At last a comprehensive, full-color volume joins Hudson Hills Press's successful series of books on one of the world's greatest art museums.

Treasures from The Art Institute of Chicago

Arts & Photography

Mancoff, Debra N.

Wood, James N.

Collections, Catalogs & Exhibitions

Art Institute of Chicago

Treasures of the Detroit Institute of Arts

Abt, Jeffrey

Salort Pons, Salvador

History & Criticism

Detroit Institute of Arts

What gives beauty such fascinating power? Why is beauty so easy to recognize but so hard to define? Across cultures and continents and over the centuries the standards of beauty have changed but the desire to portray beauty, to praise beauty, and to possess beauty has never diminished. Icons of Beauty offers an enthralling overview of the most revered icons of female beauty in world art from pre-history to the present.
From images of Eve to Cindy Sherman's self-portraits, from Cleopatra to Madonna, from ancient goddesses to modern celebrities, this interdisciplinary set offers fresh insight as to how we can use perceptions of beauty to learn about world cultures, both past and present. Each chapter looks at an individual work of art to pose a question about the power of beauty. What makes beauty modern? What is the influence of celebrities? How do women portray their own beauty in a different manner than men? In-depth profiles of the icons reveal how specific ideas about beauty were developed and expressed, offering a full analysis of their history, cultural significance, and lasting influence. In addition to renowned works of art, Icons of Beauty also looks at icons in literature, film, politics, and contemporary entertainment.
Interdisciplinary and multicultural in its approach, chapters inside this set also feature sidebars on provocative topics and issues, such as foot binding and body adornment; myths and practices; opinions and interpretations; and even related films, songs, and even comic book characters. Generously illustrated, this rich set encompasses history, politics, society, women's studies, and art history, making it an indispensable resource for high school and college students as well as general readers.

Icons of Beauty [2 volumes]: Art, Culture, and the Image of Women [2 volumes] (Greenwood Icons)

Politics & Social Sciences

Bosch, Lindsay J.

Philosophy

Greenwood

Sunflower imagery has an enduring quality that has been captured most famously in the work of Vincent van Gogh. Indeed, for many people the sunflower has become synonymous with his art. Published in conjunction with the Art Institute of Chicago's exhibition of work by van Gogh and Gauguin, this book considers the flower's significance from pre-Columbian times to the early twentieth century. The numerous full-color illustrations celebrate the image of the sunflower from its first appearance in sixteenth-century botanical texts to present-day representations. Brief essays and reproductions survey the chronology of the sunflower in art and literature, highlighting its presence in the work of the Symbolists and the British Aesthetic movement, as well as in Realist and Impressionist paintings. The flower's representation in art and science creates a context for van Gogh's work, and Mancoff develops the image of the sunflower as a lasting emblem of the artist. 180 color illustrations.

Sunflowers

Individual Artists

Thames&Hudson

Garden lovers and art afficianados alike will delight at this lively tour of Monet's famous garden of Giverny--the inspiration for many of his paintings. 12,500 first printing.

Monet's Garden in Art

Studio

Monet"s Garden in Art

Frances Lincoln Publishers Ltd

This book focuses on Monet's garden at Giverny as seen through his paintings, offering a revealing insight into the artist and his work. Monet's garden was a private haven where domestic pleasure, artistic vision and aesthetic delight converged. It became as powerful a passion in his life as painting - he chose his planting schemes as carefully as he chose colours for his palette. It was also the inspiration for his art, and the subject of some of his greatest paintings. Exploring his vision of the world of beauty he brought into being, Debra Mancoff shows how Monet's endeavours as a gardener were part of his identity as a painter and how his artistic vision drew strength from his passion for his garden.

Frances Lincoln

Monet's garden in Normandy was a private haven where domestic pleasure, artistic vision and aesthetic delight converged. Although he modestly told his dealer, Paul Durand-Ruel, that he gardened 'so that there would be flowers to paint on rainy days', Monet cultivated his garden as a continual source of renewal and creativity. It became as powerful a passion in his life as hs painting - he chose planting schemes as carefully as he chose colours for his palette. The garden was also the inspiration for his art and the subject of some of his greatest paintings. In the paintings of his gardens, from the suburban flower-beds of his first family homes to the grand fantasy of his water lily pond at Giverny, Monet achieved his most personal and passionate expression.

Themes

The Secrets of Art offers a fresh encounter with familiar works of art, revealing untold stories, hidden meanings and surprising revelations hidden beneath the surface.

The Secrets of Art: Uncovering the mysteries and messages of great works of art

What makes a work of art a masterpiece? Discover the answers in the fascinating stories of how these artworks came to be and the circumstances of their long-lasting impact on the world.\nBeginning with Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus, we travel through time and a range of styles and stories – including theft, scandal, artistic reputation, politics and power – to Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup Cans, challenging the idea of what a masterpiece can be, and arriving in the twenty-first century with Amy Sherald’s portrait of Michelle Obama, a modern-day masterpiece still to be tested by time.\nEach artwork has a tale that reveals making a masterpiece often involves much more than just a demonstration of artistic skill: their path to fame is only fully disclosed by looking beyond what the eye can see. Rather than trying to describe the elements of greatness, Making a Masterpiece takes account of the circumstances outside the frame that contribute to the perception of greatness and reveals that the journey from the easel to popular acclaim can be as compelling as the masterpiece itself.\nFeaturing: 
Birth of Venus, Sandro Botticelli 
Mona Lisa, Leonardo da Vinci 
Judith Beheading Holofernes, Artemisia Gentileschi 
Girl with a Pearl Earring, Johannes Vermeer 
Under the Wave off Kanagawa, Katsushika Hokusai 
Fifteen Sunflowers, Vincent van Gogh 
Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I (Woman in Gold, Gustav Klimt 
American Gothic, Grant Wood 
Guernica, Pablo Picasso 
Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird, Frida Kahlo 
Campbell’s Soup Cans, Andy Warhol 
Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama, Amy Sherald\nDiscover the stories of how, why and what makes a masterpiece in this truly compelling and comprehensive work.

Making A Masterpiece: The stories behind iconic artworks

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Mancoff, Debra N.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Mancoff, Debra N.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Mancoff, Debra N.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Treasures from The Art Institute of Chicago

Treasures of the Detroit Institute of Arts

Icons of Beauty [2 volumes]: Art, Culture, and the Image of Women [2 volumes] (Greenwood Icons)

Sunflowers

Monet's Garden in Art

Monet"s Garden in Art

Monet's Garden in Art

Monet's Garden in Art

The Secrets of Art: Uncovering the mysteries and messages of great works of art

Making A Masterpiece: The stories behind iconic artworks