The myth of Van Gogh today is linked as much to his extraordinary life as it is to his stunning paintings. His biography has often shaped the way that his self-portraits have been (mis)understood. Van Gogh. Self-Portraits reconsiders this aspect of his production and places the artist's self-representation in context to reveal the role it plays in his oeuvre. It also explores the power and profound emotion of these highly personal paintings. Van Gogh. Self-Portraits is the first time this theme has been exclusively addressed. Self-portraits painted during Van Gogh's time in Paris (February 1886 - February 1888) have been the subject of two exhibitions (in 1960 at Marlborough Fine Arts in London and in 1995 at the Kunsthalle in Hamburg) but never has the full chronological range been explored. The exhibition at The Courtauld Gallery, which this volume accompanies, features paintings from both the Parisian and Provencal periods. It brings together half of Van Gogh's thirty-five known self-portraits to examine the ways the artist approached this particular subject-matter. On a practical level, painting himself provided Van Gogh with the cheapest and most patient of models and represented an important conduit for stylistic experimentation. He also used self-portraiture as an homage to his illustrious Dutch predecessor Rembrandt, as well as a way of fashioning his own identity and presenting himself to the outside world. Of particular interest is the striking way the evolution of Van Gogh's self-representation over the short years of his artistic activity can be seen as a microcosm of his development as a painter. In addition to the world-famous Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear in The Courtauld's collection, the exhibition showcases a group of major masterpieces brought together from international collections, including the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the Muse d'Orsay in Paris, the Art Institute of Chicago and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., among others. This beautifully illustrated catalogue includes detailed entries on each work, an appendix illustrating all of Van Gogh's self-portraits and three insightful essays on the theme.

"Fascinating and lucid . . . a stunningly illustrated and illuminating life of a singular painter." - Sue Roe, Wall Street Journal "Not just another art history book, no title in recent memory recalls with such exactitude the style of an era that, in retrospect, has become increasingly golden. . . . The book and its prose shimmer." - New York Times "Never before have Sargent's talents been so gloriously displayed as they are here. Quite simply, this Abbeville edition is a stunner, a book as satisfyingly extravagant as a Sargent portrait." - Christian Science Monitor "The spontaneity, elegance, and grace that characterize Sargent's work are everywhere evident on these large, luminous pages. . . . A visual delight, well written." - Art and Antiques The classic monograph on a much-loved artist-reissued in a spectacular oversize format In the early work of John Singer Sargent (1856-1925), Henry James saw "the slightly 'uncanny' spectacle of a talent which on the threshold of its career has nothing more to learn." Sargent's talent, nay, genius was indeed uncanny, sustained with equal intensity through his famed society portraits, like the scandalous Madame X; his full-size showpieces, like The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit; his thousands of watercolours executed en plein air from Venice to Corfu to Maine to Montana; and his ambitious mural decorations for the public monuments of Boston. In Carter Ratcliff, Sargent has found a biographer and critic nearly his match in style and subtlety. Ratcliff expertly evokes the expatriate American milieu into which the artist was born, and offers penetrating insights into every phase of his career, every aspect of his work. Now, for the first time, this landmark monograph is offered in a special oversize format, with all of its 310 illustrations reproduced in stunning full colour, many at full-page size, allowing the reader to appreciate the master's every brushstroke. This new edition of John Singer Sargent will be a treasured reference for artists and an unalloyed delight for art lovers.

What does modern British and Irish literature have to do with French impressionist painting? And what does Henry James have to do with the legal dispute between John Ruskin and J.M.W. Whistler? What links Walter Pater with Conrad's portrait of a genocidal maniac in Heart of Darkness? Or George Moore with Irish nationalism, Virginia Woolf with modern distraction, and Ford Madox Ford with the Great Depression?
Adam Parkes argues that we must answer such questions if we are to appreciate the full impact of impressionist aesthetics on modern British and Irish writers. Complicating previous accounts of the influence of painting and philosophy on literary impressionism, A Sense of Shock highlights the role of politics, uncovering new and deeper linkages. In the hands of such practitioners as Conrad, Ford, James, Moore, Pater, and Woolf, literary impressionism was shaped by its engagement with important social issues and political events that defined the modern age. As Parkes demonstrates, the formal and stylistic practices that distinguish impressionist writing were the result of dynamic and often provocative interactions between aesthetic and historical factors.
Parkes ultimately suggests that it was through this incendiary combination of aesthetics and history that impressionist writing forced significant change on the literary culture of its time. A Sense of Shock will appeal to students and scholars of nineteenth- and twentieth-century literature, as well as the growing readership for books that explore problems of literary history and interdisciplinarity.

Celebrate the holidays with Christmas Carolers Square Boxed 1000 Piece Puzzle from Galison. Piece together to reveal a classic scene of friends and family charoling in the snow by Louise Cunningham. - Assembled puzzle size: 20 x 27'' - Box: 8 x 8 x 2.5'' - Contains informational insert about artist and image

Vincent van Gogh is best known for two things - his sunflowers and his ear-cutting. But there are many other ways of knowing this remarkable son of a Dutch pastor, who left his chill homeland for the sunshine of Arles in the South of France; and left us over a thousand frank letters of struggle and joy, to help us glimpse his inner world. Vincent came late to painting after spending time in London trying to be a Christian missionary. And though he is now amongst the most famous artists on earth, in his day, no one saw him coming - apart from one French art critic called Aurier. It is possible he never sold one of his paintings in his life time. When he discovered the sun in Arles, he also discovered energy. Yellow for him was the colour of hope, and in his last two years he painted almost a canvass a day. But hope ran out on July 27th , 1890 when he shot himself, aged 37. He was at this time six months out of a mental institution, where perhaps he experienced his greatest calm. Vincent compared himself to a stunted plant; damaged by the emotional frost of his childhood. 'Conversations with Van Gogh' is an imagined conversation with this remarkable figure. But while the conversation is imagined, Van Gogh's words are not; they are all authentically his. "Speaking with Vincent - which he insists on being called - was a privilege,' says Simon Parke. 'He's endlessly fascinating, contradictory, moving, funny, insightful and tragic. There's a fury in him; but also a great kindness. He found harmony in human relationships elusive; his love life was a painful shambles. But with colour, he was a harmonic genius, and he has much to say about this. And here's the thing: for a man who killed himself - he died in the arms of his brother on July 29th - spending time with him was never anything but life-affirming.'

