Книги по живописи

A homage to the great Spanish painter of light and sea, among the innovators of Spanish painting, drawing from the Impressionist experience

Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida (Valencia, 1863 – Cercedilla, 1923) was one of the major Spanish painters at the turn of the 19th century; his paintings exude light, and appear modern and photographic-like, capturing dynamic moments of gentle and subtle realism, capable of staging the contemporary, without commenting it.

An authentic visual poetry presenting a marine rural Spain rooted in tradition; an artistic style relevantly set between Goya and Picasso, marking a crucial milestone in the course of Spanish and European painting. Published on the occasion of the exhibition at Palazzo Reale in Milan, this monograph documents the long and prolific artistic career of this important protagonist of the international art scene in the decades between the 19th and the 20th centuries: scenes of life by the sea, fishermen, beautiful and fleeting real-life moments (with children playing by the sea and women strolling along the beach), as well as portraits in the wake of the grand portraiture tradition established by Greco, Goya, Velázquez, interpreted with modern photographic take.

The main subject of the Spanish painter’s art however was always the Mediterranean light, that the artist masterfully captured on his canvases with vibrant, light, bright palettes and pure dazzling whites; his extraordinary works en plein air by the sea make Sorolla an exponent of an accomplished Mediterranean impressionism.

A retrospective on the life and art of this renowned Cuban-American artist, acclaimed for his refined and thought-provoking paintings with fantastical, Surrealist overtones.

One of the most important contemporary painters to emerge from Latin America, Julio Larraz (b. 1944, Havana) creates powerful, dreamlike paintings that reflect the influence of painters from Velázquez to Sargent and Hopper, and Surrealist artists like Dalí and Magritte. A unique visionary, Larraz produces work that has been described by some as mind-bending and playful, using a refreshingly wide range of subjects from still life to Cuban cultural imagery, such as bullfights, men in white linen suits, and maritime scenes. He reveals imaginary worlds, with deeply satirical, ambiguous, and multilayered themes, in which he often alludes to political corruption, class structure, and human foibles.

This is the largest and most comprehensive book to date, with 200 paintings, 50 works on paper, and 10 sculptures, ranging from the 1960s to the present, accompanied by an essay by David Ebony that situates Larraz’s work within the Latin American painting tradition.

About the Authors:

David Ebony is a Contributing Editor of Art in America and a frequent contributor to Artnet News and Yale University Press online, among other publications. Ariel Larraz is Executive Director of the Julio Larraz Foundation.

___________

Пролистать книгу Julio Larraz: The Kingdom We Carry Inside

This generously illustrated volume displays Vasily Kandinsky’s brilliant use of color, shape, and composition through approximately 250 full-color illustrations. Essays by the world’s leading Kandinsky experts focus on the evolution of his work throughout all periods of his career: his exploration of his Russian roots and his emigration to Munich; his attraction to the Art Nouveau and fauvist movements; the formation of the Blue Rider group; the influence of music on his painting; his years at the Bauhaus; and his late work in Paris.

The book’s design allows for a thorough examination of Kandinsky’s most important works in all their extraordinary detail. Accessible, impeccably researched, and wide-ranging, this important volume offers an indispensable overview of the artist’s seminal works and a tribute to the beauty and power of Kandinsky’s vision.

About the Authors:

Helmut Friedel is an art historian and director of the Museum Frieder Burda in Baden-Baden. He was director of the Lenbachhaus in Munich from 1990 to 2013 and has published numerous books on art, including Gerhard Richter: Red, Yellow, Blue, Franz Marc: The Retrospective and Kandinsky – Absolute. Abstract.
Annegret Hoberg is Head of Collections for the Blue Rider and the Kubin-Archiv at the Lenbachhaus in Munich.

Abstract Beginnings. A pivotal portfolio in the history of art

Throughout his artistic career, Wassily Kandinsky transformed not only his own practice, but the course of art history itself. This essential guide traces Kandinsky’s rich repertoire to present the painter, engraver, teacher, and theorist credited with the first modern abstract painting and with one of the keenest theoretical minds of 20th-century art.

Over the course of his artistic career, Wassily Kandinsky (1866–1944) transformed not only his own style, but the course of art history. From early figurative and landscape painting, he went on to pioneer a spiritual, emotive, rhythmic use of color and line and is today credited with creating the first purely abstract work.

