This comprehensive survey lays out in chronological progression the lives and works of the artists whose masterpieces make up the history of European painting, from the late Gothic masters of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries to the Cubists and Surrealists of the early twentieth century, to the postmodernists of our own day. In the work of these artists we can observe the great movements of art history - the dawn of the Renaissance, the birth of Realism, and the rise of abstraction. The artists are represented by full-color illustrations of their most important and characteristic paintings, accompanied by concise, authoritative discussions of their life and work.

SALTZMAN/OLD MASTERS; NEW WORLD

Explore Europe's top 100 works of art with America's most trusted travel authority, Rick Steves. Travel through time and discover Europe's most iconic paintings, sculptures, and historic buildings. From Venus to Versailles, Apollo to David, and Mona Lisa to The Thinker, Rick and co-author Gene Openshaw will have you marveling, learning, and laughing, one masterpiece at a time. Whether you're traveling to Europe or just dreaming about it, this book both stokes your wanderlust and kindles a greater appreciation of art, with historical context and information on where to see it for yourself. With Rick's trusted insight and gorgeous, full-color photos throughout, Europe's Top 100 Masterpieces celebrates nearly 20,000 years of unforgettable art.

"This exhibition is the first to offer an extensive overview of the Museum's holdings of early Central European drawings, many of which were acquired in the last two decades. An emphasis on works by later sixteenth- and seventeenth-century artists is balanced by a selection of German drawings from the fifteenth and earlier sixteenth century, of which some of the most exceptional ones--including works by Albrecht Deurer--entered the Museum with The Robert Lehman Collection in 1975."--Publisher's website.

Berlin's Gemäldegalerie is known for its outstanding collection of European paintings from the thirteenth to eighteenth century. Each chapter in this book is dedicated to one painting from the collection. In the breadth of this idiosyncratic selection, painting, as it discovers itself becomes a medium for the formulation of modern subjectivity. Each painting in focus unfolds its own making and its artistic concerns as they reflect contemporary issues, today. What are the paradoxes within which art is made by women? How does the primordial drive to destroy works of art affect today's art discourse? Where did the modern struggle of painting against the picture begin? Why does the Wild Man from early German Renaissance still haunt us? And why doesn't it matter whether Jan Vermeer used an optical device for his paintings? Twelve Paintings highlights the currentness of the Old Masters.

This book "demystifies western art and demonstrates that it is accessible to all of us--adults and children alike ... It introduces the type of questions that help us discover things about a work of art and how we feel about it ... Throughout, the emphasis is on looking at the paintings and drawing one's own conclusions about what one is seeing. Grouped into thirteen themes, ... 50 paintings from the fourteenth century through to the early twentieth century are featured"--Publisher's website.