Art in Detail: 100 Masterpieces - Hardcover

Hodge, Susie

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0500239541 ISBN 13: 9780500239544

Publisher: Thames & Hudson, 2016

Synopsis

A comprehensive yet accessible sourcebook for curators and amateurs alike that examines the finer points of 100 well-known works of art

Great paintings cannot be fully understood in a single encounter. Art lovers want to revisit and reconsider the masterpieces again and again throughout their lives, perceiving in greater depth and possibly modifying their value judgments every time they look at a work. Viewing a painting as a whole is a perfectly acceptable method of interacting with art, but a deeper understanding can only be gained by analyzing the painting in detail.

Art in Detail spotlights these finer points that even connoisseurs may not pick up on quickly or perhaps at all. It covers all the minutiae that a quick glance will almost certainly fail to reveal. These include subtle internal details, such as hidden symbols and artistic tricks employed by the painter to achieve particular effects. In addition, Susie Hodge writes intelligently and informatively about relevant external influences on the artist―everything from the broad socio-economic context in which he or she flourished, to smaller local difficulties, such as the level of air pollution at the time the painting was created. This book examines 100 paintings from artists such as Pollock, Courbet, Monet, Mondrian, El Greco, van Eyck, and many others.

700 color illustrations

About this title

About the Author:

Susie Hodge is an art historian, author, artist, and journalist with more than a hundred books to her credit on art history, practical art, and history.

Review:

“A richly detailed, pleasingly designed tour of art masterpieces throughout history.”
- The Oregonian

“If you can't make your way to the Met or Louvre anytime soon to inspect famous works of art up close and personal, know you're in good company with this volume. By 'zooming in' on the finer points of 100 celebrated paintings―with works by Mondrian, Pollock, Monet, and El Greco―these macro reproductions reveal subtle details one certainly would've missed with a simple Google search.”
- Interview

“Art in Detail: 100 Masterpieces sets out to illuminate the obscure details that the average passerby is likely to miss as they flit between the galleries at the world's most prestigious art institutions... underlying messages, back stories, specialized techniques, subtle symbolism, or – in some cases – a touch of humor.”
- CNN.com

About this edition

• Publisher: Thames & Hudson
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 0500239541
• ISBN 13: 9780500239544
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 432