As much a teacher and theorist as he was a practicing artist, Kandinsky’s interests in music, theater, poetry, philosophy, ethnology, myth, and the occult, were all essential components to his painting and engraving. He was involved with both the influential Blaue Reiter and Bauhaus groups and left a legacy not only of dazzling visual work, but also of highly influential treatises such as Concerning the Spiritual in Art. Key tenets included the connections between painting, music and mystical experience, and the purification of art away from material realism and towards an emotional expression, condensed in particular by color.

This book presents key Kandinsky works to introduce his repertoire of vivid colors, forms, and feelings. Tracing the artist’s radical stylistic development, it shows how one painter’s progression paved the way for generations of abstract expression to come.

The author

Hajo Düchting studied art history, philosophy, and archaeology in Munich, where he gained his doctorate in 1981 with a thesis on Robert Delaunay’s Windows series. After working in museum and adult education, he moved on to teaching posts and guest professorships at the universities of Munich, Kassel, Leipzig, Saarbrücken, and Mainz. Düchting has published numerous articles on the art of the modern era, color theory, and the teaching of art, and has authored a number of TASCHEN titles, including Paul Cézanne, Wassily Kandinsky, Robert and Sonia Delaunay, and Georges Seurat.

About the series:

Each book in TASCHEN's Basic Art series features:

- a detailed chronological summary of the life and oeuvre of the artist, covering his or her cultural and historical importance
- a concise biography
- approximately 100 illustrations with explanatory captions

An opulent fusion of sensuality, symbolism, and artistic ingenuity, this magnificent boxed-set features stunning color reproductions of Klimt’s essential works in an accordion-fold format accompanied by a separate booklet with background and descriptions of each painting.

Gustav Klimt’s luminous paintings are particularly suited for an accordion-fold presentation. As each painting unfolds into a lavish reproduction, Klimt’s dazzling colors and intricate patterns spring to life. This volume includes several highlights of Klimt’s works including The Kiss, his portraits of Adele Bloch-Bauer, The Tree of Life, Danae, and Death and Life. The stunning reproductions allow readers to experience close up Klimt’s intricate details and artful use of gold leaf; his art’s symbolism and emotional power; his decorative aesthetic, and beguiling landscapes. A separate booklet with explanatory captions providing additional background and historic context accompanies the main volume. Klimt’s many fans will cherish this fresh, unique, extraordinary celebration of the artist’s timeless brilliance and monumental talent.

Art inflation. The king of blow-ups, puppies, and pop

The creations of Jeff Koons (born 1955) are at once immediately accessible and eloquently art historical. From basketball tanks to flower puppies, his instantly recognizable work frolics with banal imagery as much as it integrates cultural references such as Surrealism and Pop Art. 

Koons art revels in visual pleasure, but also in the power to affront. He has made his name as much for stainless-steel rabbits as he has with his sinister sculpture of Michael Jackson, or his sexually explicit photographic series with then-wife Cicciolina. The result is mega-artist status. An indisputable king of contemporary visual culture, Koons is lauded by collectors, institutions, and the public alike.

About the series:

Each book in TASCHEN's Basic Art series features:

- a detailed chronological summary of the life and oeuvre of the artist, covering his or her cultural and historical importance
- a concise biography
- approximately 100 illustrations with explanatory captions

Leonardo da Vinci was the epitome of the Renaissance humanist ideal, a logical polymath of epic proportions who excelled and had interests not just in art but in invention, anatomy, architecture, engineering, literature, mathematics, music, science, astronomy and more. His oeuvre is astounding and he is rightly famed for his masterpieces of painting such as the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, and his astonishingly technical and graceful drawings. The phenomenon that was Leonardo would not of course have flourished to such an extent had it not been for the patronage and sponsorship of the Medici family, who commissioned a large proportion of the art and architecture of the era and fostered a fertile climate for creativity.

This sumptuous new book offers a broader view of this master artist in the context of this environment, alongside the work of other key artists who benefited from the Medicis, from Brunelleschi through Donatello to Michelangelo and Raphael.

The Popstar: When art went Whaam!

American painter Roy Lichtenstein (1923-1997) pioneered a new epoch in American art, bursting onto a scene dominated by Abstract Expressionism in late 1950s New York and defining a new art vocabulary for a new era.

