Product Description

Did the Greek gods play tennis? What is the ambassador from the land of Alchemy telling us? What secrets are being told on the shores of the Island of Venus? What is a monk doing on the ship of fools? "What Great Paintings Say" has the answers to these and many other burning questions asked about the most important and famous paintings of all time. In two volumes, a selection of history's greatest masterpieces is presented chronologically, including works by Botticelli, Breughel, Chagall, Courbet, Degas, Delacroix, Durer, Goya, Monet, Raphael, Rembrandt, Renoir, Rubens, Tiepolo, Titian, and many others. Each chapter focuses on one painting, with enlarged details and in-depth texts describing their significance. Taking apart each painting and then reassembling it again like a huge jigsaw puzzle, the authors reveal the history of art as a lively panorama of forgotten worlds.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7512 in Books
• Published on: 2005-10-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 2
• Binding: Hardcover
• 720 pages

About the Author
The authors: Rose-Marie Hagen was born in Switzerland and studied History and Literature in Lausanne. Rainer Hagen studied Literature and Theater Science in Munich. Together, the two authors have produced 15 television films in the series "History in Pictures" and have published over 140 sequels to the series "Examining Paintings" in the arts magazine art, a selection of which makes up the contents of this publication.

Customer Reviews

What Great Paintings Say
The books from this series are sensational if you are interested in art history. They cover not just the social history of the time the painting was painted, but the artist, the background of the subject or subjects. They make compelling reading for me, and I return to them repeatedly for a taste of great art and the genius' the artists were. The books are printed on good stock, so the images reproduction is good, but if you are after an art picture book, these are not for you because the paintings often go through the gutter. The cover says it all with highlighted sections, the authors go into detail about those parts of the painting. If you are going to travel to the galleries, these books are for you - but they are heavy so I will be photocopying the relevant pages before I get onto the plane.