Part of a series of exciting and luxurious Flame Tree Notebooks. Combining high-quality production with magnificent fine art, the covers are printed on foil in five colours, embossed, then foil stamped. And they're powerfully practical: a pocket at the back for receipts and scraps, two bookmarks and a solid magnetic side flap. These are perfect for personal use and make a dazzling gift. This example features Vincent van Gogh's 'Starry Night'. Regarded as one of Van Gogh's finest works The Starry Night was painted during his stay at the asylum of Saint-Paul-de-Mausole following a mental breakdown. Based on the view from his window at the asylum as well as his imagination this incredible painting is one of the most recognized in the world.

Part of a series of exciting and luxurious Flame Tree Notebooks. Combining high-quality production with magnificent fine art, the covers are printed on foil in five colours, embossed, then foil stamped. And they're powerfully practical: a pocket at the back for receipts and scraps, two bookmarks and a solid magnetic side flap. These are perfect for personal use and make a dazzling gift. This example features Van Gogh's Cafe Terrace.

The elegant Matisse retrospective at New York's Museum of Modern Art in the fall of 1992 was the first king-sized retrospective of Matisse's work anywhere in the world for more than twenty years. Appropriately labelled "the most beautiful show in the world," this giant new look at Matisse and his pursuit of pleasure was a consummate success. Henri Matisse: A Bio-Bibliography provides the scholar, student, artist, and layperson with an extended primary and secondary bibliography with which to study and enjoy this great artist. These works cover his life, career, oeuvre, and influence on other artists. Though many of the entries are annotated, this is not meant to be a critical guide; rather, it is a way to get to know a great artist through the literature surrounding him and his art.

Degas was a celebrity in Britain in his lifetime, thanks originally to George Moore's pioneering essay, The Painter of Modern Life. When Degas died Moore reprised the essay with some further recollections, in part as a riposte to the memoir published by Degas's great admirer and follower, Walter Sickert. Sickert's essay, sparkling, engaged, witty and occasionally combative, is amongst the best of his writings. Together these memoirs represent some of the most vivid responses to Impressionism in English - as well as painting an intimate picture of arguably the most important and most influential - and the most humane - of the painters of the later 19th century. Hitherto difficult to find, these essays are reprinted here with an introduction by Anna Gruetzner Robins and are illustrated with 30 pages of colour plates covering the span of Degas's dazzling career.

This third volume traces the hidden patterns and interlocking themes in the study of art from impressionism to abstract art. Barasch details the immense social changes in the creation, presentation and reception of art that have set the history of art theory on a vertiginous new course.

Impressionists and Politics is an accessible introduction to the current debates about Impressionism. Was the artistic movement really radical and innovative? Is the term "Impressionism" itself an adequate characterization of the movement of painters and critics that took the mid-nineteenth century Paris art world by storm?
By providing an historical background and context, the book places the Impressionists' roots in wider social and economic transformations and explains its militancy, both aesthetic and political.
Impressionists and Politics is a concise history of the movement, from its youthful inception in the 1860s, through to its final years of recognition and then crisis.

This review considers the major Cezanne exhibition at the Tate Gallery London, staged from 8th February until 28th April 1996. Rather than focusing exclusively on the artist's work, the piece attempts to place the exhibition in context, exploring the institutional arena of presentation and the social and economic strata to which the retrospective is mainly addressed. To encompass these multiple levels of attention, the essay is based on a journey through the exhibition, seen at the press view on Tuesday 6th February 1996. The record is intentionally discursive, entwining impressions both of the works and the audience, groups of media professionals moving from room to room in sequence around the show. Further attention is given to the formulation of the catalogue, to gain a reasonably complete picture of the event.

Tracing the arc of van Gogh's career, this volume presents his portraits and self-portraits, landscapes, and haunting interiors. Readers will learn details of van Gogh's complicated personal life including his struggles with mental illness and his close but difficult relationship with his brother, Theo. Also included here are an anthology of paintings, information on the museums where they reside, a timeline of the painter's personal and artistic highlights, and bibliography. Overflowing with impeccably reproduced images, this book offers full-page spreads of masterpieces as well as highlights of smaller details - allowing the viewer to appreciate every aspect of the artist's technique and oeuvre. Chronologically arranged, the book covers important biographical and historic events that reflect the latest scholarship. Additional information includes a list of works, timeline, and suggestions for further reading.

Arguably the most important movement in the history of modern art, Impressionism changed the way audiences perceived painting. This elegant and portable book overflows with images and information about the movement's leading figures, tracing its development as different artists took up the challenge of redefining light and space in two dimensions, revealing the role of recent scientific discoveries, the changing landscape of Paris, and how audiences reacted to this seismic shift. The work of Manet, Monet, Renoir, Pissarro, Sisley, Caillebotte, Degas, Morisot, Seurat and others are given special attention, with generous, full-page illustrations of their masterpieces. Chronologically arranged, the book provides important biographical detail on the aritsts and describes historic events in the context of the latest scholarship. It also includes suggestions for further reading.