With his groundbreaking use of industrial production techniques and trivial, quotidian imagery such as cartoons, comic strips, and advertising, Lichtenstein joined contemporaries such as Andy Warhol and James Rosenquist to reflect and satirize American mass media and consumer culture. Works such as Look, Mickey! (1961), Drowning Girl (1963), and Whaam! (1963), deployed mass production techniques, particularly Ben-Day dots printing, to create a blow-up effect and pixelated dot style, with which Lichtenstein has become synonymous.

This book provides an essential overview of Lichtenstein s career, tracing his earliest Pop statements through to later brushstroke retorts to Abstract Expressionism and reinterpretations of modern masterpieces. We look at his leading position in mid-century modernism, and the ways in which his works both critique and chronicle 20th-century America.

About the series:

Born back in 1985, the Basic Art Series has evolved into the best-selling art book collection ever published. 

Each book in TASCHEN’s Basic Art series features:
- a detailed chronological summary of the life and oeuvre of the artist, covering his or her cultural and historical importance
- a concise biography
- approximately 100 illustrations with explanatory captions

A major new survey that offers fresh insights on Pablo Picasso's artworks, written by a leading authority on the master.

Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) was one of the greatest artists of the 20th century. This important new monograph, released to coincide with the fiftieth anniversary of the artist's death, presents Picasso's unparalleled achievements in all media: painting, sculpture, drawing and prints. Art historian and curator Pepe Karmel offers fresh analysis of this great master for a 21st-century audience, considering Picasso's work through the lens of art rather than biography. He demonstrates how Picasso's style, evolving over the course of seven decades, introduced visual languages and narratives that transformed modern art.

Arranged chronologically by themes and movements, Looking at Picasso is profusely illustrated with renowned paintings, such as the provocative Les Demoiselles d'Avignon and his monumental Guernica, protesting the horror of war; these are accompanied by numerous lesser-known works, including Picasso's daring sculptures and his animated reinterpretation of Velazquez's 17th-century masterpiece Las Meninas.

This engaging book will appeal to museum-goers curious to learn more about Picasso's career and anyone interested in modern art.

About the Author:

Pepe Karmel is Associate Professor at the department of Art History, New York University. He is the author of Picasso and the Invention of Cubism (2003) and Abstract Art: A Global History (2020), and has written widely on art for museum catalogues, as well as the New York Times, Art in America and other publications. He has also curated and co-curated numerous exhibitions, including 'Jackson Pollock' (MoMA, 1998) and 'Dialogues with Picasso' (Museo Picasso Malaga, 2020). Karmel is the Associate Curator of Museo Picasso Malaga.

Contents List:

Preface
1. Life
2. Symbolism
3. Cubism
4. Surrealism
5. War and Peace
Notes

Painter Prince of the Renaissance

Lucas Cranach the Elder created around 500 works during his lifetime. With his portraits of Martin Luther and Philipp Melanchton and as court painter to Frederick the Wise, he became one of the most sought-after painters of the Reformation. At the same time, Cranach was the first to translate the Italian Renaissance tradition of the life-size nude into art north of the Alps; his lascivious, barely veiled depiction of Venus, the goddess of love, bears witness to this. On the occasion of the large Cranach exhibition at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, the Austrian writer Teresa Präauer explores the work of this busy prince of painters from A to Z. She focuses not only on Cranach's art, but also on the society that surrounded him, the subjects he painted, and the events that shaped his development.

Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472–1553) was one of the most prolific painters, graphic artists and letterpress printers of the German Renaissance. Court painter at the court of the Elector of Saxony since 1505, he devoted himself not only to religious works but also to mythological themes and numerous portraits.

The writer  Teresa Präauer (*1979) studied German literature in Salzburg and Berlin as well as art at Mozarteum Salzburg. She writes novels, essays, and columns. In her tragic-comical artist novel Johnny und Jean (Wallstein, 2016), the painter Cranach played a crucial role.

A significant publication of original writing on Lucian Freud, including interviews with leading contemporary artists, marking the 100th anniversary of his birth

Lucian Freud (1922–2011) was one of the greatest figurative painters of the twentieth century. With an unflinching eye and an uncompromising commitment to his work, he created masterpieces that continue to inspire contemporary artists to the present day.

