Grandi Maestri dell'Arte Serie

Il realismo senza sentimentalismi "Sostengo," dichiarò Gustave Courbet (1819-1877), "che la pittura è chiaramente un'arte concreta la cui esistenza risiede solo nella rappresentazione di oggetti reali ed esistenti...." Courbet, che influenzò e consigliò i giovani Impressionisti, fu un rappresentante eccezionale di un realismo naturalistico che mette in evidenza le contraddizioni e le disuguaglianze nella società. Rivoluzionario fu lo stile di Courbet, caratterizzato da tonalità scure e pennellate pesanti, e la scelta dei soggetti: rappresentazioni della vita delle persone comuni trattate in modo diretto e senza sentimentalismi. La sua influenza fu enorme durante la sua vita; nel 1872 gli fu offerta la croce della Legion d'Onore, ma la rifiutò. Sempre in conflitto con l'autorità, sia artistica che politica, Courbet divenne membro della Comune di Parigi e fu brevemente imprigionato, costretto a fuggire in Svizzera per gli ultimi anni della sua vita.

When the final tally of key movers in the plastic arts of this century is compiled, there is no doubt that maestro of movement Alexander Calder (1898-1976), the man who put the swing into sculpture, will be near numero uno. Calder took it off the plinth, gave it to the wind, and left us kinetic playgrounds of the spirit. He operated at the point where Modernity and nature Fused, developing an environmental art that changed the medium Forever. Visiting his Paris atelier in 1932, Duchamp coined the term "Mobiles" For Calder's delicate wire and disc pieces, constructions that would soon become immensely popular. But he didn't rest on his innovations. Friends with Miro, Mondrian and Leger, Calder also turned his hand to painting, drawing, gouaches, toys, textiles and utensil design. A graphic master who sketched as much in air as in ink, the Sixties and Seventies saw Calder take on the monumental, translating the dynamics of cities into both his Mobiles and "Stabiles". At a time when sculpture was perceived to be the antithesis of movement, Calder unmade gravity and freed the elements in a body of work that is still sending a wind of change through the art world today.

In the latter half of the 19th century, Paul Cezanne (1839-1906) worked in the lush countryside near Aix-en-Provence, creating landscapes and still lifes that would become foundational to modern art. Through compact, intense brushstrokes and innovative approaches to light and space, he bridged Impressionism and the defining movements of the early 20th century, earning the title "father of us all" from both Matisse and Picasso. This introduction highlights key works from Cezanne's oeuvre, exploring his development, innovation, and significant influence on modern art. From compositions of fruits to outdoor bathers, we examine his experimentation with color, perspective, and texture, evoking a harmony that reflects Nature and the act of seeing. Notable works include Cezanne's celebrated Card Players, showcasing his use of warm and cool hues to construct form and surface, alongside the geometric precision of his landscapes, vibrant with the light of southern France and a radical new interpretation of dimensions and depth. Each book in TASCHEN's Basic Art series includes a detailed chronological summary of the artist's life and work, emphasizing their cultural and historical significance, alongside approximately 100 illustrations with explanatory captions.

Diego Rivera (1886–1957) è una figura vibrante e carismatica nella storia dell'arte. La sua vita è stata segnata da lotte politiche e relazioni tumultuose; fu marito e sostenitore di Frida Kahlo, sostenitore e critico della Soviet Union di Stalin, e liberatore e traditore per Leon Trotsky. I dipinti di Rivera – vivaci, espliciti e spesso monumentali – emanano la stessa passione politica e personale della sua biografia. Fondendo influenze europee come il cubismo, un'ideologia socialista e la folclore messicana, creò per il suo paese un linguaggio visivo completamente nuovo, unico nella storia dell'arte. Divenne uno dei principali esponenti del muralismo messicano, ricevendo riconoscimenti internazionali per i suoi murales pubblici, in cui presentava una visione utopica ma accessibile di un Messico post-rivoluzionario. Questo libro esplora la singolare miscela di influenze stilistiche e ideologiche che resero Rivera così unico, affrontando temi come la rivoluzione e l'ingiustizia sociale, che risuonano ancora oggi.

Česká verze. Začínal ve skupině impresionistů, ale jeho neposedná duše ho poháněla k jiným zkušenostem a pohledům. Nevydržel déle najednom místě a vyhledával nové bohem zapomenuté krajiny pro svou inspiraci. Proto je jeho styl nezaměnitelný, nedotknutý salonním stylem.

Famous for his patented shade of blue and the use of living brushes, the artist Yves Klein produced over 1,000 works during his brief but impactful career. These pieces are now regarded as classics of modern art, showcasing his innovative approach and unique artistic vision.

