Great Paintings : [the World's Masterpieces Explored and Explained]

A sumptuous, visual guided tour of sixty-six of the world's greatest paintings ranging from works by Zhang Zeduan, a twelfth-century Chinese master, to modern masterpieces by Rothko and Anselm Kiefer. Great Paintings is perfect for anyone interested in learning about the world's most noteworthy artworks. Arranged chronologically, the story behind each painting is fully explained and examined in unrivaled depth. Artists' biographies and features on historical and social context explore how landmark paintings have been influenced by what has gone before and how they go on to inspire what comes after them. Reading Great Paintings is like being taken around a gallery by a personal guide who helps you to look at paintings—both familiar and new—in fresh and fascinating ways. Contents 4......Page 6 Looking at Paintings 6......Page 9 The Qingming Scroll Zhang Zeduan 10......Page 12 The Lamentation of Christ Giotto di Bondone 14......Page 17 The Madonna Enthroned Duccio di Buoninsegna 18......Page 20 The Annunciation Fra Angelico 22......Page 24 The Arnolfini Portrait Jan van Dyck 26......Page 28 The Baptism of Christ Piero della Francesca 30......Page 33 The Hunt in the Forest Paolo Uccello 34......Page 36 The Birth of Venus Sandro Botticelli 38......Page 40 The Garden of Earthly Delights Hieronymus Bosch 44......Page 46 The Great Piece of Turf Albrecht Dürer 48......Page 50 Mona Lisa Leonardo da Vinci 50......Page 52 The School of Athens Raphael 54......Page 56 Sistine Chapel Ceiling Michelangelo 58......Page 60 Bacchus and Ariadne Titian 62......Page 65 The Ambassadors Hans Holbein 66......Page 68 Spring Morning in the Han Palace Qiu Ying 70......Page 72 Netherlandish Proverbs Pieter Bruegel The Elder 74......Page 76 Spring Giuseppe Arcimboldo 78......Page 80 Cypress Tree Kano Eitoku 80......Page 82 Akbar's Adventures with the Elephant Hawa’i in 1561 Basawan and Chetar 84......Page 86 David with the Head of Goliath Caravaggio 88......Page 90 The Judgement of Paris Peter Paul Rubens 90......Page 92 Charles I on Horseback Anthony van Dyck 94......Page 96 Self-portrait as “La Pittura” Artemisia Gentileschi 96......Page 98 Las Meninas Diego Velázquez 98......Page 101 Self-portrait Rembrandt van Rijn 102......Page 104 The Art of Painting Johannes Vermeer 106......Page 108 Still Life with Flowers and Fruit Jan van Huysum 112......Page 115 Marriage à-la-Mode: the Marriage Settlement William Hogarth 116......Page 118 Mr. and Mrs. Andrews Thomas Gainsborough 120......Page 122 Allegory of the Planets and Continents Giambattista Tiepolo 124......Page 126 An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump Joseph Wright of Derby 128......Page 130 The Death of Marat Jacques-Louis David 132......Page 134 The Valpinçon Bather Jean-Auguste Dominique Ingres 138......Page 141 The Third of May 1808 Francisco de Goya 142......Page 144 Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog Caspar David Friedrich 146......Page 148 The Hay Wain John Constable 148......Page 150 The Fighting Temeraire J. M. W. Turner 152......Page 154 The Artist's Studio Gustave Courbet 156......Page 158 Olympia Édouard Manet 160......Page 162 Arrangement in Grey and Black, No. 1 James McNeill Whistler 164......Page 166 The Dancing Class Edgar Degas 168......Page 170 A Sunday on La Grande Jatte Georges Seurat 172......Page 174 Van Gogh’s Chair Vincent van Gogh 176......Page 179 The Child's Bath Mary Cassatt 180......Page 182 Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? Paul Gauguin 182......Page 184 The Waterlily Pond Claude Monet 186......Page 188 Lake Keitele Akseli Gallen-Kallela 192......Page 194 The Large Bathers Paul Cézanne 194......Page 196 The Kiss Gustav Klimt 198......Page 200 Composition VII Wassily Kandinsky 202......Page 204 Berlin Street Scene Ernst Ludwig Kirchner 206......Page 208 Northern River Tom Thomson 208......Page 210 Red Balloon Paul Klee 210......Page 212 Red Canna Georgia