Bold strokes of genius. This is the amazing work of a tormented soul. Vincent van Gogh's story is one of the most ironic in art history. He lived an unhappy and difficult life during which his work received almost no appreciation - finally killing himself by a bullet to the chest, so great was his d[...]

Marc Chagall (1887-1985) is widely regarded as epitomizing the "painter as poet". The worldwide admiration he commanded remains unparalleled by any artist of the 20th century. Chagall's paintings, steeped in mythology and mysticism, portray colourful dreams and tales that are deeply rooted in his Ru[...]

In the 1920s, Otto Dix was the artist of Neue Sachlichkeit, the New Objectivity, par excellence. Painting in a very realistic, almost photographic style, he chose as subjects the poverty, violence, death, and war that he experienced as a soldier in World War I. After this terrible experience, he pai[...]

"Vision and Reality" Van Gogh - one of the great forerunners of 20th century painting. This richly illustrated and expert study follows the artist from the early gloom-laden paintings in which he captured the misery of peasants and workers in his homeland, through his bright and colourful Parisian p[...]

A Frenchman in Tahiti. This book deals with Gauguin's search for pristine originality and unadulterated nature. After starting a career as a bank broker, Paul Gauguin (1848-1903) turned to painting only at age twenty-five. After initial successes within the Impressionist circle, he broke with Vincen[...]

Famous Manuscripts. This is the fascinating world of medieval miniature painting and illumination. From The Book of Kells to Boccaccio's Decameron and from the Vienna Genesis to Dante's Divine Comedy - see the breathtaking originals of 167 of the greatest classics of all time. This lavishly produced[...]

Emerging out of Baroque as a more relaxed style, Rococo was dominant in interiors, decorative art, and painting throughout Europe in the 18th century. With sentiment and emotion prevailing over reason, Rococo was a dramatic and theatrical style. In the Parisian art world, gallant scenes by Watteau, [...]