The Paintings that Revolutionized Art

by Claudia Stauble (Editor), Julie Kiefer (Editor)

This beautifully illustrated, delightfully informative collection of 100 of the world’s most significant paintings covers nearly every period, culture, and style. What makes the Book of Kells such an extraordinary example of the illuminated manuscript? Why is Dürer’s self-portrait so iconic? How did Turner’s Rain, Steam, Speed turn the art world on its head? What’s so great about Jasper Johns’s Flag? And who was Whistler’s mother, anyway? Art history is filled with paintings that shocked, intrigued, enraged, and mystified their audiences—paintings that exemplified the period in which they were created and forever changed the way we think. Here, 100 examples of these icons of art are presented in beautiful, high-quality reproductions. Each spread features comparative illustrations and details as well as an engaging text that explains why that particular painting belongs in the pantheon of world-changing art.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Art History

288 pages, Hardcover

First published August 15, 2013

Reviews

[Mackie]

A great art book both for those who are art admiring amateurs and the ultimate connoisseurs of creativity. I’m currently obsessing over Spitzweg’s “the poor poet” (painting 60). This is one of those books that you’ll repetitively find yourself returning to, in the same way you would with a great tv series.

If you’re deeply passionate about paintings or merely dipping your toes into the art world… Check this out!

[Chris Little · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating book of major art works. A great way to learn - or to start an argument about who's left out - or probably both.

Translated from German, there is a slight German lean: with more German artists than might otherwise have been chosen; and a relatively high number of art works presently in Germany (especially Munich, where the publisher is based).

I loved that there is good coverage of movements I know nothing of (eg. plenty of early Italian works), as well as those I am more familiar with. And there's a good glossary at the back, too.

The works are in order by time of production, from the sixth century AD to 1995.

There are a few slip ups. Is it a translation issue to use 'Netherlandish'? I would expect 'Dutch' in an English book. And the date for 'Tamara in a green Bugatti (self-portrait)' is open to multiple choice: 1915, 1929, or 'around the middle of the 1920s'. And all on a single open page! These proofing errors don't do too much damage, though.

The pictures are well-reproduced, and large. Each one has a concise explanation, as well as artist bio. Some works go onto a second double-page spread to display detail.

Very recommended, and thought-provoking.

[Hoyadaisy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best part of this book is the way the paintings are treated. They are full page (in a large book) and sharp. The primary text for each painting is clear and useful, but sometimes the secondary text is a bit repetitive. And, I'm sorry, but I have a picky point. While the paintings are well chosen, they should not be categorized as "the paintings that revolutionized art." Some of the paintings were not widely seen in their eras (under-appreciated or inaccessible and therefore not able to influence painters), so they couldn't have been instrumental in revolutionizing art.

[Amy Nash · Rating 5 out of 5]

A trip to the best galleries in the world...from my couch.

[Steph De Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This beautiful coffee-table book is a great resource for any dilettante art lover interested either in the history of art or in European and American art across a broad time-period. The one hundred artworks selected by Stauble are beautifully rendered in glossy, full-page images, and the accompanying text is helpful for understanding the significance and technical features of each piece.

I was happy to see two of my all-time favourite paintings (Botticelli's "The Birth of Venus" and Van Gogh's "Starry Night") included in this collection, and to discover a few wonderful pieces of art I wasn't previously familiar with, such as Altdorfer's "St. George and the Dragon" and Breugel's "Landscape with the Fall of Icarus".

I must, however, note that this book focuses almost exclusively on European and American art; thus, if you're looking for something with broader geographical coverage, this is not the right choice. Further, I dislike the fact that Stauble never makes clear what she means by her use of the word "revolutionised" in the book's title: I'm left wondering whether her selections intend to capture paintings that were revolutionary (and, thus, influential for other artists) at the time of their creation, or whether their revolutionary nature is viewed retrospectively, by art historians. Either way, I was surprised by some of these choices, and by some omissions.

Thus, this book represents an enjoyable, albeit imperfect, introduction to art history that I'm sure I'll return to many times in the future.

[Evelyn Shaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘The world must become romantic, then we will uncover its original meaning’ - Carl Spitzweg’s diary

Really great if you’re new to art history which i definitely am, I learned a lot

[Dora · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book as a gift and I have enjoyed it over and over again. This is one of those books that you can just browse through, or read cover to cover (because it's just so easy to read), but you can always skip to the parts that you need to refer to as I have done. Either way, the information provided in the book is to the point, nicely written and the reproductions (especially the close-ups of the paintings) are incredible! I would recommend this book for anyone who wants to learn a few interesting pieces of information about the world's most famous and prominent paintings in a non-cumbersome way.

[GBL · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is essential reading for anyone interested in the History of Art, as it focuses on 100 particular works of art that have been revolutionary at the time of their production and have had an impact on artistic development from a Byzantine icon from the 6th Century to a Lucian Freud portrait.

The text with each painting is informative and detailed with commentary on the work of art, a brief biography of the art and an accompanying quote to introduce the painting.

[Shruti Choudhury · Rating 5 out of 5]

New to art? This should be your go to! Easily accessible, beautifully detailed! The picture quality is superior and so are the explanations. The glossary detailing the periods is really the most helpful! A must coffee table book which should be referred to much more than just during coffee!

[Tracee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and to-the-point reference of famous paintings throughout history

[Loriepaddock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous book with fascinating background stories of each painting.

[Kevin An · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this book up during a trip to France in order to better understand the art that we were seeing. As someone who has almost no baseline knowledge, I felt this book was accessible to anyone and was a good introduction to art in general. I like that it was organized by time, and focused on transformational artwork. I also liked the little biographies of the painters, which gave readers a sense of the artist's lives and how art education evolved overtime. One weakness that the book itself acknowledges is its focus on western paintings, which is understandable. Overall, I would recommend this book to others who don't have much art knowledge and are looking for a nice easy light read.

[Oren Mizrahi · Rating 2 out of 5]

poorly written, poorly edited, with vapid descriptions of art

firstly, i take issue with about half of the works here. the author was obviously trying to avoid being cliche but while maintaining a title that would attract readers. pick a battle. half of the paintings here didn’t make a dent in art and there were clearly some omissions.

the descriptions were usually not very deep, though the pictures are reproduced beautifully. this is an ideal coffeetable book.

[Pauline · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the way the art is presented with info on the artist, quotes and background info. It was a pleasant art history book. My problem with it was why the art was chosen for this book. Some explanations were very clear, explaining the choices due to technique, composition, materials, style…
More often than not, I was left scratching my head trying to figure out what was revolutionary about the painting.

[Donia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting read especially if you want a brief summary of famous paintings that changed how art is seen throughout history, and how art created and described history!

[Miss Havisham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, but not a comprehensive overview by any means. Not nearly enough non-European/non-US artists (from memory only Hokusai and Kahlo had one painting each).

[Jeroen Van de Crommenacker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly good selection despite inevitably some paintings missing and some dubious inclusions (German bias?). Good quality pictures.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent summary exploring the history of painting.

[Wesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book! It's like a college art history class compressed into interesting and informative paragraphs. Learned a lot and really enjoyed it.

[Sidd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just finished reading about ten paintings if the 100 that are featured in the book. I feel very intelligent already. Can only imagine where I'll be when I've masticated the remaining 90.

[5 pound poi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative, concise text accompanies a bevy of famous paintings.

[boredroom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Provide me with the artists views and the paintings that defines its artistic values.