Synopses & Reviews
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? And what is the monk doing on the Ship of Fools? These and other questions are asked about famous works of art in this book from the successful ""Examining Paintings""-series. Suddenly the pictures come alive and relate previously untold stories. In their own language they recall earlier fashions and opinions, trends and intrigues, and tell of love, sin and lifestyles from the past. Powerful men and their mistresses, painters and models all come together in this illustrated history of culture. They cease to be two-dimensional figures of art and become flesh and blood before our eyes. This is thanks to the forensic sixth sense with which the two authors expose the secrets of the paintings under scrutiny. They spotlight each individual section of the painting, analyse them, and then put them back together again like a huge jigsaw puzzle, revealing the history of art as a lively panorama of forgotten worlds. For once, works of art are not to be enjoyed simply as art for art's sake, but as a living testimony of bygone times.
Synopsis
Artworks not only give pleasure to lovers of art; they are also documents of their times. They offer us insights into past eras, and an entrée into the sumptuous world of rich patrons and powerful magnates. They describe the everyday life of simple folk, craftsmen, farmers and tell myths and fairy stories.
Painters juxtapose the realities of life against the ideals our forebears yearned after in days gone by: Holbein presents diplomats at the English court whilst Bruegel depicts wedding revels in a barn; the voluptuous images left us by Rubens, Delacroix and Ingres reflect the erotic fantasies of their society; Manet celebrates the invention of electric lighting in Paris, and Rivera conjures up a Sunday afternoon in a park in Mexico.
In this work, Rose-Marie and Rainer Hagen illustrate how art is inseparable from the society and times in which it was created and how historical influences play a crucial role in its production.
They discuss the paintings in their socio-historic context, look at individual features in detail and offer interpretations that will inspire art historians as much as amateur enthusiasts to take a fresh view of these famous works.