With an acute sense of observation and subjects ranging from the biblical tower of Babel to the small-town festivals of peasant life, the master draftsman Pieter Bruegel the Elder provides a unique witness to both the religious mores and the close-knit folk culture of his time.

Henri Matisse's adventures in color and light constitute a landmark in the history of modern art. From his apprenticeship in the studio of Gustave Moreau to the paper cutouts of the 1950'...

Marc Chagall è scomparso nel 1985 all'età di 97 anni ed è considerato uno dei grandi maestri dell'arte moderna. La sua immaginazione creativa, intrisa di magia e poesia, dà vita a un mondo fantastico e affascinante, caratterizzato da colori vivaci e brillanti, che riflettono la sua infanzia e giovinezza trascorse a Vitebsk, nell'attuale Bielorussia. L'arte di Chagall, fortemente influenzata dalle icone bizantine e russe, incorpora anche elementi dell'avanguardia. I suoi dipinti sono colmi di miti e simboli, e le coppie che fluttuano gioiosamente nell'aria sembrano sfidare le leggi dell'attrazione universale. Queste opere, ricche di poesia e di una gioia di vivere che trae vigore dalla Bibbia, incantano un vasto pubblico e appassionano i collezionisti di tutto il mondo. L'opera colossale di Chagall abbraccia settant'anni di creazione e presenta dipinti a olio, gouaches, acquerelli, litografie, vetrate, mosaici, arazzi, ceramiche e sculture, oltre a lavori realizzati per il teatro, l'opera e il balletto classico.

Discover the oeuvre of French painter and sculptor Edgar Degas, whose obsession with movement saw him create over 1,500 images of ballerinas. From still lifes to cabarets, horse racing to noisy streets, Degas left no corner of the bustling Parisian entertainments untouched. Resisting categorization, his exploration of physicality inspired...

The solitude of man and the bleak beauty of nature are prominent themes in the work of Caspar David Friedrich (1774-1840), the great romantic painter whose importance and influence have often been underestimated. This book features a detailed chronological summary of the artist's life and work.

Divine apples and Cézanne’s quest for “a harmony parallel to Nature” He was the founding father of modern art, the grand master who pointed painting forward on its way from Impressionism to the 20th Paul Cézanne (1839–1906). In Paris, but above all in Provence, Cézanne quested tirelessly for “a harmony parallel to Nature”—discovering it in still lifes of apples, in bathers, or in the renowned landscapes of his beloved Montagne Sainte-Victoire. This book discusses this extraordinary artist’s major works and his theories of painting and color. About the Each book in TASCHEN’s Basic Art series

Perché l'arte deve essere statica? La prossima fase è la scultura in movimento. ALEXANDER CALDER 1898-1976 rivoluziona le regole delle arti plastiche, inventando il mobile sospeso al soffitto, che si anima al minimo soffio d'aria. I suoi "stabiles", monumentali e eretti in tutto il mondo nelle piazze pubbliche di molte città, sono quasi altrettanto noti. Questo volume presenta inoltre sculture in filo di ferro, quadri, gouaches, arazzi e gioielli, e persino automobili e aerei dipinti.

From night skies to morning mists to the much-cited Wanderer above a Sea of Fog, Caspar David Friedrich mastered the emotional and metaphysical experience of nature. This introductory book presents his most important and celebrated works to explore an oeuvre of sublime and haunting impact and a trailblazer of Romantic aesthetics.

It has been said that James Ensor appropriated the subject matter of a Bosch or Bruegel and revisioned them using the techniques of Manet or Rubens. This work shows that Ensor was a genuine maverick with his own merit.

Lucian Freud (1922-2011) cercava di rivelare la verità attraverso i suoi ritratti, analizzando i modelli con la precisione di uno scienziato. Le sue opere, che rivelano emozioni e vulnerabilità, esplorano il complesso rapporto tra artista e soggetto. Questo libro presenta alcuni dei suoi ritratti più iconici.

Concepts in Artworks as visual explanations of ideas Italian artist Lucio Fontana tore apart the modern art establishment—literally. Trained initially as a sculptor, Fontana (1899-1968) blurred the lines between painting and sculpture by creating works that combined both form and color in a spatial context, most famously exemplified by his slashed canvases of the 1950s and 60s. Fontana`s work was truly conceptual, in that the ideas he wanted to express were more important than the actual work itself; with titles like Concetto Spaziale (Spatial Concept) and Scultura Spaziale (Spatial Sculpture), his pieces served as visual explanations of his ideas. From his early work in collaborating with architects through his years in Buenos Aires (where, in the mid-1940s, he published the famous "White Manifesto" and "Technical Manifesto of Spatialism," among others), his experimental light installations of the early 1950s, and his later experiments with various media, this book covers the entire career of Italy`s pioneering abstract artist. About the Each book in TASCHEN’s Basic Art series

