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Masterpieces from the National Gallery
This handsomely designed and illustrated book presents thirty-six masterpieces from the National Gallery’s remarkable and unparalleled collection, introducing major artists through their most renowned works.
Each of the featured paintings – which together outline the main innovations in art history – is discussed in fascinating detail. Among those included are Van Eyck’s 'Portrait of Giovanni Arnolfini and his Wife', Piero della Francesca’s 'The Baptism of Christ',Botticelli’s 'Venus and Mars', Leonardo da Vinci’s 'The Virgin of the Rocks', Cézanne’s 'Self Portrait', Seurat’s 'Bathers at Asnières', and Van Gogh’s Sunflowers.
The book provides the perfect introduction to one of the greatest collections of Western European art in the world.
Each of the featured paintings – which together outline the main innovations in art history – is discussed in fascinating detail. Among those included are Van Eyck’s 'Portrait of Giovanni Arnolfini and his Wife', Piero della Francesca’s 'The Baptism of Christ',Botticelli’s 'Venus and Mars', Leonardo da Vinci’s 'The Virgin of the Rocks', Cézanne’s 'Self Portrait', Seurat’s 'Bathers at Asnières', and Van Gogh’s Sunflowers.
The book provides the perfect introduction to one of the greatest collections of Western European art in the world.
- GenresArtNonfictionTravel
88 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
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About the author
Erika Langmuir
32 books1 followerErika Langmuir, OBE, was educated in France and the United States. She has taught at the University of Sussex and held the Chair of Art History at the Open University. She was Head of Education at the National Gallery from 1988–1995.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 9, 2019
This is a visually stunning and extremely well written ramble around some of the iconic National Gallery paintings with background on each artist, an insight into how they worked and mention of any special features in the work. It is set out in nicely defined eras, 1250-1500, 1500-1600, 1600-1700 and 1700-1900 so if one wants to major on any particular period, it is easy to do so. Each era is prefaced by a succinct and easily understood introduction.
In the first section there is plenty of gold leaf and lapis lazuli, particularly in the unknown artist's 'The Wilton Dyptych' (about 1395-99) and Jan van Eyck paints an inscription on the back wall of 'Portrait of Giovanni(?) Arnolfini and his Wife' (1434), which states 'Jan van Eyck was here/1434'. This is somewhat surprising for the marriage portrait is a made up one. But of course he was there when he painted it! Leonardo and Albrecht Durer, among others, are also represented in this section.
We move on to such as Michelangelo, Raphael, with the latter's Pope Julius (1511-12) being easily dated for the sitter only had a beard in the period 1511-March 1512 and the portrait shows him thus. One interesting work from the second period is Hans Holbein the Younger's 'The Ambassadors' for somehow the artist has a distorted drawing of a skull in the foreground. Apparently the technique is a geometric process called anamorphosis and when viewed at a corrective angle, either from the side or reflected in a metal cylinder, the skull is restored to a normal appearance - very clever.
Rembrandt, Caravaggio, or to give him his birth name Michelangelo Merisi (who had earlier murdered a rival over either a lady or a dispute over a game of tennis), Rubens, Poussin and one of my favourite artists, Claude Gellee, known as Claude Lorrain after his birthplace, are featured and the last named was spoken of by a German artist, Sandrart, who went on sketching trips with him as 'he only painted on a small scale, the view from the middle to the greatest distance, fading away towards the horizon and the sky'. 'Small scale'? When one studies his work this is a little bit harsh, methinks!
And finally 1700-1900 when the two great English painters, Constable and Turner, feature with 'The Cornfield', originally entitled 'Landscape, Noon' when first exhibited in 1837 with some lines from James Thomson's poem 'Seasons', and 'The Fighting Temeraire Tugged to Her Last Berth'. And although legend has it that Turner witnessed her last voyage, the painting suggests otherwise, ie that he painted it from imagination as some of the detail is not as recorded when the historic event happened. There is also a collection of impressionists with Monet, Degas, Cezanne and Seurat and the book ends with the iconic Vincent Van Gogh 'Sunflowers', of which there are, apparently three 'absolutely equal and identical copies'.
Rather like some novels, it is a book that once started is difficult to put down until the last page has been viewed and read.
In the first section there is plenty of gold leaf and lapis lazuli, particularly in the unknown artist's 'The Wilton Dyptych' (about 1395-99) and Jan van Eyck paints an inscription on the back wall of 'Portrait of Giovanni(?) Arnolfini and his Wife' (1434), which states 'Jan van Eyck was here/1434'. This is somewhat surprising for the marriage portrait is a made up one. But of course he was there when he painted it! Leonardo and Albrecht Durer, among others, are also represented in this section.
We move on to such as Michelangelo, Raphael, with the latter's Pope Julius (1511-12) being easily dated for the sitter only had a beard in the period 1511-March 1512 and the portrait shows him thus. One interesting work from the second period is Hans Holbein the Younger's 'The Ambassadors' for somehow the artist has a distorted drawing of a skull in the foreground. Apparently the technique is a geometric process called anamorphosis and when viewed at a corrective angle, either from the side or reflected in a metal cylinder, the skull is restored to a normal appearance - very clever.
Rembrandt, Caravaggio, or to give him his birth name Michelangelo Merisi (who had earlier murdered a rival over either a lady or a dispute over a game of tennis), Rubens, Poussin and one of my favourite artists, Claude Gellee, known as Claude Lorrain after his birthplace, are featured and the last named was spoken of by a German artist, Sandrart, who went on sketching trips with him as 'he only painted on a small scale, the view from the middle to the greatest distance, fading away towards the horizon and the sky'. 'Small scale'? When one studies his work this is a little bit harsh, methinks!
And finally 1700-1900 when the two great English painters, Constable and Turner, feature with 'The Cornfield', originally entitled 'Landscape, Noon' when first exhibited in 1837 with some lines from James Thomson's poem 'Seasons', and 'The Fighting Temeraire Tugged to Her Last Berth'. And although legend has it that Turner witnessed her last voyage, the painting suggests otherwise, ie that he painted it from imagination as some of the detail is not as recorded when the historic event happened. There is also a collection of impressionists with Monet, Degas, Cezanne and Seurat and the book ends with the iconic Vincent Van Gogh 'Sunflowers', of which there are, apparently three 'absolutely equal and identical copies'.
Rather like some novels, it is a book that once started is difficult to put down until the last page has been viewed and read.
May 2, 2022
Bel ouvrage qui résume bien les œuvres exposées à la National Gallery.
April 9, 2020
My wife and I traveled to England in 2011. This guidebook was from one of the places we toured. In all honesty, I did not particularly like the art in this gallery.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews