The Path of the Masterpiece. From Vermeer to Van Gogh. How Paintings Become Superstars

Thanks to the eponymous novel, the small painting by Carel Fabritius titled «The Goldfinch» has become almost as famous as Leonardo da Vinci's «Mona Lisa». Indeed, our first encounters with masterpieces today more often occur not in the reverent silence of museums and galleries, but in everyday life — through souvenirs, memes, new books, and advertising collaborations. But how do paintings become celebrities? What dramatic, anecdotal, and detective stories lie behind their worldwide fame? And is there a recipe for a masterpiece?
The new book by Alina Aksyonova, an art historian, teacher, Level One lecturer, and bestselling author («The History of Art. Simple and Important. Styles, Movements, and Trends», «Art of the 20th Century. Keys to Understanding. Events, Artists, Experiments») will immerse you in the heart of artistic life from the 16th to the 19th centuries. You will uncover the mysteries of the «Dutch Mona Lisa» in the bustling trading town of Delft during the time of Fabritius and Vermeer and discover why «Girl with a Pearl Earring» is not quite a portrait and why the earring is not quite a pearl. You will visit behind closed doors in the magnificent mansions of the Pre-Raphaelites and see how they enthusiastically and seriously played at being in the Middle Ages — both in life and in creativity. Enjoy the eternal celebration of life and art in the cabarets and cafes of Montmartre and meet the charismatic characters from Renoir's paintings and Toulouse-Lautrec's posters.
How did Vermeer's mother-in-law become his first art dealer, and why did the Dutch painter Han van Meegeren forge his works? What is the intrigue behind Fragonard's painting «The Happy Opportunities of the Swing» and what became of it after the Great French Revolution? What mysteries surround the life and death of Van Gogh, and what journey did his masterpiece take from a chicken coop to the Pushkin Museum?
This book tells about this and much more, and, perhaps most importantly, answers the burning question for all art lovers: how to create a masterpiece that museums and collectors will hunt for.