Spanning nearly 70 years, Freud’s career has often been overshadowed by his biography and celebrity. This book re-examines his paintings through a broad series of original approaches. Texts by a variety of rising and established international writers explore topics ranging from the compositional echoes of old master paintings in Freud’s works, to the contextualization of his practice within the class struggles of 1980s Britain. Throughout the book, leading contemporary painters such as Tracey Emin and Chantal Joffe give insightful testimony to the relevance of Freud today.

Marking the 100th anniversary of Freud’s birth, this publication accompanies the first major exhibition of his work in 10 years. Presenting fresh perspectives on his paintings, it introduces Freud to a new generation of scholars and enthusiasts – demonstrating his lasting international importance.

Published by National Gallery Global/Distributed by Yale University Press 

Exhibition Schedule:

The National Gallery, London
October 1, 2022–January 22, 2023

Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, Madrid
February 14–June 18, 2023

About the Author:

Daniel F. Herrmann is Curator of Modern & Contemporary Projects at the National Gallery, London.

This Is Not a Book. Everyday enigma from Belgium's leading Surrealist

Meet the Belgian Surrealist forever on the hunt for magic and mystery. This introduction to Magritte presents key works from the artist's vast repertoire of visual humour, paradox, and surprise which makes us look and look again, not only at the painting but at our sense of self and the world.

From men in bowler hats, floating in the sky, to a painting of a pipe above the caption "this is not a pipe", René Magritte (1898–1967) created an echo chamber of object and image, name and thing, reality and representation.

Like other Surrealist works, Magritte’s paintings combine a precise, mimetic technique with abnormal, alienating configurations which defy the laws of scale, logic, and science: a comb the size of a wardrobe, rocks that float in the sky, clouds that drift through an open door. The result is a direct yet disorientating realm, often witty, often unsettling, and always prompting us to look beyond the visible, to “what is hidden by what we see.”

This introductory book explores Magritte's vast repertoire of visual humour, paradox, and surprise which to this day makes us look and look again, not only at the painting but at our sense of self and the world.

About the author:

Marcel Paquet (1947–2014) obtained his doctorate in 1978 from the Free University of Brussels with a thesis entitled La différence des penseés de Kant et de Hegel dans la question de l’essence de l’art. He published a number of books on such subjects as Paul Delvaux, Fernando Botero, and Hans Bellmer.

About the series:

Each book in TASCHEN’s Basic Art series features:

- a detailed chronological summary of the life and oeuvre of the artist, covering his or her cultural and historical importance
- a concise biography
- approximately 100 illustrations with explanatory captions

Magritte is published in association with a major survey of the work of the pioneering Belgian surrealist artist at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney.

René Magritte (1948–1967) is renowned for his thought-provoking and enigmatic paintings that challenge the viewer's perception of reality. His exploration of the subconscious and the juxtaposition of ordinary objects in surreal contexts have left an indelible mark on the art world, influencing generations of artists and thinkers.

The exhibition is the first Magritte retrospective to be presented in Australia and includes approximately 100 artworks drawn from public and private collections in the Asia–Pacific, Europe and the United States. The accompanying book provides an engaging, accessible and in-depth survey of Magritte’s practice, giving audiences insights into the evolution of his art from the early 1920s until his final works of the 1960s.

The book features reproductions of the 100+ works in the exhibition alongside rarely seen archival materials, commercial work and photography. The images are accompanied by four essays and an interview with Magritte (originally recorded for Belgian television in 1965), which together offer nuanced perspectives on the aesthetic foundations of his work while also considering the social and artistic context for his practice.

An essay by the curator of Magritte, Nicholas Chambers, leads us through the arc of the exhibition, revealing the artist’s extraordinary capacity for innovation and reinvention. Xavier Canonne, an expert on Belgian surrealism, focuses on the artist’s milieux during the formative period of the 1920s. Natalie Dupêcher, associate curator of modern art at the Menil Collection in Houston, picks up the story in the 1930s and considers the reception and promotion of Magritte’s art outside of Europe. And Belgian art historian Julie Waseige reflects on a key, underlying theme of the artist’s practice: his remarkable use of humour. Additionally, an extensive illustrated chronology compiled by Tai Spruyt charts the artist’s eventful life and career.

