Synopses & Reviews
This beautifully illustrated and updated National Gallery Companion Guide introduces art lovers to one of the richest and most representative collections of Western European paintings in the world. Erika Langmuir offers enlightening commentary on more than 200 of the finest worksand#150;and#150;by painters including Piero della Francesca, Titian, Rembrandt, Rubens, Veland#225;zquez, Ingres, and Degasand#150;and#150;from the National Galleryand#8217;s collection, along with masterpieces by less familiar artists.
With this book, readers can trace the history of European painting from the thirteenth to the twentieth centuries; develop an eye for style, technique, imagery, and genre; and learn to appreciate the talents of artists in a variety of artistic and cultural contexts. The book takes into account the latest scholarship from the National Gallery and includes discussions of the museumand#8217;s newest high-profile acquisitions.
Synopsis
For two decades, The National Gallery Companion Guide has introduced art lovers to one of the richest collections of Western European paintings in the world, including famous works by the greatest painters Piero della Francesca, Titian, Rembrandt, Rubens, Velazquez, Ingres, Degas, and many others as well as masterpieces by less familiar artists. Through Erika Langmuir s insightful commentaries on over 200 pictures, readers can trace the history of Western European painting from the 13th to the 20th century. Combining acute observation with persuasive prose, she enables the reader to develop an eye for style and technique, and to appreciate continuity and innovation in imagery and genre. This revised edition upholds the publication s tradition of erudition and beautiful design, and reflects the most current scholarship on the National Gallery s collection, including entries on recent acquisitions, such as Titian s magisterial Diana and Actaeon and Diana and Callisto, and George Bellows's Men of the Docks."
Synopsis
Drawing on the National Galleryand#8217;s comprehensive collection of religious images,
A Closer Look: Saints explains the importance of saints and their role in the history of European painting.
Erika Langmuir underlines the fundamental importance of saints in many of the National Galleryand#8217;s paintings and, usingand#160; examples of works by Raphael, Dand#252;rer, and Crivelli, among others, explains the sometimes puzzling conventions for identifying saints by their attributes. She also describes how saints became part of the institutions of the Christian church, the different types of saints, and the increasing importance of saintly relics in the Middle Ages. And she provides an introduction to a wide variety of personalities, from the ambiguous penitent Mary Magdalen to such revered figures as Saint Jerome and Saint Francis of Assisi.
Synopsis
Erika Langmuir examines the presence and surprisingly complicated history of angels in Christian art. She points out that angels need not be winged; they can wear antique dress, contemporary church vestments, secular fashions, armor, or nothing at all; their gender and age are uncertain; they may not even have bodies but appear only as winged heads; and they are not always good (Satan, of course, is a fallen angel). Langmuir explores these intriguing characteristics of angels by looking at some of the best-known and most engaging religious paintings in the Western tradition.
Synopsis
Painters in the past and commercial artists in our own day have relied on allegory to create "message pictures." Once thought to rival literary works or political oratory in influence and prestige, such paintings, with their references to ancient myth, the Bible, or medieval astrology, all too often puzzle modern viewers. This Closer Look guide illustrates and explains the main types of visual allegory in Western art and the contexts in which they were originally created and viewed.
Synopsis
What is still life? We are familiar with the objects portrayed but have difficulty explaining the essence of this popular art form. Erika Langmuir examines the special fascination of still life, and what distinguishes it from other categories of painting. She discusses its evolution from the trompe land#8217;oeil wall paintings of antiquity, through its revival in the age of Caravaggio and Veland#225;zquez, and again in the works of Cand#233;zanne and Picasso. Originally published as Pocket Guide Still Life, this eloquent survey benefits from a wider format, new reproductions, and updated references.
About the Author
Erika Langmuir, OBE, was Head of Education at the National Gallery, London, and is the author of many books, including Masterpieces and The National Gallery Companion Guide.