumin, and Caillebotte.

In the late fifteenth century, the palace of Lorenzo the Magnificent, ruler of Florence, was a meeting place of intellectuals, writers, philosophers, and artists. Among them was the talented young Michelangelo, soon to rank with Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael as one of the giants of the Renaissance. This book tells of Michelangelo's training in the workshop of Ghirlandaio, his fascination with the frescoes of Giotto and Masaccio, and the development of his lifelong passion for sculpture.

Francisco Goya, El Greco, Velazquez, Picasso - this is the pantheon of Spanish painters. Each was a genius, immune to convention, who rewrote the rules of painting in his time. Here, the Spanish art historian Jose Gudiol explores Goya's complex character and technique, grounding his discussion in the common vicissitudes of the artist's life - a childhood of poverty, humiliation in the face of the academic painters of Madrid, an illness that left him dead and isolated from society at mid-llife. This prodigiously productive artist, who finally attained the post of First Court Painter and created some of art's greatest portraits, plunged privately into an abyss of despair, out of which he brought some of the most terrifying works of the nineteenth century - painting and prints evoking the disaster of war and the irrepressible voices of the subconscious.