About the Authors:

Nicholas Chambers (ed) is senior curator of modern and contemporary international art at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney. His exhibitions and associated publications at the Art Gallery include Hilma af Klint: the secret paintings (2021), Adman: Warhol before pop (2018) and Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera: from the Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection (2016). Chambers has previously been the Milton Fine Curator of Art at the Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh; adjunct professor in the art history department at the University of Pittsburgh; and curator of contemporary international art at the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane. He has organised numerous exhibitions and contributed to publications for museums in Australia, Asia and North America.

Xavier Canonne is director of the Museum of Photography in Charleroi and is a prominent art historian at the Université libre de Bruxelles. He holds a PhD in Art History and Archaeology from the Sorbonne, focusing on surrealism in Belgium from 1950 to 1993, and has been the editor of Marées de la Nuit, a publication specialising in surrealism and the avant-garde, since 1986. He has curated numerous exhibitions, notably Surrealism in Belgium (Fine Arts Museum, Mons, 2007), and has published extensively, including Surrealism in Belgium 1924–2000 (Mercatorfonds, Brussels, 2006) and René Magritte: the revealing image (Ludion, Brussels, 2017).

Natalie Dupêcher is the associate curator of modern art at the Menil Collection, Houston, where she oversees the museum’s landmark holdings of historical surrealist art, in addition to mounting temporary exhibitions. She recently curated Janet Sobel: All-Over (2024) and Meret Oppenheim: My Exhibition (2021–23), which was co-organised by the Menil Collection, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Kunstmuseum Bern. She holds a PhD from Princeton University and a master’s degree from the Williams College Graduate Program in the History of Art.

Julie Waseige is an art historian and graduate of the Université libre de Bruxelles, specialising in surrealism in Belgium. From 2013 to 2016, she worked as a researcher at the Magritte Museum in Brussels. She has written books about René Magritte and curated international exhibitions including Magritte: Life Line (MASI, Lugano; Amos Rex, Helsinki, 2018–19) and Magritte: A Lab of Ideas, (Nordic Watercolour Museum, Skärhamn, 2022). Between May 2019 and June 2020, she was named the scientific director of the Marcel Mariën Foundation. She was also a historical consultant for the documentary René Magritte: the master of mystery (Seven Doc Productions, France, 2023).

Tai Spruyt is assistant curator of international art at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. From 2011 to 2018, Spruyt held a curatorial role at the Biennale of Sydney where she worked on four editions of the exhibition and wrote for the associated publications. She holds master’s degrees in art history and museum and curatorial studies from the University of Adelaide.

Magritte in 400 images offers a selection of the most iconic paintings by René Magritte, along with a multitude of lesser-known jewels from his expansive oeuvre. The novel choice of works will surprise and delight readers as they continue to uncover ever more facets of the master Surrealist, from his unique gouaches to his painted bottles.

Spanning seven chapters, this book brings together the myriad aspects of Magritte’s pictorial vision. Beginning with his first forays into abstract painting in the 1920s, navigating his search for solace in his Sunlit Period, as well as his brittle ‘Vache’ Period, before finally moving on to his Surrealist masterpieces of the 1950s and 1960s, it gently guides the reader through Magritte’s world.

Each chapter opens with a summary of the artistic stakes at play during that period and Magritte’s place in them, immersing the reader in the contemporary artistic milieu. The 400 reproductions of Magritte’s work are complemented by a unique selection of historical photographs. Alive with images and information, this compact gem is a must-have for all art enthusiasts and connoisseurs.

Published in conjunction with a major exhibition organized by The Museum of Modern Art, New York, in collaboration with the Menil Collection, Houston, and the Art Institute of Chicago, Magritte: The Mystery of the Ordinary, 1926-1938 focuses on the breakthrough surrealist years of René Magritte, creator of some of the 20th century's most extraordinary images. 

Bringing together nearly 80 paintings, periodicals and early commercial work, it offers fresh insight into Magritte's identity as a revolutionary painter and surrealist artist. Beginning in 1926, when Magritte first aimed to create paintings that would, in his words, challenge the real world and concluding in 1938 a historically and biographically significant moment just before the outbreak of World War II the publication traces central strategies and themes from this seminal period, particularly those of displacement, transformation, metamorphosis, the misnaming of objects, and the representation of visions seen in half-waking states. 

The publication also presents new conservation research on Magritte's materials and techniques, and an illustrated chronology outlining significant moments in the artist's life during this significant period, including travel, connections with other surrealist artists and writers, contributions to journals, and important exhibitions and reviews.