Overview
No other artist made such a mark on 18th-century painting north of the Alps as Antoine Watteau (1684-1721). In a creative phase lasting little more than a decade, he created not the large forceful works artists are often remembered for, but rather small-scale and playful pictures full of quiet charm and gentle wit. He was able to exert artistic influence because, living in a period of upheaval and decline at the end of the era of Louis XIV, he had a presentiment of what was to come: a refinement of the mind and sensory perception, the Enlightenment, and with it new ideas of social justice. The developments that led to the French Revolution at the end of the century are already present in embryo beneath the surface merriment of Watteau's painting.Synopsis
The volumes in this bibliophile series provide unique portraits of European art history. Readers gain fascinating insights into the artists' biographies and their styles: Dürer and his famous portraits and altarpieces, the vivid farm scenes of Pieter Bruegel, the great painters of the Italian Renaissance, the symphonies in color of Titian, the mysterious chiaroscuro paintings of Caravaggio, the rococo worlds of Antoine Watteau, and the great historical paintings created by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. Authoritative texts illuminate the decisive stages in the artists' lives and the development of their styles, explaining their impact against the background of their social context as well as their significance for following generations of artists. Plentiful large-sized illustrations showcase each artist's oeuvre. Each volume contains a comprehensive appendix providing information on the artists' biographies in tabular form as well as an extensive bibliography. Each of the authors of the individual volumes is renowned in his or her field.