Masterpieces of World Painting

Everyone is trying to understand painting. Why do they not try to understand the singing of birds? – said the famous artist Pablo Picasso once, hinting that the art of painting is beautiful but does not lend itself to interpretation. In fact, often when we visit a museum and admire the works of great masters, we ask ourselves questions: What did the artist mean?, What do certain symbols or details in the painting signify?, Why did the artist choose this particular subject?, In what technique is this canvas painted?, in what year and genre was the painting created?, and, ultimately, how do artists create paintings? Without the commentary of an experienced art historian, the viewer cannot do without it. The book, written by an art historian, a senior research associate of the A.S. Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, curator of the museum’s collection of 19th-20th century sculpture, and curator of several exhibitions at the museum, will help to learn how the forms of painting have changed, why artists turned to certain themes, what means they used to embody the desired images, and the well-chosen illustrations create a visual series that allows for a deeper and fuller immersion into the magical world of painting. This beautifully illustrated guide: • Will introduce you to the art of Western European painting in all its variety of genres, techniques, and styles. • Will offer the opportunity to take an exciting journey through time and trace the entire history of the development of visual arts – from primitive times to the early 20th century and learn how and why its forms changed, and which of the great artists played the most significant role in this. • Will reveal the secrets of the painting techniques and methods of famous masters • Will tell how a painting is born