Arthur K. Wheelock Jr. Books

In this strikingly beautiful book, leading Vermeer scholars examine the life and works of this seventeenth-century Dutch master, analyzing his evolution from a painter of religious and mythological images to an artist who explored the psychological nuances of human endeavor.

Aelbert Cuyp was one of the foremost Dutch painters and draughtsmen of the 17th century. His prolific artistic career, in which he produced idyllic views of the Dutch countryside, spanned the years between 1640 and 1665, the Golden Age of Dutch painting. At the core of this book and the exhibition it accompanies are 45 of Cuyp's most distinguished paintings and 64 drawings, taken largely from the collections of the organizing institutions but also from other British, Dutch, American and German museums and private collections. The appeal of the work lies not only in the subject matter but also in their distinctive style. Cuyp infused his Arcadian subjects and river views with a sensitivity to light and a clarity of form that is firmly grounded in reality. The essays, by curators and scholars, discuss Cup's work in the context of his time, personal background, artistic development, patrons, use of costume and artistic techniques.

All of Vermeer's authenticated paintings are reproduced and the most recent archival discoveries concerning his life are made available in this book. Included is a full discussion of the artistic climate in Delft with a study of the tradition of realism as it pertains to his work.

Henri Matisse, one of the pioneering masters of twentieth-century art, was an extremely versatile and productive artist. Throughout his long career from the 1830s to his death in 1954, his art was nourished by a variety of movements: Neoclassicism, Realism, Impressionism, and Post-Impressionism. He was an outstanding draftsman and sculptor, but was most widely recognized and loved for his vibrant and colourful paintings, which are the focus of this book. In his short lifetime of only thirty-seven years from 1864 to 1901, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec created work that has become iconic of popular Parisian life during the time in which he lived - the theatre, the circus, dance halls, cafes, and brothels. His work is brimming with the emotion and atmosphere of such famous locales as the Moulin Rouge, rendered in a style influenced by the Impressionists but distinguished by his own distinct and masterly handling of line. Jan Vermeer's mysterious and poetic paintings have continued to fascinate us. The recent Hollywood film which took its title from the painting - The Girl with a Pearl Earring - attests to the lasting power that fills his simple, studied, everyday scenes. attributed Saint Praxedis.