Prima di dedicarsi alla pittura, Paul Gauguin (1848–1903) viaggiò come marinaio e lavorò come banchiere, ma non trovò soddisfazione in questa vita. Dopo il crollo della borsa del 1882, abbandonò la sua vita borghese per diventare artista. Partecipò inizialmente alla quarta esposizione degli Impressionisti, per poi distaccarsi da questo movimento e sviluppare uno stile personale. Gauguin, che si definiva un "Selvaggio", ebbe relazioni intense e conflittuali con figure di spicco dell'avanguardia francese, tra cui van Gogh, con cui ebbe un litigio nel 1888. Attratto dalle idee contemporanee sul "Primitivo", si trasferì nel Pacifico, dove creò molte delle sue opere più celebri. In dipinti come "La donna con il fiore" e "Sogno tenero", sviluppò uno stile primitivista caratterizzato da colori vivaci e rappresentazioni idealizzate, che però poco riflettevano la realtà della vita nella regione. Le sue innovazioni stilistiche offrirono nuove prospettive alle generazioni artistiche future. Questa introduzione all'ampia opera di Gauguin, che include anche xilografie, ceramiche e oggetti in legno primitivi, evidenzia il suo impatto sull'avanguardia francese e tedesca del XX secolo.

From his royal court portraits to horrific scenes of conflict, Francisco Jose de Goya y Lucientes remains one of Spain's most revered and startling artists. With key works from throughout his career, this vivid introduction explores Goya's mastery of form and light and varied, daring subjects.

Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968) is best-known for his "ready-mades" - such as the urinal, entitled "Fountain" and "signed" R. Mutt. This study tackles the enigma of this major 20th-century artist.

Henri Matisse (1869–1954), zentrale Figur des Fauvismus, war ein Einzelgänger, der zeitlebens nach dekorativer Formvereinfachung und der perfekten Synthese von Linie und Farbe strebte. Nach seiner fauvistischen Phase experimentierte er mit Kubismus und primitiver Kunst. Seine Reisen in den Orient und nach Polynesien bereicherten seine Arbeiten, die über die flache Leinwand hinausgingen: Er gestaltete Glasfenster, Wandgemälde, Bühnenbilder, Kostüme, Buchillustrationen sowie Skulpturen aus Bronze, Keramik und Ton. Durch den flächig-dekorativen und ornamentalen Einsatz von Farbe verlieh er ihr ein eigenständiges Dasein und wurde zum Vorbild für Künstler, die neue Wege jenseits der Abbildhaftigkeit suchten. Ein Höhepunkt seiner Kunst war der Scherenschnitt, den er im Alter aufgrund von Krankheit entdeckte. Hier entstanden farbenfrohe Collagen aus mit Gouachefarben bestrichenem Papier, die rhythmische Improvisationen darstellten. 20 dieser Werke wurden 1947 unter dem Titel Jazz als Künstlerbuch veröffentlicht, ein bedeutendes Werk des 20. Jahrhunderts und eine Krönung seiner kreativen Reise. Dieser Band verfolgt seinen künstlerischen Werdegang von Neoimpressionismus und Fauvismus bis hin zur reinen Farbfeldmalerei und lädt dazu ein, sich intensiver mit einem Künstler auseinanderzusetzen, dessen Einfluss auf die Moderne enorm ist.

Edgar Degas, významný francouzský malíř (1834 - 1917), proslavený pastelem a žánrovými malbami z prostředí koňských dostihů a baletu. Kniha shrnuje život a dílo tohoto umělce, součástí knihy jsou i barevné fotografie obrazů.

Paul Cézanne (1839-1906) gilt als Gründervater der modernen Kunst. Obwohl er zu Lebzeiten wenig geschätzt wurde, erlangte sein Werk später große Bedeutung. Sein experimenteller Umgang mit Abstraktion und Perspektive ebnete den Weg für die moderne Malerei, insbesondere den Kubismus.

Francisco Jose de Goya y Lucientes (1746-1828), one of Spain's most revered and controversial painters, is known for his intense, chilling, and sometimes grotesque paintings depicting the injustice of society with brutal sincerity. This book features a detailed chronological summary of the artist's life and work.

British artist Lucian Freud is widely considered the most important figurative painter working today. His portraits may be physically unflattering to their subjects, but they are honest, frank, and unapologetic.

Unflinching truth British artist Lucian Freud (1922–2011) was widely considered the most important figurative painter of his generation. Master portraitist and specialist in nudes, Freud used impasto to create depth and intensity while restraining his color palate to mostly muted hues. His portraits may be physically unflattering to their subjects, but they are honest, frank, and unapologetic. "I paint people," Freud said, "not because of what they are like, not exactly in spite of what they are like, but how they happen to be." About the Each book in TASCHEN’s Basic Art series