O'Keeffe 212......Page 214 The Metamorphosis of Narcissus Salvador Dalí 214......Page 216 Guernica Pablo Picasso 218......Page 220 Nighthawks Edward Hopper 222......Page 224 Without Hope Frida Kahlo 226......Page 228 Red Interior, Still Life on a Blue Table Henri Matisse 230......Page 232 Autumn Rhythm (Number 30) Jackson Pollock 234......Page 236 Untitled Mark Rothko 238......Page 240 Marilyn Andy Warhol 240......Page 242 To a Summer's Day Bridget Riley 242......Page 244 The Dance Paula Rego 244......Page 246 Athanor Anselm Kiefer 246......Page 248 Glossary 248......Page 250 Index 250......Page 252 Acknowledgments 255......Page 257 1100-1500. The Qingming scroll / Zhang Zeduan ; The lamentation of Christ / Giotto di Bondone ; The Madonna enthroned / Duccio di Buoninsegna ; The annunciation / Fra Angelico ; The Arnolfini portrait / Jan van Dyck ; The baptism of Christ / Piero della Francesca ; The hunt in the forest / Paolo Uccello ; The birth of Venus / Sandro Botticelli 1500-1600. The garden of earthly delights / Hieronymus Bosch ; Mona Lisa / Leonardo da Vinci ; The school of Athens / Raphael ; Sistine Chapel ceiling / Michelangelo ; Bacchus and Ariadne / Titian ; The ambassadors / Hans Holbein ; Spring morning in the Han Palace / Qiu Ying ; Netherlandish proverbs / Pieter Bruegel the elder ; Spring / Giuseppe Arcimboldo ; Cypress tree / Kano Eitoku ; Akbar's adventures with the elephant Hawa'i in 1561 / Basawan and Chetar 1600-1700. David with the head of Goliath / Caravaggio ; The judgment of Paris / Peter Paul Rubens ; Charles I on horseback / Anthony van Dyck ; Self-portrait as "La Pittura" / Artemisia Gentileschi ; Las meninas / Diego Velázquez ; Self-portrait / Rembrandt van Rijn ; The art of painting / Johannes Vermeer 1700-1800. Still life with flowers and fruit / Jan van Huysum ; Marriage à-la-mode : the marriage settlement / William Hogarth ; Allegory of the planets and continents / Giambattista Tiepolo ; An experiment on a bird in the air pump / Joseph Wright of Derby ; The death of Marat / Jacques-Louis David 1800-1900. The Valpinçon bather / Jean-Auguste Dominique Ingres ; The third of May 1808 / Francisco de Goya ; Wanderer above the sea of fog / Caspar David Friedrich ; The hay wain / John Constable ; The fighting Temeraire / J.M.W. Turner ; The artist's studio / Gustave Courbet ; Olympia / Édouard Manet ; Arrangement in grey and black, no. 1 / James McNeill Whistler ; The dancing class / Edgar Degas ; A Sunday on La Grande Jatte / Georges Seurat ; Van Gogh's chair / Vincent van Gogh ; The child's bath / Mary Cassatt ; Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going? / Paul Gauguin ; The waterlily pond / Claude Monet 1900 to present. Lake Keitele / Akseli Gallen-Kallela ; The large bathers / Paul Cézanne ; The kiss / Gustav Klimt ; Composition VII / Wassily Kandinsky ; Berlin street scene / Ernst Ludwig Kirchner ; Northern River / Tom Thomson ; Red balloon / Paul Klee ; Red canna / Georgia O'Keeffe ; The metamorphosis of Narcissus / Salvador Dalí ; Guernica / Pablo Picasso ; Nighthawks / Edward Hopper ; Without hope / Frida Kahlo ; Red interior, still life on a blue table / Henri Matisse ; Autumn rhythm (number 30) / Jackson Pollock ; Untitled / Mark Rothko ; Marilyn / Andy Warhol ; To a summer's day / Bridget Riley ; The dance / Paula Rego ; Athanor / Anselm Kiefer. A sumptuous, visual guided tour of 66 of the world's greatest paintings ranging from works by Zhang Zeduan, a 12-century Chinese master, to modern masterpieces by Rothko and Anselm Kiefer. "Great Paintings" is perfect for anyone interested in learning about the world's most noteworthy artworks. Explores sixty-six paintings from around the world, providing the story behind each painting, an analysis of techniques and compositions, historical features, and brief artists' biographies Features works from great artists through the ages including Zhang Zeduan, Rothko, and Botticelli; examines the story behind each piece; and explores the social context of each