authors
data
Product: Book
ISBN-10: 0-8109-5576-8
ISBN-13: 9780810955769
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
Country:
Year: December 7, 2004
Size: 17.78 x 24.64 x 2.79cm
Number of pages: 384
Weight: 1,066gr
Binding: Paperback
ISBN-10: 0-8109-5576-8
ISBN-13: 9780810955769
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
Country:
Year: December 7, 2004
Size: 17.78 x 24.64 x 2.79cm
Number of pages: 384
Weight: 1,066gr
Binding: Paperback
order
description
Product Description
Clues to the meaning of many of the masterpieces of art history lie in a rich system of symbols, themes, and motifs that often eludes modern museum-goers. The intimate knowledge of Christian theology, Greek and Roman mythology, and folklore that was so vivid in the minds of viewers during the Renaissance is rarely part of the preparation the contemporary viewer brings to a painting. This insightful, anecdotal, portable book-with 1,000 gorgeous color illustrations-helps to fill in those gaps by decoding the imagery of more than 150 of the most influential and admired artworks of all time. Covering the works of the Italian, Netherlandish, German, and Spanish Old Masters, from 1450 to 1750-paintings by artists such as Giotto, Botticelli, El Greco, Bruegel, Holbein, Rubens, and Vermeer, all held in public collections-How to Read a Painting not only helps the viewer to understand the significant details of a picture but also explains the relationship with similar imagery in other works. The guide to Old Master paintings that every art lover has always wanted, this indispensable museum companion will open the reader to a whole new experience of Western art's most praised and visited paintings.
Clues to the meaning of many of the masterpieces of art history lie in a rich system of symbols, themes, and motifs that often eludes modern museum-goers. The intimate knowledge of Christian theology, Greek and Roman mythology, and folklore that was so vivid in the minds of viewers during the Renaissance is rarely part of the preparation the contemporary viewer brings to a painting. This insightful, anecdotal, portable book-with 1,000 gorgeous color illustrations-helps to fill in those gaps by decoding the imagery of more than 150 of the most influential and admired artworks of all time. Covering the works of the Italian, Netherlandish, German, and Spanish Old Masters, from 1450 to 1750-paintings by artists such as Giotto, Botticelli, El Greco, Bruegel, Holbein, Rubens, and Vermeer, all held in public collections-How to Read a Painting not only helps the viewer to understand the significant details of a picture but also explains the relationship with similar imagery in other works. The guide to Old Master paintings that every art lover has always wanted, this indispensable museum companion will open the reader to a whole new experience of Western art's most praised and visited paintings.
reviews
Baroque 
Excellent book, the quality of the pictures if great and very useful content. It is one of the best book for your library.
Excellent book, the quality of the pictures if great and very useful content. It is one of the best book for your library.
not very helpful if you need a formal analysis 
i bought this book to help me write my art paper. i am in college and am the furthest thing from an art major. this book really did not help me at all. they just have many images and tell you some hidden symbolism in each painting. it's a very good book if you are interested in just gaining some insight into the painting that you may have missed but, otherwise it's not the best book.
i bought this book to help me write my art paper. i am in college and am the furthest thing from an art major. this book really did not help me at all. they just have many images and tell you some hidden symbolism in each painting. it's a very good book if you are interested in just gaining some insight into the painting that you may have missed but, otherwise it's not the best book.
Thought-provoking book on European Art Masterpieces
If you have never been particularly interested in art but want to start learning about the great European artists between the 14th century and the early 19th century, this is a great book to start with. And I am sure it has a lot to offer to advanced students of Art too. The book offers comments on about 180 significant paintings painted over 500 years. The earliest painting in the book is Maestà (1308-11) by Duccio di Buoninsegna of Italy. The most modern is The Third of May, 1808 by Francisco de Goya of Spain. Every painting is dissected with numerous sub-illustrations and the various historical, artistic and social significances of it discussed in detail. Since all the paintings are European in nature, the originals are located mainly in English and European museums but a surprising number of paintings are located in American Museums too. Here are the ones from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The Adoration of the Magi (1310) – Giotto The Annunciation Triptych (»Merode Triptych«) (1425-30) – Robert Campin Diptych: The Crucifixion and The Last Judgement (1430s) – Jan Van Eyck A Goldsmith in his Shop, Possibly St Eligius (1449) – Petrus Christus The Opening of the Fifth Seal of the Apocalypse (1608-14) – El Greco The Rape of the Sabine Women (1633-34) – Nicolas Poussin The Preaching of St John the Baptist (1634) – Bartholomeus Breenbergh The Death of Socrates (1787) – Jacques-Louis David The majority of the paintings focus on Biblical topics, but there are a great number of secular and political paintings too especially in the later years. For example, there is a fascinating one called »An experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump« (1768) by Joseph Wright of Derby. It is a study of various peoples reactions to a scientific experiment in which a bird is suffocated to death in an air pump.
If you have never been particularly interested in art but want to start learning about the great European artists between the 14th century and the early 19th century, this is a great book to start with. And I am sure it has a lot to offer to advanced students of Art too. The book offers comments on about 180 significant paintings painted over 500 years. The earliest painting in the book is Maestà (1308-11) by Duccio di Buoninsegna of Italy. The most modern is The Third of May, 1808 by Francisco de Goya of Spain. Every painting is dissected with numerous sub-illustrations and the various historical, artistic and social significances of it discussed in detail. Since all the paintings are European in nature, the originals are located mainly in English and European museums but a surprising number of paintings are located in American Museums too. Here are the ones from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The Adoration of the Magi (1310) – Giotto The Annunciation Triptych (»Merode Triptych«) (1425-30) – Robert Campin Diptych: The Crucifixion and The Last Judgement (1430s) – Jan Van Eyck A Goldsmith in his Shop, Possibly St Eligius (1449) – Petrus Christus The Opening of the Fifth Seal of the Apocalypse (1608-14) – El Greco The Rape of the Sabine Women (1633-34) – Nicolas Poussin The Preaching of St John the Baptist (1634) – Bartholomeus Breenbergh The Death of Socrates (1787) – Jacques-Louis David The majority of the paintings focus on Biblical topics, but there are a great number of secular and political paintings too especially in the later years. For example, there is a fascinating one called »An experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump« (1768) by Joseph Wright of Derby. It is a study of various peoples reactions to a scientific experiment in which a bird is suffocated to death in an air pump.
Fascinating read for any art lover!
This book is a tremendous read. And you don't need to be an art historian or student to appreciate the information. Easy to understand, you will never look at those »boring old masters« the same way again.
This book is a tremendous read. And you don't need to be an art historian or student to appreciate the information. Easy to understand, you will never look at those »boring old masters« the same way again.
excellent reference 
This book was hard to put down. Each painting was a new story that revealed information I would have never known. I started it as I was planning a trip to Rome and Florence and it opened up a world for me that I would otherwise have been ignorant of while visiting the museums where some of these paintings hung. My only critisism would be that it didn't go into much depth-just mostly basic symbolism. Good for reference and also entertaining.
This book was hard to put down. Each painting was a new story that revealed information I would have never known. I started it as I was planning a trip to Rome and Florence and it opened up a world for me that I would otherwise have been ignorant of while visiting the museums where some of these paintings hung. My only critisism would be that it didn't go into much depth-just mostly basic symbolism. Good for reference and also entertaining.
keywords
related products
Lucia Impelluso, Stephen Sartarelli (translator)
Getty Publications; 2004
Paperback
© 1994–2010 Sascha Hendel
last update: 3/15/2010
URL: http://www.book-info.com/isbn/0-8109-5576-8.htm
- search