Masters of Art Published by Prestel
Prestel’s handy collection of informative, neat and authoritative books on the world’s greatest artists will make a great addition to your library shelves. They appeal to the casual reader seeking a quick résumé, as well as the visual arts student looking for detailed critique on the paintings and the artist.
Each beautifully designed volume introduces the reader to the life of the painter, his training and development. A review of the works is simply laid out for us – clear explanation with a refreshing lack of jargon or pretension on the left with a plate on the right. The volumes also contain analysis of the painter as well as a chronology and useful anthology featuring reviews from other art historians.
In the Botticelli volume, we learn about the artist’s gilded life as the sought-after artist of the Renaissance, who became inextricably linked with the Medici dynasty and the social, political and spiritual movement of the time. We follow the artist’s own development and disillusionment which reflected in his paintings. The Rembrandt edition outlines the sorry tale of the Flemish master’s decline in popularity that led to him dying in poverty. The line ‘There was nothing of value [in his house]’ in a section headed ‘A lonely death’ echoes through the ages and might chill the heart of would-be artists reading this tome today.
Other artists featured include Turner, ‘perhaps the best-loved English romantic painter’ and Monet, the father of French impressionism.
This is a series worth investing in – a relative snip at £8.99 a volume.
ISBN: 978-3-7913-4618-2 (Botticelli); 978-3-7913-4619-9 (Monet); 978-3-7913-4620-5 (Rembrandt); 978-3-7913-4621-2 (Turner)