King, Ross

Presents brief profiles of over eighty major artists throughout history, providing the historical context in which each artist worked, their influences, and legacies.

Chronicles the events that occurred in Paris between 1863 and 1874, and explores how those events influenced the Impressionist movement and the artists that created it.

"Mad Enchantment tells the full story behind the creation of the Water Lilies, as the horrors of World War I came ever closer to Paris and Giverny, and a new generation of younger artists, led by Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso, were challenging the achievements of Impressionism. By early 1914, French newspapers were reporting that Monet, by then 73 and one of the world's wealthiest, most celebrated painters, had retired his brushes. ... And yet, despite ill health, self-doubt, and advancing age, Monet began painting again on a more ambitious scale than ever before. Linking great artistic achievement to the personal and historical dramas unfolding around it, Ross King presents the most intimate and revealing portrait of an iconic figure in world culture--from his lavish lifestyle and tempestuous personality to his close friendship with the fiery war leader Georges Clemenceau, who regarded the Water Lilies as one of the highest expressions of the human spirit"--Amazon.com.

Tells the complete story of the creation of The Last Supper mural: the adversities suffered by the artist during its execution; the experimental techniques he employed; the models for Christ and the Apostles that he used; and the numerous personalities involved -- everyone from the Leonardo's young assistants to Ludovico Sforza, the Duke of Milan who commissioned the work.

Presents a biography of late fifteenth-century Italian political philosopher, musician, poet, and playwright, Niccolo Machiavelli; and provides an introduction to his writings and his influence on political and social thought of his day.

Tells the story of how fifteenth-century goldsmith and clock maker Filippo Brunelleschi devised the plan to build the dome of the Santa Maria del Fiore cathedral in Florence, an engineering feat that had puzzled architects for over a century.

In 1863, the French painter Ernest Meissonier was one of the most famous artists in the world. By contrast, in that same year, Manet, who would become known as the father of Impressionism, was struggling in obscurity. In reality, this ten-year-period to 1874, was a time of great social and political ferment. And at the same time, a group of artists were challenging the establishment by refusing to paint classical or historical subjects and instead, were painting landscapes and ordinary people.

Tells the story of how fifteenth-century goldsmith and clock maker Filippo Brunelleschi devised the plan to build the dome of the Santa Maria del Fiore cathedral in Florence, an engineering feat that had puzzled architects for over a century.

An exploration of the creation of "The Last Supper" by Leonardo da Vinci, discussing his insecurities, frustrations, models, religious beliefs, and more and examining the political and religious turmoil of the time.