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A quick rundown of this product’s key features:
This important addition to our understanding of art history’s masterworks puts some of the world’s most famous paintings under a magnifying glass to uncover their most small and subtle elements and all they reveal about a bygone time, place, and culture.
Guiding our eye to the minutiae of subject and symbolism, authors Rose-Marie and Rainer Hagen allow even the most familiar of pictures to come alive anew through their intricacies and intrigues. Is the bride pregnant? Why does the man wear a beret? How does the shadow of war hang over a scene of dancing? Along the way, we travel from Ancient Egypt through to modern Europe, from the Renaissance to the Roaring Twenties. We meet Greek heroes and poor German poets and roam from cathedrals to cabaret bars, from the Garden of Eden to a Garden Bench in rural France.
As we pick apart each painting and then reassemble it like a giant jigsaw puzzle, these celebrated canvases captivate not only in their sheer wealth of details but also in the witness they bear to the fashions and trends, people and politics, loves and lifestyles of their time.
Our Top Reviews
Reviewer: Pamela
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Great worth the money
Review: Very good
Reviewer: hilan
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: love
Review: such a cute little book! as an art history major, I can’t wait to read this!
Reviewer: Mar
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Good
Review: The book is in good condition, but it is from some public library…
Reviewer: Candace Drimmer
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Gorgeous, informative (even about paintings you may think you know all there is to know)
Review: Having seen this book in a well known museum in Washington DC, I was drawn to the marvelous reproductions and information (background and foreground in a sense) about the paintings. It’s like having an express tour focused on one painting, at your convenience.But the book was so heavy. How was I, should I, carry this (almost) 3 pound book with me all day. No.So given that, I took a picture of the cover and resolved to look into where I could find it later. When home once again.Yep, there on Amazon it was.If only the well known museum had free shipping, I’d have bought from them at retail–but they didn’t, so neither did I.Once at home, I bought it and am delighted that I did. For people who need a book to read before sleep, but who eschew electronics–given the interference they can have upon your sleep–this is the read for you. Short, but long enough informational read–but not a full book. So you won’t be up all night reading a “can’t be put down” book.And no, I am NOT saying it will put you to sleep. But to say sweet dreams, is true. What better than art to dream on, with the addition of more knowledge than you started with? Having volunteered at a large museum in Chicago, this basically is like one of the “express” tours. So before bed, take a tour…and sleep well.
Reviewer: Pete Schneider
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Wonderful book, some will need a magnifying glass
Review: Amazing book, anything taschen sells I will buy.The print is small, so for some it may be difficult to read (I am in my 30s, had no issue reading it). But the essays are amazing, really providing context into the art piece, and the author (on an unrelated Goya painting, they dive into the black paintings a little bit which was a nice addition)Overall, love it. Great coffee table book, one star deducted for the size
Reviewer: Razzmatazz
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Great “social history” book
Review: This book tells a lot about what information is contained in the paintings–what they show about life during their age. I really liked the painting with the washerwoman in the background and the long rap about the status of white clothing in the middle ages. the whiter you could get your cuffs and collars, the better. Folks actually sent some of their washing to Bruges, Belgium, because it had the purest water.It also talked about the evolution of soap.Why do old Dutch paintings show glasses with knobby stems?? Because people grabbed cuts of meat bare-handed and they got so greasy they wouldn’t be able to hold on to their beer!!A great “social history” book.
Reviewer: Jen
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Beautiful, informative, but too small to be a coffee table book
Review: if you’re looking to learn, the paintings are covered in detail and the images are beautiful. But the book needed to be about 3-4 inches taller so the text and images can be larger because as is you need a magnifying lens. I am very happy with the book
Reviewer: Christine Pellegrino
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: What do you like about art?
Review: This book gives you some ideas that other artists explain different works and why they mean so much
Reviewer: Alexander Gardics
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: The book is well written, though it is not really about ‘what paintings say’, but rather about the historical context behind the paintings. I would also argue that not all the pictures included are masterpieces, but most of them are really good. Overall, the book was put together attentively, the close ups are wisely chosen, the text is abundant and to the point, it is a joy to read if you are into history. I have read the first 500 pages and it took me lots of time to get there, a month or so, but you don’t have to turn the pages to follow visually what is written, everything is right there, in front of your eyes. There is lots of work behind creating a book like this, and I don’t mean only the text but also the choice of paintings. I was so happy to see that artists like Michelangelo, Botticelli, Grunewald and Bruegel were not left out. Taschen is a great publisher and with this edition they have proven it again. Job well done.
Reviewer: Cliente Amazon
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Es una buena forma de introducirte en el mundo de los cuadros cuando no eres un entendido. Es como si los cuadros te hablasen, a través de la pintura hay toda una historia detrás de ella. Es maravilloso este libro que te introduce en el mundo del arte cuando no eres un entendido en arte.
Reviewer: simone joy chettle
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: A lovely way to understand the way famous artists approach their craft and the best of all the meaning of articles and people in the paintings.
Reviewer: Charllie
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: insegnato velocemente
Reviewer: Arnab Roy
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: This book is really masterpiece, no dout. rich with information. Pictures are classic. letters are small. I recommend this book most. Must buy for all interested in Art. Thanks to amazon.
Price effective as of Jun 30, 2025 12:15:25 UTC
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