National Gallery London Publications
2 total works
This book traces some key developments in British 18th- and 19th-century painting, focusing in particular on the outstanding portraits and landscapes in the National Gallery’s collection. Compare what rival portrait painters Thomas Gainsborough and Sir Joshua Reynolds offered their sitters: the choice between shimmering colours and expressive brushwork, or ennobling classical references. Their techniques and philosophical ideals would be challenged and developed even further by the next generation. The ground-breaking landscapes that Constable and Turner produced inspired the French Impressionists, and are still among the world’s favourite paintings today.
The National Gallery in London houses one of the richest collections of Western European paintings in the world, ranging from the 13th to the 20th century. In this beautiful book, one hundred of the greatest works from the collection, each by a different artist, are presented in chronological order, and accompanied by a lively, informative text and full-page color reproductions.
From the earliest—a remnant of an Italian altarpiece dating from around 1265—to the most recent—Paul Cézanne’s great Bathers, of about 1894–1905—each painting has been carefully chosen for the unique significance it holds; whether representing a particular artist, place or time, or simply for its beauty and the pleasure it provides to the viewer. The painters featured here include some of the most famous names in European art—Duccio, Giotto, Dürer, Holbein, van Eyck, Botticelli, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, Titian, Rubens, Rembrandt, El Greco, Velázquez, Zurbarán, Goya, Caravaggio, Claude, Poussin, Hogarth, Gainsborough, Reynolds, Constable, Turner, Courbet, Manet, Monet, Renoir, Degas, Rousseau, and Van Gogh—and some of the most iconic paintings in the world—The Wilton Diptych, The Arnolfini Portrait, The Ambassadors, and Sunflowers.
These selected highlights introduce some of the most inspiring paintings ever made. The reader can dip in to explore individual paintings, or read from cover to cover for a full survey.
Published by the National Gallery Company/Distributed by Yale University Press