Amid the background of social turbulence in the mid-nineteenth century, Gustave Courbet's unconventional paintings of real people in everyday scenes came to embody values with radical political implications. James Rubin addresses the entire range of Courbet's work: from his hunting scenes and spirited landscapes, to his portraits and erotic nudes. He combines a clear reading of the artist's paintings with a rigorous discussion of the unique personal, political and social framework within which they were created.

Nigel Spivey sets the formation of the classical style in its proper historical context. He explores the question of how Greek art was inextricably bound up with the social, religious, philosophical and political factors of the period and explains the art not only in terms of those who commissioned and created it, but also with reference to the archaeology of the places which hosted it.